Background. In case of natural hybridisation of fish it is important to determine whether the hybrids attain sexual maturity and whether they can produce generation F2. The hybrids of rudd and carp bream, relatively frequent under natural conditions, have not been studied in the aspect of sexual maturity attainment. Material and methods. Histological examinations of gonads of 4–5 year old rudd and carp bream hybrids were carried out in experimental environments during the prespawning and spawning seasons of the parental species. Results. In development of oocytes the female hybrids of rudd and carp bream reached the stage of migrating nucleus and deterioration of the morphological structure of the nucleus. In case of male hybrids the presence of spermatids was confirmed. The stage of spermatozoa was not observed in case of hybrids of rudd and bream. In case of the control species (rudd) that stage was also not observed. It is possible that the lack of that stage was affected by the parameters of the culture environment. Nevertheless, the sexual products of male hybrids of rudd and bream as well as rudd were deposited. Conclusion. The studies show that the hybrids of rudd and carp bream may reach sexual maturity in the natural environments.


A new algorithm based on A -stable and L-stable high-order time-domain integration methods is presented for the simulation of large linear circuits such as those occurring in modeling chip interconnects and packaging structures. The proposed method takes advantage of the special structure of the mathematical formulation of circuits encountered in these applications to reduce the computational cost significantly. Several circuit examples are presented to demonstrate the speedup achieved by the proposed algorithm.


Equivalent edge currents, derived from the edge diffraction theory for a half-plane, are used to obtain the radiation patterns of a parabeloidal reflector antenna when illuminated by a source at the focus. Cylindrical wave diffraction coefficients are used. The method avoids infinities at caustics and shadow boundaries thus giving solutions which are finite everywhere. A slope-wave equivalent current correction term is applied when the illumination is tapered towards the edge of the reflector. Comparisons are given with the physical optics approach and experimental results.


We report the first fabrication of a compact lattice-form interleave filter with a channel spacing of 12.5 GHz. The circuit size was reduced to 1/4 the size of the original filter by using the 1.5 %-△ waveguides. We achieved a flat passband and low crosstalk with a low insertion loss of 2.7 dB.


Extracting general rules from specific examples is important, as we must face the same challenge displayed in various formats. Previous studies have found that bimodal presentation of grammar-like rules (e.g. ABA) enhanced 5-month-olds' capacity to acquire a rule that infants failed to learn when the rule was presented with visual presentation of the shapes alone (circle-triangle-circle) or auditory presentation of the syllables (la-ba-la) alone. However, the mechanisms and constraints for this bimodal learning facilitation are still unknown. In this study, we used audio-visual relation congruency between bimodal stimulation to disentangle possible facilitation sources. We exposed 8- to 10-month-old infants to an AAB sequence consisting of visual faces with affective expressions and/or auditory voices conveying emotions. Our results showed that infants were able to distinguish the learned AAB rule from other novel rules under bimodal stimulation when the affects in audio and visual stimuli were congruently paired (Experiments 1A and 2A). Infants failed to acquire the same rule when audio-visual stimuli were incongruently matched (Experiment 2B) and when only the visual (Experiment 1B) or the audio (Experiment 1C) stimuli were presented. Our results highlight that bimodal facilitation in infant rule learning is not only dependent on better statistical probability and redundant sensory information, but also the relational congruency of audio-visual information. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KYTyjH1k9RQ.


Aminopterin (AMT) was replaced by methotrexate (MTX) in the therapy for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) because of fears that the former antifolate produced excessive and unpredictable toxicity. Regardless of the presumed risk, AMT has greater accumulation and metabolism by leukemic blasts than MTX in vitro and had 100% bioavailability in early clinical trials. Therefore we are using AMT as a replacement for MTX to treat newly diagnosed patients with ALL at high risk (HR) of relapse by NCI criteria. The Cancer Institute of NJ ALL trial (CINJALL) is based an earlier regimen using intensive antimetabolite therapy (100 mg/m 2 MTX in 4 divided doses weekly or every other week for 76 weeks) delivered orally on an outpatient basis. With 7 years median follow up, the 5-year EFS for the 106 patients treated on this earlier protocol is 84% ±3% (personal communication, N. Winick, UT Southwestern Medical Center). HR patients on CINJALL are non-randomly assigned to receive a single delayed intensification and oral AMT at its MTD, 4 mg/m 2 in two divided doses 12 hours apart, in place of oral MTX (given to standard risk (SR) patients). There is no intravenous MTX or AMT on either arm. To date, 44 children have enrolled: 15 on the SR (MTX) arm (median age 3 years; range 1–9) and 29 on the HR (AMT) arm (median age 14 years; range 2–21). As of this analysis, median follow up is 85 weeks (range 0–177 weeks). Six HR and one SR patient have completed all scheduled therapy. Twenty HR and 14 SR patients have completed the 12-week consolidation, which includes weekly divided-dose antifolate therapy. The mean AMT AUC, 0.64 ± 0.24 mmol·hr/L, was not statistically different from the AUC after IV AMT at the same dose on the Phase I trial, confirming complete bioavailability. RBC antifolate was measured after a minimum of 8 weeks of therapy as an indication of marrow exposure. The lack of significant difference between mean RBC MTX and RBC AMT (240 ± 63 vs. 211 ± 22 pmol/ml RBC), despite a 25-fold difference in weekly dose, supports the pharmacodynamic equivalence of the two drugs at this dose and schedule. Mean CSF MTX 2-6h after oral MTX was significantly greater than CSF AMT (15.8 ± 2.3 vs 3.8 ± 1.3 nM; P 10% body weight loss, admission to the hospital or treatment interruption for treatment-related toxicity, neurotoxicity, SGOT >5 x normal, bilirubin > 2x normal, ANC vs. 4.8% of CBCs), but this difference was not statistically significant. In summary, this early data show that AMT, in its current formulation and at this dose and schedule, can be safely given to children with ALL in place of systemic MTX. In contrast with reports from the early history of antifolate use, we are finding no significant differences between AMT and MTX in the magnitude or coefficient of variation of clinical toxicity. In addition, lower CSF accumulation of AMT may result in decreased frequency and/or severity of subacute or delayed neurotoxicity relative to MTX. The proper role for AMT in therapy for patients with ALL deserves further study.


Underwater light conditions as a key factor for phytoplankton photosynthetic etliciency. The Secchi disc depth, the energy of photosynthetic available radiation (PAR) in the water column, the primary production rate and the concentration of photosynthetic pigments were measured in Rio Tercero reservoir (Argentina). The compensation point, the relative intensities of such point and Secchi disc, the photosynthetically stored radiation, and the respective photosynthetic efficiencies were calculated. The percentage of transmitt d light fluctuated according to the suspended amount of particulated material (winter) or the presence of high algal concentration (spring-summer). The euphotic stratum in summer (1:1 m to 3 m) r ached 5.5 m in winter (August). The mean extinction coefficient up to the euphotic stratum was very highly variable. The photosynthetic efficiency was lower than 1 in surface during spring and summer. The values obtained in the euphotic stratum were intermediate. Other significantly high values were found at deeper levels. The relevant fluctuations of all variables including the extinction coefficient, the relative depth and intensity of Secchi disc, the euphotic stratum depth and the compensation point confirm the eutrophic characteristics of the ecosystem. Eutrophication levels of reservoir are clear from values of other parameters such as the primary production rate, pigment concentration, photosynthetic efficiencies and the seasonal appearance of algal blooms.


BACKGROUND: The modern day oral oncotherapy is now concerned on the oral quality of life after treatment of the
patient. There is need to evaluate nal outcome following the different combination of treatment modalities available to
make better therapeutic treatment decisions. Oral health-related quality of life (QHRQoL) and their nutritional status is gaining importance as a
valuable outcome measure in oral cancer area and compare with the other control group. The aim of the study was to examine the nutritional status
among the oral cancer patients and compare the QHRQoLof two groups (i.e., oral cancer group and control group) in Bhopal district.
METHODS: The prospective study was conducted from August 2019 to January 2020. 124 oral cancer patients and 124 control people from the
Bhopal district participated in this study. Nutritional status of oral cancer treated patients was assessed. QHRQoLof the oral cancer patients were
compared with the control group.
RESULTS: Among the 124 oral cancer patient, 67.74% were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Patients had worse QHRQoL among oral
cancer group. There were highly statistically signicant differences found in the oral health impact prole and oral impacts on daily performances
on comparing the oral cancer patients with the control group.
CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that oral cancer patients with malnutrition or risk of malnutrition have signicantly worse OHRQoL
than with the control population group.


A recent trend in networked control systems (NCSs) is the use of wireless networks enabling interoperability between existing wired and wireless systems. One of the major challenges in these wireless NCSs (WNCSs) is to overcome the impact of the message loss that degrades the performance and stability of these systems. Moreover, this impact is greater when dealing with burst or successive message losses. This paper discusses and presents the experimental results of a compensation strategy to deal with this burst message loss problem in which a NCS mathematical model runs in parallel with the physical process, providing sensor virtual data in case of packet losses. Running in real-time inside the controller, the mathematical model is updated online with real control signals sent to the actuator, which provides better reliability for the estimated sensor feedback (virtual data) transmitted to the controller each time a message loss occurs. In order to verify the advantages of applying this model-based compensation strategy for burst message losses in WNCSs, the control performance of a motor control system using CAN and ZigBee networks is analyzed. Experimental results led to the conclusion that the developed compensation strategy provided robustness and could maintain the control performance of the WNCS against different message loss scenarios.© 2013 ASME


Surface stress-based measurement is a relatively new mechanism in biological and chemical sensing. The viability of this mechanism depends on the maximum sensitivity, accuracy, and precision that can be achieved with these sensors. In this paper, an analytical approximate solution and a finite-element model are employed to describe the electromechanical behavior of a surface stress-based sensor with capacitive measurements. In the proposed model, a circular membrane is assumed as the sensing component, while only a smaller concentric circular area of its surface is subjected to a change in surface stress. The presented approximate analytical solution has a good correspondence with the finite-element model and is computationally fast and accurate enough to be an effective design tool. Based on this modeling study, we can determine the optimum design of the sensor to obtain the maximum capacitive sensitivity. Moreover, we study the effect of this optimization on the precision of the system in surface stress sensing. This paper shows that the ratio of sensing area to the whole membrane plays a key role in the overall performance of such a sensor.


