Randomly selected fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh graders (sixty from each grade) were given an abil ity testo The score and the time taken were used to test the hypotheses of no negative linear relationship and no curvilinear relationship between test score and test time. Although no significant linear relationships were found, significant curvilinear regressions of time on score were found in grades seven and nine. The strength of these significant relationships were relatively low in both grades.


Abstract In this article, the authors tease out meritocracy from level design by comparing "passing" game levels with "passing" as performances for survival by marginalized peoples. We use HIV to demonstrate passing as a response from the intersections of queerness, race, and disability to inform heuristics for level design that tease out meritocratic design practices. We finish by illustrating our heuristics in action through Roxy's Got Balls, an online drag queen bingo event.


This paper focused on how different parameters affect plasma degradation of Acid Orange 7 (AO) with contact glow discharge electrolysis (CGDE). These varied parameters were temperature, applied voltage, discharge time, initial pH of solution, initial dye concentration, and electrolyte concentration. It could be concluded from orthogonal design that applied voltage and discharge time had major effect on the degradation of AO. Under the optimized condition, the reproducibility of the experiment and the catalytic effect of ferric and ferrous ions were also studied. The degradation rate of AO in CGDE was stable and over 95% in reduplicative experiment. Ferric and ferrous ions had apparent catalytic effect on the degradation of AO. In particular, they could greatly reduce the degradation time. In addition, the ferrous ions showed the better catalytic effect than the ferric ions.


Type VI secretion systems (T6SS) are common bacterial contractile injection systems that inject toxic "effector" proteins into neighboring cells. Effector discovery is generally done manually, and computational approaches used for effector discovery depend on genetic linkage to T6SS genes and/or sequence similarity to known effectors. We bioinformatically investigated T6SS in more than 11,832 genomes of Gram negative bacteria. We found that T6SS encoding bacteria are host-associated and pathogenic, enriched in specific human and plant tissues, while depleted in marine, soil, and engineered environments. Analysis of T6SS cores with C-terminal domains ("evolved" cores) showed "evolved" HCP are rare, overwhelmingly encoded in orphan operons, and are largely restricted to Escherichia. Using the wealth of data generated from our bioinformatic analysis, we developed two algorithms for large-scale discovery of T6SS effector proteins (T6Es). We experimentally validated ten putative antibacterial T6SS effector proteins and one cognate immunity gene from a diverse species. This study provides a systematic genomic perspective of the role of the T6SS in nature, a thorough analysis of T6E evolution and genomic properties, and discovery of a large number of candidate T6Es using new approaches.


A degree of task completeness—a consequence of the division of labor and job specialization—might play an important role in employees' motivation to be creative/innovative. While there is no consensus on whether having well-rounded or task-specialized work is optimal for employees' innovative work behavior (IWB), we entertain the possibility that the preferred amount of this job attribute may condition individual reactions to a particular task structure. Moving beyond a traditional fit/misfit perspective of perceiving individuals as passive respondents, we expect that task-identity discrepancy (actual vs desired) triggers an employee to respond proactively by exhibiting job crafting, resulting in more frequent IWB. We test our hypotheses with mediated polynomial regression analyses based on a multi-source time-lagged field study of 184 professionals in a European bank and an experimental study with 81 students at an EU-based university. The results indicate that task-identity incongruence indirectly drives IWBs more than congruence. Specifically, both task-identity overfit (actual > desired) and task-identity underfit (desired > actual) are positively predicting IWB through job crafting as a coping mechanism for employees to adjust their work and unleash the innovative power from the experienced incongruence.


