Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been applied in dentistry and medicine for nearly two decades. Its application in the foot and ankle specialty has grown exponentially in recent years. Weight-bearing CBCT allows clinicians to obtain weight-bearing images that can be viewed in all three planes and to construct three-dimensional models, similar to those constructed from traditional CT scans, as well as exposing patients to less radiation than do traditional CT scans. This technology has revolutionized diagnoses, improving the understanding of various lesions and surgical planning in the foot and ankle specialty. Ongoing studies of the use of weight-bearing CBCT in foot and ankle surgery are focused on fully automated and semi-automated three-dimensional measurements, as well as bone segmentation, mapping of the distances/orientation of the joints, and the production of customized implants. The aims of this review article are to show the evolution of this emerging tool in the foot and ankle specialty, to update those in related specialties on its use in current clinical practice, and to indicate where the research community is heading.


A surface acoustic wave (SAW) is an acoustic wave traveling along the surface of a material. In 2010 the first paper describing their use for producing ions for mass spectrometric detection was published, and the phrase "surface acoustic wave nebulization" (SAWN) coined to describe this phenomenon. Ions produced by SAWN are done so either in a continuous electrospray ionization (ESI) like mode or an intermittent manner like matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI). In either mode nebulization occurs from a planar surface, with the opportunity to detect either positive or negative ions. Notably, SAWN mass spectra, of chemical compounds such as peptides and proteins that are chemically basic in nature, commonly exhibit a lower average charge-state distribution than ESI produces from the same solution. Importantly, given that no DC voltage is applied to the liquid sample to produce ions, the SAWN-nebulized ions can have lower internal energy than ESI- or MALDI-generated ions.


Vehicle manufacturer "CarCo" has spent decades developing its supply strategy based on customer ordered production. Yet the combination of an over-crowded European market and the need to grow sales poses a dilemma: what strategy does it adopt to manage its global operations? This research aims to examine the implementation of responsive operations and supply strategy to analyse how and why a firm's strategy changes over time. Based on the observations from a two-day workshop held for 50 managers at the firm's headquarters, the paper explores theoretical and practitioner implications for the continued development and implementation of build-to-order (BTO) as a cornerstone of supply strategy. Despite considerable capability at functional and business level, CarCo must address corporate and industry factors in order to raise responsiveness. Managers understand the conflict between operational and supply strategies presented here, yet are limited in the extent they can act on this knowledge due to the multi-level aspect of strategy and difficulties over control beyond the boundary of the firm. Key performance indicators need to be modified to gauge individual sale profitability, alongside new incentives and measures to overcome demand distortion and supplier game-playing. Further, the balance between flexibility investment and better customer fulfilment should be explored through cost analysis. Presents a managerial perspective of supply chain strategy development, analysed through a structured academic lens. The paper illustrates the increasingly dynamic nature of supply chains and the importance of connections between retail distribution, manufacturing, and in-bound supply as part of the global operation.


Potato viruses including Potato aucuba mosaic virus (PAMV), Potato leafroll virus (PLRV), Potato virus M (PVM), Potato virus S (PVS) and Potato virus X (PVX) are well known viruses infecting potato and can cause serious economic losses. In this study, a multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was developed and standardized for simultaneous detection of PAMV, PLRV, PVM, PVS and PVX with elongation factor 1-α (ef1α) as plant internal control. At least three primer pairs were designed within the conserved regions of genomic sequences of five potato viruses and ef1α of potato for single and/or multiplex RT-PCR. The reaction conditions were initially optimized by selecting primer pairs and standardized the individual RT-PCR. Then, one pair of primer for each virus including ef1α was selected for multiplex RT-PCR producing distinct fragments of 305, 452, 408, 363, 565, 803 bp, representing PAMV, PLRV, PVM, PVS, PVX and ef1α, respectively. All the primers were designed based on specificity and compatibility and the reliability was confirmed by cloning and sequencing followed by BLAST analysis. The sensitivity of single as well as multiplex RT-PCR was evaluated. The assay could detect all five viruses including ef1α even at total RNA dilutions of 10−3 and total cDNA dilution of 10- 7 . The multiplex RT-PCR assay was then used to test virus infections from field samples of potato (leaves and tubers) collected from different states of India along with plant internal control. This multiplex RT-PCR was equally enough in detecting mixed infection of five viruses in foliage as well as tubers. The results indicate the robustness and reliability of the assay for virus indexing of mother stocks for five viruses simultaneously in potato seed production and will be useful for seed certification programme, breeding and epidemiological studies.


This article identifies a mechanism through which multiparty mediation – mediation with multiple active third parties – has positive effects on civil war resolution. Balanced mediation efforts – those providing third parties biased toward both sides of the dispute – have unique advantages in generating peaceful outcomes. In particular, balanced efforts alleviate the commitment concerns faced by both the rebel group and the government, improving the prospects for peace. In this article, I develop a measure, Mediation balance, which aggregates the mediators' biases when multiple third parties are present. I also consider, both theoretically and empirically, how the number of mediators interacts with mediation balance to shape outcomes. I test my theory on civil war mediation attempts between 1989 and 2005, finding that balanced mediation efforts improve the probability of reaching an agreement. Furthermore, the strength of this effect is influenced by the number of mediators involved. Mediation balance also influences the probability the agreement halts the violence, albeit in unexpected ways.


This manuscript presents an interesting analysis of GOSAT observed seasonal cycles of methane and its use for evaluating various configurations of a simplified model for representing methane emissions from natural wetlands. The focus is on emissions from Tropical wetlands, for which the representation of meteorology turns out to be most critical. However, since a range of meteorological variables are used, it remains unclear which of the variable is most critical. The use of a hydrological model that is capable of river routing is found important also, which makes sense for the African wetlands that are studied in detail.


This article discusses the concept 'reverse mission' in relation to Nigerian-initiated Pentecostal churches in Britain. It begins with a general discussion of the term 'reverse mission' before examining the discourse of reverse mission as it is employed by Nigerian Pentecostals in Britain. Finally, the article explores the actual achievements of Nigerian Pentecostals against the background of European secularism. It considers whether their presence is an indication of the re-emergence of religion as a social force in Britain. Studies of reverse mission sometimes measure success in terms of winning indigenous converts or adherents and consequently find migrant churches wanting. The article concludes that Nigerian Pentecostal churches are to some extent a social force in Britain and it suggests that the adoption of a broader conception of mission, which includes civic engagement, enables a more nuanced assessment of their achievements, at least as far as the British context is concerned.


Surface charge is often hypothesized to influence toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs) including polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) while oxidative stress is considered to be an important mode of action (MOA) for such toxicity. In order to investigate the role of membrane disturbance and oxidative stress in the MOA of PNPs, the cytotoxicity and a range of related cellular endpoints induced by monodisperse, fluorescent, cationic and anionic polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) of 50 and 100 nm sizes were investigated in vitro in macrophage NR8383 cells. Only amine-terminated cationic PSNPs exhibited cytotoxicity which was accompanied by induction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased levels of cytoplasmic free calcium, a reduced phagocytic index, a reduced mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and a decreased intracellular ATP content with the effects being more pronounced for 50 nm than 100 nm PSNPs. Both cationic and anionic PSNPs were found to increase the roughness of the cell membrane with the effect being more profound for cationic PSNPs. The pattern of protection by cellular antioxidants against the effects induced by positive PSNPs was similar to the pattern of protection against effects induced by the mitochondrial electron transport disrupting agent 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) and dissimilar to that for protection against the model compound for oxidative stress, i.e. hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Surface charge influences the cellular interaction for NPs. The results collectively indicated that membrane interaction, and disturbance of the mitochondrial electronic transport chain (ETC) may represent a principal mechanism of toxicity for cationic PSNPs resulting in ROS production and oxidative stress as secondary effects.


FIR filter is main and important block in the digital signal processing applications. Even though several approaches for FIR filter designs proposed, because of increasing waste usage of digital applications and rapid growing in the VLSI industry still need and scope for to design a power and area efficient filter. In this paper proposed a novel scheme for the design of an area and power efficient digital finite impulse response (FIR) filter for future multi standard communications. The presented parallel architecture model supports run time variation of filter order and filter coefficients. In the design process discussed every block in detail mainly for faster computation time of the design selected faster multiplier and adder. To get the less hardware area and fast in computation time Vedic multiplier is used for the multiplication block and carry save adder is used for addition in the design. The proposed design can handle the length of 16-tap and 8-tap is and implemented in Verilog HDL. Implemented Verilog code for the design is verified by using simulation results and checked synthesis of the design in Vivado Xilinx IDE. The synthesizable code is compiled in Synopsys Design Compiler (DC) for Power and area calculations using SAED 90nm CMOS technology. The ASIC results shows the improvement in power 18.89% and 18.30% for 16-tap and 8-tap FIR filter respectively than the conventional method.


The human male is, on most measures, more vulnerable than the female. Part of the explanation is the biological fragility of the male fetus, which is little understood and not widely known. A typical attitude to boys is that they are, or must be made, more resilient than girls. This adds "social insult to biological injury." Culture and class make a difference to the health and survival of boys. The data presented here have implications for the clinical management of male patients as well as for the upbringing of boys.


