Thin-film amorphous silicon (a-Si) is a good choice of PV technology for operation in warm and sunny climates. A small temperature coefficient of power and a noticeable thermal annealing recovery effect of the light-induced degradation under high operating temperatures, render a-Si devices good performers in warm climate, low-latitude countries. Since 1997 LABSOLAR is continuously monitoring the performance of a thin-film, grid-connected, building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system in Brazil. The performance ratio of this 2 kWp double-junction a-Si PV installation after more than four years of continuous operation averages over 83% AC and 91% DC. The degree of light-induced degradation is lower than usually reported in the literature for a-Si operating in more temperate climates. This is ascribed to higher operating temperatures over the year at the site, leading to a higher degree of thermal annealing of this BIPV system. Our results demonstrate that new generation multijunction a-Si performs well in BIPV systems in warm and sunny sites.


Mineralogy of mineral materials in 21 samples of lowland organic soils from Terengganu' MARDI pontian, MARDI Jalan Kebun and Tanjong Karang were qualitatively analyzed using X-Ray Diffraction. occurrence of different types of clay minerals was used in identifying the environment at the time of the deposition of these organic materials' The presence of smectite and vermiculite in the samples from Tanjong Karang and UenOt Jalan Kebun indicates the existence of brackish or marine environment. Their absence ii the samples from Terengganu and MARDI Pontian, on the other hand' indicates a freshwater or r iverine environment' De CoNtrcr, F. (1978). Physico-chemical aspects of pedogenesis. Lecture note for Post-graduate Soil Scient is t , Univ. of Ghent, Belgium' Cour.ren. J.K. (1950). Peat format ion in Malaya Malay. agric' J. 33' 63-81. Isuet l , A.B. (19S1). Prof i le development and mineralogical changes of some soils deriveo from plutonic rocks in Peninsular Malaysia ' M.Sc. Thesis, Univ. of Ghent. Belgium' (1984a). Character izat ion of lowland organic soils in Peninsular Malaysia. Proc' Workshop on Classification and Management of Peat in Malaysia, Malaysian Society of Soil Science' Kuala LumPur ' 1984. PP. 109-26' ( , l984b). Mineralogical status of Malaysian paddy soils' (in Press) REFERENCES Accepted for publication on 3th July, 1985 202


Mesoporous, highly active, robust, and cost-effective thin films are in big demand for water splitting by electrocatalysis. Molten-salt assisted self-assembly (MASA) is an effective method to synthesize mesoporous thin films. Transparent clear solutions of salts (LiNO3 and [Mn(H2O)6](NO3)2), acid (HNO3), and surfactants (CTAB and P123) can be spin-coated over substrates as liquid crystalline (LC) films and calcined to obtain mesoporous high quality transparent thin films. A mixture of three salts (LiNO3, [Mn(H2O)6](NO3)2, and [Co(H2O)6](NO3)2) also forms LC mesophases that can be calcined to produce mesoporous nanocrystalline mixed metal lithiates (meso-LiMn2−xCoxO4) with surface areas as large as 144 m2 g−1 (for LiMn1.5Co0.5O4). The synergic effects of these salts improve the pore-size of the final products; the pore size drops from around 11 nm (in the meso-LiMn2O4) to 6–7 nm in the meso-LiMn1−xCoxO4. The meso-LiMn2−xCoxO4 films were tested at pH 13.6 as water oxidation electrocatalysts over a broad range of x. While meso-LiMn2O4 shows a low activity towards water oxidation, the catalytic activity increases with the increasing Co(III) content of the films. The highest mass activity per cobalt, 1744 A g−1, is obtained for meso-LiMnCoO4, which remains as a robust and efficient film even at a current density of 120 mA cm−2.


Matrix operations are nowadays central in many Machine Learning techniques, including in particular Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), whose core of any inference is represented by a sequence of dot product operations. An increasingly emerging problem is how to efficiently engineer their storage and operations. In this article we propose two new lossless compression schemes for real-valued matrices, supporting efficient vector-matrix multiplications in the compressed format, and specifically suitable for DNNs compression. Exploiting several recent studies that use weight pruning and quantization techniques to reduce the complexity of DNN inference, our schemes are expressly designed to benefit from both, that is from input matrices characterized by low entropy. In particular, our solutions are able to take advantage from the depth of the model, and the deeper the model, the higher the efficiency. Moreover, we derived space upper bounds for both variants in terms of the source entropy. Experiments show that our tools favourably compare in terms of energy and space efficiency against state-of-the-art matrix compression approaches, including Compressed Linear Algebra (CLA) and Compressed Shared Elements Row (CSER), the latter explicitly proposed in the context of DNN compression.


Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is an important immunogenetic system. It plays a key role in immunoresponsiveness and hematopoietic stem cell and organ transplantation. The development of modern medicine and tissue typing promotes the combination of molecular biology techniques with HLA typing, and improves the accuracy and practicability of HLA typing. In this review, recent advances were concisely introduced in research of HLA typing on the application of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), sequence specific oligonucleotide probe (SSOP), single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP), sequence specific primer (SSP), flow cytometry, gene chip, sequencing based typing, virtual DNA analysis and so on.


The authors have studied the leakage characteristics of Ru/HfxSi 1-xOy/Si MOS capacitors projected for advanced CMOS gate technology. Prior to Ru gate electrode deposition, the gate dielectrics were annealed by RTA in the temperature range of 700 - 1000 degC in O2. The influence of RTA has been analyzed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectivity and capacitance-voltage techniques. RTA at temperatures ranging from 800 - 900 degC improves the leakage characteristics. Presumably, the Pool-Frenkel mechanism controls the current flow through the oxide with Ru electrode


The article tries to show how petitions are to be fitted into the overall framework of constitutional and administrative legislation. Detailed attention is paid to the legal prerequisites and special features of applications made to administrative authorities. The consequences are pointed out that may arise in daily administrative practice, in particular in Public Health Offices.


Differential protection was already applied toward the end of the 19th century and was one of the first protection systems ever used. Faults are detected by comparison of the currents flowing into and out of the protected plant item. As a result of the fast tripping with absolute selectivity, it is suited as main protection of all important items of plant. The article presents an approach to teaching relay laboratory using specially designed exercises that can be done using MATLAB‐SIMULINK. This article presents a MATLAB‐SIMULINK‐based technology to simulate differential relay for determining behavior of it during transformer internal fault protection. The results show that this simulation method can work properly and this design can be used for power system simulation in MATLAB‐SIMULINK. Evaluation of the simulation with more than 60 students is very positive in terms of their developing confidence in and understanding of this kind of relay operation. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 21: 475–483, 2013


Abstract Parthenogenesis (PA) of the oocyte is essential to a number of oocyte- or embryo-related technologies such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection and cloning by nuclear transfer. This study investigated the onset and frequency of apoptosis in PA- porcine embryos and the morphological changes that conform to the general criteria of apoptotic cell death by using a terminal deoxynucleatidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. PA embryos had a higher degree of apoptotic cell death during in vitro culture, a lower cleavage rate (45% vs. 71%), and a lower development rate to the blastocyst stage (16% vs. 29%), relative to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The earliest positive TUNEL signal in the PA embryos was detected on Day 6, 1 day later than that in IVF embryos. Apoptosis in PA embryos increased from 15% of the embryos on Day 6 to 29% on Day 8. The mean level of apoptosis of the PA embryos was statistically higher than that of IVF embryos, except on Day 5. In particular, apoptosis in PA embryos was twice that of IVF embryos on Day 6 (15% vs. 6.7%) and Day 8 (29% vs. 13%). The mean cell number in PA blastocysts was significantly lower than that of IVF blastocysts, whereas the percentage of apoptosis in PA blastocysts was significantly higher than that of IVF blastocysts. There was a high percentage of haploid (62.5%) PA blastocysts. The ploidy may contribute to a high level of apoptosis. These results may help to explain the mechanism of parthenogenetic developmental failure and may lead to methods that will improve parthenogenetic development.


The activity of NADPH oxidase (NOX) is blocked by nitric oxide (NO). Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is also produced by blood vessels. It is reasonable to suggest that H2S may have similar actions to NO on NOX. In order to test this hypothesis, the effect of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) on O2– formation, the expression of NOX-1 (a catalytic subunit of NOX) and Rac1 activity (essential for full NOX activity) in isolated vascular smooth muscle cells (hVSMCs) was investigated. hVSMCs were incubated with the thromboxane A2 analogue U46619 ± NaHS for 1 or 16 h, and O2– formation, NOX-1 expression and Rac1 activity were assessed. The possible interaction between H2S and NO was also studied by using an NO synthase inhibitor, L-NAME, and an NO donor, DETA-NONOate. The role of KATP channels was studied by using glibenclamide. NaHS inhibited O2– formation following incubation of 1 h (IC50, 30 nM) and 16 h (IC50, 20 nM), blocked NOX-1 expression and inhibited Rac1 activity. These inhibitory effects of NaHS were mediated by the cAMP-protein-kinase-A axis. Exogenous H2S prevents NOX-driven intravascular oxidative stress through an a priori inhibition of Rac1 and downregulation of NOX-1 protein expression, an effect mediated by activation of the adenylylcyclase-cAMP-protein-kinase-G system by H2S.