Balassuka Village is a village located in the Tombolo Pao District in the eastern part of Gowa Regency with a distance of around 88 km from the city of Sungguminasa, and a distance of 15 km from the capital district with a total area of approximately 29 km2. The village with its various problems in the economic, social, educational, health, religious and cultural fields is in need for problem solving and for village development program. The objective of STIBA Makassar Community Service Program (KKN) in Balassuka Village was to implement higher education tri dharma on the pillar of community service. The method of community service (PkM) implementation was started by conducting a field survey using an independently-made instrument, and afterwards an SOAR analysis was performed for the purposes of preparing the KKN programs. KKN programs were generally divided into three those were the Koran education program, training, and community development. The Koran Education Programs were TK/ TPA, Dirosa (Koran Learning Program for Adult), Tahsinul Qira'ah, and discourse of the book Qawaid Qur'aniyah. Training programs included funeral arrangement training. Community development Program included Friday sermon, Taklim for youth and common people, brief Islamic speech every Magrib; Friday for worship; majlis taklim; and coaching for young mosque caretakers. The results of KKN activities show that the community and local government are very enthusiastic and grateful for the benefits they obtained from the implementation of KKN students' work programs in Balassuka Village. In terms of knowledge, the community has experienced the development of Islamic insight. In terms of skills a change is seen in the recitation of makhraj and tajweed in reading the Koran. In terms of affection, the community begins to realize and be enthusiastic in performing worship that is based on proper and correct religious knowledge.


Let A denote the class of functions f that are analytic in the unit disc D and normalized by f (0) = f ʹ(0) – 1 = 0. In this paper conditions are determined for starlikeness of the Libera integral of functions such that ⎪arg {f ʹ}⎪ < δ in D. The results of Miller and Mocanu (2002) on Libera transform of functions with bounded turning are improved.


Quantum cascade lasers are new unipolar light sources based on electron resonant tunneling and optical transitions between quantized conduction band states. Quantum engineering of the electronic energy levels, wavefunctions, matrix elements and scattering rates is used to design population inversion and optimize laser gain and overall performance. The wavelength can be selected over a broad range of the infrared spectrum using the same heterostructure material by tailoring the active layer thickness. High power room temperture operation at 5 and 8.5 μm has been achieved. These are the first semiconductor lasers to operate at 300K and above in this wavelength region.


Revision with unchanged content. In the 15th century, mariners established their location using "dead reckoning," a technique that used superstition, experience, and some guesswork to determine the position of a ship at sea. Ships, cargos, and lives by the thousands were lost because of inadequate navigation techniques and instruments. This study focuses on two pivotal, simultaneous revolutions in the Age of Exploration. First, navigators had to move away from experience-only to extensive scientific training. Second, navigation instruments were invented, developed, and/or refined to provide accurate readings capable of providing useful global positioning information. These factors combined to produce an explosion of exploration that took mariners to the far corners of the planet, impacting governments and geosciences, astronomy and academics. To understand this revolution better, we take a closer look at navigation during the 1686 LaSalle expedition to Texas, particularly a unique nocturnal/planisphere, one of only four in existence worldwide and so accurate it can still be used today. The book is for those with an interest in navigation, scientific instruments, astronomy, and archaeology.


The mobile VCE's digital marketplace (DMP) is a system, which allows very short term trading of radio resources. It uses autonomous agents to request and negotiate the provision of communications services in a dynamic and competitive manner. While showing great promise, many security concerns involving the adoption of the DMP infrastructure by the future mobile communications industry remain unresolved. This paper examines the cryptographic protocol that plays an essential influencing role in creating a secure service negotiation platform.


In a protein-protein electron transfer (ET) photocycle, the "forward" ET reaction is initiated with the excited complex, [3DA], in an equilibrium ensemble of configurations, the majority of which exhibit less than the maximal ET matrix element. In contrast, the charge-separated intermediate complex is formed in a nonequilibrium set of configurations with maximal ET matrix elements and would be expected to return to the ground state with the largest rate constant possible unless conformational interconversion first "breaks the connection" and the complex converts to less-reactive substates. According to this analysis, the forward and back ET reactions should show a differential response to viscosity, and the latter could even show an increased rate constant under conditions which suppress departure from the reactive configuration(s). We now report that the viscosity dependences of forward and back ET rate constants for the photocycle within the [alpha2(Zn),beta2(Fe3+N3-)] mixed-metal hemoglobin hybrid at pH 7 show the anticipated behavior: kf decreases as viscosity increases, but, in sharp contrast, kb increases strongly.


Professor Andre concludes his excellent edition of the botanical sections of the NH with Book 25, on medicinal herbs. The text is a considerable improvement on Jones' Loeb, and Andr6's familiarity with a wide range of MSS and ancient herbals has enabled him to avoid both unnecessary conjecture and excessive conservatism. His own emendations are generally convincing, although Jones' adferrique ... (posse) (27) explains the MSS corruptions better than Andre's straightforward adferretque, and Warmington's sistit (carieni): cauis exesi <«> imprimitur (170) is preferable to a transitive sistit without an easily understood object. Andre's justificatory notes are clear and concise, although his defence oiinflammari (15) only convinces me of its corruption, and his fair exposition at 144 rather supports Barbara's corchoron. At 109 a note is needed on the unexpected singular eius of the MSS. The translation is fluent and accurate (aquosis, 124, should be ' les lieux humides ', not ' l'eau'), and there are few misprints (115 ' in ' : p. 115 ' Deichgraber ': p. 126 ' 2 ': p. 147 ' Rohde ' : p. 149 ' though': the Galenic references should read, p. 125 ' XII 267-70 K.': p. 130 ' XII 350 K.'). The commentary deals largely with botanical theory, and I miss a reference (p. 99) to the box of medicine e radice britanica from Haltern (Germania 12,1928,70,172 ff.) as an illustration of the use of this herb among the German legions. Naturally most space is devoted to the identification of plant names, and here Andre's knowledge of ancient and mediaeval botanical terminology imposes conviction. It is a pity that he gives less help in the identification of ailments and of medical terms such as apostemata (165). The information (p. 115) that the ancient dosage of white hellebore was from 5 to 27 times the permitted dosage in the nineteenth century makes one wish that Andre had added more references to the employment of these plants in modern herbal therapy. Piscatores Campaniae (98) are still reputed to catch fish by dubious methods, although Pliny's poisoned bait has been replaced by more destructive means. Pliny's methods of compilation are illuminated by discussions of his adaptation of Damocrates' poem (pp. 130-3) and of his carelessness in abbreviating Greek sources; but Miinzer's Beitrdge zur Quellenkritik der Naturgeschichte des Plinius (1897) would have placed Pliny's choice of authorities in a broader perspective. Pompeius Lenaeus, the translator of Mithridates, and the centenarian Antonius Castor are more important in the history of Roman medicine (and culture) than Andre allows.


Corticosteroid hormone-induced factor (CHIF) is an aldosterone-induced gene, the function of which is yet unknown. It is specifically expressed in kidney collecting duct (CD) and distal colon and is upregulated by either Na+ deprivation or K+ loading. Hence, it may play a role in epithelial electrolyte transport. Previous studies have characterized regulation and tissue distribution of CHIF mRNA but provided no information on the protein itself. The present paper addresses this issue by using Western blotting, immunochemistry, and in vitro translation. CHIF is an approximately 8-kDa membranal protein, and protease digestion experiments suggest that its COOH tail faces the cell interior. The protein is abundant in distal colon, kidney medulla, and papilla but cannot be detected in a variety of other tissues. Confocal immunocytochemistry demonstrates that CHIF is present in the basolateral membrane of CD principal cells and distal colon surface cells, with occasional intracellular staining. Dexamethasone and low Na+ intake increase the abundance of CHIF. Unlike previous Northern data, induction of CHIF protein by low-Na+ intake was apparent not only in the distal colon but also in the kidney.


Several detailed aspects of medical care services during one year (Aug 1, July 31, 1983) were compared between two community health sub-centers; one (A) was served by a local clinician, the other (B) by a trainee of preventive medicine. The results were analysed as follows: 1. Total spells of medical services during the same period in 'A' sub-center was 4,087 and that in 'B' 2,347. Medicaid visitors in 'A' was 1,051 (25.7% of the total), that in 'B' was 250 (10.7%). Significant difference was observed. 2. Average number of visits for the same case in 'A' was 2.0, that in 'B' was 1.4. Average duration of service by day for the same case in 'A' was 3.9, that in 'B' 3.0. 3. Average cost of service for a case in 'A' was 6,770 won, that in 'B' 4,230 won. 4. Difference in age distribution of visitors in the two sub-centers was insignificant. year group was 38.5% of the total. Difference in distribution by sex (between two sub-centers) was minimal. Male utilisers more than female by ca. 10%. 5. Concerning distribution of visitors by month, utilisation in July, August and September was the highest; the sum of them was 32.7% of the total in 'A' and 32.9% in 'B'. 6. Distribution by diagnoses in 'A' in decreasing order of frequency was Respiratory system diseases (26.1%), Digestive system diseases (23.0%), Diseases of skin and subcutaneous tissue (17.4%), Accidents and poisoning (11.5%) and Diseases of musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (5.4%). That in 'B' was Respiratory system diseases (39.0%), Digestive system diseases (23.0%), Diseases of skin and subcutaneous tissue (14.2%), Accidents and poisoning (10.9%) and Infection and parasitic diseases (9.1%). 7. The 10 most frequent diagnoses comprised 68.5% of the total in 'A' and 65.5% in 'B' 8. Utilisation by accessibility to each sub-center was studied. It is shown that the nearer the distance or the easier the accessibility, the more visits to services. The distinct pattern is manifested in the utilisation in 'A'-Myun.