The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HCV infection and the signal/cutoff (S/CO) value for false reactive, false positive, indeterminate and true positive HCV infection among apparently healthy blood donors in our area. This retrospective study was conducted at the Transfusion Medicine Unit, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia from June 2008 to June 2009. Blood samples were screened for anti-HCV using enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Reactive cases were confirmed by recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA). Sixty-one blood donors were found to be reactive after the first screening test. Twenty-nine blood donors had reactive repeat screening, with only 9 samples being true positives. The S/ CO for false reactive, false positive, indeterminate and true positive anti-HCV samples were 1.02 to 1.45, 1.01 to 2.09, 1.07 to 2.43 and 35.95 to 119.89, respectively. The analysis showed the low incidence of HCV infections among blood donors in our area, however, thorough donor screening and stringent selection criteria are still recommended to eliminate high risk donors to improve our blood transfusion service.


Software testing is the most critical phase of the Software Development Life Cycle. Software under test goes through various phases, which as per the study are test analysis; test planning, test case/data/environment preparation, test execution, bug logging and tracking and closure. There is lot of research which has been done in past to optimize overall testing process with intent of improving quality of software in a minimum amount of time. After evaluating all available testing processes it has been found that different development models are used for different types of applications and different testing techniques are performed to test the same. Based on the research during the study of this paper, it has been analyzed that each company modifies their testing process as per the needs and performs testing based on the criticality of the applications. The most critical components of each application have to be tested thoroughly to ensure their functional, performance and security features are behaving as expected. This paper talks about ensuring the quality of all types of software applications by performing certain types of testing techniques and optimized software testing processes. As per the study and research done testing types can be categorized under three major testing techniques which are Functional, Performance and Security Testing and major software testing process called as Analysis, Preparation and Execution and closure.


Context. The detection of radio emissions from exoplanets will open up a vibrant new research field. Observing planetary auroral radio emission is the most promising method to detect exoplanetary magnetic fields, the knowledge of which will provide valuable insights into the planet's interior structure, atmospheric escape, and habitability.
Aims. We present LOFAR (LOw-Frequency ARray) Low Band Antenna (LBA: 10–90 MHz) circularly polarized beamformed observations of the exoplanetary systems 55 Cancri, υ Andromedae, and τ Boötis. All three systems are predicted to be good candidates to search for exoplanetary radio emission.
Methods. We applied the BOREALIS pipeline that we have developed to mitigate radio frequency interference and searched for both slowly varying and bursty radio emission. Our pipeline has previously been quantitatively benchmarked on attenuated Jupiter radio emission.
Results. We tentatively detect circularly polarized bursty emission from the τ Boötis system in the range 14–21 MHz with a flux density of ~890 mJy and with a statistical significance of ~3σ. For this detection, we do not see any signal in the OFF-beams, and we do not find any potential causes which might cause false positives. We also tentatively detect slowly variable circularly polarized emission from τ Boötis in the range 21–30 MHz with a flux density of ~400 mJy and with a statistical significance of >8σ. The slow emission is structured in the time-frequency plane and shows an excess in the ON-beam with respect to the two simultaneous OFF-beams. While the bursty emission seems rather robust, close examination casts some doubts on the reality of the slowly varying signal. We discuss in detail all the arguments for and against an actual detection, and derive methodological tests that will also apply to future searches. Furthermore, a ~2σ marginal signal is found from the υ Andromedae system in one observation of bursty emission in the range 14–38 MHz and no signal is detected from the 55 Cancri system, on which we placed a 3σ upper limit of 73 mJy for the flux density at the time of the observation.
Conclusions. Assuming the detected signals are real, we discuss their potential origin. Their source probably is the τ Boötis planetary system, and a possible explanation is radio emission from the exoplanet τ Boötis b via the cyclotron maser mechanism. Assuming a planetary origin, we derived limits for the planetary polar surface magnetic field strength, finding values compatible with theoretical predictions. Further observations with LOFAR-LBA and other low-frequency telescopes, such as NenuFAR or UTR-2, are required to confirm this possible first detection of an exoplanetary radio signal.


This study evaluated some biological activities of extracts from Abuta selloana. The gastroprotective potential was determined against ethanol/HCl- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers, whereas the antinociceptive effect was evaluated by acetic acid-induced abdominal contortions in mice. The cytotoxicity activity was measured against human cancer cell lines: U251 (glioma), MCF-7 (breast cancer) and NCI-H460 (lung cancer). The radical scavenger potential was verified; and preliminary phytochemical analyses were performed. The phytochemical screening revealed higher levels of phenolic compounds in all extracts. Moreover, the methanolic extract from pulp fruit (MEPu), peel fruit (MEPe), branches (MEB) and leaves (MEL) scavenged the DPPH radical at 100 µg/mL. Besides, only MEL presented GI50 < 30 µg/mL in all tested cells. Besides, MEPu, MEPe, MEB or MEL at 10 mg/kg (i.p) reduced the abdominal contortions at 47.22%, 63.31%, 84.59% and 37.76%, respectively. The MEPu, MEPe, MEB and MEL reduced the ethanol/HCl- and indomethacin- induced ulcer at 250 mg/kg (p.o). In conclusion, A. selloana had interesting biological activities; presenting the leaves as a promising source for compounds with cytotoxic potential, however, further studies should be performed to confirm its antitumoral activity. Besides, the whole plant can be an important source of bioactive compounds associated with gastroprotective and antinociceptive properties.


This paper was presented at the conference 'Integrating spatial technologies and ecological principles for a new age in fire management', Boise, Idaho, USA, June 1999 The establishment of a robust national fuels mapping program must be based on pertinent lessons from relevant national mapping programs. Many large-area mapping programs are under way in numerous Federal agencies. Each of these programs follows unique strategies to achieve mapping goals and objectives. Implementation approaches range from highly centralized programs that use tightly integrated standards and dedicated staff, to dispersed programs that permit considerable flexibility. One model facilitates national consistency, while the other allows accommodation of locally relevant conditions and issues. An examination of the programmatic strategies of four national vegetation and land cover mapping initiatives can identify the unique approaches, accomplishments, and lessons of each that should be considered in the design of a national fuel mapping program. The first three programs are the U.S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program, the U.S. Geological Survey National Land Cover Characterization Program, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Survey National Wetlands Inventory. A fourth program, the interagency Multiresolution Land Characterization Program, offers insights in the use of partnerships to accomplish mapping goals. Collectively, the programs provide lessons, guiding principles, and other basic concepts that can be used to design a successful national fuels mapping initiative.


This paper describes equivalent circuit for micro electromechanical system (MEMS) using a type of behavior model for expressing mechanical and electromechanical element within circuit simulation, in order to simulate their dynamic behaviors easily. To fully treat the equivalent circuit as the behavior model, the equivalent interconnection expression for mechanical splice is required. In this work, a new approach has been proposed for converting the system composed of mechanical and electromechanical elements to equivalent circuit expression. This approach consists of substitution of unit equivalent elements and conversion of each equivalent interconnection for mechanical splices. We applied graph theory for equivalent interconnection. With this approach, complex MEMS consisting of a number of transducers and mechanical elements can be easily converted into equivalent circuits. In order to validate this approach, the resonant property of electrostatic comb‐drive actuator was simulated using the equivalent circuit generated and measured experimentally. The simulated resonant frequency was in good agreement with the measurement and the admittance characteristics were well described using this circuit with a consideration of coupling capacitances at the comb electrodes. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Medical research aimed at identifying nascent disease is yielding some spectacular findings: findings that show, for example, that smaller and smaller nests of cancerous cells can be discovered earlier and earlier in the course of the disease; that asymptomatic atherosclerotic plaques in key vessels are identifiable earlier with noninvasive techniques; and that many degenerative diseases can be caught in their preclinical stages. Examples abound: colonoscopy for colonic polyps, mammography for breast cancer, CT scans for lung cancer and prostatespecific antigen (PSA) testing as a marker for prostate cancer risk. But is the effort worth it? Or are the immediate costs, both personal and societal, of earlier and earlier detection worth the benefits of gains in disease-free survival or life expectancy that will occur only much later — often decades later? What about the harms of early detection? Take cancer of the prostate as an example. Before the development of PSA testing, most prostate cancer became manifest only as a coincidental finding on prostatic resection for benign prostatic hypertrophy, by the highly insensitive and nonspecific digital rectal examination, or because of metastases. Most detected tumours were at stages T2 or T3 and had high (more malignant) Gleason scores. With the advent of PSA measurements, clinicians are able to detect prostate cancer before it becomes symptomatic, such that most prostate cancers now detected are stage T1 and have lower Gleason scores. Indeed, very recent research shows that 15% of men with PSA levels lower than the current cut-off for biopsy (4 ng/mL) harbour prostate cancer. Should these men undergo radical prostatectomy? No one knows. Should men with PSA values below the cut-off be told that 1 in 7 of them will have cancer? Yes. Will they demand biopsy? Some will. Even though we don't understand the natural history of these early malignant cells, will men with positive biopsy results instantly be labelled "sick" and begin to worry? Undoubtedly. The costs of secondary prevention of asymptomatic disease that are borne by patients and society are not trivial. Prolonged disease-free survival may well follow early extirpation but the results are not yet convincing, and the impact on quality of life still should be considered. And there are implications for health care resources. The benefits, harms and cost-effectiveness of early detection will require evaluation: large-scale randomized controlled trials will take years to fund (when they manage to obtain funding) and decades to complete and confirm. In the interim, patients (at least those with affordable access to the new tests and procedures) and their physicians will have to make their best guesses. The narcissism of Western societies leaves us in no doubt that our relentless pursuit of "health" and longevity will mean that more and more people in the land of the apparently well will obtain marginal diagnoses that gain them entry into the land of the officially sick. Illich described this tendency as the "medicalization of life" and termed the result a "radical monopoly" by which medicine "reinforces a morbid society in which social control of the population by the medical system turns into a principal economic activity." An unintended, underestimated and inevitable consequence of this radical monopoly is that more and more of our resources are spent on clinical procedures with untested cost–benefit assumptions, the costs being immediate and real, the benefits remote and uncertain. And the opportunity costs — whereby resources are deflected from other things, such as early childhood education, safer water, bike paths, culture and other aspects of happy and healthy living — will be large and not immediately perceptible. We need to proceed carefully and thoughtfully with each new means of medicalizing our lives. — CMAJ


ABSTRACT In this paper, we focus on fault prediction in the smart distribution network. modified version of voted random forest algorithm (VRF) is proposed for enhancing the predicting accuracy of the faults. We change the decision process by redesigning the voting algorithm by introducing multiple SVM models for voting model training. Based on the trained models, a simple NSGA algorithm is applied to find the best voting model. Results showed that the new algorithm could improve the accuracy and recall rate of the fault prediction, especially for the recall rate of the negative samples.