A series of polyimides (PIs) with different chain structures were synthesized by a two-step method. The influences of chain conformations on their thermal and mechanical properties were investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, as well as by a universal testing machine. All PIs exhibited high glass transition temperature (>240 °C) and thermal decomposition temperature (>480 °C). Moreover, all these PIs could show shape memory properties more or less, especially ODA–BPDA with a shape recovery ratio (Rr) greater than 93%. The high value of Rr was mainly due to the existence of π–π interaction, a type of non-covalent interaction. The dependence of Rr on π–π interaction was investigated in detail by UV-vis spectroscopy. Finally, atomic oxygen (AO) exposure experiments showed that the shape memory properties of ODA–BPDA were affected little by the erosion due to AO.


The internal structure of growing trees and freshly cut logs can be characterized in real time by analysing the transmission and reflection of Kuor K-band microwave energy injected with a horizontal polarization towards the material. Information about the moisture content, material bends, number and location of knots and sections of spoiled wood e.g. due to insects can be gathered in real time. Most sensitive test parameters are attenuation, group delay and the rotation of a linearly polarized wavefront. A simultaneous recording of reflection reduces errors caused by non-significant surface deformations. The spatial resolution, humidity equalization and noise immunity can be improved by applying a wideband frequency modulation. Commercial building blocks supplemented with a special antenna arrangement give possibilities also for the rough harvester environment.


The phase behaviour of polyethylene knotted ring chains is investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. In this paper, we focus on the collapse of the polyethylene knotted ring chain, and also present the results of linear and ring chains for comparison. At high temperatures, a fully extensive knot structure is observed. The mean-square radius of gyration per bond ⟨S2⟩/(Nb2) and the shape factor ⟨δ*⟩ depend on not only the chain length but also the knot type. With temperature decreasing, chain collapse is observed, and the collapse temperature decreases with the chain length increasing. The actual collapse transition can be determined by the specific heat capacity Cv, and the knotted ring chain undergoes gas—liquid—solid-like transition directly. The phase transition of a knotted ring chain is only one-stage collapse, which is different from the polyethylene linear and ring chains. This investigation can provide some insights into the statistical properties of knotted polymer chains.


Sojourners, whether with various cultural groups in this country or overseas, and whether adult mission volunteers, educators doing research in cross-cultural settings, or youth on short term missions projects, will benefit from the training p r o g r a m described by Brislin and his colleagues in Intercultural Interactions. They use the cultural assimilator method, in which trainees read "critical incidents" (short case studies) that involve cross-cultural interaction and possible misunderstandings. The trainees then choose alternative responses to each incident; each alternative response represents a different attribution concerning the causes of behavior.


This thesis examines the impact of ambient particulate matter (PM) on respiratory symptoms in Australian adults. Respiratory symptoms are often overlooked in epidemiological studies on PM, yet they represent the activation of inflammatory physiological responses by inhaled particles. It is hypothesised that respiratory symptoms represent the most common adverse health impact of PM on healthy individuals. It is expected that proportionally fewer individuals are adversely affected as the severity of the health impact increases, so that relatively few people require emergency treatment, hospitalisation or end up dying as a result of PM exposure. Respiratory symptoms may often be mild and transient, but chronic and/or severe symptoms can have a substantial detrimental impact on quality of life, including the ability to work and take part in recreational activities. Respiratory symptoms also represent exacerbations of underlying chronic diseases such as asthma, which may be life-threatening, as well as requiring medical care, medication use and resulting in sub-optimal disease management. This thesis addresses the current lack of knowledge on associations between ambient PM and respiratory symptoms in Australian adults. The first study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in respiratory symptoms in adults in Melbourne (Victoria). There was little evidence to suggest that PM2.5 in Melbourne poses a substantial health threat to most adults. The next studies examined respiratory symptoms in participants in the 2004 Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS). An ecological study examined symptoms reported by TAHS participants in Launceston and Hobart (Tasmania). Air quality in Launceston is severely degraded by wood smoke-derived PM10 during the winter months, whereas air quality in Hobart is much better. The results did not provide convincing evidence that respiratory symptoms were associated with wood smoke-derived PM10 in Launceston, although it is likely that the small sample size affected the results. Variations in air quality within Launceston were then examined using The Air Pollution Model (TAPM) to estimate, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map, PM10 concentrations. There was little evidence to suggest that respiratory symptoms or symptom scores were associated with spatial variations in PM1O. Further analyses suggested that the small city size and confounding by vehicle traffic may have overshadowed any associations with ambient PM 10. The results of this thesis suggest that ambient PM concentrations in Melbourne and Launceston may currently be low enough to pose little threat to the respiratory health of most adults. However, the scientific evidence strongly suggests ambient PM exposure does have an adverse impact on adult respiratory health. The small study sample sizes and low exposure variation between study participants likely reduced the ability of these studies to detect any significant associations between respiratory symptoms and ambient PM in these cities.


Ethnicity has been found to explain some differences across ethnic groups regarding end-of-life care choices. African Americans appear to be less likely to know about advance directives and to complete them. Five community-based focus groups, consisting of 27 African Americans, were convened to explore their perspectives of end-of-life care planning and decision making. Content analysis revealed six themes: death is not an option, religiosity and end-of-life care planning is a paradox, the health care system is a microcosm of societal and historical events, a "trusted" family member or friend is the contract for life-and-death options, ethnically relevant initiatives are essential to increase advance directives participation, and people are people. These themes serve to guide health care professionals in minimizing actions that increase African Americans' mistrust of the health care system not only in end-of-life situations but also in all of health care-related interactions.


Reconfigurable antennas (RAs) emerged as a promising technology that can deal with channel variations and enhance the capacity and reliability of the wireless channel. To fully exploit the advantage of RAs, optimal antenna modes need to be selected in an online manner. However, the channel statistics are unknown a priori. Multi-armed bandit-based online learning algorithms were proposed to address this challenge, but the main drawback of existing approaches are that their regret scales linearly with the number of antenna modes, which converges slowly when the latter is large. To improve the scalability, we first apply an existing algorithm: Thompson sampling via Gaussian process (TS-GP), and propose two new algorithms for antenna mode selection: upper confidence bound with channel prediction (UCB-CP) and Thompson Sampling with channel prediction (TS-CP). TS-GP uses Gaussian prior to model the reward distribution of each antenna mode, as well as the correlation among them. UCB-CP and TS-CP exploit channel modeling to predict the channel conditions of unexplored antenna modes at each time step, by relating the correlation between different channel states to the underlying antenna modes. We prove the finite-time regret bound of UCB-CP and show that it is independent from the number of arms, when the expected channel estimation errors are small enough. We also extend the algorithms to the mobile setting. Both simulation results and real-world experiments show that all of our proposed learning algorithms can significantly improve the convergence rate and yield much lower regret (thus higher throughput) than existing schemes.


The psychological empowerment of employees as the psychological enabling and positive motivational state of individuals at work has been broadly studied in relation with their attitudes towards work and organisations, work behaviour, productivity, reactions to changes or innovations. Employee empowerment is especially important for the organisations with flexible management systems which are based on the principles of employee proactivity, personal responsibility and intrinsic work motivation. The article presents the process of improving the LPEQ – Lithuanian Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire (Tvarijonavicius & Bagdžiūnienė, 2013) and the revised 9-item version of the questionnaire. The first version consisted of fifteen items representing five dimensions of psychological empowerment: meaning, enthusiasm, decision making, autonomy, and trust in competence. However, later studies revealed that a three-dimensions exploratory factor solution is also possible (e.g., Jokubauskaitė & Lazauskaitė--Zabielskė, 2016). The aim of the two studies presented in this paper was to repeatedly evaluate and to specify the structure of the LPEQ and to verify the psychometric indicators of the revised 9-item version of the questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of data from the first study sample (740 employees from different Lithuanian organisations) were explored to examine the structure, construct validity and reliability of the questionnaire. The CFA showed substantial support for the three factors' solution when the first factor (meaning) consisted of two items from the previous meaning dimension and one item from enthusiasm, the second factor (decision making) included two items from the previous decision making and one from autonomy dimensions and the third factor (trust in competence) remained without changes (χ² = 57.69, df = 24, χ² /df = 2.391, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.061; GFI = 0.9674; CFI = 0.939; NFI = 0.953). Measures of validity and internal consistency were additionally analysed on the second study data (658 participants). The results proved the convergent validity of the shortened version of the LPEQ: three dimensions and the total score of empowerment were highly and positively related with similar constructs – intrinsic motivation, engagement, autonomy, occupational self-efficacy, in-role behavior (p < 0.01). Cronbach's α coefficients of the dimensions varied between 0.755 and 0.835. In conclusion, the revised version of the Lithuanian Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire (LPEQ – 9) can be characterised as an instrument with appropriate psychometric properties for use in research and practice. Directions for the future research in the field are discussed.