SUMMARY Palaeomagnetic poles for a stable continental block are typically defined from a combination of declination and inclination information from several temporally constrained studies. Poles from regions that have undergone vertical-axis rotation as a consequence of tectonics are excluded due to the absence of declination data. These poles, however, do contain useful information in their inclinations. We develop a simple but statistically rigorous technique allowing palaeomagnetic poles to be calculated from a mixture of declination and inclination data drawn from localities in the stable continental block and inclination data from the regions disturbed by vertical-axis rotation. Together this provides a larger data set of high-quality palaeomagnetic poles from which to calculate reference poles. The technique was used to define palaeomagnetic poles for South America for the Late Cretaceous‐Cenozoic (120‐5 Ma) period. Data from stable, cratonic South America, combined with data from Africa, rotated into a South America reference frame, and the Andean margin, yield reference poles, as well as mean poles for the Palaeogene and Neogene. Analysis of the data reveals systematic biases in the data set, and, in particular, the fit of the inclination data is poor for most time periods. In many cases, this situation is improved if the effect of inclination shallowing due to sedimentary depositional processes and subsequent compaction is removed. The best-fit poles define an apparent polar wander path for South America that is consistent with the global plate reconstruction parameters. Use of the new poles in studies of tectonic rotation should allow greater temporal and spatial resolution of vertical-axis rotation and offer the ability to identify smaller rotations in the Andean margin.


Sb2Se3 has recently spurred great interest as a promising light‐absorbing material for solar energy conversion. Sb2Se3 consists of 1D covalently linked nanoribbons stacked via van der Waals forces and its properties strongly depend on the crystallographic orientation. However, strategies for adjusting the anisotropy of 1D Sb2Se3 nanostructures are rarely investigated. Here, a novel approach is presented to fabricate 1D Sb2Se3 nanostructure arrays with different aspect ratios on conductive substrates by simply spin‐coating Sb‐Se solutions with different molar ratios of thioglycolic acid and ethanolamine. A relatively small proportion of thioglycolic acid induces the growth of short Sb2Se3 nanorod arrays with preferred orientation, leading to fast carrier transport and enhanced photocurrent. After the deposition of TiO2 and Pt, an appropriately oriented Sb2Se3 nanostructure array exhibits a significantly enhanced photoelectrochemical performance; the photocurrent reaches 12.5 mA cm−2 at 0 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode under air mass 1.5 global illumination.


The skin is a major target organ in human graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) after bone‐marrow transplantation. GVHD can be induced in mice by i.v. injection of T cells into unirradiated semi‐allogeneic or lethatly irradiated allogeneic recipients. However, in the murine systemic GVHD model, cutaneous lesions occur only in lethally irradiated recipients. Since lethal irradiation itself might induce the epidermal cell damage, several investigators have employed another murine model of cutaneous GVHD, in which cutaneous lesions were induced by intradermal injection of alloreactive T cell clones. Using this system, it has been reported that both MHC class I‐ and II‐reactive T cell clones can induce cutaneous GVHD in non‐irradiated or sublethally irradiated recipients. However, it has remained unknown whether or not freshly prepared T cells are able to induce cutaneous GVHD after local injection into non‐irradiated recipients. We show that unprimed T cells can induce cutaneous GVHD after local injection into unirradiated MHC class II‐ or I + II‐disparate recipients. In contrast to alloreactive T cell clones, unprimed T cells could elicit only mild cutaneous lesions in MHC class I‐disparate recipients. Since sublethal irradiation of MHC class I‐disparate recipients did not result in the manifestation of cutaneous lesions after injection of unprimed T cells, host anti‐donor responses by radiosensitive cells could not be responsible for this phenomenon. This experimental system provides a useful model for analysis of the regulation mechanisms in the induction of GVHD by unprimed T cells.


A next generation service edge router, adaptive service edge router (ASER), is presented in this paper. The ASER is designed to meet more complicated requirements of rapidly evolving network by adopting advanced technology such as network processor, separation of control plane and data plane, ForCES and FEA concept. The ASER can be deployed as a service edge router, which provides adaptive and flexible solution to new requirements in the next generation network


The effects of design parameters of supersonic ejector system under the assumption of constant pressure mixing were performed. Design parameters were mass flow rate ratio, area ratio between primary and secondary flow, and primary Mach number. 1-D theoretical performance of ejector in terms of pressure ratio and contraction ratio with and without loss mechanism such as diffuser efficiency and friction were considered.


Design education is
the most important part of architectural education. Formal architectural education
(training), followed by an architect in the candidate's training period, is a
whole consisting of theoretical and practical courses. In spite of this
programme package, in design education, student acquires to experience the
design by his/her own and this is the only way to learn how to design. In this
context, aside from formal architectural education informal studies such as workshops,
seminars, conferences, exhibitions, competitions, excavation, etc. have an
undeniable importance. In design education, "informal studies" have some
outstanding results on developing design thinking skills, learning by doing,
creating motivation, intuitive knowledge and self-confidence and at the same
time these studies are a suitable tool for the LLP—lifelong learning programme.
In this paper, as an informal study example two workshops will be discussed to
evaluate the contributions of such informal studies on student's individual and
collective learning styles, design thinking techniques and practices.


Security becomes increasingly important for many applications, such as video surveillance, confidential transmission military and medical applications. Data hiding has been used for several years to transmit data without being intercepted by unwanted viewers. The core of the system is two widely used cryptographic algorithm core: Secure Hash Algorithm SHA-256 and Advanced Encryption Standard AES-128. The system design is with hardware's effectiveness in mind. This cryptographic engine was used as an integral part of security data storage system. Cryptography algorithm is implemented on Software using computer. It has been observed that the performance of the software is not up to the mark. Moreover Security flaws were identified in Secure Hash Algorithm SHA–1, namely that a mathematical weakness exist, that indicating a stronger hash function would be desirable. So SHA-256 is used to overcome this.


ABSTRACT Ionizing radiation is a ubiquitous stress to which all life is continuously exposed, and thus complex mechanisms have evolved to regulate cellular responses to radiation, including cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and programmed cell death. Changes in gene expression shape part of the response to radiation, and have historically provided insight into the underlying mechanisms of that response. However, the advent of microarrays, which can measure expression of all the genes in a cell simultaneously, has transformed the study of gene expression, and is beginning to have an impact on both basic mechanistic and clinical studies. This article provides an overview of concepts in gene expression and microarray technology, and highlights their impacts on the study of radiation biology.


A CFD model was developed with the aim at simulating the turbulent flow field induced by dust feeding and dispersion within the 20 L bomb, and the associated effects on the distribution of dust concentration. The model was validated considering a set of data (pressure time histories and root mean square velocity) available in the literature. The time sequences of velocity vector and kinetic energy maps have shown that multiple turbulent vortex structures are established within the sphere. These vortices generate dead volumes for the dust which is pushed toward the walls of the sphere. The obtained results are relevant to the practice of dust explosion testing and the interpretation of test results and, then, they should be taken as reference to improve the conditions for standard tests. V C 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2485–2496, 2013


The discovery and characterization of planets of young stars represents an important goal as it will allow to put much stronger observational constraints on the current theories of planet formation and orbital evolution. This thesis reports the results of an optical spectroscopic survey of a sample of 43 young (30-300 Myr), late spectral type, nearby stars. Observations have been carried out with the 2m Schmidt telescope and the Coude spectrograph at the TLS-Tautenburg Observatory, and were aimed to measure high precision radial velocities (RV). In spite of their enhanced level of photospheric activity inducing RV-jitters, the survey demonstrates that also young stars are suitable targets for the detection of planets by means of the RV-technique. In fact most of the stars in the sample show a RV-scatter 2 Mj, can be excluded for 80 % of the stars (95 % if we consider Msin(i) > 7 Mj).


In the twenty-first century, Latin American countries have made significant efforts to advance their space programs. These efforts have ranged from inquiring about setup of a satellite system, as is the case in Colombia, to launching satellites with the aid of foreign governments, in the case of Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia. In all these cases, the lack of a coherent legal framework that supports a solid space program that provides satellite communications to the most vulnerable populations is one of the most pressing challenges. The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) could solve this problem in the form of a unifying project that will put all minds and developers to work towards the common goal of achieving space autonomy for Latin America.


This report presents a number of analyses to determine whether the construction of two shafts associated with the exploratory shaft facility can significantly influence the long-term isolation capabilities of a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, on and adjacent to the Nevada Test Site. Both shafts are planned to be located predominantly in fractured, welded tuff within the unsaturated zone. The calculational effort, using analytical solutions, focuses primarily on the potential influence of the shaft liner and the zone of increased rock damage around the shaft (termed in this paper the modified permeability zone, MPZ). Two mechanisms are considered in determining whether the MPZ can significantly enhance radionuclide releases. These mechanisms include water flow entering the exploratory shafts from both realistic and improbable scenarios and airflow exiting the shaft as a result of convective and barometric forces. The influence of the liner on the performance of the repository is determined by evaluating the potential chemical interaction between ground water and the concrete liner and the subsequent potential for precipitates to deposit within the MPZ and the shaft fill. It is concluded from these calculations and the current knowledge of the hydrology of the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain thatmore » the presence of the shafts and the associated MPZ and shaft liner do not significantly impact the long-term isolation capability of the repository. 68 refs., 54 figs., 12 tabs.« less


AIM
To establish a set of reasonable and convenient experimental system to provide a screening method for the development of novel immunoregulatory oligodeoxynucleotides.