Distance learning increases access to learning opportunities to the people in different geographical areas, ages and different learning capabilities. Learning management system (LMS) is a web-based tool used to manage implement, and assess online learning and teaching which is suitable for distance environment. LMS provides instructors a platform to create and deliver the course content, assess learners performance and monitor learner involvement. On the other hand, LMS provide the students with ability to access lecture notes, and use communication and interactive features in their learning activities. This study examined the factors that influence distance learning student's and instructor's acceptance and use of LMS and tests the applicability of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A survey was conducted to higher education students and instructors who involved in distance learning instruction. This study used a set of questionnaire which was developed based on TAM three factors which are Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and Behavioral Intention to Use. The finding of the survey has shown high acceptance level on LMS among distance learners and instructors. In addition, a regression analysis has revealed that perceived ease of use of the system give a significant impact on perceived usefulness. Furthermore, the Perceived Usefulness of the LMS has led to high Behavioral Intention to Use more than Perceived Ease of Use of LMS among learners. On the other hand, Perceived Ease of Use influences the instructor Behavioral Intention to Use of LMS more than Perceived Usefulness. In addition, the analysis also confirmed that Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness have positive effect on Behavioral Intention to Use in both users.


To quantify previously described shin tenderness in patients receiving chronic steroid therapy, we studied 54 patients, 26 treated with steroid, by dolorimetry at 4 control, 4 "fibrositic," and 4 shin sites. To measure observer variation, assessments were done by 2 or 3 of 10 observers, one of whom examined each subject. The specific increase of tenderness at shin sites associated with steroid therapy was confirmed, with a mean (SD) threshold in the steroid group of 3.0 (1.7) kg, and in the control group 5.6 (2.4). Other effects which were not site specific were found. There was a 2.0 kg increase in control site tenderness associated with steroid therapy, and a similar general increase in tenderness in patients with lupus and in women, independent of steroid therapy, affecting control as well as fibrositic sites. Underlying mechanisms must act generally as well as being site specific.


Abstract Introduction: This study is the protocol for a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of herbal medicine on COVID-19 survivors with psychological sequelae. Currently, there are many COVID-19 survivors with psychological sequelae as COVID-19 has widely spread all over the world. However, there is no critically appraised evidence of the benefit of herbal medicine for COVID-19 survivors with psychological sequelae. Materials and Methods: We will search 11 electronic databases from inception to December, 2022: 4 English databases, MEDLINE, PubMed, Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); 3 Chinese databases, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Scientific Journal database, and the Wan Fang database; and 4 Korean databases, the Oriental Medical Advanced Searching Integrated System, the Korean Studies Information Service System, the National Digital Science Links, and the Research Information Sharing Service. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, and quasi-RCTs for all formations of TRADITIONAL herbal medicine versus conventional drug, placebo, and no treatment for COVID-19 survivors. We will only include the COVID-19 survivors with psychiatric symptoms lasting at least 1 month, regardless of their race, sex, and age. Discussion and conclusions: This systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The findings will provide evidence and treatment directions for clinicians. This protocol does not need ethical approval because it will be based on published research. Prospero registration number: PROSPERO CRD42020210592


Microsatellites were identified from three fully sequenced Y chromosome-specific bacterial artificial chromosome clones from the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii. Ten
microsatellites were genotyped in male tammar wallabies. Four loci were polymorphic with between two and six alleles per locus. Eleven different haplotypes were identified
from 22 male tammar wallabies. No amplifications were obtained from female samples. Each microsatellite was also shown to amplify reliably in at least one other macropod
species. These markers may therefore prove useful as some of the first male-specific genetic markers for marsupials, with potential application to studies of male-biased dispersal and mating systems.


The paper evaluates the impacts of using adaptive contemporary workplace methods for the enhancement of student motivation and learning, along with future employability. The interim effects of incorporating an 'Agile' project management approach within an established Activity-Based Learning strategy are considered for second year undergraduate students in Software Engineering and Computer Games Development environments. A range of observations and measurements are analysed to determine likely cause and effect relationships, supported by the university's virtual learning environment, as a key communications component. The findings suggest that student motivation may be significantly enhanced through online access to interactive multi-media materials in support of an incremental facilitated learning strategy. In addition, local employer interest in graduate recruitment has been increased.


For Walsh series in the Paley arrangement the author proves a generalized Bari theorem on the union of sets of uniqueness, from which it follows in particular that the union of two -sets, one of which is simultaneously an -set and a -set, is a -set, and the union of two disjoint -sets of type is again a -set. It is shown that the last two assertions hold for sets of uniqueness of those classes of series for which the principle of localization of the kernel holds. Bibliography: 11 titles.


Accurate quantification of biological abundance using acoustics requires complete removal of the sea floor's contribution from the echo. Acoustic-trawl surveys often utilize a single sounder-detected bottom (SDB) line for bottom determination, but combining bottom detections from multiple frequencies could provide a more accurate representation. Using bottom detection lines from five different frequencies, 222 nautical miles of trackline from four distinct acoustic-trawl survey areas were investigated to determine if the mean or median statistical combination of multiple frequency SDB lines resulted in fewer bottom integrations compared to a single frequency SDB. The difference in bottom detection depth between the statistical combination lines and the 38 kHz SDB was also investigated. The mean statistical combination line reduced bottom integrations by an average of 45% and the median produced a 43% reduction in integrations over all areas. Additionally, bottom depth averaged 5.9 and 6.9 cm shallower for the mean and median, respectively, compared to the 38 kHz SDB. Overall the mean tended to be marginally better at reducing the bad bottom integrations while at the same time slightly less divergent from the 38 kHz SDB compared to the median. Based on these results, beginning in 2009, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Midwater Assessment and Conservation Engineering Program began using the mean statistical combination line to represent the true bottom, replacing the 38 kHz SDB line historically used.