The grande dame of English literature returns with a stunning collection of four short, intensely observed novels. With the four short novels in this collection, Doris Lessing once again proves that she is unequalled in her ability to capture the truth of the human condition. The title story, 'The Grandmothers', is an astonishing tour de force, a shockingly intimate portrait of an unconventional extended family and the lengths to which they will go to find happiness and love. Written with a cinematic eye, so that one almost feels one is watching the scenes from the sidelines, the story is a ruthless dissection of the veneer of middle-class morality and convention which manages to be at once universal and desperately, heartbreakingly personal. 'Victoria and the Staveneys' takes us through 20 years of the life of a young underprivilged black girl in London. A chance meeting introduces her to the world of the Staveneys - a liberal white middle-class family - and, seduced, she falls pregnant by one of the sons. As her young daughter grows up, Victoria feels her parental control diminishing as the attractions of the Staveney's world exert themselves. An honest and often uncomfortable lo


A full-function vitrectomy instrument (pneumovitrector) developed by the author is described. This instrument is composed of an aspirating and cutting system combined with an infusion line for injecting air or gas into the vitreous cavity. Simultaneous injection of gas and removal of the vitreous pneumovitrectomy allows for a large vitreous biopsy specimen that has not been diluted with infusion fluid and does not reduce the intraocular pressure. A biopsy of the vitreous is performed for the diagnosis of intraocular infection and ocular involvement in reticulum cell sarcoma (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). While aspiration of a small amount of liquid vitreous is often sufficient for the diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis, a larger volume of liquid and solid vitreous is needed for the establishment of diagnoses such as fungal endophthalmitis and intraocular lymphoma. Diagnostic vitrectomy is performed using either a 20-gauge needle or a 22-gauge needle or a miniaturized vitrectomy system. In the latter case, vitrectomy instruments are often combined with either an infusion cannula or an infusing fiber optic light probe. In most situations, 0.1 to 0.2 ml of vitreous is removed prior to injection and replacement of the volume of the vitreous , in order to obtain the maximum amount of undiluted vitreous for culture or histologic evaluation. Although a complete vitrectomy can be performed and the aspirate collected in the vitrectomy cassette can be spun down to obtain solid material, this procedure is generally done in the operating room. Aspiration of the vitreous for the biopsy without simultaneous replacement of the vitreous volume limits the amount of biopsy specimen that can be taken and is accompanied by the collapse of the eye as a result of hypotony. To overcome this problem, a miniaturized instrument (pneumovitrector) has been developed by this author.


A drug release model based on mesocellular foam silica (MCF) for Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) II drugs was conducted. A three-level two-factorial factorial design was carried out for the exploration of the influence of the pore size of MCF (X1) and drug-loading degree (X2) for drug release behaviors. Cumulative release in 1 h (Y1), cumulative release in 24 h (Y2), and rate constant k (Y3) were selected as dependent response variables. A series of MCFs (7MCF, 12MCF, and 17MCF) with arithmetic increased pore diameters was synthesized as drug carriers. The morphologies and structures of MCFs and pore size distributions were detected by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption analysis. With celecoxib as a model drug, nine drug-loaded samples were prepared and further characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses. The release behavior was examined by in vitro dissolution. Factorial design results demonstrated that cumulative release in 1 h and the rate constant k were mainly affected by X2, while cumulative release in 24 h was influenced by both X1 and X2. Furthermore, quadratic equations of Y1, Y2, and Y3 were conducted, respectively. This work was expected to provide some scientific references for designing specific drug delivery models with mesoporous silica carrier.


Land Grabbing at the Frontiers of the Fossil Energy Regime: Tendencies, Agents and Conflicts in the Case of Tanzania. Abstract We are currently witnessing a new era of land grabbing. Assuming an agrarian transition, the World Bank has argued that if peasants are integrated into outgrower schemes and the landless employed in agribusiness, this new era could be a "win-win" situation. In order to assess this perspective, this article looks at the longue duree of agriculture in its global context. While the periphery provided cheap food to the centre during the 19th century, fossil fuels reversed this after World War II. With the fossil energy regime's frontier looming on the horizon, the periphery is once again being asked to produce staple food stuffs and export materials to the centre, as well as produce biomass for energy. As a result, the direct access to land has become crucial again. However, the peak in fossil fuels also puts the agro-regime into question; since fossil fuels are vital to industrial food production, capital growth and consumer demand are likely to come under pressure as fossil fuels reach their limits. Drawing upon the case of Tanzania, this article looks at the longue duree of conflicts over land use under capitalist premises. The colonial state expanded raw material production, which then declined as a result of the boom in petrochemical fibres during the postcolonial era. Extensive land conflicts arose from socialist modernization, which were then intensified by neoliberal adjustment and the attempt to install land markets. Under such conditions, different Tanzanian agriculture trajectories are possible, yet none of them appear to provide a "win-win" outcome.


BACKGROUND
Use of psychotropic medication in medically ill adults, in particular, patients with cancer, is common. While increased use of psychotropic medications in children and adolescents in the general population has been reported, little is known about the prescribing practices for these medications in medically ill children.

OBJECTIVE
To examine the frequency and types of psychotropic medications used in a population of children and adolescents with cancer.

DESIGN
Retrospective review of the National Institutes of Health Medical Information System.

SETTING
Pediatric Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.

PARTICIPANTS
Three hundred forty-seven patients aged 1 to 21 years who were enrolled in clinical research trials at the Pediatric Oncology Branch between January 2000 and December 2003.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Psychotropic medication use was analyzed according to cancer diagnosis and patient age.

RESULTS
Fourteen percent of identified patients had been prescribed at least 1 psychotropic medication at the time of National Cancer Institute clinical trial enrollment. The most commonly used medications were anticonvulsant agents (8%) and antidepressant medications (7%), in particular, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Anxiolytic medications could not be accurately assessed because of their frequent use as antiemetic agents in many chemotherapy regimens. Psychostimulant use was rare.

CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that psychotropic medications are commonly prescribed to children and adolescents with cancer. Clinical safety and efficacy trials are needed in medically ill children at high risk for mood and anxiety symptoms.


We reformulate the full quantum dynamics of spin systems using a phase-space representation based on SU(2) coherent states which generates an exact mapping of the dynamics of any spin system onto a set of stochastic differential equations. This representation is superior in practice to an earlier phase-space approach based on Schwinger bosons, with the numerical effort scaling only linearly with system size. By also implementing extrapolation techniques from quasiclassical equations to the full quantum limit, we are able to extend useful simulation times severalfold. This approach is applicable in any dimension including cases where frustration is present in the spin system. The method is demonstrated by simulating quenches in the transverse-field Ising model in one and two dimensions.


This work presents the application of acetic acid as a fixing and dehydrating agent and benzyl alcohol as the clearing medium for helminths of the Monogenea, Digenea, Cestoda, Nematoda and Acanthocephala, and mounting them in Canada balsam or other resins.


In discussing artificial intelligence and neuroscience, I will focus on two themes. The first is the universality of cycles (or loops): sets of variables that affect each other in such a way that any feed-forward account of causality and control, while informative, is misleading. The second theme is based around the observation that a computer is an intrinsically dualistic entity, with its physical set-up designed so as not to interfere with its logical set-up, which executes the computation. The brain is different. When analysed empirically at several different levels (cellular, molecular), it appears that there is no satisfactory way to separate a physical brain model (or algorithm, or representation), from a physical implementational substrate. When program and implementation are inseparable and thus interfere with each other, a dualistic point-of-view is impossible. Forced by empiricism into a monistic perspective, the brain-mind appears as neither embodied by or embedded in physical reality, but rather as identical to physical reality. This perspective has implications for the future of science and society. I will approach these from a negative point-of-view, by critiquing some of our millennial culture's popular projected futures.


In this paper, we produce a novel raster dataset depending upon the Sentinel-2 satellite. They envelop over thirteen spectral bands. Our novel data set consists of ten classes within a total of 27000 Geo-referenced and labelled images. Gradient Boosting Model (GBM) used to explore this novel dataset in which the overall prediction and accuracy of 97% is obtained from the support of Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) afforded from Google Colaboratory (Colab). The obtained classification result can provide a gateway for numerous earth observation applications. Here, in this paper, we also elaborate on how this classification model might be applied for a conspicuous change in land cover and how it plays an important role in improving the graphical maps.


This article reviews our knowledge about the efficacy of Class I antiarrhythmic agents, especially quinidine, propafenone, and flecainide, for pharmacologic conversion of atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm. When given intravenously or orally for the long term, conversion rates between 50% and 90% are reported for restoration of sinus rhythm as well as for maintenance of sinus rhythm after DC cardioversion. Based on transtelephonic monitoring of arrhythmia recurrences as well as tolerance, Class IC agents appear to be especially effective for suppressing clinical symptoms in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. For patients who develop atrial fibrillation following coronary artery surgery, Class I agents are the second choice of treatment only. The concept of single oral loading with Class IC agents for conversion of atrial fibrillation appears attractive, but more data are needed before we conclude that it is efficacious as well as safe when given to ambulatory patients. Because all Class I antiarrhythmic agents have the potential for lethal proarrhythmia, the greatest and as yet unsettled issue is safety. Until the advent of large-scale and long-term trials demonstrating the efficacy and safety of Class I agents for the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation, this strategy, although very popular to suppress frequent and unpleasant symptoms due to atrial fibrillation, cannot be regarded as firmly established.


Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emergent class of two-dimensional (2D) crystalline organic materials that exhibit unique electronic, optical, and transport properties. In this study, we employ density functional theory (DFT) and the multiparticle Holstein formalism (MHF) to investigate the electronic structure and two-dimensional coherence of polarons in donor-acceptor COFs as a function of interlayer stacking arrangement. We show that simple modifications in the interlayer stacking arrangement have a profound impact on the transport properties, which can range from metallic behavior with vanishing band gap to highly localized states having completely flat bands. The extent of charge delocalization is found to be sensitive to the type of stacking arrangement and the precise arrangement of the donor and acceptor fragments within the COF structure. The results from the DFT calculations are consistent with MHF-based simulations, demonstrating that stacking-induced interlayer interactions facilitate better in-plane charge delocalization. As a consequence, we find that interlayer interactions help circumvent defect-induced trap states to enhance overall charge delocalization. Based on these analyses, we conclude that interlayer stacking can be exploited to guide the design of new 2D layered COF structures with potential applications in organic electronics.