METHODS
The human PBMCs were stimulated by CpG ODN and/or immunoregulatory ODN. The cell proliferation and anti-viral activity of the supernatant induced by CpG ODN were examined by thymidine incorporation and anti-viral bioassay to evaluate the immunoregulatory activity of candidate ODN. The experimental conditions were also optimized.

RESULTS
A screening method on which A151, a positive immunoregulatory ODN, inhibited the proliferation and anti-viral activity of the CpG ODN-induced human PBMCs was successfully established.

CONCLUSION
The successful establishment of CpG ODN based screening method lays the foundations for further development of novel immunoregulatory oligodeoxynucleotides.


This study aims to find strategies and ways to increase teacher work productivity by examining the strength of the relationship between work productivity and visionary leadership, organizational climate and creativity. The study uses a sequential explanatory design, using correlational statistical methods and SITOREM analysis to determine priorities and recommendations for indicators that need to be improved. A total of 252 civil servant teachers at the Depok City State Junior High School. The results of the quantitative research found that all variables had a significant positive relationship, individually showing a strong while together very strong with work productivity, the next analysis was the analysis of Scientific Identification Theory to Conduct Operation Research in Education Management (SITOREM), with the stages of identification the strength of the influence between the research variables, and based on the weight of each indicator that comes from the independent variable that has the largest contribution, then the priority order of the indicators that need to be improved and those that need to be maintained is arranged.


Patients with increased pre-endoscopic anxiety take advantage of the use of conscious sedation. However, the habit of using premedication varies according to the type of endoscopic examination. Aims of this study were: to evaluate whether different endoscopic procedures may have different effects on patient anxiety; and whether anxiety affects patient tolerance. 163 consecutive outpatients undergoing endoscopy (75 gastroscopy, 51 colonoscopy and 37 bronchoscopy) were interviewed to evaluate pre-endoscopy anxiety, by using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. After endoscopy, endoscopists rated patient cooperation on a 10-cm visual analogue scale. Females had state and trait anxiety levels higher than males (50.49 +/- 1.37 vs 45.07 +/- 1.20, p < 0.01; and 44.46 +/- 1.06 vs 38.48 +/- 1.01, p < 0.01). Anxiety levels were not related with the type of endoscopic procedure. A direct relationship was observed between state and trait anxiety (p < 0.001). Patient cooperation to endoscopy was inversely related with both trait (p < 0.05) and state anxiety (p < 0.01). In conclusion, gastroscopy, colonoscopy and bronchoscopy seem to induce similar pre-endoscopy anxiety levels. Therefore, the different frequency in the use of intravenous sedation between bronchial and gastrointestinal endoscopy does not seem justified.


A mathematical model was developed for analyzing simultaneous heat and mass transfer in a deep bed of gelatinised white yam during a drying process. The model comprised three partial differential equations which were dynamic functions of the temperature and moisture content of the product as well as the temperature and humidity ratio of the drying air. The coefficients of the equations were continuous functions of the physical, thermal and hygroscopic properties of the product as well as the thermodynamic properties of air. The properties of the product were determined experimentally. Thin-layer drying data required for solving the differential equations were obtained experimentally by drying samples of the product in a convective air dryer at temperatures of 40 to 70°C and 10 to 50% relative humidity. Moisture desorption isotherms data also required for the solution of the model equation were obtained experimentally using static gravimetric method. The partial differential equations were solved numerically by using finite difference method. The deep bed drying model was validated by drying samples of gelatinized white yam in a convective air dryer; and the experimental drying data were compared with simulated data. Data obtained by the numerical simulation of the mathematical deep bed drying model agreed well with experimental data. As a result of its reasonable accuracy, therefore, the mathematical model provides many possibilities for predicting the relevant variables for a drying process. For example, the model permits the predetermination of the values of time-averaged moisture content as well as instantaneous distribution of the drying variables along the bed height. The model can also be used for predicting the product's final moisture content and drying time, thereby making a drying process accurate, precise and amenable to automatic control using microcontrollers and computers.


Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss in men. It is commonly known as a male pattern baldness. It is characterized by a stepwise miniaturization of the hair follicle, resulting from alteration in the hair cycle dynamics, leading to vellus transformation of terminal hair follicle. In AGA, the duration of anagen phase gradually decreases and that of telogen phase increases, the maximum length of the new anagen hair becomes shorter than that of its predecessor, leading to miniaturization and eventually a bald appearance.

 To assess the expression of NRF2 in the scalp of men with androgenetic alopecia.

 This case control study included 28 male patients whose age ranged from 18 to 45 years old. They were diagnosed as having AGA according to Norwood-Hamilton scale. Further, 28 age and sex matched healthy male controls were recruited. All patients and controls were recruited from the dermatology outpatient clinic of Ain-Shams University Hospitals, during the period of September 2018 to April 2019.

 A group of Twenty-eight male patients with AGA were recruited to the study. The of patients ranged from 18 to 45 years (mean = 33.46 years ± 9.9 SD). Twenty-eight age matched male healthy volunteers without AGA were e recruited. The majority of AGA patients had positive family history of AGA in their first degree relatives. None of our patients had a medical history of systemic diseases like diabetes mellitus or hypertension.

 The current study showed that alteration of Nrf2 levels may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AGA.


A series of porous silica particles is prepared with different concentrations of the fluorinated cationic surfactant 1-(3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10)-heptadecafluorodecyl)pyridinium chloride (HFDePC) to trace the changes in pore structure and particle morphology as the surfactant concentration increases. At the lowest concentration studied (1.5 mmol/L), the product consists of small round particles with close-packed cylindrical mesopores. As the HFDePC concentration increases, macroporous voids are introduced to create multi-chambered hollow particles with mesoporous walls. With a still higher concentration of HFDePC the macropore volume decreases, and elongated, tactoid-like nanoparticles are formed with random mesh-phase pores oriented with silica layers perpendicular to the main axis of the particles. Further increasing the concentration of HFDePC eventually leads to the formation of round particles with disordered pores. These changes are consistent with increasing HFDePC concentration favoring increasingly oblate or disklike micelles. The process of forming the elongated particles with random mesh-phase structure is investigated by TEM of chilled and dried samples. The results indicate that the oriented tactoid-like structure forms spontaneously within 2 min by co-assembly of silica and HFDePC rather than by preferred growth perpendicular to the layers. The particle shape and layer orientation are consistent with what would be expected for a liquid-crystal particle with orientation-dependent surface tension. Finally, we compare samples prepared with a high HFDePC and with good or poor mixing. With inadequate mixing, a gel layer forms at the top of the sample which is composed of elongated mesoporous particles with a thick coating of microporous silica. The lower particulate phase contains small disordered particles similar to those obtained in a well-mixed sample. Presumably, the structure of the upper layer results from initial immiscibility of the precursor and slow diffusion of silicates out of the gel.


The paper presents chosen results of research on the lumbar-chest part of spine and the spine-fixator complex. Spines were gathered from cadavers. Both damaged and undamaged spines with and without fixator were investigated. Two types of fixator were used: a CD and a modified Zespol fixator (our idea)--marked as P. In the research, compression/distraction forces were applied. The analysis is based on the results of comparative calculation: load range, hysteresis loop area and neutral zone stiffness.


In 1999, the U.S. West Nile (WN) virus epidemic was preceded by widespread reports of avian deaths. In 2000, ArboNET, a cooperative WN virus surveillance system, was implemented to monitor the sentinel epizootic that precedes human infection. This report summarizes 2000 surveillance data, documents widespread virus activity in 2000, and demonstrates the utility of monitoring virus activity in animals to identify human risk for infection.


If your dog guards your house, a widely held ethical theory of redistribution would contend that he is entitled to own part of it. Each contribution to a product justifies a claim to a share of it. In fact, the social product is produced by society as a whole and society may distribute it as it sees fit. The article argues that this reasoning is confused and misunderstands the function of contracts of exchange.


Accurate short-time traffic flow prediction has gained gradually increasing importance for traffic plan and management with the deployment of intelligent transportation systems (ITSs). However, the existing approaches for short-term traffic flow prediction are unable to efficiently capture the complex nonlinearity of traffic flow, which provide unsatisfactory prediction accuracy. In this paper, we propose a deep learning based model which uses hybrid and multiple-layer architectures to automatically extract inherent features of traffic flow data. Firstly, built on the convolutional neural network (CNN) and the long short-term memory (LSTM) network, we develop an attention-based Conv-LSTM module to extract the spatial and short-term temporal features. The attention mechanism is properly designed to distinguish the importance of flow sequences at different times by automatically assigning different weights. Secondly, to further explore long-term temporal features, we propose a bidirectional LSTM (Bi-LSTM) module to extract daily and weekly periodic features so as to capture variance tendency of the traffic flow from both previous and posterior directions. Finally, extensive experimental results are presented to show that the proposed model combining the attention Conv-LSTM and Bi-LSTM achieves better prediction performance compared with other existing approaches.