The use of metals in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography to have the highest productivity with low exposure dose requirements (below 20mJ/cm2) has recently developed an increased interest. The motivation of using metals in the formulation of EUV photoresists stems from the high EUV cross sectional absorption of several metal species that give the opportunity to enhance the EUV absorbance capacity compared to a traditional pure organic resist and thus capture more productive photons, improving the resist sensitivity. The challenge is to keep a high performing switching solubility mechanism, to maintain patterning fidelity and to mitigate shot noise with a better tradeoff between sensitivity and line width roughness (LWR) when compared to a traditional resist. Further, a possible introduction of a metal containing resist (MCR) in a high volume manufacturing (HVM) line opens new scenarios at the contamination and process level about the management of the wafers and tools and MCRs need to demonstrate high capacity to compete with traditional organic photo materials. In this work we have looked at two different aspects of MCRs: the electron response as initial fundamental study on the light-photoresist interaction and the patterning performance in EUVL as manufacturability aspect of such a class of metal photoresists. The obtained results give indication that adding a metal into a CAR formulation may not be sufficient to increase the electron response of such a resist when exposed under the EUV light. Further, an MCR does not necessarily give good EUV lithographic performance, suggesting that the benefit from metals in terms of higher electron response or higher photon absorption can be fully realized only if the chemistry is right. On another hand, when the right chemistry is realized, we demonstrate that the litho-etch integration in a module is feasible for an MCR. In this paper the pattern transfer on stacked wafer for 22nm line-space dense features is successfully demonstrated using an MCR high imaging performance. Furthermore, the cross contamination results on an etch chamber tool are successfully presented. With the demonstrated etch capability, the metal containing resists move a step forward reducing the gap between the R&D and the manufacturing stage.


Introduction: Among uterine cancer patients, the age-adjusted mortality for African Americans is substantially higher relative to white patients. Previous studies have attributed this survival disparity to an elevated rate of aggressive tumors and advanced stage of disease among African Americans. However, the role of access to care in this racial disparity has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of insurance status and treatment on racial/ethnic survival disparities among a large cohort of uterine cancer patients from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Methods: Women diagnosed with stage I-III uterine cancer between 2000-2007 were selected from the NCDB. The association between race/ethnicity and all cause mortality was analyzed adjusting for patient demographic and clinical factors, health insurance, treatment (which included categories for no surgery, surgery alone, and surgery plus systemic treatment), area-level education, and facility characteristics. Kaplan Meir (KM) and multivariate Cox proportional hazards were used to estimate 4 year survival rates and hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) among patients diagnosed between 2000-2002, respectively. Log binomial models were used to estimate risk ratios (RR) and 95% CI of likelihood of surgical treatment and among patients receiving surgery, the risk of lymphadectomy and systemic (radiation and/or chemotherapy) therapy. Results: Among the 178,891 evaluable patients, 73.79%, 4.39% 8.66%, 3.07% and 10.08% were white, Hispanic, African American, Other and missing race. The 4 year survival rate was 81.81% for whites, 81.50% for Hispanic, 63.19% for African American and 85.62% for other races. African Americans had a higher risk of death compared to whites (HR=1.43 95%CI1.31 −1.56) after adjusting for all covariates except treatment and insurance. After additional adjustment of treatment the risk death decreased among African Americans (HR=1.32 95%CI1.21 −1.45) and subsequent adjustment for insurance further reduced the hazard of death (HR=1.28 95% CI1.16-1.40). Patients with insurance other than private had an increased risk of death (Uninsured HR= 1.46 95%CI1.22-1.75, Medicaid HR=1.74,95%CI1.49-2.02, Medicare among patients aged 18-64 HR=2.52,95% CI 2.13-2.99, Medicare among patients aged 65-99 HR=1.26,95% 1.16-1.38). African Americans (RR= 0.96 95% CI 0.96-0.97) and Hispanics (RR=0.99 95% CI 0.99-1.00) had similar surgical treatment rates compared to whites and among patients receiving surgical treatment, similar rates of lymphadectomy and systemic treatment by race/ethnicity were observed. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a portion of the survival disparity between African Americans and whites is attributable to variations in access to care; the hazard ratios of death decreased 11% when treatment was accounted for and an additional 4% when insurance was accounted for. Despite accounting for these and other factors, African American patients had 32% greater risk of death. Future studies examining the role of lifestyle factors and non insurance related barriers to medical care, such as lower income, prior experiences and trust in the health care system, language and geographic barriers, cultural and communication barriers are warranted. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):B87.


OBJECTIVE
To better understand the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and possible prevention of immediate hypersensitivity reactions to latex in a hospitalized, pediatric patient population.

METHODS
We performed a retrospective case analysis of the first 35 patients with latex allergy evaluated by our service over a 2-year period at our institution. Characteristics of patients and clinical reactions were analyzed and the presence of latex-specific immunoglobulin E was assessed using in vitro methods. In a limited group of patients, the success of strict environmental control and premedication with steroids and antihistamines was evaluated for the prevention of latex allergic reactions.