Natural gas has been widely used in reciprocating engines for various applications such as automobile, electricity generation, and gas compression. It is in the public interest to burn fuels more efficiently and at lower exhaust emissions. Natural gas is very suitable to serve this purpose due to its clean combustion, small carbon footprint, and, with recent breakthroughs in drilling technologies, increased availability and low cost. Natural gas can be used in lean burn spark ignited (LBSI) or stoichiometric EGR spark ignited (SESI) engines. Selection of either LBSI or SESI requires accommodation of requirements such as power output/density, engine efficiency, emissions, knock margin, and cost. The work described in this paper investigated the feasibility of operating an engine originally built as an LBSI under SESI conditions.Analytical tools and workflow developed by Cummins, Inc. are used in this study. The tools require fundamental combustion properties as inputs, including laminar flame speed (LFS), adiabatic flame temperature (AFT) and autoignition interval (AI). These parameters provide critical information about combustion duration, engine out NOx, and relative knock propensity. An existing LBSI engine operating at its as released lambda was selected as baseline. The amount of EGR for the SESI configuration was selected so that it would have the same combustion duration as that of the LBSI at its reference lambda. One dimensional (1D) cycle simulations were conducted under both SESI and LBSI conditions assuming constant output power, compression ratio, volumetric efficiency, heat release centroid and brake mean effective pressure (BMEP). The 1D cycle simulations provide peak cylinder pressure (PCP) and peak unburned zone temperature (PUZT) under LBSI and SESI conditions. The results show that the SESI configuration has lower PCP but higher peak unburned zone temperature than that of the LBSI for the same output power. Also, for the same combustion duration, SESI has higher AFT than that of LBSI, resulting in higher engine out NOx emissions. The SESI configuration has shorter AI than that of LBSI engine, or smaller relative knock margin. Reduction of output power and emissions aftertreatment in the form of a three way catalyst (TWC) is required to operate under SESI engine conditions.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


This article aims at discussing computational approach to design magnet-free nonreciprocal metamaterial. Detailed mathematical derivation on floquet mode analysis is presented for Faraday and Kerr rotation. Non-reciprocity in the designed metasurface is achieved in the presence of biased transistor loaded in the gap of circular ring resonator. Based on the synthesized mathematical model, We extract co-cross polarized components as well as Faraday and Kerr rotation from the developed synthesized model and compare/contrast reciprocal and nonreciprocal system.


Objective: To investigate the effect of R2* value on the evaluation of different degrees of hepatic warm ischemia-reperfusion injury (WIRI) and liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rabbits. Methods: Thirty healthy adult male New Zealand White rabbits were randomly divided into five groups. Hepatic caudal lobectomy was performed in both the control and the warm ischemia time-dependent variation group. After reperfusion, routine MRI and BOLD MRI scans were performed for each group at 6 h, 3 d, 7 d, 14 d and 30 d, respectively, and then R2* value and liver regeneration rate (LRR) were measured and calculated. After 30 days of scanning, the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumor necrosis factor - α (TNF - α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were detected in frozen rabbit liver tissues, and the pathological sections were collected. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate the changes of R2* value, LRR and its influencing factors at different follow-up time and warm ischemia time in each group. Pearson's or Spearman's correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation of R2* value with LRR and various biochemical indexes. Results: The interaction between different follow-up time and warm ischemia time (F = 24.600, P < 0.001) and the single effect of the both on the R2* value had statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). The interaction of different follow-up time and different warm ischemia time had no effect on LRR, and the difference was not statistically significant (F = 0.925, P = 0.528), but the difference in the main effect of the both on LRR was statistically significant (P < 0.05). At the same follow-up time, except for the 40-min ischemia group, the R2* values were significantly positively correlated with LRR (3, 7, 14, 30 days after operation, r = 0.510, 0.681, 0.612, 0.541 respectively, P < 0.05). At the same warm ischemia time, the R2* value were significantly negatively correlated with LRR (3, 7, 14, 30 and 40 days after operation, r = - 0.800, -0.852, -0.893, -0.648, -0.853, respectively, P < 0.05). There was no correlation between R2 * value and biochemical indexes at 30 days after operation (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The R2* value may be used for noninvasive and quantitative evaluation of microstructural changes of WIRI and affect liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rabbits. A certain degree of WIRI (≤30 min) after partial hepatectomy can promote liver regeneration in rabbits. Furthermore, as the warm ischemia time prolongs, the promoting effect becomes more pronounced, and if the warm ischemic time exceeds 30 minutes, the promoting effect is significantly reduced.


Conventional approaches to business-to-business (B2B) negotiation use primary negotiation terms (PNTs) such as price or order quantity for modeling and analysis, but pay little attention to such secondary negotiation terms (SNTs) as resource availability and corporate culture. This paper argues that SNTs also contribute to good negotiation decisions because PNTs and SNTs are closely interlinked in the form of causal relationships. Moreover, B2B negotiation demands a practical and useful framework that can reuse past negotiation knowledge and perform "what-if" analysis. This paper proposes a framework that consists of formalization, reuse, and problem-solving phases. The framework first formalizes TAKBN (tacit knowledge about B2B negotiation) with both PNTs and SNTs using a cognitive map and case-based reasoning, then stores them in case bases as cases that can be retrieved for later use and problem solving. This framework provides a platform with which decision makers can study past B2B negotiation cases, apply them to current B2B negotiation problems, and simulate different negotiation situations before making decisions. The framework has been tested using two practical scenarios. A structured, 13-item questionnaire was rigorously developed and applied to evaluate the validity of the proposed framework based on 16 B2B negotiation experts' judgments. Statistical tests proved that the proposed framework could improve decision performance significantly in B2B negotiations.


Major surgical operations each year increase. The design used was quasy experiment with pre-post control group design approach. With incidental sampling technique. The number of samples of 30 respondents. The convenience instrument used is an observation sheet that refers to the APAIS questionnaire and analyzed by Paired t-test. This research carried out in the anggrek ward, bougenvill male and female of Waled Public Hospital Cirebon in June-July 2018.Result of univariate analysis, anxiety in patients pre-operative mayor suergery after intervention was (12,000) with standard deviation 4,32600 and lowest comfort was 6,00 and highest comfort was 20,00. Bivariate analysis with paired t-test showed that there was influence of aromatherapy rose toward decrease of anxiety in patiens pre-operative major surgery (p-value = 0,000 α = 0,05).


Concurrency is a fundamental problem and a solution applicable to different areas of computing. Given the complexities and distribution of computer systems and services, concurrency is a modern area requiring proper attention. Petri nets are formalisms based on process representation both from a mathematical view and from a graphical or drawing like view. Petri nets are used to model concurrent processes. This work deals with understanding and representing low level concurrency in Petri nets, when this is not always visible and properly noted from the graphical structure. In this study an algebraic notation has been devised and is used to represent the Petri net structures. This algebraic notation is used as an alternative and simplified way of representation. The notation is explained and several simple examples are given. The notation presented can be used in conjunction with other Petri net analysis and verification methods. Some results and findings are discussed.


The authors examine how competing institutional logics shape institutional fields. Specifically, they conceptualize control of the modern corporation as an evolving institutional field. They connect changes in the institutional field to the rhetoric and corresponding logics put forth by various corporate stake-holders vying for control of the firm. Changes in the corporate institutional field are represented as the diffusion of takeovers and takeover defenses. Corporate control rhetoric is traced in interviews with corporate board members. The authors argue that the rhetoric of corporate control shapes and establishes dominant stakeholder groups in the institutional field. They conclude with a brief discussion of their analysis and a call for further research.


C. elegans PUD-1 and PUD-2, two proteins up-regulated in daf-2(loss-of-function) (PUD), are homologous 17-kD proteins with a large abundance increase in long-lived daf-2 mutant animals of reduced insulin signaling. In this study, we show that both PUD-1 and PUD-2 are abundantly expressed in the intestine and hypodermis, and form a heterodimer. We have solved their crystal structure to 1.9-Å resolution and found that both proteins adopt similar β-sandwich folds in the V-shaped dimer. In contrast, their homologs PUD-3, PUD-4, PUDL-1 and PUDL-2 are all monomeric proteins with distinct expression patterns in C. elegans. Thus, the PUD-1/PUD-2 heterodimer probably has a function distinct from their family members. Neither overexpression nor deletion of pud-1 and pud-2 affected the lifespan of WT or daf-2 mutant animals, suggesting that their induction in daf-2 worms does not contribute to longevity. Curiously, deletion of pud-1 and pud-2 was associated with a protective effect against paralysis induced by the amyloid β-peptide (1-42), which further enhanced the protection conferred by daf-2(RNAi) against Aβ.


The definition, history, classification and advantages of traditional Chinese medicine cosmetics (TCMC) were summarized in this article. The domestic and foreign current situations of research and development of TCMC were particularly introduced. The application and authorization of TCMC in China were also briefly mentioned. Finally, the developmental prospects of TCMC in China were discussed in two aspects of the strategy of the R&D and the problems facing when it was marketed.


