A search for superconductivity of magnetic elemental metals is performed. A successful discovery of the onset of superconductivity is reported in the case of iron under pressure. By electrical resistance measurement, a maximum value of the superconducting transition temperature Tc of 2 K and the upper critical magnetic field Hc of 0.2 T are observed under pressure of 20 GPa where iron is in the crystallographic hcp phase and non-magnetic. Further confirmation of the superconducting transition of hcp iron was obtained by the detection of the diamagnetic signal due to the Meissner effect in accordance with the results of the electrical resistance measurements.


Most airfoils for wind turbines commercially available have been developed for aircrafts, which are operated at high Reynolds numbers. However, Reynolds numbers of wind turbines are very low compared to those of aircrafts. In other to improve wind turbine performances, airfoils for the use of wind turbine shall be designed such as S-series airfoils developed by NREL in America. The authors have designed new airfoils for wind turbines considering designated operation conditions of wind turbines and even local wind resources in Korea. The designed airfoils are characterized by improved roughness insensitivities compared to other airfoils such as S814 and S820. The developed KWA005-240 and KWA009-127 are for root and tip sections of a wind turbine blade, respectively. Although the results show much improved performances against NACA airfoils, performance data of post-stall regulation loses some accuracies due to the characteristics of the simulation tool of XFOIL. Therefore, wind tunnel experiments are required for more accurate evaluation of the designed airfoils. Currently, the experiments has been completed and the data analysis works are going on now. The final results obtained from the experiments will be published soon.


An analytical model is developed to predict the propagation of unsteady pressure and vorticity waves in the vaneless space of a low speed centrifugal compressor. The flow is assumed to be an inviscid isentropic two-dimensional flow in the radial and circumferential directions at low Mach number. Results analyze the effects of the mean flow field and circumferential wavenumber on the propagating behavior of the unsteady pressure and vorticity waves. These unsteady waves are the links in the analysis of unsteady impeller diffuser vane interaction. The analytical solution provides a quick and physically insightful means of understanding unsteady impeller diffuser vane interactions.


John Buchan is widely known as an author of thrillers and adventure stories. His reputation as a writer of the First World War is much more limited and much more problematic. Both individually and as one of the collective of British writers who wrote in support of the nation's wartime propaganda effort, Buchan has been subject to harsh criticism. Only recently has work by Kate Macdonald begun to trace the detail of Buchan's war writing, which included reportage, fiction, poetry and history. As Macdonald has pointed out, Buchan's reputation as an authority on the conflict, though high at the time, is 'now routinely shredded' (Macdonald 181). This chapter challenges that critical consensus, arguing that Buchan made a genuine effort to communicate the reality of the war and that he did so by use of techniques and strategies central to modern definitions of literary journalism. To condemn Buchan for the limitations of his war writing is to fail to grasp the conditions under which he worked. As John S. Bak has argued in relation to global literary journalism, 'critiquing state-controlled presses for squashing unsavoury truths or spinning damning facts is to ignore the wider issue that, culturally speaking, we all just value truth and fact differently' (5). The wartime valuation of truth and fact certainly differed from modern scholarly valuations. However, as Bak also suggests, the limitations imposed by war also stimulate the kind of experimentation with literary technique characteristic of literary journalism (6). Reading John Buchan's May 1915 correspondence for The Times through the paradigm of literary journalism scholarship, this chapter argues that Buchan broke with existing journalistic traditions and experimented with literary strategies in order to connect his readers to the conflict.


An axial F.R.P. fan model for cooling tower is developed. The fan is designed using the equations for one dimensional inviscid flow through the fan blade. Fan shape is swept forward with a parabolic function. Calculations of the three dimensional turbulent flow around the fan are carried out to investigate performance of the fan. Data of the total pressure rise and hydraulic efficiency can be obtained for the various setting angles. Calculated values of the total pressure rise and hydraulic efficiency at the design point are less than those of the design specification. The prototype of the F.R.P. fan is made by laminating of the fiberglass and epoxy resins on the mold of fan shape.


The current educational model adopted by all accredited engineering Schools (or faculties) in Malaysia follows anOutcome-Based Education (OBE) approach. To support this model, Schools adopt a variety of pedagogical techniques,ranging from traditional lecture-based learning to project-based learning. Learning outcome attainment data are essentialin order to understand the impact of Outcome-Based Education and the associated pedagogies on the overall studentlearning experience. Using these data, a School may decide on how to improve its engineering programmes, as well as howto ensure that the programmes evolve in parallel to the developments within the industry and, more importantly, with theneeds of the learners. This study discusses how the utilization of learning outcome attainment data and the tools used tomine them has affected the programme and the overall student learning experience. The study also details out how specificContinual Quality Improvement (CQI) action plans have affected learning outcome attainment, and their impact on pass,retention and graduation rates.


A method of similarity clusters detection in large visual databases is described in this work. Similarity clusters have been defined on the basis of a general concept of similarity measure. The method is based also on the properties of morphological spectra as a tool for image presentation. In the proposed method similarity of selected spectral components in selected basic windows are used to similarity of images evaluation. Similarity clusters are detected in an iterative process in which non-perspective subsets of images are step-by-step removed from considerations. In the method similarity graphs and hyper-graphs also play an auxiliary role. The method is illustrated by an example of a collection of medical images in which similarity clusters have been detected.


VOLUME II MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS A Letter to Sir Thomas Osborn To Mr Martin Clifford on his Humane-Reason A Hue-and-Cry after Beauty and Vertue The Militant Couple An Essay upon Reason, and Religion, In a Letter to Nevil Pain, Esq A Short Discourse upon the Reasonableness of Men's Having a Religion The Duke of Buckingham His Grace's Letter, to the Un-known Author of a Paper, Entitled, A Short Answer to his Grace the Duke of Buckingham's Paper Concerning Religion, Toleration, and Liberty of Conscience The French General A Conference on the Doctrine of Transubstantiation Be-tween His Grace the Duke of Buckingham and Father Fitzgerald, An Irish Jesuit The 'Buckingham' Commonplace Book POEMS To his Mistress on the Dut: by D. Buck. 'The larke' and 'The owle' Lines on Winifred Wells On these 2 V. of Mr Howards On the humor in Mr [---] Howards Play where Mr Kinaston disputes his staying in, or going out of Town Upon the following Passage in the Conquest of Granada An Epitaph upon Thomas Late Lord Fairfax Duke of Bu: of la: Shros: On the London fires Monument A Notion Taken out of Tullie's dialogue, De Senecute Aduice to a Paynter, to draw the Delineaments of a Statesman, and his Vunderlings The Lost Mistress A Complaint A Supplement to the Chequer-Inne Upon the Installment, of Sir --- Os---n, and the Late Duke of New-castle A Song on Thomas Earl of Danby A Familiar Epistle to Mr Julian Secretary to the Muses On Fortune Optimum quod evenit The Cabbin-Boy The Ducks APPENDIXES I. Biographical Documents II. Satiric and Commendatory Poems about Buckingham III. The Publication of Buckingham's Works IV. The Preface to A Key to the Rehearsal (1704) V. A translation of Sir Politic Would-be by H. Gaston Hall VI. 'A Sermon supposed to be preached by Dr B:' VII. Rejected Attributions CRITICAL APPARATUS Explanatory Notes Transmissional Histories Index to Introductions and Notes


Introduction: NPM1 mutation is considered to be an important event in the process of leukemogenesisas it affects the p53 tumor suppressor pathway in the form of frame shift mutation. It is thought to provide a favorable outcome to the disease especially in the absence of FLT3 mutation.This study was conducted to find out the frequency of NPM1 mutations in patients with AML in Pakistani population. Materials & Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study conducted for a time period at the National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Karachi. Study subjects' demographics including age, gender, presence and duration of the symptoms. Diagnosis was made on the morphology of blood and/or bone marrow samples in accordance to the revised WHO classification of myeloid neoplasms, 2016. All the patients were treatment naive at the time ofenrollment into the study. Sanger sequencing was performed to detect NPM1 mutation. Results: Out of 100 patients who were enrolled in the study, 60% were males. The mean age of patients was 38.9 years (range: 8yrs 60yrs). NPM1mutation was detected in 14(14%) patients of the total AML cases with equal presence in both genders. According to the WHO classification 2016, NPM1 was found in 3(3%) in AML without maturation, 4(4%) in AML with maturation, 3(3%) in acute promyelocytic leukemia and 3(3%) in acute myelomonocytic leukemia. Conclusion: NPM1 was detected in 14% cases of AML in our study. The presence of the NPM1 mutationhas a considerable impact on the prognosis of the disease as it may help in the tailoring of the future treatment of the AML patients particularly those with normal cytogenetics.


Asymmetric macrocyclic complexes of the type [M2LCl2]·xH2O have been obtained and intercalated using the potassium precursor phase K0.4Mn0.8PS3·H2O (M: ZnII or CuII; LH2: macrocyclic ligand derived from 2-hydroxy-5-methyl-1,3-benzenedicarbaldehyde and two different amines, namely, ethylenediamine and o-phenylenediamine). The intercalation of the layered phase K0.4Mn0.8PS3·H2O by the macrocyclic species was carried out by a microwave-assisted reaction and enabled the partial exchange of the hydrated potassium ions located in the interlayer space to obtain the composites K0.32[Zn2L]0.04Mn0.8PS3 (1) and K0.24[Cu2L]0.08Mn0.8PS3 (2). These magnetic materials were studied by DC and AC magnetization measurements and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In comparison with the potassium precursor, both composites gave rise to broader and less intense spontaneous magnetization curves at low temperatures. The composite K0.32[Zn2L]0.04Mn0.8PS3 (1) exhibited spontaneous magnetization in the form of one broad asymmetric maximum at 27 K. However, K0.24[Cu2L]0.08Mn0.8PS3 (2) had two defined maxima at 24 and 12 K. The observation of a maximum in the imaginary part of the AC susceptibility data implies the existence of a spin canting phenomenon that would be responsible for the spontaneous magnetization. The EPR results are qualitatively consistent with the magnetization data and reveal that exchange narrowing effects were responsible for the narrowing and broadening of the line shapes.