RESULTS
The majority of our patients had life-threatening reactions. In previous reports, most pediatric patients underwent reactions in the perioperative period and belonged to two well-recognized "high-risk" patient groups (spina bifida and genitourinary malformations). In our series, 21 patients (60%) had reactions outside of the operating room setting, and 14 patients (40%) had primary diagnoses outside of the previously recognized "high-risk" groups. Many patients had a history of multiple surgical procedures, and a history of a surgical procedure in the first year of life was very common. A pre-existing clinical history of latex allergy was present in only 18 of the 35 patients, and a severe or life-threatening allergic reaction was the presenting feature of latex allergy in 11 of the 35 patients. Using in vitro assays, we were able to detect latex-specific immunoglobulin E in the sera of all but two of our patients. Latex gloves and latex-containing intravenous sets were common triggers for reactions. When exposure to latex occurs systemically, as through an intravenous line, premedication with steroids and antihistamines may fail to protect against anaphylaxis.

CONCLUSIONS
Our experience indicates that the incidence of latex hypersensitivity in children is increasing, that the circumstances (patient profile, hospital location, route of exposure) in which life-threatening reactions may occur are more broad than previously reported, and that a better understanding of both environmental sources of latex antigens and host responses to latex exposure are needed for improved prevention of serious reactions.


Nanotechnology is the study and use of structures between 1 nanometer and 100 nanometers in size. Nanotechnology is definitely a medical boon for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer diseases. Nanoparticulate technology is of particular use in developing a new generation of more effective cancer therapies capable of overcoming many biological, biophysical and biomedical barriers that the body stages against a standard intervention. Nanoparticles that deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to cancer cells are under development. Nanomedicine application areas include drugdelivery, therapy, diagonistic, imaging and antimicrobial techniques. The formed nano particles can be used in wide range of therapeutic treatment of cancer. To overcome problems of systemic toxicity associated with chemotherapy and enhance treatment resolution of cancer therapies, nanotechnology is increasingly providing many novel approaches, especially to energy-based cancer therapies. Nonmaterial and biomarkers of cancer, general principle of drug targeting to cancer, intracellular mechanisms, and nanoparticles based formulation in market, several recent applications in medicine as diagnostic and therapeutic are discussed. This article aim to overview on all the parts of nanotechnology in cancer therapy.


Biomarkers play key roles in the diagnosis, risk assessment, treatment and supervision of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Optical biosensors and assays are valuable analytical tools answering the need for fast and reliable measurements of biomarker levels. This review presents a survey of recent literature with a focus on the past 5 years. The data indicate continuing trends towards multiplexed, simpler, cheaper, faster and innovative sensing while newer tendencies concern minimizing the sample volume or using alternative sampling matrices such as saliva for less invasive assays. Utilizing the enzyme-mimicking activity of nanomaterials gained ground in comparison to their more traditional roles as signaling probes, immobilization supports for biomolecules and for signal amplification. The growing use of aptamers as replacements for antibodies prompted emerging applications of DNA amplification and editing techniques. Optical biosensors and assays were tested with larger sets of clinical samples and compared with the current standard methods. The ambitious goals on the horizon for CVD testing include the discovery and determination of relevant biomarkers with the help of artificial intelligence, more stable specific recognition elements for biomarkers and fast, cheap readers and disposable tests to facilitate rapid testing at home. As the field is progressing at an impressive pace, the opportunities for biosensors in the optical sensing of CVD biomarkers remain significant.


The effect of near-sheath dusts on the rf power loss in a surface-wave-sustained gas discharge is studied. The planar plasma is bounded by a dielectric and consists of an inhomogeneous near-wall transition layer (sheath), a dusty plasma layer and an outer dust-free plasma. The discharge is maintained by high-frequency axially symmetrical surface waves. The surface-wave power loss from the most relevant dissipative mechanisms in typical discharge plasmas is analysed.