Astronomy relies on long-term observations of variable phenomena, and conserving and reusing data is the key for major scientific objectives, such as the definition of objects and of their properties, or the study of variability and evolution, all this requiring statistical studies on large number of objects. Observations at different wavelengths, with different techniques, allow one to understand the physical phenomena at work in objects. In addition, astronomical observations rely more and more on large ground-based and space observatories, and on large surveys of the sky, and reusing their data for new scientific objectives is necessary to optimise the scientific return of these large projects.
This is an old, but increasingly complex endeavour: information volume and complexity increase, and information is heterogeneous and distributed. Moreover, data must be properly documented to remain usable. A technical revolution has of course occurred in the last years in that domain, with the increased technical capacity to store and manage information, and the new possibilities offered by the WWW in terms of information distribution, of integration of data with documentation, and of navigation between on-line services. These useful and appealing tools are widely used, but one has to keep in mind that careful work on the service contents and functionalities remains mandatory, and that information validation remains critical. Moreover, services and links have to be maintained on the long term.
The development of services for the usage of the scientific community puts new constraints on the Agencies, with competition between data conservation/diffusion and the implementation of new instruments or operational costs. The scientific community also has to put a sufficient priority on this activity, in projects, evaluation, and strategic plans, and to encourage motivated scientists and engineers to work on data conservation and diffusion. Projects have to make their data available, in a usable form, i.e. data has to be properly selected, organized and documented, and the "project memory" has to be kept.
Astronomy has very rapidly taken advantage of the new technical possibilities, by developing on-line information services and information networking. It is a small discipline with few commercial constraints, which has helped to build long term partnership to define community standards, thus allowing the development of links and of generic tools to access data. The network of astronomical information goes from observations, distributed in observatory archives, to results published in electronic journals, with also disciplinary centres distributing data and information in a given domain, and Data Centers building value-added services and generic tools. For instance, the Centre de Donnees astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS), created in 1972 with the mission of taking care of electronic data, of building expertise about the data, of implementing tools for science, and of playing an international role, now summarizes its charter as follows: "Collect, homogenize, preserve, distribute astronomical information, for the usage of the whole astronomy community".
Astronomy has developed disciplinary standards and tools for interoperability: for instance, FITS is a widely used data format (images, spectra, tables), and data from any telescopes is kept in FITS format, thus allowing the usage of common tools to deal with it. Another example is the "bibcode" (a 19-character description of published references), first defined by database managers who had to exchange bibliographic information, then adopted and extended by the reference astronomical bibliographic database, ADS, then by the journals when they developed electronic versions, then by observatory archives when they wished to implement links with published papers using their observations. The successful networking of bibliographic information in astronomy demonstrates how a high level of interoperability can be built using de facto standards, with a bottom-up approach defined by a small group of practitioners (long before the advent of the Internet!) and "snowball effect" in the community. In this model, links are easy to build but the quality of contents and validation are fundamental and in thehands of specialists. To take into account the current development of general standards for bibliography, a gateway with bibcode will be developed, to preserve on one hand the human readability of the bibcode and the functionalities and networking of astronomy on-line resources, and on the other hand to permit links with other disciplines (e.g. a correspondence table between the bibcode and DOI).
Another example of disciplinary standard is the description of tabular data, the "ReadMe", an ASCII file, which contains information about the physical organization of the data and about its scientific meaning. It is common to catalogues, tables published in journals, surveys, and catalogues of observations in archives. It allows also a check of the homogeneity of tabular data in journals before publication, which improves the quality of published information, in addition to the peer review. This also means that published tables are usable data, and not only figures printed on paper. In the recent years, an XML standard for astronomical tabular data has been developed (astrores), and the usage of XML is currently widely discussed and implemented in the context of the Virtual Observatory projects.
The Virtual Observatory (VO) can be defined as "an enabling and coordinating entity to foster the development of tools, protocols, and collaborations necessary to realize the full scientific potential of astronomical databases in the coming decade" (NVO White Paper, June 2000). The VO has many components, going from network infrastructure or computer and data GRID, to tools and standards for data mining, or to statistical tools able to access very large, distributed data sets. Several RTD/Phase A projects have been accepted in 2001, the Astrophysical Virtual Observatory in Europe, the National Virtual Observatory in USA, AstroGrid in UK, ... The European project (PI: European Southern Observatory, partners: ESA-ECF, AstroGrid, CDS, Terapix, Jodrell Bank) has three work areas: Science use case and requirements, Interoperability deployment and demonstration, and Technology needs.CDS is responsible for the Interoperability Work Area, and a prototype using the CDS data federation and data integration tools is being developed, to give access to ground- and space-based, multi-wavelength, multi-technique archives. The prototype is made available to the community for scientific usage, in order to obtain science results and user feedback at an early stage of the project. Another objective is to establish a set of usable recommendations for helping archive managers to implement interoperability. CDS also leads the Interoperability Working Group set up by the OPTICON European Network, which aims at studying cost effective tools and standards for improving access and data exchange to/from data archives and information services. The VO projects are coordinating their activities at the international level, and the first common milestone has been the definition of an XML standard for tabular data, VOTable (V1.0 was released on April 15, 2002).


This article has analyzed the artworks, the general creative principles, and approaches connected with machine learning and neural networks. The idea that the computer can replace humans for deciding routine, algorithmic, and even analytical tasks, has raised the question about the uses of machines for creative jobs. This process forms new possibilities, non-obvious images, themes, and expressions, which require the addition and refinement of the classification of computer art. As a result, artists have found another system for describing reality represented in the artworks. From 2018-2021 many artists such as Mario Klingemann, Gene Kogan, Vadim Epstein, Anna Ridler, and Memo Akten used machine learning in their art practice. Their artworks in this genre have been to the biennales or many contemporary art exhibitions in Austria, the USA, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, etc.


Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) is an autosomal dominantly inherited genodermatosis associated with the development of renal neoplasia, spontaneous pneumothorax and benign fibrofolliculomas. The BHD gene has been maps to chromosome 17p11.2 and encodes a protein called folliculin (FLCN). Although familial forms of renal cell carcinoma account for only about 3% of all cases, the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of familial RCC syndromes has provided seminal insights into the pathogenesis of sporadic RCC. This is exemplified by the role of VHL tumor suppressor gene (TSG) inactivation in sporadic clear cell RCC. The FLCN TSG product has been linked to the mTOR/AMPK signaling pathways but the function of folliculin is much less well characterised than for other renal TSGs such as VHL. Among the multiple functions that have been associated with the VHL TSG product is a role in the regulation of apoptotic cell death. We have investigated whether folliculin also has a role in apoptosis. Comparison of isogenic FLCN null and replete cell lines demonstrated increased cell death in the latter. Flow cytometry revealed a 30 % shift in apoptotic index as determined by Annexin V vs PI staining which was demonstrated by a shift in the cell population towards an early apoptotic state. Expression of apoptosis-related proteins was investigated in FLCN null and replete cell lines using proteome array profiler. This demonstrated increased expression of SMAC, claspin HTRA2 and XIAP in FLCN replete cells. Further investigations to determine the precise role of folliculin in the regulation of apoptosis and the relationship between FLCN-induced apoptosis and p53 status are in progress. Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1129.


This report proposes a survivor robot model inspired by the physique of a spider which can be used in the cases of search and rescue operations. Multiple walking algorithms have been tested on the robot and have been narrowed down to the most efficient walking algorithm among them. The control of the robot has been done by an embedded android controller. The navigation of the spider-bot has been implemented based on a six-leg system, which will be very convenient in rough terrains. Functional algorithms have been implemented to move the robot under duress and onto challenging fields. Moreover, these algorithms aids to the various speed parameters of the robot based on the structure of the legs. Each of the legs has been designed using three servo motors controlling the limbs from different joints. We have developed a unique algorithm to detect life and send the distance and direction of the life from the robot to respond team. Additionally, a prototype has been developed for experimental purpose and finally it has been upgraded to its final version.


This experiment investigates the effect of images of differently colored sports cars on the loudness of a simultaneously perceived car sound. Still images of a sports car, colored in red, light green, blue, and dark green, were displayed to subjects during a magnitude estimation task. The sound of an accelerating sports car was used as a stimulus. Statistical analysis suggests that the color of the visual stimulus may have a small influence on loudness judgments. The observed loudness differences are generally equivalent to a change in sound level of about 1 dB, with maximum individual differences of up to 3 dB.


The adenohypophysis contains high-affinity binding sites for antidiabetic sulfonylureas that are specific blockers of ATP-sensitive K+ channels. The binding protein has a M(r) of 145,000 +/- 5000. The presence of ATP-sensitive K+ channels (26 pS) has been demonstrated by electrophysiological techniques. Intracellular perfusion of adenohypophysis cells with an ATP-free medium to activate ATP-sensitive K+ channels induces a large hyperpolarization (approximately 30 mV) that is antagonized by antidiabetic sulfonylureas. Diazoxide opens ATP-sensitive K+ channels in adenohypophysis cells as it does in pancreatic beta cells and also induces a hyperpolarization (approximately 30 mV) that is also suppressed by antidiabetic sulfonylureas. As in pancreatic beta cells, glucose and antidiabetic sulfonylureas depolarize the adenohypophysis cells and thereby indirectly increase Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels. The K+ channel opener diazoxide has an opposite effect. Opening ATP-sensitive K+ channels inhibits growth hormone secretion and this inhibition is eliminated by antidiabetic sulfonylureas.


This paper presented a new intelligent control strategy for DC microgrid in islanded operation mode based on droop control method. The DC microgrid under study included a Wind Turbine Generator (WTG), photovoltaic (PV), battery energy storage system (BESS) and a linear resistive load. According to the proposed method, each of distributed generation (DG) sources and BESS can be deployed independently within any controlled microgrid through the fuzzy control strategy. Proposed fuzzy control regulated virtual resistance of DGs and BESS unit locally and real-time based on the available power of DGs and the battery state of charge (SOC), to coordinate the module performances independently and establish the power balance and regulating DC bus voltage. Proposed control strategy for BESS enables the microgrid to supply independently the power required for the load demand when the DGs are not capable of supplying the required power to the load. The proposed fuzzy control strategy was applied locally and without dependency on the telecommunication links or any centralized energy management system. In order to validate the proposed method, the control system was implemented on a DC microgrid within MATLAB/SIMULINK, where the simulation results were analyzed and validated. Keywords— DC microgrid, fuzzy inference system (FIS), droop method, decentralized control, islanded operation.


A load balancing relay selection algorithm (LB-RS) is presented for relay based cellular networks. According to current user channel conditions as well as the user numbers that relay serves, LB-RS chooses the optimal relay node for each user in a distributed way. Simulation results demonstrate that compared with other relay selection schemes, LB-RS can achieve load balancing through effective relay selection method. This is realized by jointly consider physical layer parameters as well as MAC layer parameters, so as to obtain a tradeoff between the system throughput and the user equity.


Excavation and earthmoving equipment mostly operate in accident-prone areas. These areas normally have rollover, confinement, and fall or may be considered harmful work areas due to demolitions and sewage removals. It is inevitable that excavation and earthmoving systems should be developed to secure the safety of operators through unmanned and remote control systems. Therefore, this research proposes a system that enables excavators to be unmanned and remote-controlled without any renovation, remodeling by applying attachable and separable mechanism and modules. Moreover, this research proposes the sensor concept to evaluate the dynamic status without processing remodeling or transformation the existing hydraulic drive excavation system by adopting the easy attachable and separable mechanism. The study verifies this proposal based on observed possibility and feasibility through the experiments.