We strongly support the recommendation of the recent article by Kim et al.1 that health researchers pay heed to the strong social patterning of missing data often exhibited by key variables in epidemiologic studies. Yet, although we agree with the authors' advice that researchers should "at a minimum, carefully examine characteristics of respondents with missing income information," we must strongly caution readers against their recommendation to "routinely includ[e] a separate income category of respondents with missing income information in all analyses." Contradicting this recommendation is extensive literature on missing data,2–7 including two articles cited by Kim et al.2,4 This research has shown that this "missing indicator" method will result in biased effect estimates under most conditions. In particular, bias occurs even when the missing data are missing completely at random (e.g., people missing data on income are a random sample from all income groups). If the data are missing at random (e.g., missingness on income depends only on variables that are observed), then multiple imputation or weighting techniques can be used to obtain valid effect estimates.6 If, however, the data are not missing at random (e.g., there are additional unobserved predictors of missingness), more complex models for non-ignorable nonresponse are required,7 and, ultimately, investigators would do well to adopt a sensitivity analysis framework. In all cases, researchers must give serious thought to data quality issues raised by the extent and patterning of missingness, the pathways leading to this missingness, and the implications for valid causal inference. In summary, the problem of the social patterning of missing data that Kim et al. highlight is very real and troubling for epidemiologic research and underscores why epidemiologists cannot afford to ignore poverty and its impact on both health status and causal inference.8 To do the research right, we must use appropriate methods. In 1995, Greenland and Finkle2 were alarmed to find that "the indicator method [was] widely perceived as a formally correct method of handling missing values." Because this view continues to persist in some quarters, we must reiterate their recommendation that epidemiologists avoid the "potentially disastrous ad hoc" missing indicator approach.


As a service hub to the Digital Public Library of America ( http://dp.la ), the Mountain West Digital Library ( http://mwdl.org ) shares over 800,000 metadata records from more than 20 repositories located in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Montana, and Oregon.  From common metadata standards, to digitization and hosting services, to aggregation and normalization, the MWDL collaborative provides a range of services to a distributed network of memory institutions in the region, helping them to share their digital collections broadly. Over the past twelve years, to distribute the services burden, the MWDL and its more than 120 partners have devised a tiered services model, providing different services at different levels of the collaborative. Tiering services brings benefits to everyone in the network, as it allows for efficiencies of scale on certain services that lend themselves to centralization, while keeping other services close to the partners and materials involved. It also distributes the cost of services across many institutions and allows for different cost-recovery models to be in effect simultaneously. On the other hand, a tiered services model also creates potential issues for the collaborative, including the management of more complex workflows, a need for closer collaboration to coordinate varying practices, and emerging issues of fairness and participation with respect to funding and governance. With this Prezi presentation, MWDL director Sandra McIntyre will show how the MWDL distributed network inter-operates to offer a distinctive service mix, what issues have emerged with growth, and how the collaborative is moving forward with support from the Digital Public Library of America to adapt the tiered services model to meet the needs of more memory institutions in the Mountain West.


Nasomaxillary defects may affect patients' speech, mastication, swallowing, breathing, quality of life, psychology, and social behavior. A combination of surgical reconstruction and prosthetic rehabilitation is frequently required to restore optimal function and esthetics. Of particular concern are the size, weight and contour of the prosthesis, as they can drastically affect comfort, retention, masticatory function and ease of insertion and removal. This clinical case report describes the prosthodontic rehabilitation of a partially edentulous patient with a nasomaxillary defect (Aramany class VI) with a two-component prosthesis joined by magnets.


Background. Diet and nutrition can favorably modulate arterial function during vascular aging, and therefore the search for their relationship is important. Objective. To study the relationship between eating behavior and markers of early vascular aging in patients with prehypertension and arterial hypertension. Design and methods . The respondents from the population sample of the epidemiological observational study ESSE-RF were questioned. 477 questionnaires were selected for further analysis of the respondents' eating habits and the prevalence of early vascular aging among them. Inclusion criteria were age over 40 years to assess the risk of developing cardiovascular complications using the SCORE and ASCORE scales; lack of criteria for high and very high risk on the SCORE scale. A standard questionnaire was used, developed on the basis of adapted and validated international methods, with 12 modules. In the answers of the respondents, the amount and frequency of consumption of table salt, sugar, animal fats, meat and processed meat products, vegetables and fruits, poultry and fish were analyzed. The estimated vascular age of all respondents was assessed using the ASCORE scale. Results. In total, the responses on eating behavior were analyzed in 295 women and 182 men aged 40 to 65 years; the estimated vascular age (ASCORE) was 55.5 ± 9.6 years. For respondents with healthy vascular aging, compared to respondents with premature vascular aging, significantly less salt (57.2% versus 70.6%), sausages (44.1% versus 27%) and higher consumption of poultry meat are typical (44.1% versus 13.9%), dairy products (73.6% versus 41.4%) and fresh vegetables / fruits (88.2% versus 58%). The group of people with healthy vascular aging showed a higher level of daily consumption of sweets (55.9% versus 30.5%). Conclusion. Based on the results of a questionnaire survey of the population sample, it can be assumed that there is a connection between the peculiarities of the food pattern and vascular aging. Express assessment of eating behavior and calculation of vascular age can be used in outpatient practice for preventive counseling.


Al Guneid sugar Scheme lies in Gezira State and located 120 km South East of Khartoum on the eastern bank of the Blue Nile near Rufaa, with an estimated area of 42,000 feddans (17640 hectares). It stretches from Al Hilallyia town at North, to Tambul at East and South of Rufaa city. The farming area included in the agricultural rotation amount to 37,500 feddans (15756 hectares). The scheme area comprises canals, irrigation pumps and villages. This scheme was specified for sugarcane production and it was consider as a pilot projects in cane production and sugar industry in Sudan. This study was carried to compare the results of the previous soil survey and land classification on Al Guneid scheme with long term yield figures. It is hoped that the conclusion will contribute in improving soil management. The scheme is divided into two main parts; Northern and Southern sections from which eight fields were selected for this study depending on the soil and land suitability maps. Yield data for 12 seasons from (2000-2013), was made available from the scheme records. Geographical Information System was used to determine the fields (canals) locations based on the soil and suitability maps. According to the previous soil surveys studies two different soil types (soil unit 14 and 17) have been identified and both classified as moderately suitable lands (S2) due to some physical limitation but without marked differences in their suitability for sugar cane production. However, in some statistical analysis of previous data it could be inferred that unit 14reflectedbetter soil properties than unit 17. In this study the use of the long term yield data beside utilization of the GIS it enables better evaluation of yield characteristics of the two units. The results of this study clearly confirmed that the sugar cane productivity in the fields which are located in soil unit 14 soil excels those in the soil unit 17 by 3.0 -6.0 tons/ feddan. The study also confirmed that there is a difference in the productivity per unit of land between the north and the south sections, where the production of similar soil units in south exceeds the north. The production differences of similar soils at north and south are most probably attributed to management differences. The study recommends the use of geographic information systems (GIS) when conducting land evaluation studies related to production since fields with specific soils and yields could be located easily.


33 Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering & Sciences Publication © Copyright: All rights reserved. Retrieval Number: G0660034720/2020©BEIESP DOI: 10.35940/ijmh.G0660.034720 Journal Website: www.ijmh.org Abstract: In this era of 21st century the most talked subject regarding children is mind-set. According to Carol Dweck, mind-set can predict success in life. It's an internal voice that keeps you down or lifts you up. It is very important to understand student's mind-set and mental health, so proper care, inputs, facility and necessary arrangement can be taken at very early stage for uplifting career growth. Mind-set of a person may be guessed from the outlook of the person and from the mental status of the person i.e mentality. Mind-set of a person reflects in psyche, attitude, and ethos. Now, the parameters that influenced mind-set of a person are family members with whom they are born and brought up, behaviour of family members, surroundings environment, situation under which they are born and brought up, facilities provided and friends circle etc. There are two types of mind-set basically resides in students one is growth Mind-set and the other is Fixed Mind-set. It has been observed that for last one decade the number of suicide and depression in students at the age group of 15 to 20 years has increased a lot. State of mind-set is not permanent. The parameters affects positive growth of mind-set can be nullified with some practice and change of habits. Right mind-set can be nourished choosing growth over negativity. Though this research paper, attempt was made to identify the different stages of mind-set of students and problems faced by them which hinders students' progress and makes them depressed through web based graphical interactive system by using Gradient and Pearson Correlation Co-efficient method.


Incidental arterial injury is one of the main mechanical complications associated with central venous catheter placement. These injuries can result in significant morbidity and mortality. The use of arterial closure devices to repair these injuries offers a less invasive alternative than open repair and a safer approach than manual compression. We present 3 cases of critically ill patients treated with arterial closure devices when attempted central venous catheterization failed and inadvertent arterial cannulation occurred. A brief review of the various closure devices and there indications is discussed.


Abstract The purpose of this study was to describe residential preferences among 776 adults who were 55 years and older living in the Northwest. They were also asked to identify barriers to achieving their preferred futures as well as plans they were making to ensure that they could grow old where they prefer. Results suggested that these adults preferred aging in place but most were not making plans to do so. Implications for practice include the need for services related to planning for the future, home-care, health promotion, and home modification in order to assist adults realize their preferred futures.


This paper proposes a novel pixel-based system for the supervised classification of very high geometrical (spatial) resolution images. This system is aimed at obtaining accurate and reliable maps both by preserving the geometrical details in the images and by properly considering the spatial-context information. It is made up of two main blocks: 1) a novel feature-extraction block that, extending and developing some concepts previously presented in the literature, adaptively models the spatial context of each pixel according to a complete hierarchical multilevel representation of the scene and 2) a classifier, based on support vector machines (SVMs), capable of analyzing hyperdimensional feature spaces. The choice of adopting an SVM-based classification architecture is motivated by the potentially large number of parameters derived from the contextual feature-extraction stage. Experimental results and comparisons with a standard technique developed for the analysis of very high spatial resolution images confirm the effectiveness of the proposed system


This paper examines Lebbeus Woods' 1988 project "Underground Berlin" and a corresponding film script coauthored by Woods, in an exploration into affinities between cinematic thinking and architectural imagination. Placing Woods' professional and theoretical engagement with film within the constellation of discourses regarding film's relationship with the built environment, this paper posits "Underground Berlin" as a unique example in which architectural representation, cinema, and storytelling come together in the imagination of futures and offer a renewed capacity for architecture to operate politically in the world.