In this letter, through computational study based on density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP) using basis set 6-31G (d,p) a number of global and local reactivity descriptors were computed to predict the reactivity and the reactive sites on the molecules. The molecular geometry and the electronic properties such as frontier molecular orbital (HOMO and LUMO), ionization potential (I) and electron affinity (A) were investigated to get a better insight of the molecular properties. Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) for all compounds were determined to check their electrophilic or nucleophilic reactivity. The chemometric methods PCA and HCA were employed to find the subset of variables that could correctly classify the compounds according to their reactivity. Original Research Article Bendjeddou et al.; IRJPAC, 12(1): 1-9, 2016; Article no.IRJPAC.27066 2


The present manuscript explores the deriver of Greenland blocking events using a set of multi-model large ensembles. This is a nice way to analyze blocking events as they are rare events. The authors showed that two (MIROC5 and ECHAM6.3-LR) out of five models fairly capture the frequency of blocking events compared to the ERA-Interim reanalysis. Then they used these two models to understand the main driver of Greenland blocking events and found an inconsistency in the dynamics of blocking events between the models. More specifically, the author found a link between CWB and Greenland blocking events in ECHAM6.3-LR model in contrast to MIROC5, which CWB is largely underestimated. They further expand their analysis to future climate and report the changes in RWB and eddy-driven jet to investigate the connection with blocking frequency.


A glass forming mold is provided with: a mold body (10) used to form glass by heating and pressurizing the glass; and a support member (15) disposed so that the support member (15) can come into contact with the movable member (11) of the mold body and capable of being broken in order to relieve stress caused by the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the mold body and the glass.


The focus of the paper is the development of an integrated architecture suitable for cooperative autonomous robotics systems performing mission like the one described in the UK MoD Grand Challenge. Its intention is to create a system which has a high degree of autonomy that conducts a tactical reconnaissance of a designated area within a representative complex urban environment. It will be able to detect, locate, identify and report a range of threats. The robots must be multi-tasked to acquire sufficient information back to a ground control station in a limited time.


The radiation characteristics of mushroom-like parallel-plate waveguide composite right/left-handed leaky-wave antennas (PPW CRLH LWAs) are presented, analyzed, mathematically modeled, and experimentally verified. For this purpose, a frequency-dependent formulation, based on a dispersive circuital model of the antenna, is proposed. The formulation inherently takes into account the mutual coupling between the slots, radiation losses, reactive fields, and the fluctuations of the radiated power with frequency. Very good agreement in the 1-D and 2-D radiation patterns obtained by the proposed formulation and the measured results from a PPW CRLH LWA prototype is found, validating both the antenna radiating properties and the proposed theory.


A new shrinkage estimator for the Poisson model is introduced in this paper. This method is a generalization of the Liu (1993) estimator originally developed for the linear regression model and will be generalized here to be used instead of the classical maximum likelihood (ML) method in the presence of multicollinearity since the mean squared error (MSE) of ML becomes inflated in that situation. Furthermore, this paper derives the optimal value of the shrinkage parameter and based on this value some methods of how the shrinkage parameter should be estimated are suggested. Using Monte Carlo simulation where the MSE and mean absolute error (MAE) are calculated it is shown that when the Liu estimator is applied with these proposed estimators of the shrinkage parameter it always outperforms the ML.


This work applies the linear optimization theory to the minimum cost flow problem of voice traffic management in a real mobile telecommunication network. A voice traffic assignment method between core network elements is proposed to achieve the optimum trade-off between cost and transmission capacity in graph routes. In this sense, the Simplex Method is aplied to perform flow optimization and verify the optimal traffic distribution among network nodes. Finally, results for different costs scales are presented.


Detailed micropalaeontological analysis of the Woo Dale Borehole shows that Dinantian strata of Holkerian and Arundian age lie unconformably on top of the pre-Carboniferous basement beds. The Chadian and Tournaisian are missing. The chronostratigraphy here recognised is compared with that proposed by Cope (1973) and the differences in the two interpretations explained in the light of recent palaeontological and Midlands regional research.


Children and adolescents who have survived complex trauma have suffered the type of ongoing and repeated traumatic experience that includes factors such as physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, significant neglect, and/or family violence. Complex childhood trauma (sometimes referred to as paediatric or child maltreatment-related post traumatic stress disorder (De Bellis and Kuchibhatla, 2006) can have a significant impact on the developing nervous system which can lead to impairment in the capacity to relate and to emotionally self-regulate. During the schooling years, this can lead to the presentation of concerning school behaviours that schools tend to respond to with equally as concerning punitive consequences, often involving practices of exclusion. This article will emphasize the importance of schools accessing and then encompassing learnings from neuroscience into their behaviour management policies and practices. Neuroscience has provided an extra explanatory framework to complement understandings of student behaviour drawn from the clinical sciences. It is not only explaining why and how some of these student behaviours occur, but is also providing a different template of possibility for enhancing the educational and life outcomes for this vulnerable group of young people through more effective and more inclusive school practices.


Abstract. Assessing nutrient critical load exceedances requires
complete and accurate atmospheric deposition budgets for reactive nitrogen
(Nr). The exceedance is the total amount of Nr deposited to the
ecosystem in excess of the critical load, which is the amount of Nr
input below which harmful effects do not occur. Total deposition includes
all forms of Nr (i.e., organic and inorganic) deposited to the
ecosystem by wet and dry pathways. Here we present results from the Southern
Appalachian Nitrogen Deposition Study (SANDS), in which a combination of
measurements and field-scale modeling was used to develop a complete annual
Nr deposition budget for a deciduous forest at the Coweeta Hydrologic
Laboratory. Wet deposition of ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, and bulk organic N
were measured directly. The dry deposited Nr fraction was estimated
using a bidirectional resistance-based model driven with speciated
measurements of Nr air concentrations (e.g., ammonia, ammonium aerosol,
nitric acid, nitrate aerosol, bulk organic N in aerosol, total alkyl
nitrates, and total peroxy nitrates), micrometeorology, canopy structure,
and biogeochemistry. Total annual deposition was ∼ 6.7 kg N ha−1 yr−1, which is on the upper end of Nr critical load estimates
recently developed for similar ecosystems in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains
National Park. Of the total (wet + dry) budget, 51.1 % was contributed
by reduced forms of Nr (NHx = ammonia + ammonium), with
oxidized and organic forms contributing ∼ 41.3 % and 7.6 %,
respectively. Our results indicate that reductions in NHx deposition
would be needed to achieve the lowest estimates (∼ 3.0 kg N ha−1 yr−1) of Nr critical loads in southern Appalachian forests.


A unique combination of properties makes aluminium one of the most desirable materials in many construction sectors including facade industry. Aluminium window walls as a facade system provide resistance against wind load and are decisive elements in the performance of the building envelope. In considering their complex functions, they are subjected to numerous criteria and continuing research and improvement. Window walls are commonly made of glass supported by aluminium framing members, and occupy a considerable share of the building cost. The aluminium frames of window walls (comprised of heads, sills, and mullions) transfer the wind loads from glass panels to the aluminium sub-frames (comprised of sub-heads and sub-sills). The sub-frames then transfer the loads to the slab through the bolt connections. Under this loading condition, the aluminium sub-heads (at the top of the system) are the dominante wind load bearing elements, and are prone to bearing failure due to their long flange length. This phenomenon of bearing failure has never been researched in the past. To address this gap, the structural performance of aluminium sub-heads subjected to concentrated load was investigated in this study using comprehensive experimental and numerical studies. Furthermore, accurate design rules were developed to predict the bearing capacities of aluminium sub-heads.
Two types of typical sub-head sections, known as C-shaped sub-heads and sub-heads with removable beads, were used in the experimental study. The main difference between these two sections is that the later included two parts (the base and the bead) which can facilitate effective installation and assembly of facade panels. Two series of experimental tests were conducted to investigate and evaluate the bearing behaviour of the aluminium C-shaped sub-heads and the sub-heads with removable beads. Four C-shaped sub-head sections and six sub-head with removable bead sections were tested subjected to bearing loads considering different loading and boundary conditions as well as different bearing widths. The governing modes of failure were found to be yielding and fracture at the web-to-flange junction, as a result of the bending of the cantilever flange. Following experimental tests, finite element models were developed to further investigate the bearing behaviour of the aluminium sub-heads. The general-purpose software ABAQUS, with implicit solver, was used to simulate the bearing behaviour of aluminium sub-heads. The models were validated using the experimental results and a good agreement was achieved in terms of the ultimate strengths, the load-deflection responses and the failure modes. Subsequently, parametric studies were performed using validated models to investigate a wide range of aluminium sub-head sections with varying thicknesses, flange widths, loading conditions, and bearing widths.
Failure of aluminium sub-heads in the window walls under wind loading bear strong resemblance to the most prevalent failure mode in the cold-formed steel stud-to-track connection of a Light Gauge Steel (LSF) wall, which is the failure of the track under concentrated load. Since current aluminium standards do not have design criteria to predict the bearing strength of aluminium sub-head sections subjected to out-of-plane forces in window walls, the results acquired from this research were compared with the nominal bearing strengths predicted by the currently available cold-formed steel design rules (the North American Standard for Cold-Formed Steel Structural Framing (AISI S240, 2015), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (TI 809-07, 1998), and Steel Stud Manufacturers Association (SSMA, 2000)) for the tracks in the stud walls. As a result of the comparisons, weaknesses in the current design standards were identified. Hence, based on the experimental and numerical results, new design rules were proposed which accurately predict the bearing capacities of aluminium sub-head sections. The findings of this research demonstrated that the proposed equations for estimating the ultimate bearing capacities of aluminium sub-head sections are reliable and in precise agreement with the experimental and numerical results.