In this paper, we address the speech-based gender identification problem. Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) of voice samples are typically used as the features for gender identification. However, MFCC-based classification incurs high complexity. This paper proposes a novel pitch-based gender identification system with a two-stage classifier to ensure accurate identification and low complexity. The first stage of the classifier identifies and labels all the speakers whose pitch clearly indicates the gender of the speaker; the complexity of this stage is very low since only threshold-based decision rule on a scalar (i.e., pitch) is used. The ambiguous voice samples from all the other speakers (which cannot be classified with high accuracy by the first stage, and can be regarded as suspicious speakers or difficult cases) are forwarded to the second-stage for finer examination; the second-stage of our classifier uses Gaussian Mixture Model to accurately isolate voice samples based on gender. Experiment results show that our system is speech language/content independent, microphone independent, and robust against noisy recording conditions. Our system is extremely accurate with probability of correct classification of 98.65%, and very efficient with about 5 s required for feature extraction and classification. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract Measurements of the vertical component of the temperature gradient in Powell Lake show phenomena similar to those observed in the ocean. The gradient is an irregular function of depth, with temperature inversions indicating static instability of the water column on the centimeter scale. The lower portion of the lake contains old sea water. Doubly diffusive layers were found only near the very bottom of the lake and another form of thermohaline circulation may exist for 60 m above the layers.


This work presents the use of Dictionary Learning methods for a sparse representation of 4D seismic data in history matching. We consider a trade-off between the number of coefficients retained in the sparse data representation, the computational cost, and how well we can capture the main features of the 4D seismic signal. K-SVD is an iterative algorithm used in Dictionary Learning problems that alternates between the calculation of the sparse representation vector and dictionary update. For the definition of the sparse representation vector, one can constrain the problem into two distinct approaches: (1) sparsity-constrained; and (2) error-constrained. We evaluated the two methods and the influence of critical parameters of the algorithm (dictionary size, number of iterations, patch size, and training dataset size) using a synthetic reservoir model. Results showed that regardless of which of the constrained approaches we used, the dictionary learning method can capture the main features of the 4D seismic signal with a sparse representation. However, the number of nonzero coefficients is highly dependent on the approach. Besides, dictionary size, number of iterations, patch size, and training dataset size, also have a significant impact on the number of coefficients and the computational cost. Consequently, the selection of these variables is crucial as it might affect the history-matching process. In a permanent-reservoir-monitoring (big data) scenario, the use of sparse representation allows us to retain the main features of the reservoir in a reasonably sized data representation that can be directly used in a history matching method, leading to improved reservoir characterization and a better understanding of the reservoir properties. This paper gives a practical implementation of a technique already used in other areas (image denoising, processing of raw seismic data, and facies representation) applied to 4D seismic data.


We propose a method to construct a quantum theory of matter fields in a topology-changing universe. Analytic continuation of the semiclassical gravity of a Lorentzian geometry leads to a non-unitary Schrodinger equation in a Euclidean region of spacetime, which does not have a direct interpretation as a quantum theory of the Minkowski spacetime. In this Euclidean region we quantize the Euclidean geometry, derive the time-dependent Schrodinger equation and find the quantum states using the Liouville-Neumann method. The Wick rotation of these quantum states provides the correct Hilbert space of the matter field in the Euclidean region of the Lorentzian geometry. It is found that the direct quantization of a scalar field in the Lorentzian geometry involves an unusual commutation rule in the Euclidean region. Finally, we discuss the interpretation of the periodic solution of the semiclassical gravity equation in the Euclidean geometry as a finite-temperature solution for the gravity-matter system in the Lorentzian geometry.


This paper describes different hybrid approaches for controlling the battery charging process. The hybrid approaches combine soft computing techniques to achieve the goal of controlling the temperature of the battery during the electrochemical charging process. We have reduced the time required for charging a battery with the use of fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms. In the neuro-fuzzy-genetic approach, neural networks are used for modeling the electrochemical process, fuzzy logic is used for controlling the process, and genetic algorithms are used to optimize the fuzzy system.


Dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis during aging has been associated with increased risk of cognitive decline and developing dementia. Compared to controls, men with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been shown to have lower serum testosterone levels and higher serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. As serum free testosterone concentration is negatively correlated with LH in older men, the independent contributions of these hormones to the pathogenesis of AD warrants further clarification. To explore this notion, we measured plasma amyloid-beta (Abeta), serum testosterone, serum LH and other biochemical parameters in 40 cognitively normal elderly men. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that serum LH concentration is the only parameter that significantly correlates with plasma Abeta levels in these men (r=0.5, p=0.041). These results suggest that increased serum LH concentration, rather than lower serum free testosterone, is associated with the accumulation of Abeta in plasma. Larger, longitudinal human studies are needed to determine the significance of LH in the pathogenesis of AD.


Although the mechanization is relatively high in the production process of Solid-State fermentation Xiaoqu Qingxiang Baijiu, the fermentation tank is manually sealed with plastic film, which increases labor intensity, cleaning difficult and reduces automation level. In this paper, an automatic sealing system for solid-state fermentation of Xiaoqu Qingxiang Baijiu is proposed. Firstly, the structure of the fermentation tank and the fermentation cover is designed. Secondly, the installation process of fermentation cover on the fermentation tank with industrial robots is designed. At last, the sealing effect of the fermentation cover was detected by the detection systems of the robot. Meanwhile, the corresponding control of the robot is programmed according to the detection results. This automatic sealing system has the characteristics of high sealing effect and a high degree of automation, which also has the advantages of simple structure, simple operation and the ability of reducing labor intensity. In addition, its use in practice could also satisfy the solid-state fermentation process requirements of Xiaoqu Qingxiang Baijiu.


This paper aims at examining how network structures can
influence rural tourism and the performance of a selected
mountain tourist destination. The research investigates the
interactions between tourism stakeholders and also reveals
motives for involvement in such a type of collaborative
relationship. The theoretical part is based on a literature
review and summarizes current knowledge describing destination
and network governance in terms of approaches and research
findings. The case study research, conducted as part of current
university research, gives an account of the experience of the
most important stakeholders from the mountain resort of Vsacko
– a destination located in the tourist region called East
Moravia. The data was collected by means of in-depth interviews
and structured questionnaires. Municipalities, restaurant
owners and other tourism service providers, as well as the
destination management organization, participated in this
study. The findings focus on network-oriented motives of these
stakeholders and the importance of mutual trust. The results
underline the weakness of existing linkages and the
insufficiently defined responsibility. It refers to the poor
communication between stakeholders and confirms the immaturity
of cooperation.


One of the components of bee venom is melittin (M), which has strong lysing properties on membranes. M has high toxicity to cancer cells, but it also affects healthy cells, making it necessary to use methods for targeted delivery to ensure treatment. This research is a continuation of previous studies using graphene nanomaterials as M carriers to breast cancer cells. The studies described below are conducted on a more organized biological structure than what is found in vitro cells, namely, cancerous tumors grown on a chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane. Caspase 3 and 8 levels are analyzed, and the level of oxidative stress markers and changes in protein expression for cytokines are examined. The results show that M complexes with nanomaterials reduce the level of oxidative stress more than M alone does, but the use of graphene (GN) as a carrier increases the level of DNA damage to a greater extent than the increase caused by M alone. An analysis of cytokine levels shows that the use of the M and GN complex increases the level of proteins responsible for inhibiting tumor progression to a greater extent than the increase occasioned by a complex with graphene oxide (GO). The results suggest that the use of GN as an M carrier may increase the toxic effect of M on structures located inside a cell.


Several cyclic and acyclic enones and their ethylene ketals/acetals were reacted with dimethyl diazomalonate under bis(acetylacetonato)copper(II) catalysis. Cyclohex-2-en-1-one (1) yielded only C–H insertion products 2 and 3, whereas but-3-en-2-one gave a cyclopropane albeit in very low yield. The ethylene ketals 6 of cyclopent-2-en-1-one and cyclohex-2-en-1-one gave the corresponding cyclopropanes 7, which were in turn cleaved to the ketones 8. The acetals 9 and 10 of crotonaldehyde ((E)-but-2-enal) and cinnamaldehyde ((E)-3-phenylprop-2-enal), respectively, yielded C–O insertion and [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement products 11b, c and 12b, c, as well as cyclopropanes 11a and 11b, all of which are polyfunctional and synthetically useful compounds.


Sir: Recently, RachBeisel and Weintraub contributed further to the literature on the usefulness of valproate for treating AIDS-related mania. Contrary to current trends, they apparently prescribed valproic acid rat er than divalproex sodium— the former being less expensive, but generally less well tolerated. Given the likelihood of preexisting gastrointestinal symptoms in this population, better tolerability rather than lower cost might make divalproex sodium the preferred preparation. The authors suggest the need for further study of the use of valproate in patients with AIDS because of uncommon reports of thrombocytopenia, hepatic dysfunction, and pancreatitis associated with the drug. They did not mention a further cause for concern, namely, that in vitro studies have found that valproate stimulates HIV-1 virus replication and cytomegalovirus replication. Were this to happen in AIDS patients, the course of the illness could be altered unfavorably. Even though the authors of the viral replication studies used valproate concentrations similar to those attained in humans, the results of their work may not be directly applicable to the therapeutic use of valproate in humans because plasma protein binding was not taken into consideration. If one equates the in vitro drug concentrations (no protein binding) with free rather than total concentrations in vivo, at least some of the concentrations studied in vitro would be toxic in vivo. On the other hand, 3 factors could increase the concentration of free drug in patients with AIDS and expose them to greater risk. First, chronic illness may reduce plasma protein level and, thereby, increase the percent of free drug. Second, the protein binding of valproate is concentration dependent so that free fraction will increase as blood level increases. Third, protein binding of valproate may decrease as a result of drug interactions (e.g., with aspirin). Although the observation that valproate, in vitro, stimulates replication of HIV-1 and cytomegaloviruses should not be cause for clinical alarm, further study is clearly indicated. As Witvrouw et al. conclude: "In particular, it would seem appropriate to monitor viral load (i.e., plasma viral RNA titers) in HIV-positive individuals when being treated with VPA [valproate]."