The exhibition 'Cross-Currents: a history of the crossing of the Brisbane River', was held at the Queensland Maritime Museum, from October 2001 to April 2002. Various items were made specifically for the exhibition. For example, an indigenous bark canoe was constructed, an interactive audio-visual timeline created, a videotape compiled from hitherto unseen silent film of the construction of the Story Bridge, etc. As co-curator the exhibition I was involved with the selection and display of items, in editing text and writing scripts. My background is in visual communication. Thus, whilst sharing a concern over the interpretation of historical material, I was also concerned with how this material should be displayed and with the effect of this representational display on the audience. This exhibition offered interesting comparisons between the rhetoric associated with the image and with the rhetoric of the image itself. In trying to untangle the various threads of this exhibition I use the structure of classical rhetoric to help deconstruct the verbal and visual message. The semantics of exhibit display and pragmatics of vision are also considered. My involvement with 'Cross-Currents' led me to reflect on clarity and obfuscation in the communication of history, on informational gate-keeping, and how the medium frames content and validates meaning. The medium of communication influences perceptions of authenticity and reality through implicit and explicit statements. For example, the edited film sequence of the construction of the Story Bridge eliminated much footage of 'dignitaries' parading before the camera whilst including every frame of the 'workers'. This, of course, was the result of a deliberate decision. So the finished video was as much a reflection of the values held by those who put it together, as it was about 'content'. But then so was the original footage. This was true for the exhibition as a whole, where a similar process of item selection (and rejection) reflected the bias of those involved-and the designers of the exhibition were very much part of this process.


Online accurate estimation of supercapacitor state-of-health (SoH) and state-of-energy (SoE) is essential to achieve efficient energy management and real-time condition monitoring in electric vehicle (EV) applications. In this article, for the first time, unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is used for online parameter and state estimation of the supercapacitor. In the proposed method, a nonlinear state-space model of the supercapacitor is developed, which takes the capacitance variation and self-discharge effects into account. The observability of the considered model is analytically confirmed using a graphical approach. The SoH and SoE are then estimated based on the supercapacitor online identified model with the designed UKF. The proposed method provides better estimation accuracy over Kalman filter (KF) and extended KF algorithms since the linearization errors during the filtering process are avoided. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through several experiments on a laboratory testbed. An overall estimation error below 0.5% is achieved with the proposed method. In addition, hardware-in-the-loop experiments are conducted and real-time feasibility of the proposed method is guaranteed.


In the last decades, the Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) forests in Chongqing, southwest China, have increasingly declined. Soil acidification was believed to be an important cause. Liming is widely used as a measure to alleviate soil acidification and its damage to trees, but little is known about long-term effects of liming on the health and growth of declining Masson pine forests. Soil chemical properties, health condition (defoliation and discoloration), and growth were evaluated following application of limestone powder (0 (unlimed control), 1, 2, 3, and 4 t ha−1) in an acidified and declining Masson pine stand at Tieshanping (TSP) of Chongqing. Eight years after liming, in the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm mineral soil layers, soil pH values, exchangeable calcium (Ca) contents, and Ca/Al molar ratios increased, but exchangeable aluminum (Al) levels decreased, and as a result, length densities of living fine roots of Masson pine increased, with increasing dose. Mean crown defoliation of Masson pines (dominant, codominant and subdominant pines, according to Kraft classes 1–3) decreased with increasing dose, and it linearly decreased with length densities of living fine roots. However, Masson pines (Kraft classes 1–3) in all treatments showed no symptoms of discoloration. Mean current-year twig length, twig dry weight, needle number per twig, needle length per twig, and needle dry weight per twig increased with increasing dose. Over 8 years, mean height increment of Masson pines (Kraft classes 1–3) increased from 5.5 m in the control to 5.8, 6.9, 8.3, and 9.5 m in the 1, 2, 3, and 4 t ha−1 lime treatments, and their mean DBH (diameter at breast height) increment increased from 3.1 to 3.2, 3.8, 4.9, and 6.2 cm, respectively. The values of all aboveground growth parameters linearly increased with length densities of living fine roots. Our results show that liming improved tree health and growth, and these effects increased with increasing dose.


BACKGROUND
Although primary microvascular angina (PMVA) can be diagnosed clinically, the etiology and pathophysiology of PMVA remain unclear. The effects of conventional clinical medications (aspirin, statins, and nitrates) are unsatisfactory, and PMVA can lead to serious cardiovascular events. The present study was designed to analyze the correlation between the load perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) results and the Streptococcus sanguinis(S sanguinis) count and the correlations between the S sanguinis count in oral cavity subgingival plaque and changes in the plasma levels of platelet alpha-granule membrane glycoprotein 140 (GMP-140), fibrinopeptide A (FPA), von Willebrand factor (vWF), and homocysteine (Hcy) in patients with PMVA after increased anti-infective treatment of the oral cavity. This study also discusses the pathogenesis of PMVA from this perspective. The differences in the S sanguinis count in oral cavity subgingival plaque and oral health status between healthy people and PMVA patients will be compared, and the correlation between the oral cavity health status and disease in PMVA patients will be analyzed.

METHODS
The present randomized controlled trial with a parallel control group will be conducted in 68 PMVA patients diagnosed by the in-patient cardiology department. The selected patients will be randomly divided into 2 groups, one receiving routine drug treatment and the other a combination of anti-infective treatments. The normal control group will comprise 30 healthy people with no infectious oral cavity disease matched by age and sex. We will conduct CMR, and the presence of S sanguinis in subgingival plaques will be used to determine the bacterial count in PMVA patients. Blood samples will also be collected to determine the levels of GMP-140, FPA, vWF, and Hcy. S sanguinis in the subgingival plaque of PMVA patients will be further analyzed after increasing the oral cavity anti-infective treatment; the resulting changes and their correlations with changes in GMP-140, FPA, vWF, and Hcy levels will be assessed. Additionally, the differences in the S sanguinis count and the oral cavity health status of oral cavity dental plaque between healthy people and PMVA patients will be determined, and the correlation between the oral cavity conditions and PMVA will be analyzed. The relationship between the perfusion CMR results and the oral cavity S sanguinis count of PMVA patients, and the potential pathogenesis, will be explored. We will use the SPSS19.0 statistical software package to analyze the data. The measurements will be expressed as means±standard deviation. Student t test will be used for intergroup comparisons, a relative number description will be used for the count data, and the chi-square test will be used for intergroup comparisons. Multivariate logistic regression will be performed to identify associations. A P value < .05 will be considered significant.

DISCUSSION
In this study, the correlation between the perfusion CMR results and the S sanguinis count in oral cavity subgingival plaque of PMVA patients will be analyzed. Changes in the levels of GMP-140, FPA, vWF, and Hcy of PMVA patients after receiving increased oral cavity anti-infective treatment will be explored, and the difference in the S sanguinis count in oral cavity subgingival plaque and the oral cavity health status between healthy people and PMVA patients will be compared.

ATRIAL REGISTRATION
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=45091).


The efficiency of the harvesters work is more often reviewed, than the work of the forwarders. In a local Stora Enso office the differences between the harvesters reported volume of timber, and the actual volume delivered to the industry had been noticed. Therefore, the decision was made to do a review on the forwarders work.
The review was conducted together with a worker from Vmf Qbera, who is working daily with wood measurement, in order to get a valid evaluation of the logs. Eight sites were included in the survey, and on each site 50 logs were marked. Approximately one third of the marked logs were pulpwood, and the remaining logs marked were timber. The sites had been harvested by three different entrepreneurs.
At every site between 46 and 49 of the marked logs were found. There can be different reasons to why not all the logs were found. One likely reason is that the marked logs had been used as coasters for the piles, or that the numbers had been erased by weather and wind. There is also a possibility that the missing logs had been left on the site.
Possible source of error can be that the forwarder operators paid the marked logs some extra attention. They claimed afterwards that that was not the case. The marked logs were evaluated from what was visible. The possibility therefore exists that the logs contained hidden errors, which could have been detected by the forwarder operator. The forwarder operator would in that case have done the right thing, but it would have been noticed as wrong in the review.
The total amount of timber, compared to the wood measurement workers evaluation was 95 %. This amount can only be more than 100 % if a lot of pulpwood is placed in the timber-pile. The three different entrepreneurs in the review are also very equal when it comes to the amount of extracted timber, compared to the wood measurement workers evaluation.
The complete result for how much timber that is actually put in the pulpwood is
1,6 %. Beyond that, 3,6 % of the marked volume was not found. Some of the lost logs have probably been put in the wrong piles, but it can not be proven. It is an acceptable outcome which implies, that the cause from which less timber is delivered to the industry, is not the fault of the forwarder operators.
The reason for why less timber is delivered to the industry can depend on multiple causes. One reason can be the way the harvester lay the logs out during the harvesting operation. This substantially affects the work of the forwarder. Therefore, a similar review of the harvesters work would be interesting to conduct.
One of the entrepreneurs differs when it comes to a comparison between how much pulpwood has been put in the timber. This entrepreneur has a proportion of
7
4 % pulpwood put in the timber while the other two has a proportion below 1 %. The entrepreneur with the high proportion is probably too tolerant in their evaluation of timber. Stora Enso accepts a proportion of refused logs of 2,5 %. This implies that the two entrepreneurs that have a proportion below 1 % are too harsh in their evaluation of timber. In theory, they should be able to increase their timber proportion and still have an acceptable proportion of refused logs.
One of the entrepreneurs was marking logs with colour which would imply an easier way to work, for the forwarder operator. No clear differences between the entrepreneur using colour marking, and the other not using it could be seen. But in order to be able to prove that this is really the case, a more comprising review with more sites has to be conducted.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the knowledge and practice of risk factors, symptoms and screening for breast cancer among health care professionals.