Assessed relationship between children's minor illnesses during the first 3 years of life and parenting stress in the 4th year. Also examined whether a good parenting alliance would compensate for or moderate this relationship. Parents of 56 3- to 4-year-olds completed parenting alliance and stress questionnaires. Child morbidity, assessed from medical records, was directly related to mothers' but not fathers' feelings of stress. The parenting alliance was more strongly related to parenting stress for fathers than for mothers. However, child morbidity and parenting alliance interacted in predicting child-related paternal stresses. While fathers in a poor alliance reported more stress, stress was unrelated to their children's illnesses; for fathers in a moderate to strong alliance, illness and stress were positively correlated. Even minor child illnesses appear to be a source of stress for parents.


This paper proposes a short-term water demand forecasting algorithm based on kalman filtering with data mining for sustainable water supply and effective energy saving. The proposed algorithm utilizes a mining method of water supply data and a decision tree method with special days like Chuseok. And the parameters of MLAR (Multi Linear Auto Regression) model are estimated by Kalman filtering algorithm. Thus, we can achieve the practicality of the proposed forecasting algorithm through the good results applied to actual operation data.


This paper introduces the concept of supply ecosystems for exploring the role of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its technologies in value added activities. The paper argues that the IoT has a role in helping to understand the information problems that firms face, and in identifying the way in which IoT technologies can help. To achieve this, the paper examines the vision and scope of the IoT and its perceived potential value to firms. Then, based on the available literature, the paper furthers the existing concept of supply ecosystems and argues that the potential value of the IoT to businesses can only be realized if a holistic, more ecological perspective, is used. The paper hence proposes that supply ecosystems can be used to understand the value of IoT in solving information problems.


In resectable colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) the role and use of molecular biomarkers is still controversial. Several biomarkers have been linked to clinical outcomes in CRLM, but none have so far become routine for clinical decision making. For several reasons, the clinical risk score appears to no longer hold the same predictive value. Some of the reasons include the ever expanding indications for liver resection, which now increasingly tend to involve extrahepatic disease, such as lung metastases (both resectable and non-resectable) and the shift in indication from "what is taken out" (e.g., how much liver has to be resected) to "what is left behind" (that is, how much functional liver tissue the patient has after resection). The latter is amenable to modifications by using adjunct techniques of portal vein embolization and the associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy techniques to expand indications for liver resection. Added to this complexity is the increasing number of molecular markers, which appear to hold important prognostic and predictive information, for which some will be discussed here. Beyond characteristics of tissue-based genomic profiles will be liquid biopsies derived from circulating tumor cells and cell-free circulating tumor DNA in the blood. These markers are present in the peripheral circulation in the majority of patients with metastatic cancer disease. Circulating biomarkers may represent more readily available methods to monitor, characterize and predict cancer biology with future implications for cancer care.


A self-made single-roll stirring (SRS) machine was used to manufacture semisolid A2017 alloy, the mechanism of A2017 alloy formation was investigated. It was shown that A2017 dendrites growing on the rough roll surface are crashed into fragments by the roll, which move and grow freely then contribute the formation of finer spherical microstructure. When casting at 710-750 ℃, fine and homogeneous spherical or elliptical grains of A2017 alloy were obtained. Extending forming mould has been designed and was installed at the exit of roll-shoe gap. A2017 alloy was formed by extending continuously at the semisolid state on SRS machine. Through controlling pouring temperature, semisolid forming and extending extrusion was combined organically. A2017 product with fine surface and rectangular transection of 14 mm(25 mm was obtained. By contrast to the national standard, the fracture strength and elongation of A2017 products produced from extending semisolid extrusion have been improved with an increase of 100 MPa and 29%, respectively.


Detection of Candida mannan and Aspergillus galactomannan in serum with the Platelia enzyme immunoassay is applied for diagnosing invasive fungal infections. High risk patients for invasive fungal infections are often receiving parenteral nutrition. It is important to know whether false-positive Platelia test results occur during total parenteral nutrition. Studies to false-positivity in intravenous feeding solutions lack so that we start an in-vitro investigation. We used two different enzyme immunoassays to test the feeding solutions. We tested infusions (n = 19) which are applied for the production of individual parenteral nutrition in the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden. We used the Platelia Aspergillus EIA to analyse the Aspergillus antigen galactomannan in the solutions. In addition, the Platelia Candida Ag plus was used to determine the concentration of the Candida antigen mannan. In summary, four solutions (21%) showed measurable concentrations of the Candida mannan. They were considered positive with a concentration > 0.125 ng/ ml mannan (Tracitrans infant, calcium gluconate solution) and borderline with a concentration between 0.0625 and 0.125 ng/ml mannan (Tracitrans plus, SMOFlipid). None of the analysed infusions contained the Aspergillus galactomannan. In conclusion, further investigations on the topic are necessary to determine their in-vivo impact. A positive Platelia test result can simulate the presence of invasive fungal infections. As a consequence the patient may be treated with expensive, systemic antimycotics with a high risk of adverse events. Therefore a definite diagnosis is important.