This paper sets out a framework to structure reflexivity in social work practice. Based on the thinking of the sociologist, Derek Layder, it comprises five domains that impact on the individual and social life, namely: (i) psycho-biography – referring to a person's unique experience throughout the life-course; (ii) situated activity – highlighting the impact of every day social interaction; (iii) social settings – addressing the role of organizations in social life; (iv) culture – covering the influence of attitudes, beliefs, tastes and ideas on symbolic meaning; and (v) politico-economy – alluding to the ramifications of political and economic forces on people's lives. It is contended that power circulates throughout each domain as an enabling and constraining force. The paper then outlines a process for using the reflexive framework in 'enabling' activities such as practice learning, supervision, mentoring and coaching. By applying the framework in these contexts, it is argued that social workers can reflect critically on their role and develop emancipatory forms of practice.


Cobalt-doped MoS2/graphene (Co–MoS2/G) hybrids are fabricated through a one-pot hydrothermal method by reacting Na2MoO4 and graphene oxide with L-cysteine in the presence of Co(CH3COO)2·4H2O. It is found that the rational Co-doping not only changes the morphology and microstructure of the Co–MoS2/G hybrids, but also improves the intrinsic electrocatalytic activity of their active sites. In addition, the highly conductive graphene facilitates the electron transport between active sites and electrodes. In particular, the Co–MoS2/G-3 hybrid prepared with 0.15 mmol Co(CH3COO)2·4H2O displays numerous Co–MoS2 short sheets which are well-anchored on the graphene surface, and provide more exposed active edge sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). With such merits, the Co–MoS2/G-3 hybrid shows a remarkable catalytic activity toward HER with a low Tafel slope of 44.3 mV dec−1 and excellent durability (minimal performance degradation after 1000 cycles). Also, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy demonstrates that the Co–MoS2/G-3 catalyst electrode displays a greatly reduced charge-transfer resistance for HER, indicating its favorable reaction kinetics.


The electronic structure and the metallization onset of single-domain K/Si(100)2x1 have been investigated with angle-resolved polarization-sensitive ultraviolet photoemission. The electronic states producing the surface metallization have been studied for increasing K coverages up to room-temperature saturation. As K coverage increases, the interface undergoes a transition at a critical coverage, from a low-coverage semiconducting phase, to a saturation-coverage metallic phase. Two different surface states (F-1 and F-2) have been detected in the vicinity of the Fermi level. These two states are sequentially filled along the metallization process. The coverage dependence of both F-1 and F-2, and their symmetry properties indicate that the metallization is due to the filling of an initially empty surface band (appearance of F-2) We relate F-1 to the completion of K chains in the single-domain surface. The changes detected in K 3p line shape correlate well with the modifications of the valence band, and support that the surface remains semiconducting up to the filling of F-2.


Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF)‐based fluorescent biological probes embedded with near infrared (NIR) emission have some unique properties, such as minimal photodamage, low light scattering, and deep tissue penetration. Typical TADF materials are based on electron donors and acceptors, all of them have broad emission and high molecular weight, which is not ideal for biological applications. The cycl[3,3,3]azine is a multiple resonance effect (MRE)‐like TADF fluorescent compound, with narrow NIR emission, inverted singlet‐triplet gaps, and low molecular weight, which is an ideal platform for biological applications. However, the low stability of cycl[3,3,3]azine and its anti‐Kasha's rule nature limit its biological applications. In this work, the authors have rationally investigated the decomposition process of cycl[3,3,3]azine, and a series of NIR and MRE‐like molecules are designed. These molecules would be stable in the biological environment and NIR fluorescence can also be emitted from the first excited state, the synthesis route has also been proposed. In a word, this work provides a series of biological probes with inverted singlet‐triplet gaps, good stability, and low molecular weight for further study.


To improve the error performance and the resource utilization of cooperative systems, the optimum resource allocation, i.e., power allocation and partner choice, for an adaptive decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative diversity system based on quadrature modulation is investigated. The closed-form expression of the bit error rate (BER) system performance is derived and an optimal power allocation (OPA) algorithm is proposed to optimize the power allocation between the local and relayed signals under the minimum BER criterion. Based on the OPA algorithm, a partner choice strategy is proposed to determine the partner locations specified by various cooperation gains. Simulation results show that the proposed resource optimization algorithms are superior to the unoptimized algorithms by significantly reducing the BER and improving the cooperative gain, which is useful to simplify the practical partner choice process.


Abstract Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission members seeking to implement MARPOL 73/78 Annex IV amendments which recognize the Baltic Sea as special are, in which discharge of uncommitted sewage from passenger ships is forbidden, must ensure that ports are equipped with adequate reception facilities. To ensure implementation of amendments of Annex IV in port of Klaipeda, the analysis framework model was defined by authors. The model evaluates the readiness of the port to changes brought by the amendments of MARPOL Annex IV. The scientific problem comes with perception of adequacy. Resolution MEPC.200(62) amending MARPOL 73/78 Annex IV states, that port reception facilities must be adequate to the needs of passenger ships using them without causing undue delay. Concept of adequacy is not defined, therefore other guidelines explaining adequacy were used: EU directive 2000/59/EC and IMO resolution MEPC.83(44) Guidelines for ensuring adequacy of port reception facilities. Based on these sources, criteria that must be met to ensure adequacy were identified and tested in article: 1) reception facilities meet needs of ships normally using them; 2) discharge of sewage does to cause undue delay; 3) reception facilities does not provide disincentive to use them; 4) facilities are accessible; 5) facilities contribute to the improvement of the marine environment.


For years, returned merchandise was generally viewed as a headache for both the seller and the buyer. Reverse logistics, the movement of materials back up the supply chain, is being recognized by many organizations and firms. While global environmental concerns have been the motivation for initiating the field of reverse logistics, firms have discovered that reverse logistics plays an important role in achieving "green supply chains". The construction of a practical reverse logistics information system not only can realize the high-efficiency of reverse logistics operation but also can establish a new information management solution. This paper articulates a way of using unified modeling language (UML) to develop a reverse logistics information system. The results show that the UML was useful in the development of reverse logistics information system. In summary, this paper can shed light on future research in development of reverse logistics infomationization.


List of Figures and Tables. List of Contributors. 1. Introduction: A Review of Contemporary Theorectical. Debates in Archaeology (Ian Hodder). 2. Behavioral Archaeology: Toward a New Synthesis (Vincent M. LaMotta and Michael B. Schiffer). 3. Evolutionary Archaeology (Robert D. Leonard). 4. Archaeological Theory and Theories of Cognitive Evolution. (Steven Mithen). 5. Symbol before Concept: Material Engagement and the Early. Development of Society (Colin Renfrew). 6. Agency, the Duality of Structure, and the Problem of the. Archaeological Record ( John C. Barrett). 7. Archaeologies of Place and Landscape (Julian Thomas). 8. Archaeologies of Identity (Lynn Meskell). 9. American Material Culture in Mind, Thought, and Deed. (Anne Yentsch and Mary C. Beaudry). 10. Postcolonial Archaeology: Issues of Culture, Identity, and. Knowledge (Chris Gosden). 11. Archaeological Representation: The Visual Conventions for. Constructing Knowledge about the Past (Stephanie Moser). 12. Culture/Archaeology: The Dispersion of a Discipline and. its Objects (Michael Shanks). Index.


Herein, recent progress in fiber optofluidic lasers and their applications in biochemical detection are reviewed. The unique properties of optical fibers are introduced for the development of optofluidic microlasers, including high quality factor, small mode volume, high aspect ratio, high reproducibility, and low cost. Optical fiber microresonators based on Fabry–Pérot cavity, microring resonator or photonic bandgap cavity are highlighted to provide optical feedback for optofluidic lasing. For applications, the capability of fiber optofluidic lasers is emphasized to perform biochemical analysis with ultrahigh sensitivity, fast response, high throughput, and disposable optical biodetection. The challenges and prospects for fiber optofluidic lasers are also discussed.


We consider a small itinerant ferromagnet exposed to an external magnetic field and strongly driven by a thermally induced spin current. For this model, we derive the quasi-classical equations of motion for the magnetization where the effects of a dynamical non-equilibrium distribution function are taken into account self-consistently. We obtain the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation supplemented by a spin-transfer torque term of Slonczewski form. We identify a regime of persistent precessions in which we find an enhancement of the thermoelectric current by the pumping current.


Abstract Guilds between authority and opposition. This paper compares the legal status of guilds in two German towns of the late Middle Ages: Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg. Both cities represented commercial hubs, Frankfurt with its privilege to hold fairs, Hamburg as a port town and member of the Hanse. Both cities also witnessed unrest and public protest by guilds during the second half of the 14th century. This article argues that those conflicts erupted over the guilds' attempts to formalise their legal status by having their statutes written and acknowledged by the city council. The council eventually pre-empted those attempts. This happened through a process of bargaining that can be subdivided into three different stages: production of written demands or statutes, destabilisation, escalation. Putting something into writing created a qualitative distinction to orality in a society that was predominantly communicating orally and in presence. Thus, the latter was still the mode of political communication, mainly by swearing an oath, that could settle these conflicts. Where this process failed, the conflict could erupt into open violence, which in turn could only be settled by outside intervention – as in the case of Frankfurt.