METHODS
A cross sectional study was carried out at The Aga Khan University Hospital from January 2008 to March 2008. A total of 336 health care workers including consultants (48), fellows (17), residents (76), medical officers (14), interns (37), nurses (94) and fourth and final year medical students (50) were requested to fill a questionnaire designed to assess the knowledge about the risk factors, signs and symptoms, screening tools, breast self examination (BSE) and treatment.

RESULTS
More than two third participants had good knowledge about the risk factors and signs of breast cancer except some dissociation regarding association of menarche status and smoking. Majority was aware of the benefits of mammography. More than 80% had the consensus that breast cancer is curable if detected early and more than 50% thought that a surgeon should be consulted first if lump is palpable.

CONCLUSIONS
This study reveals that health care professionals have fairly good awareness regarding the risk factors, symptoms and role of mammography. But some are still deficient in their knowledge regarding screening modalities and BSE method and time and role of chemotherapy. And this can be improved with further education.


There has been a considerable body of research into maternal and child welfare in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Britain and western Europe. The emphasis has been predominantly on the role of fertility decline, war and the emergence of social medicine. This article examines Ireland in relation to these demographic, social and medical trends. It concentrates on the development of maternity and child welfare services in Dublin between 1930 and 1954. The Irish demographic profile, and specifically high levels of infant mortality, resulted in a preoccupation on the infant and a campaign to counteract gastro-enteritis. This led to a restructuring of health services both locally and nationally. It is argued here that the relations between the Irish state and the Roman Catholic hierarchy were crucial to the development of maternity and child services. The role of religious competition, and latterly sectarianism, is also revealed as having been a central ingredient in the development of social services for Irish women and children. Tensions concerning religious control, the domain and limits of charity and the spectre of state control all played a role in the shift towards the development of a comprehensive maternity service in modern Ireland.


The "trial and error" method is fundamental for Master Minddecision algorithms. On the basis of Master Mind games and strategies weconsider some data mining methods for tests using students as teachers.Voting, twins, opposite, simulate and observer methods are investigated.For a pure data base these combinatorial algorithms are faster then manyAI and Master Mind methods. The complexities of these algorithms arecompared with basic combinatorial methods in AI.ACM Computing Classification System (1998): F.3.2, G.2.1, H.2.1, H.2.8, I.2.6.


Objectives We sought to investigate adolescents' and adults' perceptions of an American Spirit advertisement with 'natural', 'organic' and 'additive-free' descriptors and related disclaimers. Methods We conducted nine focus group discussions in the Southern USA, with 59 participants aged 13–64 years (30 male, 29 female), stratified by age, smoking status and susceptibility to smoking. We conducted thematic content analysis of the transcripts. Results Many participants were sceptical or confused about the 'natural', 'organic' and 'additive-free' descriptors. Many participants viewed American Spirit cigarettes as being less, or possibly less harmful than other cigarettes, even though the ad contained disclaimers explicitly stating that these cigarettes are not safer. Some participants said that people tend to ignore disclaimers, a few expressed doubt that the disclaimers were fully true, and others did not notice the disclaimers. A few smokers said they smoke American Spirit cigarettes because they think they are not as bad for them as other cigarettes. Conclusions Disclaimers intended to prevent consumers from attributing a health benefit to cigarettes labelled as 'natural', 'additive-free', or 'organic' may be insufficient. A ban on these descriptors may be a more appropriate remedy than disclaimers.


According to the National Water Study, 2014 by IDEAM, the total supply of available water in the country is 2,01 Billion m3. From this flow, the petroleum industry has obtained permits from environmental authorities for a total of 67,5 million m3. This is equivalent to 0,00336% of the total flow. On the other hand, the oil that is extracted from the earth is mixed with waters that are known as "production waters". These waters are part of the natural fluids of the reservoirs. In Colombia, for every barrel of oil, an average of 13 barrels of water are produced. The "production waters" can be treated and reinjected in the same formation to maintain the pressure of the deposits in order to increase the "recovery factor", they can also be treated and discharged to bodies of surface water or to the soil surface; or reinjected into the reservoirs as final disposal strategies. The "production waters" of the Orinoquia deposits, have a relatively low content of salts and dissolved solids, and do not have radioactive elements. These conditions generate opportunities: once those waters are treated, they could be reused in productive activities in rural areas, within the area of influence of oil fields. For these reasons CORPOICA developed a series of research projects aimed at evaluating options for the safe use of these treated waters for the irrigation of pastures and as sources of water for cattle and poultry, among others. The effect of the application of treated production waters on different components of the ecosystem and on agricultural and livestock production systems was determined. The research was carried out in the department of Meta in the ASA Research Center (03o 53'06'LN and 73o 35'04'' LO) and in the La Libertad Research Center (04o 03'32''LN and 73o 27 '59 '' LO) located in Acacias and Villavicencio, respectively. The treated production water that was used came from the fields of Castilla and Apiay. A set of relevant variables of soil, water, crops and animals was selected. These variables were monitored and analyzed between the years 2011 and 2015. The results of this investigation indicate that the use of  production waters and their application to the soil do not have negative effects on the physical and chemical properties of the soil. Neither do they have negative effects on the quality of the waters or on the health of animals and crops.


Nanotechnology holds great potential in advanced water and wastewater treatment to improve treatment efficiency. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have received considerable attention due to their unique antibacterial activities toward various microorganisms that are commonly found in the environment. In the present study, ZnO NPs were synthesized through both mechano-chemical and sol-gel methods. The synthesized ZnO NPs were characterized through X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Then, their antibacterial activities against separated wastewater bacteria were evaluated by determining the zone inhibitor, the minimum inhibitory concentration, and the minimum bactericidal concentration. The results were compared with those obtained from wastewater after chlorine disinfection and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. These studies demonstrated that the antibacterial activity of ZnO NPs depends on the type and the strain of bacteria. They have also demonstrated that the activity increases as the concentration of ZnO NPs increases. Overall, the experimental results suggest that ZnO NPs can potentially be an antibacterial reagent to treat wastewater. They can particularly be applied as a complementary method with UV disinfection. Thus, they can be developed as antibacterial agents to improve wastewater quality.


Producing and prospective oil and gas provinces of Italy are parts of an extensive sedimentary basin which occupied the Po basin, the east coast of the peninsula, and southern Sicily in upper Tertiary time. They are characterized by the presence of a thick series of marine marls, clays, and sands overlying Mesozoic limestones and shales, and locally concealed by horizontal Quaternary deposits. Details of oil and gas occurrence, exploration, and development are given for the Po basin, and surface indications and possibilities are summarized for the Marches-Abruzzi coastal plain, the Campanian and Lucanian basins, south Sicily, and four small Quaternary embayments on the west coast.


We give in this note a generalisation of the following theorem of Henkin and Passare : Let be Y an analytic subvariety of pure codimension p in a linearly p-concave domain U, and w a meromorphic q-form (q>0) on Y; if the Abel transform of w, which is meromorphic on U*, has a meromorphic prolongation to some greater domain U' * containing U^*, then Y extends as an analytic subvariety Y' of U', and w as a meromorphic form on Y'. We show the analogous statement when we replace the Abel transform of w by the Abel-Radon transform of a locally residual current on U.


Abstract The pressure-induced structural phase transition in kalicinite, KHCO3, has been studied by neutron powder diffraction, and infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy at high pressure and room temperature. The neutron diffraction study of deuterated kalicinite (KDCO3) revealed that for the one site for hydrogen (deuterium) found in the low-pressure phase, the O-D···O angle decreases from 176 to 161° and the distance between donor and acceptor O atoms of the O-D···O group decreases from 2.66 to 2.59 Å in the pressure range from 0 to 2.5 GPa. The crystal structure of the high-pressure polymorph was not determined. Infrared spectra were obtained at pressures up to 6.3 GPa using a diamond anvil cell. At ambient pressure, the O-H stretching, O-H···O in-plane bending, and O-H···O out-of-plane bending modes occur at 2620, 1405, and 988 cm-1, respectively. The frequency of the O-H stretch mode was nearly constant in the pressure range from 0 to 2.8 GPa, while that of O-H···O in-plane bending and out-of-plane modes increased with increasing pressure up to 2.8 GPa and remained constant above the phase transition pressure. The Raman spectra showed a clear phase transition at 2.8 GPa. The three Raman modes observed are assigned to internal vibrational modes of HCO3- and this suggests that the surrounding environment did change dramatically at the phase transition. These results suggest that the phase transition in kalicinite is triggered by the distortion of C-O-H bond at high pressure.


This paper mainly highlights the technical challenges addressed while deploying an end user specific real time Geospatial collaborative system on the top of GARUDA Grid. The grid simulation results has been gathered in a automated mode from the computing clusters of the Grid and the results of equal time stamp have been merged by a centralized image processing unit which has been connected to a 'Master Visualization Server'. Operations of the master visualization server gets synchronized with many regional remote 'Proclient' systems and both together manages the real time collaborative events by disseminating the camera display of master scene as well as supporting the virtual visualization of proclient information between and across the Grid users locations. The system has been made operational as GARUDA Grid Real Time Collaborative System (GG-RT-CS) and same can be implemented on any computational Grid which supports regional scale Geospatial applications


Vaccine hesitancy is one of the critical factors in achieving herd immunity and suppressing the COVID-19 epidemic. Many countries face this as an acute public health issue that diminishes the efficacy of their vaccination campaigns. Epidemic modeling and simulation can be used to predict the effects of different vaccination strategies. In this work, we present an open-source particle-based COVID-19 simulator with a vaccination module capable of taking into account the vaccine hesitancy of the population. To demonstrate the efficacy of the simulator, we conducted extensive simulations for the province of Lecco, Italy. The results indicate that the combination of both high vaccination rate and low hesitancy leads to faster epidemic suppression.