[1] The climatological diurnal cycle of precipitation in the tropics is analyzed using data from rain gauges on ocean buoys and satellite measurements by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The ocean buoy data are from the NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean/Triangle Trans-Ocean buoy Network in the tropical Pacific Ocean. TRMM data are from the precipitation radar (PR) and the TRMM microwave imager (TMI). Climatological hourly mean precipitation rates are analyzed in terms of the diurnal and semidiurnal harmonics. Both data sets confirm an early morning peak in precipitation over ocean regions. The amplitude of the diurnal harmonic over the oceans is typically less than 25% of the mean precipitation rate. Over tropical land masses the rainfall peaks in the afternoon and evening hours. The relative amplitude of the diurnal harmonic over land is larger than over the ocean, often exceeding 50% of the mean rain rate. Previously noted differences between the TMI and PR rainfall retrievals persist in the diurnal cycle. On average the TMI measures more rainfall than the PR and has a larger diurnal variation. Phase differences between the two instruments do not show a consistent bias.


The paper presents a new approach for generating optimized solutions of a switched-mode power supply with the higher efficiency. At the very beginning, we initialize a preliminary power supply design with a known topology (e.g. Fly-back). Then, we choose a set of alternative parts for some critical components such as the MOSFET and transformer. It is quite a complicated and time consuming task to obtain a design with the highest efficiency and lowest cost from numerous combinations. Multi-objective genetic algorithm is one generic solution to solve such optimization problems. In order to encode the electrical parts as the basic units of GA, the chromosomes, and evaluate them with a numerical function, we have to model an entire power supply circuits into a component-based system and simulate the electrical reactions by the numerical characteristics of components. This approach not only reduces the time in the design stage but provide a more convincing design before the production. The experiment results are presented to show the robustness and the effectiveness of this approach


In this work we present advances in three dimensional (3D) neuronal cell culture systems based on a reversible assembly of a microbioreactor with a microelectrode array (MEA) to create a MEMS-based 3D cell culture system for in vitro neuro-electrophysiological recordings. A batch of six molds were milled in poly (methyl methacrylate). The molds were used for soft lithography of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). In the center of the PDMS shape, a porous polyethersulfone (PES) cylindrical tube was press-fitted to form a growth barrier between the culture chamber inside the PES tube and the microfluidic channel surrounding the PES tube. A thin layer of partially cured PDMS was used to seal the bottom of the microbioreactor and provide reversible adhesion with the glass surface of a MEA. SH-SY5Y cells were successfully differentiated inside the microbioreactors in Matrigel and demonstrated extended neuronal networks over a height of at least 184 micrometers within the system. In previous microbioreactor designsvisibility was limited due to the closed top with the dispensing holes. The new open top design allows for a better evaluation of the cell culture by optical detection methods during the experiment. . Electrophysiological activity was recorded within the microbioreactor using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons cultured in Matrigel, in 3D, up until 21 days in vitro In summary, we present advances made in the design, the fabrication process and integration of microbioreactors with MEAs. Optical imaging capabilities improved significantly with an open top and the culture time was further extended from 7 to 21 DIV without leakage or degradation thanks to introducing PES as a barrier material and an enhanced assembly procedure. The latter facilitated a sufficient long-term culture for neurons to mature in an environment free from flow-induced stress and provided a proof of principle for. the recording of electrophysiological activity of cortical neurons cultured in 3D.