Objectives To examine whether an in vivo chronic treatment with aspirin could prevent insulin resistance, oxidative stress and blood pressure elevation associated with high glucose feeding in rats. Methods Sprague–Dawley rats (SD) were given a normal chow diet for 3 weeks combined or not with a 10% glucose drinking solution with or without aspirin added to their drinking water, and were compared to control SD rats which received normal chow and tap water to drink for 3 weeks. Oxidative stress was evaluated by measuring superoxide anion (O2−) production in the aorta using the lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence method. Antioxidant reserve was assessed by measuring the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the blood. Fasting blood sugar and insulin levels were measured at the end of the study. Results The systolic blood pressure (SBP), the aortic basal superoxide production, plasma levels of insulin and glucose, as well as the insulin resistance index, were all significantly higher in rats fed glucose for 3 weeks, compared to control rats. The simultaneous treatment with aspirin prevented the increase in SBP, in plasma glucose levels and in aortic O2− production, and attenuated the rise in insulin levels as well as insulin resistance in the glucose-fed rats. Positive correlations between aortic O2− production and SBP, as well as between insulin resistance and SBP or between O2− production and insulin resistance, were found in control, glucose-fed and aspirin-treated, glucose-fed rats. The activities of GPx and SOD in the erythrocytes did not differ in the three groups. An increase in plasma SOD activity was observed in glucose-fed rats. Conclusions Chronic in vivo treatment with aspirin prevented the development of hypertension and reduced insulin resistance significantly in chronically glucose-fed rats. Aspirin seems to produce these effects through its antioxidative properties, since it was found to prevent the increase in aortic O2− production observed in chronically glucose-fed rats.


In database systems that support fine-grained access controls, each user has access rights that determine which tuples are accessible and which are inaccessible. Queries are answered as if the inaccessible tuples are not present in the database. Thus, users with different access rights may get different answers to a given query. To process queries efficiently in the presence of fine-grained access controls, the database system needs accurate estimates of the number of tuples that are both accessible according to the access rights of the submitting user and relevant according to the selection predicates in the query. In this paper we present sampling-based cardinality estimation techniques for use in the presence of fine-grained access controls. These techniques exploit the fact that access rights are relatively static and are common to all queries that are evaluated on behalf of a particular user. We show that the proposed techniques provide more accurate estimates than simpler techniques that do not exploit knowledge of access rights. We quantify these improvements analytically and through simulations.


On the evening of the 6th of March, 1987, the Roll on/Roll off Ferry Herald of Free Enterprise left the berth in the port of Zeebrugge at 18.05 and capsized about 20 minutes later. 188 people died in this tragic event. A formal investigation report concluded that both the crewmembers and the shipping company were to be held responsible for the outcome.
Although the shipping company was considered partly accountable, the investigation based its result on a rather person-centered view on how accidents occur. This perspective on accidents, being the outcome of a chain of events leading to an unwanted consequence, has been challenged during the past 20 years by several researchers. This article re-analyzes this specific accident from a systemic perspective. Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) is used to shed new light on what may have cause the ship to capsize. In addition, we discuss whether results from accident analysis can be used to develop pro-active measures for the safe operation of ships.


The ovarian cancer recurrence occurs in 75% of patients with advanced FIGO stage, and its treatment is a challenge for the oncologist in gynecology. The standard treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC) usually includes intravenous chemotherapy according to platinum sensitivity. Furthermore, maintenance treatment with target therapies [e.g., anti-angiogenic drug or PARP inhibitors (PARPi)], should be provided if not precedently administrated. In this scenario, secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCS) remains a practical but controversial option for platinum-sensitive ROC (PSROC). So far, several retrospective series and a Cochrane meta-analysis had concluded that SCS could determine better survival outcomes in ROC with favorable prognostic characteristics, such as the presence of a single anatomical site of recurrence, or when patients are accurately selected for surgery based on complete resection's predictive models. Recently, three randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigated the role of SCS in PSROC patients selected with different criteria. All the three RCTs showed a significant statistical advantage in progression-free survival (PFS) in the SCS group, with an even more significant difference in patients with complete cytoreduction (about 7-month PFS increased). Data on overall survival (OS) are different in the two completed trials. The GOG213 study has documented a longer OS of PSROC patients who received chemotherapy alone compared to surgery plus chemotherapy. Contrarily, the DESKTOP III trial showed 7.7 months of increased OS in the surgery group vs. chemotherapy alone, with a more difference in the complete tumor cytoreduction (CTC) group (12 months). These RCTs thereby suggest that undergoing complete cytoreduction may not be the only key and that the disease biology may also matter. Few recent retrospective series investigated the role of SCS according to BRCA mutation status and the effect of SCS in patients receiving emerging PARPi. A consequence of the developments in SCS and knowledge of different molecular pathways influencing the recurrent disease is that the future research objective should be to individualize and personalize the surgical approach.


A phenomenological pion-nucleon interaction is used to obtain pionic mass modification in presence of constant homogeneous magnetic field background at finite temperature and chemical potential in the real time formalism of thermal field theory. The magnetically modified propagator in its complete form is used to obtain the one loop self-energy for pions. For charged pions we find that the effective mass increases with the magnetic field at given temperature and chemical potential. Since the transverse momentum of charged pion is quantized and its contribution to Dyson-Schwinger Equation is large compared to the loop correction, the charged pion mass remains constant with both temperature and chemical potential for a given landau level. In order to unveil the role of the real part of the self-energy, we also calculate the effective mass neglecting the trivial shift. The effective mass for charged pions shows an oscillatory behavior which is attributed to the thermal contribution of the self-energy. It is argued that the magnetic field dependent vacuum contribution to the self-energy influences the behavior of the effective mass both qualitatively and quantitatively. We also find that very large field is necessary for neutral pions to condense.


This paper briefl y discusses the history of the standard information retrieval evaluation criteria, measures and methods, and why they are unsuitable for the evaluation of interactive information retrieval. A new framework for evaluation of interactive information retrieval is proposed, based on the criterion of usefulness.


Congenital spinal anomalies with associated deformity are challenging problems as the natural history can be highly variable and surgery, if required, is performed in the face of a rapidly growing spine and thorax. Three-dimensional CT has been recognized as an indispensable diagnostic tool and has improved preoperative planning for the often complex three-column deformity. Classic surgical interventions of in-situ fusion or acute correction with instrumentation continue to be the mainstay of treatment for progressive deformity in congenital scoliosis. Newer techniques gaining popularity include vertebral column resection for severe kyphotic deformity in typically neglected cases and hemivertebra resection through a single posterior approach with instrumented correction. Importantly, recent recognition of chest wall deformity independent of spinal deformity and a possible association between early fusion and restrictive lung disease has resulted in the use of growth-modulation techniques such as growing rods and rib-expansion implants. As the understanding of the growing spine and the relationship of adult pulmonary function with spinal height progresses, treatment options for this unique patient set will continue to evolve.


This paper takes two kinds of public service advertising (PSA), helping others and recruiting soldiers, to do case comparisons between China and West. For PSA of helping others, China appeals to the sense of shame, whereas West appeals to the sense of guilt. For PSA of recruiting soldiers, China appeals to the value of collectivism, whereas West appeals to the value of individualism. Both pairs of cases reflect cultural differences. This paper further explores the origin of these cultural senses and values. By this means, researchers try to analyze the cultural biases in the appeals of Chinese PSA. The results suggest Chinese PSA advertiser should know its target audiences and advertising objectives, and understand the psychology of target audiences through scientific methods, to improve the PSA effectiveness.


Over the past three decades, Portugal has developed a strong economic dependence on tourism, which has several implications for the country's overall economic development. Tourism is an activity that is interrelated strongly with the economic system since Portugal as a whole and specific regions in particular rely on the performance of tourism for their economic activity. Moreover, because economic cycles affect tourism development, it is highly vulnerable to economic fluctuations. Most tourists who visit Portugal are from the European Union, especially Western Europe. Statistics are based on the number of overnight stays in hotel accommodation and other similar establishments. In 2005, the main source markets were the UK (30.7%), Germany (16.5%), Spain (11.5%), the Netherlands (6.8%), France (4.7%), Ireland (3.6%) and Italy (3.1%). These values show that the UK has the greatest share of visitors to Algarve. The purpose of this paper is to propose a modelling approach that best fits the tourism flow pattern in order to support forecasting. The paper contributes to our understanding of the relationship between economic cycles and tourism flows to Portugal (Algarve) and explores the potential of applying the diffusion index model proposed by Stock and Watson (1999, 2002) for tourism demand forecasting.


To determine whether the effects of ethanol on working memory are mediated by a secondary effect on attention, dose-response curves for ethanol were determined in eight pigeons trained under a titrating matching-to-sample (TMTS) procedure, in eight pigeons trained under a discrete-trial measure of attention, and in eight pigeons trained under a continuous-trial measure of attention. Ethanol decreased accuracy under the TMTS procedure following the three highest doses (1, 1.8, and 3 g/kg). Only the highest dose (3 mg/kg) decreased rates of responding. Attention, as measured under the discrete-trial procedure, was affected only by the two highest doses (1.8 and 3 g/kg). The 3-g/kg dose caused significant decreases in the probability of a hit and probability of a correct rejection, as well as significant increases in the probability of an error of omission and response latencies. Sensitivity to the signal decreased following 1.8 and 3 g/kg ethanol. Under the continuous-trial procedure, ethanol caused a peak in false alarms after the 1.8-g/kg dose, decreased the probability of a hit following the 1.8- and 3-g/kg doses, and increased probability of a miss at all doses. Sensitivity to the signal was not affected. A comparison of the dose-response curves for the TMTS procedure and the two measures of attention revealed that working memory (TMTS) was decreased by a lower dose than that affecting attention. This suggests that the effects of ethanol on working memory are not mediated by the subject's ability to pay attention to stimulus changes in the environment.