To evaluate the effects of the oral aselective dopamine congener ibopamine, heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac rhythm, electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters and plasma catecholamines were studied in ten healthy subjects on three occasions: without medication, after 100 mg oral ibopamine and after combined treatment of ibopamine and the dopamine antagonist metoclopramide. Ibopamine was well tolerated by all subjects. No significant changes in heart rate or blood pressure were seen during either ibopamine alone or during concomitant metoclopramide administration. In addition, there were no differences in PR-, QRS- and QTc- intervals on the ECG and plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine levels were unchanged. None of the ten volunteers showed proarrhythmia from ibopamine. However, in one subject, episodes of accelerated idioventricular rhythm were observed after ibopamine, which were asymptomatic and did not exceed a rate of 51 beats/minute. During concomitant metoclopramide infusion, ibopamine did not induce accelerated idioventricular rhythm. In conclusion, in healthy subjects ibopamine appears to be a safe drug and causes neither proarrhythmia, nor changes in heart rate, blood pressure, ECG-parameters, or plasma catecholamines.


A method for the switching of the spin polarization of the electric current injected into a semiconductor is proposed, based on injecting spins from a diluted magnetic semiconductor through a ferroelectric tunnel barrier. We show that the reversal of the electric polarization of the ferroelectric results in a sizable change in the spin polarization of the injected current, thereby providing a two-state electrical control of this spintronic device. We also predict a possibility of switching of tunneling magnetoresistance in magnetic tunnel junctions with a ferroelectric barrier and coexistence of tunneling magnetoresistance and giant electroresistance effects in these multiferroic tunnel junctions. © 2005 American Institute of Physics . DOI: 10.1063/1.2138365


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability of ultrasound (US) thickness measurements and the muscle contraction ratio (CR) of lumbar multifidus (LM) and transversus abdominis (TA) muscles in participants with and without nonspecific chronic low back pain (NCLBP). Methods: A total of 62 participants (37 with NCLBP, 25 without NCLBP) with participated in the study. The within-day and between-day reliability of US thickness measurements and CR in a lying (supine for TA and prone for LM) and sitting positions for both muscles (sitting on a gym ball with both feet on the ground or lifting one foot off the floor) were assessed. Reliability analysis was performed with intraclass correlations (ICCs) for these two static and dynamic positions. Results: Test-retest reliability was calculated to be good to high for the static position (ICC = 0.72–0.95) and the dynamic position (ICC = 0.74–0.94) sonographic measurements in both group of TA measurement. Test-retest reliability of LM measurements was good to high for the static position (ICC = 0.82–0.95) and the dynamic position (ICC = 0.85–0.97) sonographic measurements in both groups. Conclusions: US imaging is a highly reliable method for the assessment of TA and LM thickness muscles in the dynamic position in participants with and without NCLBP. The CR measures may be adequately reliable in assessing the function of the TA and LM muscles in participants with NCLBP and healthy ones.


Stress is a broad and complex phenomenon characterized by environmental demands, internal psychological processes, and physical outcomes. The study of stress is multifaceted and commonly divided into three theoretical perspectives: social, psychological, and biological. The social stress perspective emphasizes how stressful life experiences are embedded into social structures and hierarchies. The psychological stress perspective highlights internal processes that occur during stressful situations, such as individual appraisals of the threat and harm of the stressors and of the ways of coping with such stressors. Finally, the biological stress perspective focuses on the acute and long-term physiological changes that result from stressors and their associated psychological appraisals. Stress and coping are inherently intertwined with adult development.


This paper highlights the potential for the use of 3D microscopy for the study of archaeological materials. A review of current technologies in 3D microscopy is presented which higlights differences in how 3D data is generated by these systems. A case study showing how laser scanning confocal microscopy, with a sub-micrometer resolution, can be used to aid the recording and analysis of wear features on archaeological samples. In the field of lithic analysis, observation of wear is used to make interpretation of tool use and site function. The methods traditionally used by lithic specialists relies on personal interpretation of wear at tool edges. This study shows that laser microscopy can produce high quality images for visual presentation that also lend themselves to surface texture analysis. Roughness measurement algorithms can be applied to these 3D images and are used to differentiate tools used for different tasks; bringing quantitative method to lithic use-wear analysis. Other examples of the use of these technologies is presented along with a discussion of some methodological issues, including the use of casting when doing texture analysis.


Flow cytometric determination of the number of bull sperm cells showed that the number of spermatozoa measured by light scattering may considerably differ from the actual number of sperm cells in the samples, depending on the proportion of contaminating particles, similar in size to sperm cells. No accurate information can be obtained from the sum of live and dead cells distinguished by means of double fluorescence staining, since a part of the sperm cell population is in a transitory state i.e. between the viable and dead states, so it cannot be stained by either dye. The number of spermatozoa in the sample can be determined very accurately if the sample is treated first with Nonidet-P-40 detergent then stained with propidium iodide. With this procedure the DNA content of each cell nucleus can be labeled and, through detecting the fluorescence signals, the actual sperm cell count of the sample can be determined with the accuracy of 95-98%.


Great diversity is found in inflorescences of angiosperms. According to Troll this is due to the variation of two types only: the polytelic and the monotelic type. In the monotelic inflorescence, the apex of the inflorescence axis commonly ends with a terminal flower. This also applies to all the floral branches below the terminal flower. All of these branches, whether branched or not, proved to be homologous elements, and they are all referred to by the term 'paracladia' because these branches repeat the structure of the main axis of the flowering system. Accordingly, their ramifications are called paracladia of the 2nd to nth order. Since by the presence of the paracladia the number of flowers in the flowering system is increased, they may be called 'enriching branches'. Consequently the whole area which produces the enriching branches may be designated as an 'enriching field'. In the lower part of the flowering shoot this zone is commonly preceded by a 'field of inhibition' within which the development of paracladia is inhibited more or less abruptly. The same zonation can be recognized in the individual paracladia if these are not reduced in any way. In perennials, the axillary buds at the base of the whole stem do not develop within the same season, but will give rise to the innovation shoots at the beginning of the following season. Therefore this area has to be distinguished as a 'field of innovation'. The polytelic type of inflorescence probably has been derived repeatedly from the monotelic during the evolution of angiosperms by reduction of the terminal flower and specialization of the paracladia of the monotelic system. The distal elements are reduced to single lateral flowers or lateral cymes (partial florescences) which constitute elements of an apical system composed of lateral flowers. Instead of ending in a single flower, the floral axis thus terminates in a multi-flowered so-called polytelic 'florescence'. The lower lateral branches repeat the structure of the main stem by producing (indefinite) florescences themselves and therefore may be termedparacladia (of the polytelic system). As in monotelic inflorescences the area of paracladia — the 'enriching field' — can be preceded by a 'field of inhibition' and, in perennial plants, by a 'field of innovation'. Though generally we may confirm that the inflorescences of all species investigated (about 20 000 from nearly all angiosperm families) proved to be variations of one of the two fundamental types, it sometimes needs morphological experience to apply Troll's system to woody plants of tropical regions. Difficulties may derive from prolepsis and syllepsis of the innovation shoots, prolification of the inflorescence axis and, abundantly, by the deficiency of clearly marked limits between sprouts growing in different seasons. In each of such cases, however, the homologous flower-bearing-elements can be identified by comparing their positions within the whole system of ramification.


The article proposes a constructive technical solution to increase the contact adaptivity of the mechanical roof support. The developed solution of the mechanized support section is able to adapt to changing mining and geological conditions in the process of excavation of the mining pillar, which increases the efficiency and safety of coal excavation in the longwall.


Sirpus monodi , first described from West Africa (Dakar, Senegal) and later reported from Mauritania and Congo, has now been found in the eastern Mediterranean. This work reports on its occurrence in two Greek localities.


Abstract This article presents a research experience carried out between 2014 and 2017 in six twin-cities in the Brazil-Uruguay border. The study aimed to identify and analyze para-formal commerce scenes that occupy public spaces in contemporaneity, in order to contribute to future intervention projects. We developed maps, photographs and cartographic writings based on the methodology of sensitive urban cartography and travelling pedagogy; from analysis of the three main plans found – place, equipment and body – to the assemblage with concepts of the philosophy of difference. As results, we highlight that in the Brazil-Uruguay border, para-formal commerce densifies near free-shops, intensifies near the border lines in dry borders, spreads over cities in wet borders, and is mostly found in sidewalks. Para-formal within formal is the most notable category; para-formal carries cultural identities in the products sold. This activity possesses some accommodation in the occupation of public space, and para-formal is a well-funded activity at the border, which is not very volatile in relation to the economy.


This is the claim: Human knowledge expresses itself in three different modes: explicit, implicit, and sensory (e.g., visual) knowledge. The reference to knowledge as explicit knowledge only (as it is usually done) neglects the other modes of knowledge. Instead of using the noun "knowledge," it is suggested that we use "knowing" as a term to stress the active mode in cognition. The three modes of knowing are reflected in different mechanisms of cognitive and neural processing; these can already be observed in classical documents of humankind. This unity of the different modes of knowing can also be extracted from cultural artifacts such as poetry. Although possessing different characteristics, the three modes of knowing are related to each other in a complementary way, thus providing an integrative network for cognition. We suggest that a unifying frame of the modes of knowing lies in aesthetic principles. These different modes of knowing with their unifying frame reflect some general features of cognition. We stress that basic concepts in "artificial or machine intelligence" do not match at all human modes of knowing.