Forty strains out of 246 of Bacillus spp isolates from common food products were found to produce proteinaceous substances which showed antimicrobial activity against strains of Salmonella enteritidis (3), Micrococcus luteus (1) and Staphylococcus aureus (2). The zones of inhibition ranged between 5.90±0.000 -27.00±0.000 mm. Three bacteriocin producers with the highest (12-23 mm) zones of inhibition were studied in more details. They were found to exhibit optimal antimicrobial activity at pH range 4.5-7.0. The antimicrobial property was totally lost after heat treatment at 100 C for fifteen mins. The isolation of this bacteriocin o producing strains from a variety of food shows the ability of these strains to grow and produce antimicrobial compounds in various environmental conditions. These bacteriocins present potential for use in bio - preservation of foods to replace the synthetic chemical preservation.


ABSTRACT The study area is located in the foreland and in the frontal part of the Zagros Range (Persian Gulf), which contains very large oil and gas fields. The data consist of two orthogonal sets of 2D seismic sections. Folds trending NNE–SSW and N–S (Arabian trend) and NW–SE (Zagros trend) are documented. These folds developed during two folding phases: an older Late Cretaceous phase and a younger Late Cenozoic one. Folds with N–S and NNE–SSW trends formed during the older phase. During the younger phase the older, deep-seated, NNE–SSW Arabian folds were reactivated and tightened. These folds affected beds younger than the Cretaceous, forming open folds with the Arabian trend. At the same time, other folds with the NW–SE Zagros trend developed and these have been active until recent. Some giant and super-giant oil and gas fields are found in broad Arabian-trending folds in the Zagros foreland. This paper demonstrates that the Arabian folds in the study area are due to folding during the Late Cretaceous and to additional folding during Late Cenozoic times.


The Crab nebula and pulsar have been widely used as a calibration source for X-ray instruments. The in-flight effective area calibration of the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS) of XMM-Newton depends upon the availability of reliable calibration sources. We analyse RGS observations of the Crab using different instrument configurations and spatial offsets, and make use of previous determinations of the continuum spectrum of the nebula plus pulsar. Due to the high spectral resolution of the RGS, we resolve the main absorption edges. We get an excellent fit to the Crab spectrum using this fixed continuum and the absorption spectrum determined by RGS. We get accurate column densities for the neutral atoms of H, N, O, Ne, Mg and Fe as well as a clear detection of Fe II and firm upper limits for other ions (O II, Mg II). We find solar-like abundances for N, O and Mg, and Fe (adding Fe I and Fe II), while Ne is overabundant. Finally, we show how we can determine the absolute flux of Crab with high accuracy by combining RGS and Chandra LETGS spectra of different sources.


Faced with a large and rapidly increasing population, declining resource base per person, low and stagnant agricultural productivity levels and slow economic growth, most African countries are caught up in a poverty trap. The situation is alarming in sub‐Saharan Africa where the poverty situation continues to worsen, and the region remains home to 300 million of the world's extremely poor and hungry. This paper contributes to the present debate and efforts to identify strategies and interventions that can effectively contribute to breaking the poverty trap in the region. The paper provides an overview of population growth, malnutrition, income distribution and poverty for countries in three case study basins – the Limpopo, Nile and Volta basins. With discussions on the contribution of agriculture to national income and employment generation, the paper explores relationships between agricultural growth, employment growth and poverty alleviation. The paper examines the potential for expansion in irrigation for vertical and horizontal expansion in agricultural productivity. Factors constraining such potential, in terms of increasing resource scarcity and degradation, and poor governance and week institutions, are also outlined. The paper argues that the effective entry point, to enhance agricultural productivity and to catalyse agricultural and rural economic growth for effective poverty alleviation, is increased public investments in land and water resources development and management. Based on experiences and lessons learnt from Africa and Asia, the paper presents linkages of how land and water‐induced agricultural growth would lead to regional economic growth and poverty alleviation in the case study basins. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract Traumatic vascular lesions can occur after severe or even the most mild of head and cervical trauma. The initial evaluation of the injured patient must be thorough and the clinical suspicion of vascular injury must be highly suspected based on the mechanism of injury. Traumatic vascular injuries can be broadly classified into traumatic aneurysms, dissections and occlusions and fistulae of the carotid or vertebral arteries. The current management and treatment options of each condition are discussed. [Neurol Res 2001; 23: 291-296]


The relationship between infrastructure and higher education (HE) has been well studied from the perspective of information technology (IT), education policy, and pedagogy (Williamson, 2018). Learning infrastructure is highly localized, yet the opacity and variability of LIS education makes it difficult to understand the variety and breadth of challenges that unarticulated operating principles pose to students, particularly during the Covid pandemic. In this panel, we ask: what critical infrastructure is necessary to support LIS education and LIS students during times of crisis, when flaws in the infrastructure are revealed through failure points?
This panel will take us on a journey through current research by Bettivia, Davis, Pollock, and Williams. Work by Bettivia and Davis examines the assumption that digital natives know how to learn in digital environments, an assumption that proscribes investment in holistic programs of student onboarding that undergird student experiences in HE. Pollock and Davis then ask us to consider why we persist with our current infrastructure when so many of its features represent known barriers to access for historically excluded populations. Williams continues interrogating infrastructural tensions in public library service provision during times of crisis, addressing ways of navigating those tensions and coping through that process. Davis examines the use of academic library resources and services by undergraduates of the global majority and the subsequent impact of the pandemic. Each of the following presentations weaves a larger narrative which takes up the central questions: why are these the infrastructures, and should these remain the operating principles?
Dr. Bettivia, who focuses on transnational political and governance concerns in technological infrastructures with a focus on digital cultural heritage, and Dr. Davis, who researches issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion in LIS, examine their E-Learning Guide, that provides concrete guidance for students designed to mitigate trepidation and anxiety caused by e-learning during the pandemic. Students need their own tools to feel a sense of agency in e-learning environments. Because many students have spent the vast majority of their learning years in face-to-face environments with a 'sage on the stage', guidance on the mechanics of how to learn in online environments can improve student self-sufficiency and feelings of success and well-being. The E-Learning project rejected the implicit assumption that university students inherently understand digital classrooms simply because of their previous learning experiences and access to digital gadgets, instead aiming to render visible specific skills needed to maintain learning agency in online classes.
Dr. Pollock, whose work examines innovation, change, and equity in academic and other research-oriented communities, and Dr. Davis, discuss their ongoing study of first-generation students' paths to graduate education, and how considering the experiences of students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education can broaden our understanding of academia's current infrastructure, help us identify how structural features taken for granted may serve as barriers to those who lack prior knowledge of academia's 'hidden curriculum,' and invite us to question how these structures can be reimagined. Pollock and Davis' research with first-generation students pursuing graduate degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic examines these innovative students' information seeking and responses to the crisis, and also reveals how institutional responses to the pandemic both increased and alleviated student challenges related to belonging, access, and work/life balance.
Dr. Williams, whose research considers public libraries, crisis management, and collaboration between libraries and social work, discusses the tension between public libraries as essential services and the lack of essential support they receive. She examines how it is possible to challenge these infrastructures and find ways to cope while navigating increasingly challenging work environments and expanded responsibilities that include crisis response and management. Her scholarship identifies how we can learn from social work skills (crisis intervention, wellbeing, resilience, and communication skills). Dr. Williams discusses leveraging these approaches in LIS education and how these skills call attention to the tensions in labor, coping, and professional development for students and professionals alike. Addressing these tensions explicitly and exploring ways to mitigate them supports the development of professionals who have the skills and confidence to unearth them.
Dr. Davis, discusses a study about African American undergraduates and their use of academic library resources and services. Dr. Davis explores the extent to which African American undergraduates are using academic libraries, the resources and services that they are using, and the impact of COVID-19 on their use of the library (Connell, Wallis, & Comeaux, 2021). Preliminary findings show that students use the physical space in the library, but COVID-19 increased their use of resources and services online. Additionally, students have to adjust to a "new normal" because libraries were closed, opened for reduced hours, and operated under new safety protocols. While students were able to adjust, they found that not having the physical space eliminated regular study space, abilities to work with friends, use technology, and escape distractions.


Background and purpose of the study: Acetaminophen is a commonly used analgesic and antipyretic agent which, in high doses, causes liver and kidney necrosis in man and animals. Curcuma longa has been reported to have anti oxidant and hepato-protective properties. In this study the protective effect of Curcuma longa extract on acetaminophen induced nephrotoxicity has been evaluated. Materials and methods: Sixty NMRI male mause were randomly divided into 6 groups. Control group received normal saline. Curcuma longa group received 1000 mg/kg of the extract of the plants, positive control group received 500 mg/kg acetaminophen. Acetaminophen and Curcuma longa extract at doses of 400, 800 and 1000 mg/kg were administered to the tested groups (T1- T3) at the same time. The jugular arteries of the mice were cut for biochemical testes after 48 hours and the kidney removed in 10% formalin solution for histopathology testes. Results: BUN, Cr and Uric acid reduced significantly in the T3 group (p<0.05). Necrosis of kidney reduced in test groups especially in T3 group. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that Curcuma longa extract may protect kidney against acetaminophen - induced tubular necrosis in mice.