American options give holder a right to exercise it at any time at will, the holder should to make the exercise plicy in such a way that the expected payoff from the option will be maximized,In this note we prove that it is equivalent to a fact which makes the option value and option delta continumous.


The increase of applications for industrial smart sensors is booming, mainly due to the use of distributed automation architectures, industrial evolution and recent technological advances, which guide the industry to a greater degree of automation, integration and globalization. In this research work, an architecture for deliberative-type intelligent industrial sensors is proposed, based on the BDI (Belief Desire Intentions) model, adaptable to the measurement of different variables of the filtering process of a water purification plant. An intelligent sensor with functions of signal digitalization, self-calibration, alarm generation, communication with PLC, user interface for parameter adjustment, and analysis with data extrapolation have been arranged. For decision making, the use of fuzzy logic techniques has been considered, which allows imprecise parameters to be appropriately represented, simplifying decision problem solving in the industrial environment, generating stable and fast systems with low processing requirements. The proposed architecture has been modelled, simulated and validated using UML language in conjunction with Petri nets, which facilitate the representation of discrete system events, presenting them clearly and precisely. In the implementation and testing of the prototype, C/C ++ language has been used in an 8-bit microcontroller, experimentally corroborating the operation of the device, which allowed evaluating the behavior of a pseudo-intelligent agent based on the requirements of the water treatment plant, and also through comparisons with similar works developed by other researchers.


The main objective of this study was to evaluate the association between household air pollution with lower tract respiratory infection (LRTI) in children younger than 5 years old and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This retrospective cohort study took place in two cities in Patagonia. Using systemic random sampling, we selected households in which at least one child <5 years had lived and/or a child had been born alive or stillborn. Trained interviewers administered the questionnaire. We included 926 households with 695 pregnancies and 1074 children. Household cooking was conducted indoors in ventilated rooms and the use of wood as the principal fuel for cooking was lower in Temuco (13% vs. 17%). In exposed to biomass fuel use, the adjusted OR for LRTI was 1.87 (95% CI 0.98-3.55; P = 0.056) in Temuco and 1.12 (95% CI 0.61-2.05; P = 0.716) in Bariloche. For perinatal morbidity, the OR was 3.11 (95% CI 0.86-11.32; P = 0.084) and 1.41 (95% CI 0.50-3.97; P = 0.518), respectively. However, none of the effects were statistically significant (P > 0.05). The use of biomass fuel to cook in traditional cookstoves in ventilated dwellings may increase the risk of perinatal morbidity and LRTI.


It was recognized over four decades ago by ment producing bacteria have been isolated from Bruns (1), and has since been reaffirmed remarine sources quite frequently and are occapeatedly by other investigators, that the flesh sionally instrumental in occasioning objectionand internal organs of healthy freshly caught able discolorations of chilled fish (16a). fish are sterile bacteriologically. In contrast, The generic distribution of the most commonly the external slime and the digestive tracts of occurring fish spoilage bacteria found on freshly feeding fish support a qualitatively and quanticaught fish as reported by different investigators tatively variable flora, while the digestive tracts has been extremely variable (4, 5, 17). In spite of fasting fish are frequently free from viable of this the existence of a definite "generic sucbacteria (2, 3). cession" during bacterial spoilage has been It is evident from certain reviews that in the proposed (3, 18): initially there appears to be a past almost invariably there has been full agreepreponderance of micrococci and flavobacteria ment among different investigators regarding the which, as spoilage progresses, are overgrown by bacterial genera which are usually associated the more strongly proteolytic and putrefactive with, and are responsible for, fish spoilage (4, Peudomonas or Achromobacter species. However, 5, 6, 7, 7a). There would seem to be a general a more recent finding has indicated that this similarity between bacteria occurring in fish and generic succession may apply to teleost fishes those of their marine environment (8). The orbut not to elasmobranchs, and the suggestion ganisms which are encountered most frequently that metabiosis is involved has been made (lOb). on external surfaces of fish are those commonly Whether the same generic succession occurs in occurring in water, air and soil. Bacteria of the fish stored under different temperature condiAchromobacter, Pwudomonas, Flavobacerium and tions has not been made clear. Micrococcu genera usually predominate, while members of the Sarcina, Proteus and Bacilu8 BIOCHEMICAL ACTIVITIES OF MICROORGANISMS IN genera occur less often. However, recent work SPOILING FISH has indicated that hitherto many marine bacteria The development of microorganisms during which cause fish spoilage have been improperly the storage of fresh fish is accompanied by declassified. Thus many of the organismsclassified composition of the muscle carbohydrates, proas Achromobacer by investigators prior to 1948 teins, and lipids; and because of variations in the would now be automatically recognized as composition of the muscle of different species and species of Psudmonas (9, 10). More important the complex nature of the bacterial populations still is the recent finding, in three widely sepainvolved, no consistent degradative pattern can rated laboratories, that a large proportion of be expected. There is, indeed, a paucity of inbacteria of marine origin which are associated formation relative to the chemical changes which with spoiling fish are members of the genera occur during bacterial spoilage of fish, and much Corynebaderium and Mycoplana (R. A. Macof that which is available has accumulated as a Leod, private communication; lOa, lOb). In result of investigations in which attempts have the digestive tracts of fish, beside the above been made to evolve chemical tests for following genera, Clostridium, including C. botulinum its bacterial deterioration. (11, 12) C. tetani, C. 8porogene8, C. capaotvalis Fish muscle is composed largely of proteins of (13), and certain unidentified species occur (2, the globulin and albumin classes (actomyosin, 14). Organisms of the colon-aerogenes group myogen, myoalbumin and globulin X) which appear to occur only in fish taken from conare excellent sources of essential and other amino taminated waters and are not usually associated acids (18a). The internal organs and the muscle with the normal intestinal flora (15, 16). Pigto a lesser extent contain all of the known vita-


This study selects local government and agritourism companies to study the evolutionary game of both sides in the decision-making toward environmental protection. Based on the relevant literatures and the theory of evolutionary game, it try to establish a comparatively accurate mathematical model to verify the effectiveness of the penalty policy of the damage to the environment, then, this study explores the evolutionarily stable strategy of these two parties from the dynamic way. Research results show that, (1) When the fine of the environmental damage is bigger than the cost of the government's supervision, the agritourism companies would choose to protect the environment if the government select the strategy of supervision. (2) When the fine of the environmental damage is fewer than the cost of the government's supervision, the agritourism companies would not choose to protect the environment whatever the government select the strategy of supervision or non-supervision. (3) When the fine of the environmental damage is bigger than the sum of the administrative costs and bonuses, the agritourism enterprises would choose the strategy of protecting the environment even the government select the strategy of non-supervision.


FQ contributing editor Bruno Guaraná reviews the significance of the Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz's groundbreaking Madame Satã on the occasion of the film's 20th anniversary. Guaraná argues that Madame Satã was a film ahead of its time. While in dialogue with queer theory and queer cinema contemporaneous to it—placing it squarely within a global queer film canon—it also anticipated now-current notions of transgressive representations of nonbinary identities in Brazilian cinema. To think about Madame Satã in its original context thus means also recognizing the quantitative and qualitative leaps in media representation of queerness and blackness since its release.


This research was to find out the effect of yogic practices on vital capacity among school boys. To facilitate the study, 30 school students were selected from Government Kaller Higher Secondary School, Madurai, Tamilnadu. Their age was between 14 and 16 years. They were assigned in to two groups of which group one group served as yogic practices group and second group as control group. The study was formulated by true random group design, consisted of pretest and posttest. Pretest was conducted for all the subjects on vital capacity. The experimental group participated yogic practices for a period of six weeks. The initial and final scores in vital capacity were put in to statistical treatment using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to find out the significant mean differences. It was concluded that there was significant improvement in vital capacity due to yogic practices when comparing to control group.


This case report describes the failure of topical vegetable oils containing esters of linoleic acid to prevent essential fatty acid deficiency in a critically ill patient with trauma. A 40-year-old black man injured in a motor vehicle accident developed essential fatty acid deficiency after being maintained on long-term, fat-free parenteral nutrition plus topical vegetable oil application because of the presence of severe hypertriglyceridemia. Biochemical evidence of this deficiency included a decrease in serum linoleic, a-linolenic, and arachidonic acid levels with a corresponding increase in oleic and palmitoleic acid levels. Cutaneous manifestations consistent with this syndrome were also present. After 3 weeks of daily topical treatments with vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid, biochemical abnormalities of deficiency were still evident. Over the following 2 1/2 months, 4% to 22% of the total caloric intake was delivered as intravenous fat in addition to continued topical administration of vegetable oil. Only after supplementation with intravenous fat did the patient demonstrate clinical and biochemical signs of improvement. The results show that cutaneous administration of vegetable oils as the sole source of linoleic acid may be unable to prevent or treat essential fatty acid deficiency in a critically ill surgical patient.


The Mu3e experiment searches for charged lepton flavor violation in the rare decay μ→eee with a projected sensitivity of 10−16. A precise measurement of the decay product momenta, decay vertex and time is necessary for background suppression at rates of 109 muons/s. This can be achieved by combining an ultra-lightweight pixel tracker based on HV-MAPS with two timing systems. The trigger-less readout of the detector with three stages of FPGA-boards over multi GBit/s optical links into a GPU filter farm is presented. In this scheme data from all sub-detectors is merged and distributed in time slices to the filter farm.