Forty rectal carcinoma subjected to anterior resection using GF stapler during November 1979-March 1983 were reviewed. 32 were radical resections with the remaining 8 for palliation. 36 (90%) could be traced. 23/32 (73%) of the radical resection group survived for more than 5 years. Long-term follow-up showed that neither local recurrence nor 5 year survival was stapler-related. A stapler may facilitate the performance of a low anterior resection, but it is merely a form of technical improvement. Therefore, the principles of radical resection should still be strictly observed and indications for anterior resection should not be unconditionally extended.


Male rats were given per os 25% ethanol solution twice a day at 9.00 and 21.00 for 5.5 consecutive days. Every single dose was 2 to 5 g/kg 2 and 12 hours after 8th gavage ethanol, acetaldehyde and acetone concentrations were measured in blood, 2-8 hours after the last (11th) gavage isolated hearts were perfused by Krebs-Henseleit solution. Applying of Spearman rank correlation method demonstrated negative correlation between mean acetaldehyde concentration and maximal systolic pressure, tension-time index of left ventricle and velocity of contraction and relaxation. Negative correlation has been shown between maximal ethanol concentration (MEC) and rate heart whereas positive correlation has been noticed between MEC and leakage of creatine phosphokinase.


I first met Hugo Baetens Beardsmore (1942) in New York City in the mid-1980s. He had come to meet with Joshua Fishman and others, but also to visit bilingual schools. Although I had learned much about bilingualism from Baetens Beardsmore's work and especially his Bilingualism: Basic Principles, it was his watch that impressed me most. I accompanied him then on a visit to a bilingual elementary school. There, Hugo sat in children's chairs, as children and teachers spoke Spanish and English. But he was wearing a special watch that he casually displayed for the children. Eventually they noticed and started asking questions. Baetens Beardsmore urged them on, speaking in English, as well as French and Dutch, each time showing them one more fascinating aspect of the special watch. And the children responded by not only speaking English and Spanish, but also by trying out words in his languages. Hugo did not shower the children with questions. Instead, he waited until they asked him questions to which he answered with thorough insights, important details, and yet humor. For me, it is this image of Hugo Baetens Beardsmore (or H.BB. as his students fondly call him) that has forever been imprinted in my memory— a giant able to adapt to small chairs, an intellectual able to have fun with children, a scholar and a profoundly humane person, a humble and engaging person. And precisely these are the qualities that have made Baetens Beardsmore's scholarly work so important, from the very early Bilingualism: Basic Principles (1982) to his recent contributions to Bilingual Education in the 21st Century (Garcia, 2009).

Keywords:

bilingualism;
language in the classroom;
multilingualism


The thermal decomposition of waste tires has been characterized via thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) tests, and significant mass loss has been observed between 300 and 500 degrees C. A series of gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) measurements, in which the instrument was coupled to a TGA unit, have been carried out to investigate the thermal degradation mechanisms as well as the air pollutant generation including volatile organic carbons (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a nitrogen atmosphere. In order to understand fundamental information on the thermal degradation mechanisms of waste tires, the main constituents of tires, poly-isoprene rubber (IR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), have been studied under the same conditions. All of the experimental work indicated that the bond scission on each monomer of the main constituents of tires was followed by hydrogenation and gas phase reactions. This helped to clarify the independent pathways and species attributable to IR and SBR during the pyrolysis process. To extend that understanding to a more practical level, a flow-through reactor was used to test waste tire, SBR and IR samples in the temperature range of 500-800 degrees C at a heating rate of approximately 200 degrees C. Lastly, the formation of VOCs (approximately 1-50 PPMV/10 mg of sample) and PAHs (approximately 0.2-7 PPMV/10 mg of sample) was observed at relatively low temperatures compared to conventional fuels, and its quantified concentration was significantly high due to the chemical structure of SBR and IR. The measurement of chemicals released during pyrolysis suggests not only a methodology for reducing the air pollutants but also the feasibility of petrochemical recovery during thermal treatment.


Thus, plaque DNAs from two widely different classes of organisms exhibit similar molecular alterations, which are comparable to those previously described for a number of tumor DNAs. These findings represent the first direct demonstration that mutational events may be critical in the etiology of arteriosclerotic plaques.