Experimental data on the effectiveness of two schedules of vaccination against human acute encephalomyelitis, one conventional, using 12 injections, and another shortened, using 8 injections, are presented. The experiments in inbred mice evaluating the general resistance, virus-neutralizing antibody titres, resistance in adoptive transfer tests, and values of lymphocyte blastogenesis test showed no statistically significant differences between the shortened vaccination schedule and the conventional one. Experimentally, the shortened vaccination schedule is as effective as the conventional one.


In this paper, an inventory replenishment planning problem in a three-echelon distribution system of Alibaba is studied. In addition to central distribution centers and front distribution centers, this system also has warehouses at the locations of producers. Multiple products are jointly replenished with minimum and maximum joint replenishment quantity constraints. Transshipments between distribution centers/warehouses are allowed. This problem, which is to determine the replenishment quantity of each product between any two inventory locations in the system, is formulated as a bi-objective optimization model that aims at finding a tradeoff between overall service level and total logistics cost of the system. This model is solved by applying an augmented ɛ-constraint method. The effectiveness of the model is demonstrated by numerical experiments generated from the data of Alibaba. The results show that having warehouses at the locations of producers can lead to lower logistics costs with a given customer service level.


. Tensin 2 (TNS2) is a focal adhesion-localized multidomain protein expressed in various tissues. TNS2 expression significantly decreases in many tumor cell lines, and low TNS2 expression is associated with a poorer relapse-free survival in some cancers, suggesting that the loss of TNS2 may be related to tumor progression. Deregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is frequently observed in colorectal cancer. In the present study, we found that TNS2 negatively regulated Wnt signaling by suppressing the nuclear translocation of β-catenin by reducing integrin-linked kinase (ILK) activity in colon cancer cell lines. To investigate the role of TNS2 in intestinal tumorigenesis in vivo , we introduced Tns2 mutation into Apc Min /+ mouse, a model of human familial adenomatous polyposis. The compound mutant mice showed a significant increase in tumor number and size in the small intestine and colon. Thus, this study may contribute to the discovery of novel mechanisms underlying cancer malignancy, and pave the way for the development of treatment strategies for intestinal cancers.


The pace of change in libraries is daunting. In order to meet patron demands and effectively compete among the wide numbers of choices users have in order to meet information needs, libraries are constantly required to reinvent themselves. Conflicting with this practical need for change is the library purpose of maintaining order and structure to a body of knowledge. Whether an academic, special or public library, this requirement for order and predictability is oftentimes at odds with industry-level pressures that influence, shape and change the way libraries meet user needs. If libraries wish to remain competitive and viable they must positively navigate these changes while remaining true to their mission of knowledge preservation by innovating. Such innovation is dependent upon leadership. Since not all leadership is suited to the task of provoking or fostering innovation, transformational leadership is offered as the ideal in which library leaders should strive. The following article will first examine change, creativity and innovation in the information industry generally and libraries particularly. It will then consider the different types of leadership based upon trait-based views (autocratic, democratic, laissezfaire and charismatic) as well as those grounded in power-exchanges (transactional and transformational) with specific emphasis on the impact each leadership type has upon innovation. Finally, a discussion of how library transformational leaders can foster climates of sustainable innovation is shared.


A heterobicyclic lactone obtained by stereoselective Baeyer-Villiger biooxidation with recombinant whole-cells expressing cyclopentanone monooxygenase from Comamonas sp. NCIMB 9872 was used for formal total syntheses of various natural products containing a tetrahydrofuran structural motif.


This study examined the impact of satire news programs on perceptions of media credibility. Using second-level agenda setting as a theoretical framework, the results of this mixed-methods study show that negative portrayals of television news on these satire news shows makes salient certain negative attributes that match viewers' perceptions of credibility. A survey (n=650) found that Daily Show/Colbert Report viewers had less positive views about the credibility of television news programs, while content analysis (N=401) of four weeks of episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report reflected the results of the survey, showing that television news programs, particularly those on cable, were more frequently portrayed negatively and made the target of jokes. The analysis shows television news is a frequent target of these satire shows' criticisms and these shows' negative attributes are made salient, which is reflected in the survey respondents' low credibility scores for this medium.


Background Human matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been studied as a biomarker in acute stroke injury and as a potential target of therapy. MMP-9 is a zinc-dependent endopeptidase that participates in extracellular matrix remodeling, and is a major mediator of t-PA-related adverse outcome and blood-brain-barrier (BBB) disruption in animal models of focal ischemia and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). In vitro findings also suggest that exogenous MMP-9 inhibition may improve cerebral ischemic tissue outcome. Reduction in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been utilized as a quantitative radiologic marker of acute cerebral ischemic injury. Using non-invasive quantitative MRI techniques, we wish to validate MMP as a potential surrogate marker of cerebral injury in humans, by investigating the relationship between MMP-9, its endogenous inhibitor TIMP-1, and the extent of cerebral ischemic injury as measured by early ADC reduction. Method In 36 patients with acute ischemic stroke, plasma levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were measured at mean 6 hr post stroke. DWI was obtained at mean 8 hr post stroke. Within each lesion, we calculated the percent of voxels showing ADC reduction at or below each of 8 incremental thresholds, at intervals of 90 × 10-6 mm2/s, from 185 × 10-6 to 825 × 10-6 mm2/s. Result Acute TIMP-1 level was inversely correlated to the percent of voxels with ADC reduction at or below the lowest threshold, 185 × 10-6 mm2/s (r = -0.41, p<0.02), and had a similar trend at the next two thresholds, 275 × 10-6 and 365 × 10-6 mm2/s. Acute MMP-9 level had a weak but positive trend correlating with the percent of voxels at the lowest threshold (r = 0.31, p<0.08). There is no correlation of either marker with ADC reduction at the higher thresholds. Conclusion While MMP-9 is positively correlated, TIMP-1 is inversely related to MR evidence of cerebral injury. Although preliminary, these findings lend support to the hypothesis that TIMP-1 may be protective, whereas MMP-9 may be associated with the extent of stunned acute ischemic cerebral tissue. Early exogenous blockade of MMP-9 may improve the outcome of ischemic brain tissue. However, these hypotheses need confirmation with a larger cohort of patients, and correlation with clinical outcomes, such as hemorrhagic transformation, which also has a threshold effect on ADC reduction.


BACKGROUND
Despite the well-documented importance of Nm23 in the control of metastasis, there is currently a paucity of data regarding the role of this gene family in the control of glioma invasion.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Nm23-H1 expression in gliomas was assessed via immunohistochemistry, Western blot, RT-PCR and Northern blot analyses. The migration and invasion ability were also investigated in primary glioma culture cells, human glioma cell lines and nm23-H1 transfectant, using an in vitro brain slice invasion model and a simple scratch technique.

RESULTS
Although no significant correlations were detected between nm23-H1 expression and pathological grade, the endogenous nm23-H1 expression in gliomas was found to be inversely correlated with their migratory abilities. Additionally, the nm23-H1 transfectant resulted in a reduction of approximately 45% of the migratory ability and suppressed the invasiveness of the parental cell line.

CONCLUSION
Our overall findings suggest that nm23-H1 may play an important role in the suppression of glioma invasion and migration.


Most members of Tomocerus ocreatus group have two distal large spines on dens, so far, only Tomocerus spinulus Chen Christiansen, 1998 and Tomocerus leyensis Yu Deharveng, 2018 have been described with only one distal large spine and are thus exceptional in this group. In the present paper, we report two other species with the same form. The two new species resemble T. spinulus in chaetotaxy, dental spine formula and general shape of the dental spines, but differ from it in several other characters, including position and shape of the prominent dorsal chaetae on the manubrium and dens. Also, T. pseudospinulus sp. nov. differs from T. spinulus in having larger denticles on the dental spines, and T. paraspinulus sp. nov. differs from T. spinulus in having longer antenna and more chaetae on the tenaculum. The two new species are similar, but can be distinguished by length of the antenna, number of the chaetae on tenaculum, status of the prominent manubrial dorsal chaetae and fine sculpture of the dental spines. Distances of COI mtDNA also support the validation of two new species. A key to species of T. ocreatus species-group with single large dental spine is provided.


We discuss the dynamics of doubly resonant ionization in helium involving the strong coupling of two doubly excited autoionizing resonances, under the influence of XUV radiation of short duration (DESY FEL) and a synchronized optical laser. We explore the possibility of using the photoelectron spectra to extract information about the pulse shape of the FEL. We present in addition new calculations of the expected AC Stark splitting due to the strong coupling of the two resonances and show that, within the range of intensities and pulse durations expected in the experiments, additional structure, beyond the usual doublet, is to be expected.


The zEnterprise EC12 is the latest generation of IBM's System z Enterprise Class mainframe servers. The microprocessor operates at an ultra-high frequency of 5.5 GHz and incorporates many pipeline-optimization and instruction-processing techniques. It also supports innovative instruction- set-architecture extensions for future software exploitation to acquire performance gains. This article highlights the various factors inside the zEC12 microprocessor for achieving the best possible computing performance.


It is necessary for our nation to adopt the harmonious development strategy when regional economic is onward. But the supporting theory system is still not built up till now. The present development of researches involves several aspects such as economic growth theory, attachment theory, competitive advantage theory, and especially harmonious development theory under the current thought of harmony, which are dominated by the rules of economic development on the one hand, and on the other hand have inherent relationships with each other and can be displayed as a four-dimensional framework like space-time. The framework supports the further study such as measuring the harmonious development level of the regional economic and also discerning the evolution tendency of the harmonious development strategy.