Laser cladding of oxide ceramic powder mixed with ground enamel frit containing Co and Ni on a steel substrate was performed by use of a 2Kw CO2 laser. Accordingly, a uniform, dence, adhesive and crack-free coating of Al2O3/ Al2O3-SiO2 based oxide ceramic may be prepared onto steel surface. The microstructural characteristics of the formed coatings was characterized by SEM, EDXA, EPM ect. with their morphology, microstructure and composition. Finally, it's charactaristics were discussed in terms of so-called "thermal barrier", "higher Re "and "visco -elastic".Laser cladding of oxide ceramic powder mixed with ground enamel frit containing Co and Ni on a steel substrate was performed by use of a 2Kw CO2 laser. Accordingly, a uniform, dence, adhesive and crack-free coating of Al2O3/ Al2O3-SiO2 based oxide ceramic may be prepared onto steel surface. The microstructural characteristics of the formed coatings was characterized by SEM, EDXA, EPM ect. with their morphology, microstructure and composition. Finally, it's charactaristics were discussed in terms of so-called "thermal barrier", "higher Re "and "visco -elastic".


The European Union has in recent years become more ambitious in terms of its global role. Numerous missions – military, civilian and now also combined – have been and are being carried out under an EU flag. While the European Security Strategy has given the EU a point of departure for a common vision on security policy, the humanitarian and developmental aspects of EU foreign policy have remained somewhat separate from these developments, and many in the development community have viewed the EU's new ambitions with some suspicion, considering them as 'interventionist' and privileging a security over a development agenda. The European response to the tsunami offers interesting new insights in relation to these developments. This paper focuses on the situations in Aceh and Sri Lanka, and concentrates on the policies towards the people affected by disasters rather than on environmental responses or prevention mechanisms. Using the four themes of response and coordination, the impact of the tsunami and the response on the conflicts in Sri Lanka and Aceh, the sustainability of post-tsunami policies, and the effects of the tsunami in terms of European public opinion, this paper argues that the EU should be less focused on building capabilities, and much more on developing a coherent common vision guiding all its external policies.


Rice production plays a crucial role ia the food supply of China and a better understanding of the changes in paddy soil fertility and the management effects is of practical importance for increasing rice productivity. In this study, field sampling in a typical red soil region of subtropical China, Jiangxi Province, was used to observe changes in the soil physical, chemical,and biological properties in a cultivation chronosequence of paddy fields. After cultivation, clay (< 0.002 mm) content in the soil, which was 39% in the original uncultivated wasteland, decreased to 17% in the 80-year paddy field, while silt(0.02-0.002 mm) content increased. Additionally, macroporosity increased and pore shapes became more homogeneous.Soil pH generally increased. Soil organic C and total N contents of the 0-10 cm layer increased from 4.58 and 0.39 g kg-1to 19.6 and 1.62 g kg-1, respectively, in the paddy fields after 30-year cultivation and then remained stable. Soil total P content increased from 0.5 to 1.3 g kg-1 after 3 years of rice cultivation, indicating that application of phosphate fertilizer could accelerate phosphorous accumulation in the soil. Total K content in the 0-10 cm soil layer for the 80-year paddy field decreased by 28% compared to that of the uncultivated wasteland land. Total Fe and free Fe contents declined with years of cultivation. The bacterial population increased and urease activity noticeably intensified after years of cultivation.In this chronosequence it appeared that it took 30 years to increase soil fertility to a relatively constant value that was seen after 80 years of cultivation.


The results after an oral glucose provocation test before and after surgery of 32 patients with duodenal chloridropeptic ulcer, who underwent a total vagotomy, partial antrectomy and gastroduodenal anastomosis at level of the lesser curvature ("VAGDPC") are presented. It is concluded that with this surgical procedure, when submitted to the oral glucose provocation test, nobody presented the dumping syndrome with clinical expression.


The snail Biomphalaria glabrata acts as an intermediate host to Schistosoma mansoni, an endemic parasite in several countries. B. glabrata hemocytes are related to its defense against infection by trematodes, including S. mansoni. In the present paper, the activity of molluscicidal substances such as the tannic acid extracts of Stryphnodendron polyphyllum, a plant from the Brazilian Savannah, on the morphology and number of B. glabrata hemocytes was evaluated. The bark and leaf extracts of S. polyphyllum were diluted in dechlorinated water and groups of snails were exposed to 25 and 50 mg.L -1 concentrations of the extracts, as well as, to tannic acid during 24h. Subsequently, hemolymph was removed from the pericardic region. Hemocyte subpopulations were detected and classified as small (5.0 – 6.9 µm), medium (7.0 – 8.9μm), large (9.0 – 12.0μm) and giant (over 12μm), the latter being a novel classification. The extracts stimulated an increase in the number of hemocyte cells in the hemolymph. This is understood as a defense mechanism against toxic substances such as tannic acid, present in high levels in both tested extracts. Hemocytes showed vacuoles in the cytoplasm due to the presence of such substances, which are signs of cellular death due to apoptosis. We conclude that the extracts are highly effective against B. glabrata, recommending further biological impact studies aiming its use as a natural molluscicide.


Thyroid hormones, sympatho-adrenomedullary activity and metabolic responses have been studied in eight healthy obese subjects during modified fasting (0.8 MJ, 200 kcal/d) for 14 d, followed by hypocaloric-carbohydrate refeeding (2.4 MJ, 600 kcal/d) for 3 d. In the week preceding modified fasting, the subjects received a 7.2 MJ (1800 kcal) diet daily containing 20 mmol sodium, in order to distinguish the effects of salt depletion from those of energy restriction. Sodium (20 mmol/d) and potassium (80 mmol/d) were kept constant throughout the study. During modified fasting a low T3-high rT3 state developed; concomitantly a marked decrease in sympatho-adrenomedullary activity (assessed by 24-h urinary excretion of catecholamines) was observed. Upon refeeding plasma T3 increased and plasma rT3 decreased, but not completely to pre-fast values. Upon refeeding urinary catecholamine excretion markedly increased. A strong inverse relationship was found between the marked decrement of both thermogenic hormones and the catabolism of protein. No correlation between these parameters was found during brief refeeding. The observed decline of both thermogenic hormones may represent an adaptation to protect tissues from the catabolic effect of these substances during severe energy deficiency.


The underrepresentation of non-White students and girls in STEM fields is an ongoing problem that is well documented. In K-12 science education, girls, and especially non-White girls, often do not identify with science regardless of test scores. In this study, we examine the narrated and embodied identities-in-practice of non-White, middle school girls who articulate future career goals in STEM-related fields. For these girls who desire an STEM-related career, we examine the relationships between their narrated and embodied identities-in-practice. Drawing on interview and ethnographic data in both school and after school science contexts, we examine how STEM-career minded middle school girls articulate and negotiate a path for themselves through their narratives and actions. We present four types of relationships between girls' narrated and embodied identities-in-practice, each with a representative case study: (1) partial overlaps, (2) significant overlaps, (3) contrasting, and (4) transformative. The implications of these relationships with regard to both hurdles and support structures that are needed to equip and empower girls in pursuit of their STEM trajectories are discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 50: 1143-1179, 2013.


Environmental preservation, economic growth and related topics that have an impact on Earth are becoming more and more important today. Worldwide, there's a call for a deep involvement in favour of sustainable development. Pursuing sustainable development objectives needs day-by- day commitment from all the society actors: governments, industries and individuals. Among them, individuals play a strategic role: they have the possibility to vote for politicians who act in favour of sustainable issues. Then, people can decide to buy and consume goods produced by sustainable industries. Additionally, they can pay attention not to waste water, electricity or gasoline (e.g. by walking or using public transport means) and contribute to higher recycling rates. To address these issues of individuals' attitudes and behaviours, we have conducted a survey research in order measure the perception of the Geneva population regarding the main social aspects of sustainable development. This empirical research provides answers to some aspects of the following questions: what does sustainable development mean for the Geneva population? Who should act in favour of sustainable development? How habits should be changed to contribute to sustainable development? Relationships between classes and between variables are analyzed in depth. Research hypotheses are then verified on the basis of non-parametric statistical tests. This empirical research attempts to provide some elements of perception about sustainable developments leading to recommendations for better policies for public and private institutions. Among other results, we have found that people who are attentive to the protection of the environment are more likely to change their day-by-day habits in favour of sustainable development: we thus indicate that this could be a lever over which public policies could push their activities.


In usual stomatologic surgery, after the intervention, the antibiotic cover is preserved but the classical anti-inflammatory cover is replaced by a unique session of multi-micro-injections of injectable Voltaren around the sutures into the mucous membrane. The results are similar on oedema, better on pain and this obtained with about ten times less NHAI, so much the better for side-effects.


In this paper I argue, contrary to Hartmut Kliemt, that it is possible to be both a Humean and, in James Buchanan's sense, a contractarian. Hume sees principles of justice and political allegiance not as actual or hypothetical products of explicit agreement, but as conventions that have emerged spontaneously. However, it is fundamental to Hume's analysis that conventions are mutually advantageous, and hence cognate with agreements. The core idea in Buchanan's contractarianism is that the proper role of government is to implement voluntary exchanges between individuals, not to define and maximise a unified conception of social welfare. Although real politics cannot be based entirely on unanimous agreement, the voluntary exchange approach provides a valuable structure for normative economics.