This article focuses on the near defaults of high profile sukuk and recommends strategies for preventing defaults in the future. Due to their large size, the near defaults of the 'mega' sukuk issued by the subsidiaries of Dubai World had a great impact on confidence in the global sukuk market. The defaults and near defaults dented the reputation of sukuk as securities that offer strong protection to investors. In order to restore investor confidence in Islamic structured finance, a paradigm shift is required in the way sukuk are structured. There is a need to move away from structuring sukuk as bond-like, non-tradable instruments that mimic conventional (unsecured) bonds, and structure sukuk as asset-backed, tradable securities that enable genuine risk sharing, an essential characteristic of Islamic finance.


We present a method for verifying relational program properties, that is, properties that relate the input and the output of two programs. Our verification method is parametric with respect to the definition of the semantics of the programming language in which the programs are written. That definition consists of a set Int of constrained Horn clauses (CHC) that encode the interpreter of the programming language. Then, given the programs and the relational property we want to verify, we generate, by using Int, a set of constrained Horn clauses whose satisfiability is equivalent to the validity of the property. Unfortunately, state-of-the-art solvers for CHC have severe limitations in proving the satisfiability, or the unsatisfiability, of such sets of clauses. We propose some transformation techniques that increase the power of CHC solvers when verifying relational properties. We show that these transformations, based on unfolding and folding rules, preserve satisfiability. Through an experimental evaluation we also show that in many cases CHC solvers are able to prove the (un)satisfiability of sets of clauses obtained by applying the transformations we propose, whereas the same solvers are unable to perform those proofs when given as input the original sets of constrained Horn clauses.


Science leads with the results of a recent gloomy assessment of the cause of global climate change. Nature leads off this week with a story about U.S. attempts to prevent the spread of mad cow disease.


The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between and among the degree of mistrust black students hold towards Whites, the students' preferences for race of counselor, and the discussion of problems that are sexual in nature. Participants consisted of 60 black females and 51 black males recruited from a university population. All subjects completed the Terrell and Terrell Cultural Mistrust Inventory, Fischer-Turner Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale, Corrigan and Schmidt Counselor Rating Form - Short Form, Tinsley Expectations About Counseling Inventory, and the Thermometer Method Form developed specifically for this project. A multiple regression model was used to explore the hypotheses of this study. The criterion variables consisted of scores on the Expectations About Counseling Form and Counselor Rating Form. Analyses revealed that the most significant predictors of counseling expectations were race of counselor and participant gender. Black students who were asked to assume \ they would see a black counselor had more favorable expectations about counseling than those black students asked to assume they would see a white counselor. Female participants had more favorable expectations about counseling than male participants. Results also indicated that the most significant predictors of counselor ratings were race of counselor and subject mistrust level. Those students asked to assume they would see a black counselor rated the potential counselor more favorably than those students who were asked to assume they would see a white counselor. Black students who scored higher on cultural mistrust rated potential white counselors less favorably than black students who scored lower on cultural mistrust.


In summarizing three years' experience in the treatment of structural scoliosis of unknown cause, it has seemed best to begin with a short discussion of scoliosis in general, and of the theory and practice of its treatment, in order to make clear the gardations which finally led to the introduction of the operation. It must be understood that the experiences on which these remarks are based are, with one exception, those of hospital practice. If the subject of scoliosis appears to be taken seriously, it is because the cases I have seen are serious and are so regarded by the patients themselves. Among the most discouraging subjects with which orthopedic surgeons have to deal is rotary lateral curvature of the spine. It is not necessary in an article of this character to make an exhaustive catalogue of its well known causes. The most common and important are various diseases of


It has been proposed that declarative memories can be dependent on both an episodic and a semantic memory system. While the semantic system deals with factual information devoid of reference to its acquisition, the episodic system, characterized by mental time travel, deals with the unique past experience in which an event took place. Episodic memory is characteristically hippocampus‐dependent. Place cells are recorded from the hippocampus of rodents and their firing reflects many of the key characteristics of episodic memory. For example, they encode information about "what" happens "where," as well as temporal information. However, when these features are expressed during an animal's behavior, the neuronal activity could merely be categorizing the present situation and could therefore reflect semantic memory rather than episodic memory. We propose that mental time travel is the key feature of episodic memory and that it should take a form, in the awake animal, similar to the replay of behavioral patterns of activity that has been observed in hippocampus during sleep. Using tasks designed to evoke episodic memory, one should be able to see memory reactivation of behaviorally relevant sequences of activity in the awake animal while recording from hippocampus and other cortical structures. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Abstract The work was to diagnose rural settlements that have been disappearing gradually since the end of World War II as a result of a marked process of depopulation. The authors focused on the disappearance phenomenon itself, seeking to identify and assess selected socioeconomic and spatial processes ongoing in the areas concerned. Through analysis of the set of 41,466 statistical localities in rural areas of Poland, it was found that 62% of these villages reported a decline in the number of inhabitants over the 1950–2011 period. Throughout the post-War period, it is small villages of fewer than 100 people that have experienced the most marked demographic regress. The smallest settlements of all – with 50 people or less – have suffered the most-marked loss of population, at around 28% on average. To be noted, among the factors behind disappearances of villages are limited attractiveness arising out of low standards of living, natural conditions unsuited to farming, limited incomes earned from agricultural activity and poor outfitting in social and technical infrastructure.


Strands of scholarly writing on corporate bankruptcy are scattered across the fields of economics, jurisprudence, political science, and policy analysis. These varied perspectives tend to share common weaknesses that point directly to adding a sociological voice to the debate. An analytic framework that emphasizes power, interorganizational ties, and the embeddedness of organizational action in a larger social structure yields new insights into "strategic bankruptcies," such as the Chapter 11 filing of the Manville Corporation. In turn, this perspective leads to a questioning of some of the basic assumptions concerning the role and operation of bankruptcy law.


The International Conference on Viral Hepatitis 2016 brought exciting news on the treatment of viral hepatitis. The conference was mainly focused on the most recent estimates of burden for HBV and HCV; the current gaps and prospects for regional and global HCV eradication; the use of HCV treatment as prevention; and the management of difficult-to-cure hepatitis C patients, including individuals who fail on direct-acting antivirals, people who inject drugs, and those with decompensated cirrhosis or renal insufficiency. Special patient populations, such as children, pregnant women, HIV-coinfected and persons with acute hepatitis C, were addressed separately. Data from both clinical trials and real-world experience were discussed. Further debates focused on hepatic conditions that may alter the management and outcome of viral hepatitis, such as fatty liver disease, liver transplantation, and hepatocellular carcinoma.


The state is that form of organization specific to human society even today, although several thousand years have passed since it was set up in the Ancient Orient. Over time the concept of state has evolved, perhaps even sometimes didn't evolve, on the contrary, it has certainly undergone complex adaptations generated by the challenges that have arisen over different historical periods, as well as by historical, political, social, economic, cultural phenomena, etc. Nowadays, globalization is a phenomenon or even a complex process generated by a multitude of causes, shared, more or less, by human society, but whose existence and effects can neither be ignored nor denied. In this briefly presented context, are witnessing the encounter of two different concepts, perhaps even antagonistic, concepts, namely the state, and globalization. These two concepts and more had to find a way to live together. We ask ourselves, however, whether this coexistence between the state and globalization is a temporary compromise or in time the nation-states will disappear leaving the place of another form of organization that responds better to globalization or, on the contrary, we will return to the classic nation-states, abandoning or diminishing the effects of globalization? We ask ourselves if nations, especially in the current international context, are ready to abandon the states they have created in favor of a multinational but unique international community. Using methods of scientific research, such as the comparative, historical, or teleological method, in this paper, we aim to identify possible answers to the previous questions.


The technological advances in hardware and software communication technologies are speeding up the path towards the actualization of the Internet of Things. Nonetheless, novel requirements are emerging for the effective and efficient usage of the huge amount of available sensor information and functional capabilities. Several approaches have been proposed for leveraging the Web to this purpose (i.e. Web of Things). In this work, we propose an information-centric approach to enable a Web of Sensors. We combine the principles of Linked Data and Representational State Transfer (REST) architectural style to represent sensors as graphs of URI-addressable information nodes, which can be easily combined and reused for developing novel applications and creating software-based sensors (Virtual Sensors). Our approach relies on the adoption of a web-oriented middleware and information model, called InterDataNet.


Multi-hop structure and broadcast channel of wireless sensor networks necessitate error control schemes to achieve reliable data transmission. The energy efficiency of error control schemes should be considered because of the strict energy constraints of wireless sensor networks. Wireless sensor networks require simple and facile error control schemes because of the low complexity request of sensor nodes. Automatic repeat request (ARQ) and forward error correction (FEC) are the key error control strategies in wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we discuss these error control schemes using energy efficiency analysis. We prove that energy efficiency of ARQ technique is independent of retransmission attempts and is unchangeable with the number of retransmission. The result of our analysis reveals that there is an optimum FEC scheme with the maximal energy efficiency for a target communication distance and packet size. The optimum FEC scheme is presented in this paper. In addition, ARQ is compared with FEC in terms of energy efficiency based on different communication distances and packet lengths.