Intramolecular thiolester bonds in apolipoprotein B (ApoB) were studied using [14C]methylamine (MA) to cleave the thiolester and [3H]- or [14C]iodoacetate (IA) to titrate the newly generated sulfhydryls. Covalent incorporation of [14C]MA and [3H]carboxylmethyl group into the previously carboxymethylated LDL or the reduced and carboxymethylated ApoB was observed and both radioactivities coincided with ApoB-100 band on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The [14C]MA-labeled ApoB was completely trypsinized and cross-linked to the activated thiol Sepharose 4B beads. The peptides were eluted with DTT and the free -SH groups blocked with IA then separated on FPLC. Two fractions contained [14C]MA. Sequence analyses showed that these labeled peptides contained Cys-51 and Cys-3734, respectively. Evidence suggests that the thiolester is formed between Cys-51 and gamma-Glu-54 for one, and Cys-3734 and beta-Asp-3737 for the other, with Lys and a hydrophobic amino acid, Val/Leu, in between. This is the first evidence for the presence of intramolecular thiolester linkages in ApoB. The presence of high energy, labile thiolester bonds may explain many of the unusual properties of ApoB and LDL.


A novel structure of high extinction ratio multiplexer/demultiplexer with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) and a fiber loop mirror (FLM) is proposed. The experimental results show that the extinction ratio can be enhanced about two times in comparison with the conventional MZI.


We examine polarimetric rainfall estimates of extreme rainfall through intercomparisons of radar rainfall estimates with rainfall observations from a dense network of rain gauges in Kansas City. The setting provides unique capabilities for examining range dependence in polarimetric rainfall estimates due to the overlapping coverage of the Kansas City, Missouri, and Topeka, Kansas, WSR-88D radars. We focus on polarimetric measurements of specific differential phase shift, KDP, for estimating extreme rainfall. Gauge–radar intercomparisons from the "close-range" Kansas City radar and from the "far-range" Topeka radar show that KDP can provide major improvements in estimating extreme rainfall, but the advantages of KDP rainfall estimates diminish with range. Storm-to-storm variability of multiplicative bias remains an important issue for polarimetric rainfall estimates; variability in bias is comparable at both close and far range from the radar. "Conditional bias," in which peak radar rainfall estimates are lower than rain gauge observations, is a systematic feature of polarimetric rainfall estimates, but is more severe at far range. The Kansas City region has experienced record flooding in urban watersheds since the polarimetric upgrade of the Kansas City and Topeka radars in 2012. Polarimetric rainfall estimates from the far-range Topeka radar provide useful quantitative information on basin-average rainfall, but the ability to resolve spatial variation of the most extreme rain rates diminishes significantly with range from the radar.


In the early 1930s, the synthesis of Darwinian natural selection, mutation, and Mendelian genetics gave rise to the paradigm of 'modern Darwinism', also known as 'neo-Darwinism'. This has contributed greatly to our understanding. But increasing knowledge of other mechanisms, including endosymbiosis, genetic and genomic duplication, polyploidy, hybridization, epigenetics, horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes, and the modern synthesis of embryonic development and evolution, has widened our horizons to a diversity of possibilities for change. All of these can be gathered under the umbrella concept of 'genomic creativity', which, in partnership with natural selection, affords a more comprehensive modern explanation of evolution. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 88, 655–672.


As a group, historians tend to be, if not anti-theoretical, at least atheoretical. We back away from developing theory, although we shamelessly adopt and adapt it and frequently invoke it to legitimize our interpretations. Marx, Freud, Foucault and Martha Nussbaum have all entered our work. Historians tend to use theory to sustain flimsy or controversial evidence--to provide the scaffolding that supports our conclusions. My comments in this Article address how we do that. How do we test abstract and thinly rooted theoretical frames against historical evidence that has often been carefully amassed and allowed to speak only for itself? How, specifically, do we do that with the work of Martha Nussbaum? For those of us who work on gender, Nussbaum's work has played a crucial role. We rely on books like Nussbaum's Sex and Social Justice (1) as a guide. When we want to think about what liberalism means for women in the contemporary world, we turn to Martha Nussbaum. And when we get involved in debates about cultural relativism, it is Martha we turn to. We do so not because only a few people write cogently about feminist theory; rather, we do so because few scholars approach feminist theory with both anecdotal knowledge and legal expertise. Let me try to explain why that is important. Martha's work has been guided by an effort to explore questions of values in general, and, in particular, questions of how aspirations to achieve a good society influence American law, international law, and public policy) But the historian who admires that goal also pauses to push the question a step further. How, we ask of Martha, do you understand the meaning of "good"? Historians might rephrase the question to ask, what does "the good" mean in any given society at a particular moment in time? Who defines "the good"? Who sets its boundaries? How is "the good" realized under particular historical circumstances? How is it rewarded? How does a particular image of "the good" produce particular behaviors, and under what conditions? This effort to construct a society, as lived and experienced, has been enabled by a gendered history. Beyond rehabilitating the lives of previously unknown women, beyond celebrating their accomplishments, beyond uncovering gendered relationships, historians have, in the past two decades, turned to asking why and how the role of gender matters in the process of historical change. Is it merely a delightful piece of trivia to discover that the relationships among men and women in the nineteenth century were far more complicated than we ever imagined they were? Can we find some larger meaning in our discovery that same-sex and companionate relationships, though sometimes hidden, existed in far greater numbers than anybody ever imagined? (3) We are now confronted with providing adequate answers to the question of whether gender matters at all. The answers that we provide often rest on a deep historical understanding of the belief systems within which ordinary people made decisions about their own lives. For example, if we discover that same-sex relationships were much more frequent than we had ever imagined, we need to ask how they figure not within our own social parameters, but within the historical circumstances experienced at particular moments in the past. Were such relationships socially sanctioned or socially condemned? With what fervor? Among what classes, generations and sexes did they occur? How do we actually see people imagining themselves in the lives that they lived? These are the kinds of questions that we seek to answer by placing ourselves in the mindsets of those we study. They separate us from the philosopher by provoking us to think more deeply about how "the good" is differently constructed at different moments in time. A few historical examples will illustrate the point. Edward Hallet Carr, one of Britain's premier historians, wrote an influential book called What Is History? …


The effects of the extracellular potassium concentration on the expression of four steroidogenic cytochromes P-450 (CYP11B2, CYP11B1, CYP11A1, and CYP21A1) in cultured rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells were studied by Northern blot analysis. At a potassium concentration of 6.4 mM, the CYP11B2 messenger RNA (mRNA) level and aldosterone production were undetectable. Upon increasing the potassium concentration to 18 mM, CYP11B2 mRNA and aldosterone production became measurable and reached a plateau within 4 days. The high potassium concentration also caused distinct increases in the levels of CYP11B1, CYP11A1, and CYP21A1 mRNA, comparable to those induced by ACTH. ACTH did not affect the CYP11B2 mRNA level at the lower potassium concentration. In zona fasciculata cells, CYP11B2 expression was not inducible by potassium; CYP11B1, CYP11A1, and CYP21A1 mRNA levels increased in response to ACTH, but not in response to a high potassium concentration. According to these results, potassium initiates CYP11B2 biosynthesis most likely at the level of transcription or by increasing mRNA stability. Potassium also has a zona glomerulosa-specific inductive effect on three other steroidogenic enzymes.


Different workloads exhibit different memory footprint and have different dependency on the size and configuration of the memory hierarchy. To quantify the performance implication of various memory system architectures and attributes one needs to understand the program behavior of an application/workload and its use of the memory subsystem. One such architecture studied in this paper is where multiple memory technologies are integrated into the memory system with one (typically the faster, more expensive technology) acting as a large cache for the other (typically a slower, cheaper technology). We develop a large cache prototype to study the performance of different applications and their sensitivity to different architecture parameters. The prototype measures different metrics associated with a cache performance which are in turn used to characterize the performance implications of such a memory architecture on different workloads and the dependency on different configuration parameters.


Background: Although there is a growing body of evidence showing that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have poor glycemic control in general, it is not clear whether T2DM patients with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are more or less likely to have good glycemic control than patients without pre-existing CVD. Our aim was to examine the degree of glycemic control among T2DM patients in Europe with and without pre-existing CVD. Methods: This is a matched cohort study based on a multi-center, observational study with retrospective medical chart reviews of T2DM patients in Spain, France, United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Germany, and Poland. Included patients were aged >= 30 years at time of diagnosis of T2DM, had added a SU or a PPARγ agonist to failing metformin monotherapy (index date) and had pre-existing CVD (cases). A control cohort with T2DM without pre-existing CVD was identified using 1:1 propensity score matching. With difference-indifference approach, logistic and linear regression analyses were applied to identify differences in glycemic control by CVD during the follow up period, after controlling for baseline demographics, clinical information, and concurrent anti-hyperglycemic medication use. Results: The percentage of case patients with adequate glycemic control relative to control patients during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years after the index date was 19. Cases were significantly less likely to have adequate glycemic control (odds ratio: 0.62; 95% confidence interval: 0.46-0.82) than controls after adjusting for baseline differences, secular trend, and other potential confounding covariates. Conclusions: T2DM patients with pre-existing CVD tended to have poorer glycemic control than those without pre-existing CVD, all other factors being equal. It suggests that clinicians may need to pay more attention to glycemic control among T2DM patients with CVD. Background Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at an increased risk of developing vascular complications. Car-diovascular diseases (CVD) are a major concern considering that the risk of cardiovascular death in patients with T2DM is double the risk of individuals without diabetes [1,2]. Patients with diabetes also have the same risk of cardiovascular death as patients with a history of myocar-dial infarction and no diabetes [1,3]. The literature does not seem to show a universally consistent relationship between glycemic control and CVD, despite the documented beneficial effect of glycemic con