Back ground: Modern contraceptive plays a vital role in the reduction of maternal and child morbidities and mortalities; prevention of pregnancy is an effective form of primary prevention. The link between fertility and the consequences of population growth can be stabilized by giving more emphasis on contraceptive methods at community level. In remote southern communities of Ethiopia, the contraceptive utilization is still low when compared to other districts in the region. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess determinants of contraceptive use among reproductive aged women in Surma woreda . Methods: A cross-sectional community based study triangulated with qualitative study was conducted from April to May 2015. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total of 584 women participants for the quantitative study, whereas purposive sampling was employed for the qualitative study. Key-informant interview guide and pre-tested questionnaire were used for data collection. Data were entered into Epi-Info version 3.5.3 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to see the effect of predictors on the dependent variable. Results: The current modern contraceptive prevalence rate is found to be 3.3%. Among the variables partner approval was significantly associated with modern contraceptive use (AOR=6.006; 95%CI= (1.804, 19.994). The Suri have long-standing tradition of fertility regulation i.e. the rhythm method and a culture that support child spacing. Conclusion: There is low prevalence of modern contraceptive use while traditional contraceptive methods are widely practiced. Partner approval as well as the culture and lifestyle of the community are believed to have influenced modern contraceptive use. Hence, continuous health education on modern contraceptives, male involvement and adequate number of community based agents should be trained to reach the community. Keywords: Contraceptive, Prevalence, determinants, Surma, Ethiopia


Development of artificial oscillator-based spiking neural networks (SNN), which are able to solve effectively various cybernetics problems including image recognition and adaptive control, is a key line of research. We have thoroughly explored the scheme of two thermally coupled $VO_2$ oscillators and found its effect of high order synchronization (HOS), which may be used to increase SNN classification capacity $N_s$. Phase-locking estimation method has been developed to determine values of subharmonic ratio SHR and synchronization effectiveness {\eta}. The experimental scheme has $N_s=12$ and SHR distributions are shaped as Arnold's tongues. In a model $N_s$ may reach maximum of $N_s>150$ at certain levels of coupling strength and noise. We demonstrate the long-range synchronization effect in a one-dimensional chain of oscillators and the phenomenon of synchronization transfer even at low values of {\eta} for intermediate links. The paper demonstrates realization of analogue operation of "multiplication", binary logic, and possibility of development of the interface between SNN and computer. The described effects increasing classification capacity of oscillator schemes and calculation principles based on the universal physical effect - HOS may be applied for any spiking type oscillators with any coupling type therefore enhancing practical value of the presented results to expand SNN capabilities.


Pi Mou Nin, Maha Hswei, Theippan Maun Wa, Zoji and Thein Hpei Myint were the representative modem short novel writers of Myanmar. They were the writers who had played a pivotal role in the Myanmar modem literature world. Theippan Maun Wa and Zoji were the staffs of the Khit San literature of Myanmar. The Khit San literature which had branched off from the feudalistic court literature with the meaning to 'test the age' was an important landmark in the history of Myanmar literature both in the aspect of form (the simplicity and brevity of sentences, the plainness and definiteness of expression) and content(naturalism and humanism). Theippan Maun Wa wrote many short stories with brief and pointed sentence expression on the basis of his experiences as a civil administrator in rural Myanmar. On the other hand, Thein Hpei Myint was a representative resistance writer of anti-fascism people's literature of Myanmar. The works of Thein Hpei Myint which was based on his idea and activity about anti-fascism described anti-fascism as a personal experience through the inner description of an ordinary youth. Furthermore, the literary same character of Theippan Maun Wa and Thein Hpei Myint is the point that writer and protagonist are the same characters, namely, Theippan Maun Wa is Maun Lu Ei and Thein Hpei Myint is Tin Htun. And, the literary different character of Theippan Maun Wa and Thein Hpei Myint is their literary style in the aspect of contents. Namely, the literary style of Theippan Maun Wa is naturalism and humanism, and that of Thein Hpei Myint is the anti-fascism resistance literature.


The single assessment process has been advocated as a cure-all for some of the duplication and inconsistency of approach to assessment experienced by many older people. Introduced as part of the National Service Framework for Older People ( DoH 2000 ), the single assessment process(SAP) has generally been welcomed for its person centred approach and inclusion of older people. It is possible that with appropriate implementation older people will see less duplication and the avoidance of multiple professional assessments, which in turn could improve the care older people receive.


To resolve the problem of complex operation of the linear approximation distance threshold (LADT) algorithm, some improved researches were made to the algorithm by taking the characteristic of electrocardiograph (ECG) signal and the advantages of field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) into account. The paper puts forward a real time compression method with much less mathematical operation and much easier real-time implementation. With the artificial and experimental verification, it turned to be that the arithmetic has the advantages of low distortion and in real time. In the application of improved fast LADT algorithm, the paper designed the hardware system of ECG data compression based on FPGA and the program of the algorithm based on very high speed integrated circuit hardware description language (VHDL). And the experiment results of this system turned to be good performance. The approach can be easily extended to other similar applications.


In this paper we address the issue of developing an interoperable infrastructure for language resources and technologies. In our approach, called UFRA, we extend the Federate Database Architecture System adding typical functionalities caming from UIMA. In this way, we capitalize the advantages of a federated architecture, such as autonomy, heterogeneity and distribution of components, monitored by a central authority responsible for checking both the integration of components and user rights on performing different tasks. We use the UIMA approach to manage and define one common front-end, enabling users and clients to query, retrieve and use language resources and technologies. The purpose of this paper is to show how UIMA leads from a Federated Database Architecture to a Federated Resource Architecture, adding to a registry of available components both static resources such as lexicons and corpora and dynamic ones such as tools and general purpose language technologies. At the end of the paper, we present a case-study that adopts this framework to integrate the SIMPLE lexicon and TIMEML annotation guidelines to tag natural language texts.


Endocarditis continues to be a popular subject among medical authors. A steady stream of new papers describes evolving aspects of epidemiology, clinical manifestations, natural history, and management. Significant developments include refinements in echocardiography and diagnostic criteria, and the introduction of improved surgical techniques for dealing with the complications of endocarditis. Here we review recent publications that present useful or interesting observations.


Initial relative orbit determination from bearing angle measurements represents an enabling technology for autonomous space missions. This work addresses the range ambiguity issue by capturing nonlinear separation effects with a secondorder Cartesian relative motion model for eccentric orbits. The system of polynomial constraint equations resulting from a series of line-of-sight measurements is solved numerically by homotopy continuation. Proof-of-concept is demonstrated for a range of orbit scenarios, including the first application of angles-only relative navigation to hyperbolic flyby trajectories. Inherent limitations of the approach resulting from sensitivity to perturbing forces, measurement error, and uncertainty in the observer state are assessed.


The poetry of Khawaja Ghulam Farid has a world of meanings. Contemporaneously in the West, there was a parallel line of poets who were greatly influenced by Eastern thought and philosophy in their Transcendentalist poetry. Their poetry also contains ideas about the reality of God. Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered as 'The Father of Transcendentalism'. The present study attempts to explore how far the poetic thought of Khawaja Farid is reflected in the transcendentalist poetry of Emerson who is the leading poet of this movement. The affinities between the mystic philosophy of the Unity of Being embraced by Khawaja Farid and Transcendentalist Monism have been traced and it has been explored how this philosophy places man about God. This comparative study highlights the philosophical and spiritual affinities between Khawaja Farid and Transcendentalist Emerson and points out the differences of thought as expressed through their respective poetry.


Three new methods have been developed for the assay of cyproheptadine in bulk drug and in tablet formulation based on the bromination of cyproheptadine hydrochloride (CPH) by bromine generated in situ by the action of acid on bromate-bromide mixture. In titrimetry, the drug is treated with a known excess of bromate-bromide mixture in hydrochloric acid medium followed by the determination of unreacted bromine iodometrically. Spectrophotometry involves the addition of a measured excess of bromate-bromide reagent in acid medium to CPH, and after the reaction is ensured to be complete, the residual bromine is determined by reacting with a fixed amount of methyl orange, and measuring the absorbance at 520 nm. In kinetic method, a mixture containing CPH and methyl orange dye in 1 M sulphuric acid is mixed with bromate-bromide reagent at 4-5 degrees C and time required for bleaching of methyl orange colour is measured. In titrimetry and spectrophotometry, the amount of bromine reacted corresponds to the amount of CPH, and in the former method, quantitation is based on a 1: 1 reaction stoichiometry (CPH:KBrO3) and the method is applicable over 2-15 mg range. The spectrophotometric method permits the determination of CPH in 0.5-4.0 mu g mL(-1) range with an apparent molar absorptivity of 5.25x 10(4) L mol(-1) cm(-1) and a Sandell sensitivity of 0.0062 mu g cm(-2). The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) are calculated to be 0.04 and 0.12 mu g mL(-1), respectively. Quantitation in kinetic method is based on the linear relationship that exists between the CPH concentration and the time for bromination as indicated by the bleaching of methyl orange acid color. The method is applicable over 10-50 mu g mL(-1) range with LOD and LOQ values being 1.42 and 4.74 mu g mL(-1), respectively. The methods were statistically evaluated by calculating the relative error for accuracy and intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variation for precision, and were applied successfully to the determination of CPH in tablets and syrup with mean recoveries in the range of 97.58-100.9%. The accuracy and reliability of the methods were further ascertained by performing recovery tests via standard-addition technique. There was no interference from tablet excipients and additives.