We report production of hydrogen plasma using a 2.45 GHz microwave source in a toroidal device BETA (Bora D 1989 Phys. Lett. 139A 308). The equilibrium density, floating potential and plasma temperature in the poloidal cross section have been measured. Contours of equal density and floating potential exhibit a slab nature in the vertical direction of the poloidal cross section. Plasma is formed with a peak density of . The electron temperature is about 4 - 7 eV. Our measurements reveal that the X-mode wave is mode converted to electrostatic modes near upper hybrid resonance (UHR), which propagates close to the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) region where the entire energy of the waves is deposited. Thus we observe plasma profiles broadened towards the weaker magnetic field region up to the UHR region, with an inner boundary near ECR region. This is further supported by numerical calculation. The fluctuating component of the density and floating potential is also measured. Low-frequency (LF) electrostatic instabilities are observed to be radially localized. The presence of both flute and drift modes is reported. Our measurements reveal that the excitation of LF fluctuations depends strongly on the sign of the product where and are the radial density and magnetic field gradients, respectively. LF coherent fluctuating modes are observed in the region where and a turbulent spectrum is observed where the condition is satisfied. Our measurements reveal that collisional drift modes could be excited when (where ), whereas Rayleigh - Taylor modes could be excited when and the density gradient is antiparallel to the effective gravity `g'.


SUMMARY We implemented all-fiber delay line using linearly chirped fiber Bragg gratings (CFBG), which can be applicable for reflectometry or optical coherence tomography (OCT). Compared with the previously reported delay lines, the proposed fiber-based optical delay line has in principle novel advantages such as automatic dispersion cancellations without additional treatment and a gain in optical delay that is dependent on parameters of used CFBGs. Dispersion compensation in optical delay line (ODL), which is the indispensable problem in bulk optics based ODL, is demonstrated in fiber by using two identical but reversely ordered CFBGs. Amplified variable optical delay of around 2.5 mm can be obtained by applying small physical stretching of one of CFBGs in the proposed scheme. The operational principles of the all-fiber variable optical delay line, which are based on the distributed reflection characteristic of a CFBG employed, are described. Especially properties such as in-line automatic dispersion cancellation and amplified optical delay under strain are dealt. To demonstrate the properties of the proposed scheme, which is theoretical consequences under assumptions, an all-fiber optical delay line have been implemented using fiber optic components such as fiber couplers and fiber circulators. With the implanted ODL, the group delay and amplified optical delay length was measured with/without strain. The wavelength independent group delay measured within reflection bandwidth of the CFBG has proved the property of automatic dispersion cancellations in the proposed fiber delay line. Optical delay length of 2.5 mm was obtained when we apply small physical stretching to the CFBG by 100 µm and this is expressed by the amplification factor of 25. Amplification factor 25, which is less than theoretical value of 34 due to slipping of fiber in the fiber holder, shows that the proposed scheme can provide large optical delay with applying small physical stretching to the CFBG. We measure slide glass thickness to check the performance of the fiber delay line and the good agreement in measured and physical thickness of slide glass (∼1 mm thick) validates the potential of proposed delay line in the applications of optical reflectometry and OCT. We also discuss the problem and the solution to improve the performance.


This paper proposes a novel zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) current-tripler DC/DC converter. Compared to the conventional phase-shifted ZVS full-bridge DC/DC converter with current-doubler rectifier, the proposed current-tripler DC/DC converter reduces the synchronous rectifier (SR) conduction loss as well as the transformer winding loss. Furthermore, the proposed transformer structure is very compact, and thus the power density of the converter could be greatly increased. Analysis and experimental results show that the proposed topology offers great advantages when the converter output current goes higher and the voltage goes lower, as demanded by future microprocessors and telecommunications systems. A 48 V/1.0 V, 100 A, 300 kHz prototype is implemented, and the experimental results show that it can achieve 87 % efficiency at full load.


Newly-jacketed edition designed to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Christie's faultlessly plotted Witness for The Prosecution and other outstanding plays. The perfect complement to the latest edition of The Mousetrap and Selected Plays (50th Aniversary Edition). Headlining this book is Witness for the Prosecution -- Christie's highly successful stage play which won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best foreign play. A stunning courtroom drama, it tells the story of a scheming wife testifying against her husband in a shocking murder trial. The wild beauty of a seaside house perched high on The Devonshire River Tern provides a stunning back-drop in Towards Zero -- as a psychopathic murderer homes in on the unsuspecting victims. Passion, murder and love are the deadly ingredients in Verdict, making it one of Christie's more unusual thrillers and prompting her to label it 'the best play I have written with the exception of Witness for The Prosecution'. Go Back for Murder tells the story of the young and feisty Carla who, orphaned at the tender age of five, discovers her mother was imprisioned for murdering her father and determines to prove her innocence.


We propose a new method of finding discriminative state-weights recursively using the generalized probabilistic descent method. This method is implemented with minor modification of the conventional parameter estimation and recognition algorithms by constraining the sum of the state-weights to the number of states in a recognition unit, and can be applied to continuous speech recognition as well as isolated word recognition. We confirm the validity of the method with phoneme-based and word-based state-weighting schemes for three kinds of recognition tasks.


Endolymphatic sac tumors (ELSTs) are aggressive papillary lesions of the temporal bone. Although histologically benign, they may exhibit invasive growth and destruction of the skull base. Patients generally present with symptoms referable to the lesion's location within the middle or posterior cranial fossa. Although well characterized as a distinct entity, ELSTs involved in metastatic dissemination have never been reported. In the present report the authors describe a case of ELST metastatic to the spine treated with resection.


For biped robots, the ability to maintain balance under external forces is an essential requirement. Inspired by human beings' behaviors to resist external forces, a compliant-resistant balance-control method is proposed to keep the biped robot balance subjected to an external force. A model-free trajectory generator is designed based on the central pattern generator (CPG) to generate compliant-resistant human-like behavior. The CPG pattern generator generates the desired pulse signal utilizing Matsuoka's CPG. The signal modulator applies the defined signal to the robot's center of mass (CoM) to generate the workspace trajectory when standing on double feet. Moreover, when standing on single foot, the output signal of the CPG will directly act on the hip joint of the robot to generate the joint space trajectory. Furthermore, the motion engine calculates the workspace trajectory into joint sequence values. The proposed control strategy can generate defined pulse signals to realize compliant-resistant balance control for biped robots. The control strategy proposed in this paper is verified in the NAO simulation environment.


Self-efficacy at work is considered to be one of the factors affecting employees' quality of work life and professional development. Understanding the sources of employees' self-efficacy at work is essential, especially in the context of Viet Nam's Doi Moi (Renovation) policy that has led to wide-reaching socio-economic changes in Viet Nam, including the workplace over the past 30 years.This article is based on a quantitative study of 166 Vietnamese graduates with less than 2-year working experience at their organizations, followed by 11 interviews. The study seeks to demonstrate their evaluation of the sources of self-efficacy at work.The results show that "physiological and emotional states", "vicarious experiences" and "verbal persuasion" have a significantly positive correlation with self-efficacy at work while no remarkable association is observed for "mastery experiences". In addition, the content of the interviews further clarifies the above-mentioned results.The findings suggest the important role of cultural-social factors and the characteristics of the workforce in Viet Nam in interpreting employee's self-efficacy.


The bulge test was used to investigate the fatigue properties of gold thin films with a thickness between 100 and 300 nm. The membranes were pressurized at a rate of 0.2 Hz up to 10^5 times, during which their stress and strain states were continuously recorded. Gold films on a silicon nitride substrate were cyclically loaded into tension and compression. Due to the presence of the substrate, no membrane failure was observed, but the residual stress shifted from an initially tensile state to an increasingly compressive one. Typical fatigue damage mechanisms consisting of extrusions were found in some large grains. Freestanding films were cyclically loaded in pure tension until failure occurred. The data acquired during the fatigue tests show a strong ratcheting of the films, which is indicative of cyclic plastic creep. Microstructural investigations clearly show grain boundary sliding in very thin films with columnar grains extending through the thickness.


We deposited successfully Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films by using magnetron Dcsputtering technique, followed by annealing. The effects of the thermal annealing on thermoelectric properties of GZO films were investigated. The obtained results showed that due to annealing, the thermoelectric properties of the GZO films were significantly enhanced: (1) power factor increased with an increase of electron mobility due to high film crystallinity; (2) The figure of merit ZT values of the GZO film annealed at 500 oC (ZT = 0.114) was one order higher the asdeposited GZO film (ZT = 0.012). The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra depicted various kinds of point defects which controlled thermoelectric properties and both oxygen vacancies VO and zinc interstitial Zni played an important role.


ABSTRACT Previous studies on agreement violation in sign languages report neurophysiological responses similar to those observed for spoken languages. In contrast, the two current event-related potential studies (ERP) on agreement violations in German Sign Language sentences present results that allow for an alternative explanation. In experiment A, we investigated the processing of agreement verbs ending in an unspecified location different to the location associated with the referent. Incorrect agreement verbs engendered a posterior positivity effect (220–570 ms post nonmanual cues) and a left anterior effect (300–600 ms post the subsequent sign onset). In experiment B, we investigated a violation of morphologically modified plain verbs. Incorrect plain verbs, articulated to express third person object agreement, engendered a broadly distributed positivity effect (420–730 ms post mismatch onset). We discuss the results under the perspective of enhanced costs for context updating, and argue that sign language agreement is based on phonological and pragmatic principles.