Introduction. The human body is a single system of interconnected organs that are connected not only anatomically, but also functionally. The most extensive fascial-muscular associations are called «anatomical trains» (the concept of Thomas Myers), the impact on which can cause changes at a significant distance from the point of application of force. The available literature describes the effect of stretching hamstrings (an important component of the «surface posterior muscle band») on changes in the function of the temporomandibular joint, lumbodynia, mobility of the lumbosacral spine and hip joints. However, the values of stretching hamstings on human posture and reducing cervicalgia were not evaluated.The goal of research — investigate the effect of active isolated stretching of the muscles posterior thigh and shin on the intensity of cervicalgia and patient posture.Materials and methods. The material for this work is the results of observation of 17 patients aged 15–17 years with cervicalgia of various genesis, who are under inpatient treatment for spinal deformities with a distinct increase in the severity of thoracic physiological kyphosis (juvenile osteochondrosis, dysplastic kyphoscoliosis, cervical spine dysplasia, etc.). Patients performed daily physical exercises for 12 days with active isolated stretching of the muscles of the posterior surface of the thigh and lower leg (according to the concept of Thomas Myers — «surface posterior muscle band»). The orthopedic status and clinical condition of patients were evaluated. Instrumental diagnostics was performed by the method of topography of optical deformities of the spine (TODS) (Novosibirsk, «Medical topographic systems» — LLC «METOS»), as well as using a standard tablet computer with a software application (patent RU 2638644) «Smart-Ortho 2D» for Android. The intensity of pain in the cervical spine was assessed by the doctor using a dynamometer-algometer, as well as by the patients themselves on the VAS scale.Results. During the initial clinical examination, 14 out of 17 (or 82 % of cases) observed patients with complaints of cervicalgia registered femoral-lumbar rigidity. It was most pronounced in the limitations of the Tomayer test (the forward tilt of the torso). In 15 patients (88 %), the value of thoracic physiological kyphosis exceeded the norm (20–23 mm according to TODS data) by 6–43 mm. Active isolated stretching of the posterior thigh and lower leg muscles resulted in complete elimination of pain syndrome in all patients in the study group. With regard to kyphotic posture, we note that these therapeutic measures did not cause significant changes in the parameters of the sagittal profile of the vertebral column, but there was a clear trend to reduce the severity of thoracic kyphosis with simultaneous deepening of lumbar lordosis. The angle of the anterior pelvic tilt changed (increased) according to the TODS data. The Tomayer test began to approach the norm in 12 people (70,5 %).Conclusion. The use of active isolated exercises aimed at stretching the «surface posterior muscle band» in the observed group of patients contributed to the complete relief of pain in 100 % of cases. At the same time, these therapeutic measures did not have a significant effect on the severity of physiological sagittal bends and pelvic tilt. The results of clinical observation of patients with cervicalgia of various genesis, being treated and using a set of exercises with active isolated stretching of muscles posterior thigh and shin, make it possible to recommend this complex for using. The simplicity of the exercises does not cause any difficulties in performing, which makes it understandable and accessible for general prophylaxis.


Isobaric vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data for isopropyl acetate-acetic acid and isopropyl acetate-acetic acid-water systems were measured at 101.33 kPa by using an improved Rose equilibria cell. The fugacity coefficients of components in the vapor phase were calculated by Hayden-O'connell method. The binary interaction parameters used to determine the liquid phase activity coefficients and expressed by the UNIQUAC and NRTL models, were got by applying the nonlinear least square method. For acetic acid-water system, 8 groups of NRTL interaction parameters obtained by fitting the published VLE data were respectively used to predict the VLE data of the isopropyl acetate-acetic acid-water system. Among them only three groups' prediction results are satisfactory and their average absolute deviations in temperature are less than 1.23℃. From the prediction results, it can be concluded that VLE data of acetic acid-water system have great influence upon the prediction of the VLE data of ternary system involving acetic acid and water and should be strictly selected.


BACKGROUND
The p53 gene is frequently mutated in various human tumours. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphisms are often observed in exons and introns of the p53 gene in normal tissues and tumours.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 210 blood and tissue samples from 182 ovarian cancers (OC) and 28 ovarian borderline tumours, in addition to blood samples from 72 healthy women, were analysed. The used analyses were PCR and SSCP. The distinguishable SSCP patterns were confirmed by DNA sequencing.

RESULTS
A polymorphism located at position 38 in intron 2 of the p53 gene was studied in blood and tumour tissues from Danish ovarian tumour patients and in blood from controls. Significant differences were found between the distributions of the genotypes in blood samples compared to the corresponding tissue samples (p = 0.0002). A tendency towards a significant difference in survival was observed between OC stage II patients with a shift from one genotype in the blood to another genotype in the tissue and patients with no shift (p = 0.05). In multivariate COX regression analysis restricted to stage III OC patients, the only independent factors found were shift, serum-tetranectin and age.

CONCLUSION
A shift from one p53 intron 2 genotype in the blood to another genotype in the tissue may be a prognostic factor in ovarian cancer patients.


The notion that humans have a right to basic capital or to a basic income guarantee by virtue of their existence can be traced to the Enlightenment. Many of the suggestions inherent in modern proposals for basic income or basic capital originated with four forerunners in the Anglo-American tradition: Gerrard Winstanley, Thomas Paine, Thomas Skidmore, and Edward Bellamy. All four embraced the notion that the equal moral considerability of all humans implied an equal right to the resources needed to survive, and were subjected to withering criticism of their ideals on the grounds that the provision of basic resources conflicted with rather than enhanced freedom.


The formation of internal transport barriers (ITB) in tokamaks has been experimentally associated with the region of low magnetic shear and the presence of main rational magnetic surfaces. We study the ITB from a mathematical point of view in a Hamiltonian model (the rev-tokamap model) that describes the magnetic field lines dynamics in reversed shear tokamaks. The non-twist properties of the map that generates the system are exploited in order to explain analytically the existence of ITB surrounding the shearless curve (in the low magnetic shear zone) and the robustness of invariant circles (corresponding to closed magnetic surfaces) situated in its proximity. We describe the location of the ITB for various q-profiles and perturbations of the (ideal) integrable system. We use an analytical method to estimate the maximum radius of magnetic field lines confinement, hence the position of the barrier, and we explain the destruction of invariant circles when the amplitude of the perturbation increases. The reconnection phenomena are also related with ITB and an explanation for the (experimentally observed) enlargement of ITB when the minimal value of the q-profile becomes close but less than a main rational is obtained.


Fifth lumbar vertebra is an atypical vertebra as it has widely separated inferior articular processes and thick transverse processes projecting out from the body and pedicles of the vertebra. On routine examination of osteology specimens we found a fifth lumbar vertebra in two separate parts. One part consisted of body, pedicles, transverse and superior articular processes. The other part consisted of lamina, spinous and inferior articular processes. Knowledge of this variation may be of importance to the clinicians for diagnosis of certain neurological deficits in the lower limb and to orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons during the surgical intervention of that area.


Fixed pulmonary hypertension (FPH) is a contraindication for heart transplantation (HTX). However, this condition might be reversed by continuous left-ventricular unloading with a left-ventricular assist device. We present a case of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with extensive left-ventricular endocardial calcification and severe FPH (systolic pulmonary artery pressure, 102 mm Hg). To bridge the patient to candidacy for HTX, two Abbott HeartMate 3 ventricular assist devices were implanted in a total artificial heart (TAH) configuration ("HeartMate 6"). Before TAH implantation, an Abbott CardioMEMS pressure sensor was implanted to assess reversal of FPH before listing for HTX.


Inhibition of net root elongation and patterns of hematoxylin staining were used to assess relative tolerance to phytotoxic Al in Danthonia linkii Kunth and Microlaena stipoides (Labill.) R.Br. According to net root elongation, M. stipoides is significantly more tolerant of phytotoxic Al than D. linkii. In nutrient solutions with Al concentrations of 370 µM and higher, root elongation is stopped in D. linkii after 24 h while in M. stipoides root elongation is maintained at 60–70% of control rates over 72 h. After removal of Al-stress, root growth in M. stipoides from all Al-treatments recovered to be at or above control growth after 72 h. In D. linkii, root elongation in plants exposed to Al levels that caused a reduction in growth (<370 µM), but not complete cessation, recovered after removal of Al stress. Greater intensities of hematoxylin staining were seen in Al-stressed root tips of D. linkii compared to M. stipoides, suggesting that inhibition of root elongation is associated with increased accumulation of Al in root tips. Roots of M. stipoides seedlings exposed to all Al-treatments showed a short band of intensely stained tissue, correlating with the position of the root apex at the exact point of initial Al- exposure. New root growth after this band did not stain with hematoxylin, indicating activation of a mechanism of Al-exclusion in roots of M. stipoides.


We study the convergence of the last iterate in subgradient methods applied to the minimization of a nonsmooth convex function with bounded subgradients. We first introduce a proof technique that generalizes the standard analysis of subgradient methods. It is based on tracking the distance between the current iterate and a different reference point at each iteration. Using this technique, we obtain the exact worst-case convergence rate for the objective accuracy of the last iterate of the projected subgradient method with either constant step sizes or constant step lengths. Tightness is shown with a worst-case instance matching the established convergence rate. We also derive the value of the optimal constant step size when performing $N$ iterations, for which we find that the last iterate accuracy is smaller than $B R \sqrt{1+\log(N)/4}/{\sqrt{N+1}}$ %$\frac{B R \log N}{\sqrt{N+1}}$ , where $B$ is a bound on the subgradient norm and $R$ is a bound on the distance between the initial iterate and a minimizer. Finally, we introduce a new optimal subgradient method that achieves the best possible last-iterate accuracy after a given number $N$ of iterations. Its convergence rate ${B R}/{\sqrt{N+1}}$ matches exactly the lower bound on the performance of any black-box method on the considered problem class. We also show that there is no universal sequence of step sizes that simultaneously achieves this optimal rate at each iteration, meaning that the dependence of the step size sequence in $N$ is unavoidable.