ABSTRACT A heterologous prime-boost strategy using plasmid DNA, followed by replication-defective recombinant adenovirus 5, is being proposed as a powerful way to elicit CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell-mediated protective immunity against intracellular pathogens. We confirmed this concept and furthered existing research by providing evidence that the heterologous prime-boost regimen using the gene encoding amastigote surface protein 2 elicited CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell-mediated protective immunity (reduction of acute parasitemia and prolonged survival) against experimental infection with Trypanosoma cruzi. Protective immunity correlated with the presence of in vivo antigen-specific cytotoxic activity prior to challenge. Based on this, our second goal was to determine the outcome of infection after heterologous prime-boost immunization of perforin-deficient mice. These mice were highly susceptible to infection. A detailed analysis of the cell-mediated immune responses in immunized perforin-deficient mice showed an impaired gamma interferon (IFN-γ) secretion by immune spleen cells upon restimulation in vitro with soluble recombinant antigen. In spite of a normal numeric expansion, specific CD8+ T cells presented several functional defects detected in vivo (cytotoxicity) and in vitro (simultaneous expression of CD107a/IFN-γ or IFN-γ/tumor necrosis factor alpha) paralleled by a decreased expression of CD44 and KLRG-1. Our final goal was to determine the importance of IFN-γ in the presence of highly cytotoxic T cells. Vaccinated IFN-γ-deficient mice developed highly cytotoxic cells but failed to develop any protective immunity. Our study thus demonstrated a role for perforin and IFN-γ in a number of T-cell-mediated effector functions and in the antiparasitic immunity generated by a heterologous plasmid DNA prime-adenovirus boost vaccination strategy.


The birth of the United Nations at the end of the Second World War was certainly a major event, and the blue beret is an eloquent symbol.


The vibration and stress analysis program of comprehensive vibration assessment program(CVAP) is to theoretically verify the structural integrity of reactor vessel internals(RVI) and to provide the basis for selecting the locations monitored in measurement and inspection programs. This paper covers the applicability of the vibration and stress analysis method of APR1400 RVI CVAP. The analysis method was developed to use 3-dimensional detail hydraulic and structural models with ANSYS and CFX. To assess the method, the hydraulic loads and structural reponses of OPR1000 were predicted and compared with the measured data in the OPR1000 RVI CVAP. The results predicted with this method were close to the measured values considerably. Therefore, the analysis method was developed properly.


This study was designed to assess the physico-chemical characteristics of Cauvery river three stations (S1- Sozhasiramani dam (Polluted), S2- –Maynor Dam (Less Polluted) and S3- Mettur Dam (Free from Pollution.) during the study period December 2021 to May 2022. The parameters were analysed such as Temperature, transparency, Total hardness, pH, DO2, BOD, Phosphate, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, Slicate and CR, NPP, GPP. This study concluded that the water quality of three reservoir of Cauvery River during the study period revealed that the three stations (Sozhasiramani dam, Mayanur dam and Mettur dam). Among these reservoir Mayanur dam and Mettur dam could be rated for good quality of water, which is suitable for consuming purpose but Sozhasiramani dam receiving some of the unauthorized textile dyeing and bleaching units in Eroad and Pallipalayam in above units discharge treated and untreated effluent into the municipal drain along with the domestic sewage reached the river cauvery in station 1 is highly polluted, then the other two stations.


A redescription of the female of the temporary fish parasite, Gnathia africana Barnard, 1914 is provided from specimens reared from final-stage G. africana praniza larvae collected from their intertidal fish hosts along the south coast of southern Africa. It differs from other known gnathiid females in the shape of the frontal border and the number and basic form of pylopod articles. This redescription aims to establish a format for future descriptions and redescriptions of gnathiid females.


are to be considered as formed either by chromatin or by a similar material. This takes us to the second supposition, about which, besides some of the reasons just mentioned, I think it useful to remark that bacteriological investigations have been attended, for the present, by negative results, and that, as far as I know, no nerve-cell degeneration has been described resembling the appearances shown in my Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6. As to the third hypothesis, I wish to point out that it wouLld link up one with the other the various findings as well as these withl Iiisto-pathological changes, which most authors consider extremely like those seen in cases of trypanosomiasis. Those who recollect the aspect of some of 'the small (internal) forms out of which the Negri bodies appear to result will recognize that between these and the "minute bodies" described in this paper there is a morphological and strrtctural similarity which is at least striking. I quite realize that such a suggestion will acquire value only if other investigators are able to confirm my observations, and particularly if the apparent "bodies" can be found in the nervous or other tissues of animals to which the di~ease has been successfully transmitted. SUMMx MARY. In the nervoeus tissue from cases of epidemic (lethargic) encephalitis within and without the nerve cells minute forms have been 'observed, to all appearance consisting of a central generally basophil particle and of a delicate little stainable body, irregularly round or oval in shape. For these forms the term "minute bodies " is pro tempore proposed. The bodies are generally discrete, and provided with One granule, but dumbbell slhaped forms occur as well as others with two central particles arranged in pairs. An as yet not quite definable relation seems to exist between these forms and a granular, pigment-like material occurring within the nerve cells in places where brown or black pigment is not generally found. Minute forms, similar in shape, structure, and staining properties to those observed in the nervous tissue, lhave been traced within and without tlhe cells infiltrating a salivary gland from an acute case of the disease. After discussing the supposition that such findings might be the product of an optical illusion, associated perlhaps with degenerative changes caused by the malady, the suggestion is tentatively put forward that they may be due to the presence in the tissues of a living agent, cause of the disease. 1s REFERPENCES. A. Negri: Sulla morfologia e sul ciclo dei parassita della rabbia, 3¢em. B. Ace. Livcei, Roma, 1909, vii (S. 5&), 471. C. Da Fano and H. Ingleby: Demonstration of Preparations from Cases of Encephalitis Lethargica, Proc. R.)y. Soc. Med., 1919, xii (Sect. of Path.). 42. P. Marie 'and C. Tr6tiakoff: Anatomie pathologique de l'enc6phalite 1tthargique, Anin. d. Meda., 1920, vii, 1.


Autophagy, a highly conserved lysosome-mediated catabolic process, is responsible for degradation of various abnormal cytoplasmic contents, participates in almost every step of immune responses, and plays a vital role in maintaining immune system homeostasis. As a typical autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) shows multiple immunological dysfunctions. Autophagy may be involved in the initiation and progression of SLE via regulating immune responses. Actually, autophagy levels have been reported to be abnormal in multiple peripheral blood immunocytes from patients with lupus, such as T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, neutrophils and macrophages. Furthermore, polymorphisms in autophagy-related genes are associated with SLE susceptibility. In addition, multiple environment factors which induce or exacerbate SLE may affect autophagy levles. Some drugs which are used to treat SLE can regulate autophagy via different ways. Therefore, autophagy may play an essential role in the occurrence and development of SLE.

Key words:
Lupus erythematosus, systemic; Autophagy; Immunity; Heredity; Cytokines


We present UV broadband photometry and optical emission-line measurements for a sample of 32 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in clusters of the Representative XMM-Newton Cluster Structure Survey (REXCESS) with z = 0.06–0.18. The REXCESS clusters, chosen to study scaling relations in clusters of galaxies, have X-ray measurements of high quality. The trends of star formation and BCG colors with BCG and host properties can be investigated with this sample. The UV photometry comes from the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor, supplemented by existing archival Galaxy Evolution Explorer photometry. We detected Hα and forbidden line emission in seven (22%) of these BCGs, in optical spectra obtained using the Southern Astrophysical Research Goodman spectrograph. All of these emission-line BCGs occupy clusters classified as cool cores (CCs) based on the central cooling time in the cluster core, for an emission-line incidence rate of 70% for BCGs in REXCESS CC clusters. Significant correlations between the Hα equivalent widths, excess UV production in the BCG, and the presence of dense, X-ray bright intracluster gas with a short cooling time are seen, including the fact that all of the Hα emitters inhabit systems with short central cooling times and high central intracluster medium densities. Estimates of the star formation rates based on Hα and UV excesses are consistent with each other in these seven systems, ranging from 0.1to8 solar masses per year. The incidence of emission-line BCGs in the REXCESS sample is intermediate, somewhat lower than in other X-ray-selected samples (∼35%), and somewhat higher than but statistically consistent with optically selected, slightly lower redshift BCG samples (∼10%–15%). The UV–optical colors (UVW1 − R ∼4.7 ± 0.3) of REXCESS BCGs without strong optical emission lines are consistent with those predicted from templates and observations of ellipticals dominated by old stellar populations. We see no trend in UV–optical colors with optical luminosity, R–K color, X-ray temperature, redshift, or offset between X-ray centroid and X-ray peak (〈w〉). The lack of such trends in these massive galaxies, particularly the ones lacking emission lines, suggests that the proportion of UV-emitting (200–300 nm) stars is insensitive to galaxy mass, cluster mass, cluster relaxation, and recent evolution, over the range of this sample.


We report Coulomb drag measurements on GaAs-AlGaAs electron-hole bilayers. The two layers are separated by a 10 or 25 nm barrier. Below T approximately 1 K we find two features that a Fermi-liquid picture cannot explain. First, the drag on the hole layer shows an upturn, which may be followed by a downturn. Second, the effect is either absent or much weaker in the electron layer, even though the measurements are within the linear response regime. Correlated phases have been anticipated in these, but surprisingly, the experimental results appear to contradict Onsager's reciprocity theorem.


Abstract One way to increase yield potential in wheat is screening for natural variation in photosynthesis. This study uses measured and modelled physiological parameters to explore genotypic diversity in photosynthetic capacity (Pc, Rubisco carboxylation capacity per unit leaf area at 25 °C) and efficiency (Peff, Pc per unit of leaf nitrogen) in wheat in relation to fertilizer, plant stage, and environment. Four experiments (Aus1, Aus2, Aus3, and Mex1) were carried out with diverse wheat collections to investigate genetic variation for Rubisco capacity (Vcmax25), electron transport rate (J), CO2 assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, and complementary plant functional traits: leaf nitrogen, leaf dry mass per unit area, and SPAD. Genotypes for Aus1 and Aus2 were grown in the glasshouse with two fertilizer levels. Genotypes for Aus3 and Mex1 experiments were grown in the field in Australia and Mexico, respectively. Results showed that Vcmax25 derived from gas exchange measurements is a robust parameter that does not depend on stomatal conductance and was positively correlated with Rubisco content measured in vitro. There was significant genotypic variation in most of the experiments for Pc and Peff. Heritability of Pc reached 0.7 and 0.9 for SPAD. Genotypic variation and heritability of traits show that there is scope for these traits to be used in pre-breeding programmes to improve photosynthesis with the ultimate objective of raising yield potential.


With the help of modern software, the scheduling process in many fields can be automated nearly completely. However, these systems often provide insufficient interaction possibilities for the scheduler to incorporate his own expert knowledge. Finding and implementing suitable planning decisions is often a time-consuming and error-prone process that is not supported by the computer. This deficiency can impair the practicability of the schedules and hence the benefit of the planning system considerably. In this paper, we deduce 9 interaction guidelines that form a concept for the design of human-computer-interaction in scheduling systems. Unlike approaches that extend general HCI guidelines we derive the rules from recent research on human decision making. From that perspective we define computer support for both the formation and the implementation of planning decisions by the scheduler. The results of a user test show that the concept allows an effective incorporation of the human scheduler. Furthermore the concept can be applied to any detailed scheduling problem.


Neuronal mechanisms underlying addiction have been attracting attention in neurobiology, economics, neuropsychiatry, and neuroeconomics. This paper proposes a possible link between economic theory of addiction [2] and neurobiological theory of bidirectional synaptic plasticity [5] based on recent findings in neuroeconomics and neurobiology of addiction. Furthermore, it is suggested that several neurobiological substrates such as cortisol (a stress hormone), NMDA and AMPA receptors/subunits and intracellular calcium in the postsynaptic neurons are critical factors determining parameters in Becker and Murphy's economic theory of addiction. Future directions in the application of the theory to studies in neuroeconomics and neuropsychiatry of addiction and its relation to stress at the molecular level are discussed.


In contemporary society, the construction of the female identity is associated with beauty, in which thin women represent the desirable standard, dismissing the feeling of belonging and changing the representation of subjectivity in women dissonant of this standard. The aim of this study was to analyze, according to the somatic marker hypothesis, the involvement of social behaviors in the maintenance of obesity and / or weight regain in obese adults. Five women between 25 and 55 years, BMI> 30 kg/m 2 were interviewed. The methodology used was the life story, because we believe that, in the report of personal story, significant episodes reflect the individual and collective imagination. The data collected indicate the presence of hegemonic social discourse in relation to female corporeality as maintaining factor of the obesity condition, suggesting the need to investigate the consequences of the naturalization of discourse, such as formation of stigma and the representations of professionals who work with this population, in order to reflect on intervention strategies that take into consideration the somatic marker hypothesis.


The complexity of Arabic language takes origin from the richness in morphology, differences and difficulties of its structures than other languages. Thus, it is important to learn about the specialty and the structure of this language to deal with its complexity. This paper presents a new inductive learning system that distinguishes the nominal and verbal sentences in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). The use of inductive learning in association with natural language processing is a new and an interdisciplinary collaboration field, specifically in Arabic Language. A series of experiments on 376 well annotated (i.e., Gold Standards) Arabic sentences that range from 2 to 11 words, which present simple to complex MSA sentences, have been conducted. The results obtained showed that the proposed system has distinguished nominal and verbal sentences with an accuracy around 90% for 15% unseen sentences, and around 80% for 75% of unseen sentences.


Art, a fundamentally human subject, has become an important field of study in both philosophy and psychology. It is deemed relevant to think of it from a phenomenological perspective, that regards artistic activities not as a representation, but as an expression. This study aims to consider the actor's/actress's activities based on the book Phénoménologie de l'experience esthétique, the main work by Mikel Dufrenne, a phenomenologist who wrote the most extensive study regarding aesthetics in phenomenology. This task has been accomplished in two stages: a possible explanation about the aesthetic experience as proposed by Dufrenne and, from it, the construction of a reflection about a theater artist's work. The role that art and, above all, the artist plays in the resignification of the world becomes evident, as he is the one who offers the viewer, through an immanent intersubjectivity, a world expressed as a novelty. It is understood that, in addition to the study of specific topics, the study of aesthetic experience in phenomenology, from the Dufrennian perspective, may prove relevant to the comprehension of the human phenomenon in general. Palavras-chave : Aesthetic experience; Phenomenology; Art; Theater.


Policraticus and Metalogicon : Updating the Saresberiensis-research, 2013-2018. This article provides an overview of the philosophical outputs of John of Salisbury (ca. 1115–1180), with reference to his two main philosophical texts, Policraticus and Metalogicon (both circulated in 1159). After presenting current research challenges in Medieval philosophy, Salisbury is presented as an example of a 'non-canonised' figure in Medieval philosophy; one who is throughly researched in his niche compartment, but remains unacknowledged in 'canonised' Medieval philosophy. Few introductions, readers and companions in the discipline give attention to 'non-canonical' thinkers such as Salisbury – yet when the niche research itself comes forward with a remarkable output in a short period of just five years, the 'canon' of Medieval philosophy itself could possibly be challenged. The niche research in Salisbury's case has indeed presented an energetic output over the past few years, which transcends the standardised sources and enriches the discipline. The question lingers: do these combined efforts have the ability to challenge the notion of a 'canonised' Medieval philosophy? Four contributions from the niche scholarship from 2013 to 2018 are henceforth discussed: i) A new translation of Metalogicon (Hall & Haseldine 2013 ); ii) A research-updated introduction (Grellard & Lachaud 2015 ), the first of its kind in Salisbury scholarship in more than three decades; iii) A monography (O' Daly 2018 , overstating the own case contra Nederman, yet with a stunning Roman premise); and iv) The replacement of the complete Salisbury section in the online Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Bollermann and Nederman 2016 ). Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: As a millennium-long discourse, Medieval philosophy functions in a Venn diagrammatical relationship with Medieval history, Church history, patristics and philosophy of religion. Whenever 'mainstream' or 'canonised' Medieval philosophy is impacted from the niche research, it may well have implications that these closely related disciplines could take note of.


Background Methotrexate (MTX) is the anchor drug in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the world. In Japan, maximal dose of weekly MTX was increased up to 16 mg/week from 8 mg/week in 2011. Although RA disease activity has been controlled much better with higher dose and longer duration of MTX therapy, there are increasing reports of MTX-related lymphoproliferative diseases (MTX-LPD) especially in Japan. Objectives To evaluate the clinical characteristics of the RA patients who developed MTX-LPD. Methods A retrospective study was done to review the medical records of 39 patients (14 men and 25 women) with MTX-LPD in our institute. Results Baseline characteristics of 39 patients at the diagnosis of MTX-LPD were following (average); age 64.3, RA disease duration 11.4 years, serum CRP 7.5 mg/dL, serum MMP-3 value 314.5 ng/dL, MTX dose 7.8 mg/w, MTX treatment period 4.8 years. The pathological diagnosis; 17 diffuse large B cell,5 Hodgkin, and 3 follicular lymphoma. EBV was detected in 10 of 31 cases. MTX was stopped soon after the diagnosis of MTX-LPD in all but one patient who was very active RA and showed no aggravation of LPD. After MTX cessation, 16 patients needed chemotherapy for LPD. LPD resolved spontaneously in the other 22 patients, but DMARDs including biologics were prescribed later for RA flare and 11 developed LPD again. There were no significant difference of the prescription with or without LPD relapse. Among 8 patients who died, most of them received chemotherapy. Conclusions MTX-LPD in RA developed more frequently in male patients who had long MTX treatment period and high CRP and MMP-3. Some of them had grave prognosis despite chemotherapy after MTX was withdrawn. In patients taking MTX for a long time with longstanding active disease may have risk of MTX-LPD. References Hoshida Y, et al.: Lymphoproliferative disorders in rheumatoid arthritis: clinicopathological analysis of 76 cases in relation to methotrexate medication. J Rheumatol. 2007 Feb;34(2):322-31 Tokuhira M, et al.: Clinicopathological analyses in patients with other iatrogenic immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative diseases and rheumatoid arthritis. Leuk Lymphoma. 2012 Apr;53(4):616-23 Acknowledgements We are very thankful to Michihide Tokuhira, Associate Professor of hematology in our institute, for his terrific advice for histological and hematological investigation of LPD. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


The terahertz (THz) spectrum absorptions of nematic liquid crystal (LC) material, i.e. N-(p-methoxybenzylidene)-p-butylaniline (MBBA), and its relevant compounds are simulated in this paper by using the density functional theory (DFT) method. A strong absorptive frequency is located at 3.65 THz for the MBBA, which is in agreement with experimental data found in the literature. The result suggests that the DFT method is effective for dealing with the anisotropic nematic LC compounds.


The historical aversion to effective leadership in American public administration literature imposes a troubling controversy over the appropriateness of nonelected public leaders being allowed to exercise the authority and capability to make decisions regarding the direction, focus, and intensity of their organizational efforts. Using principles from distributed, transformational, and authentic leadership theories, we propose a new public leadership theory that addresses the emerging unique characteristics of the public sector and test this theory using three administrations of the Federal Human Capital Survey. Results show strong support for the application of these theories in the public service. We advocate for the research and teaching of modern leadership of these theories in the public administration field. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The authors present an approach for compiling "scientist-friendly" abstract workflow specifications into real-world executable workflows of Web service invocations, using a set of abstract-as-view definitions from a repository of abstract tasks. There have been a number of proposals and systems for scientific workflow management. However, our approach features unique aspects, in particular: the separation of abstract and concrete executable workflows; and the use of database mediation techniques to automatically translate AWFs into EWFs.


In long distance fiber optic communication systems, the influence of modal noise on the system performances is very important. Modal noise mostly arises in the splice of two fibers or due to an imperfect connectors. The circuit noise is also incorporated in the analysis and hence the bit error rate versus input optical power is derived. The bit error rate degradation due to modal noise is presented.