DURING the mid-1970s, public concern about serious crime, previously focused on the policies and practices of the criminal courts, suddenly and sharply veered toward fear of adolescent crime and profound dissatisfaction with the institutions of juvenile justice. In one sense this shift of focus is unremarkable: rates of serious adolescent criminality had been escalating sharply throughout the period from 1962 through the early 1970s.' Yet the public alarm surfaced as rates of serious crime by youths within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court were moderating and in many cases decreasing.2 Nonetheless, since 1975 the organization, mission, and existence of juvenile court processing have been assaulted from every conceivable ideological position and the response to public concern has been legal change.3


The extended generalized Prandtl-Ishlinskii model (XGPI) of hysteresis has a wide applicability, partly because of its capability of modelling highly asymmetric hystereses. For a given parameterization, it is typically identified using non-linear least squares optimization with concomitant problems of convergence, dependence on initial parameter guess and local minima. The parameterization itself is in general not found analytically, but is based on experience and trial and error. Here, we study the uniqueness properties of the XGPI model, and describe a method for convex identification of the model, which is particularly useful for finding a close to optimal parameterization, including a nominal parameter vector, which can be essential for calibration of hysteretic sensors and actuators in serial production. The method is applied for finding parameterizations of XGPI models for three physical systems and their inverses, and the results are compared to other hysteresis models. In particular, it is shown that the exponential weight function is close to optimal in these models. It is well known that the GPI model is a restriction of the Preisach model of hysteresis. For a better understanding of this connection, an explicit relation is derived, and we also give a general implementation and parametric identification scheme for the two models. This scheme is based on the classical implementation scheme based on Everett integrals, but with a slight modification to handle hysteresis which is not completely saturated on the input interval. The main application is a magnetoelastic torque sensor in a vehicle application, and 4 copies of the sensor are considered here. It is illustrated how small amounts of data can be used for satisfying identification results. A recursive model identification scheme is derived, which is applied to adapt the inverse sensor models based on zero torque indications, to make them more robust against wear and aging. Based on experimential data, it is illustrated that for a particular application, the effects of wear and aging can essentially be eliminated using the method.


Nowadays, the disability approach is a perspective that proposes a way to deal with the incorporation of social dimension in mental health understanding. its hegemony in chile turns visible considering the design of mental health laws and public policies over the past 20 years. However, this approach to mental health as well as the legislations and policies developed and related to it, hardly take over the situation of justice and citizenship of this group of people. These difficulties are particularly relevant when the exercise of active citizenship is required, since citizenship has been proved to show a therapeutic effect on the deficiencies or mental disorders. The urgent need of a mental health law for chile demands the challenge of designing a law which recognizes the particularities of mental disability, but it also offers the historical possibility to effectively include the perspective of people with mental disabilities and their families in the discussion for a new law.


The small GTP-binding protein ADP-ribosylation factor-1 (ARF1) regulates intracellular transport by modulating the interaction of coat proteins with the Golgi complex. Coat protein association with Golgi membranes requires activated, GTP-bound ARF1, whereas GTP hydrolysis catalyzed by an ARF1-directed GTPase-activating protein (GAP) deactivates ARF1 and results in coat protein dissociation. We have recently cloned a Golgi-associated ARF GAP. Overexpression of GAP was found to result in a phenotype that reflects ARF1 deactivation (Aoe, T., Cukierman, E., Lee, A., Cassel, D., Peters, P. J., and Hsu, V. W. (1997) EMBO J. 16, 7305–7316). In this study, we used this phenotype to define domains in GAP that are required for its function in vivo. As expected, mutations in the amino-terminal part of GAP that were previously found to abolish ARF GAP catalytic activity in vitro abrogated ARF1 deactivation in vivo. Significantly, truncations at the carboxyl-terminal part of GAP that did not affect GAP catalytic activity in vitro also diminished ARF1 deactivation. Thus, a noncatalytic domain is required for GAP activity in vivo. This domain may be involved in the targeting of GAP to the Golgi membrane.


Description: A succinct guide to a Human Factors programme of work This book provides a reference for project managers to assist in identifying the key rudiments of good Human Factors design. It is intended to be used in conjunction with an appointed Human Factors manager as part of a detailed design programme, read by all engineers and designers in order to establish across the whole team a wide understanding of the importance of Human Factors. Human Factors in Control Room Design offers succinct advice, tailored for rapid injection into complex Human Factors programmes, together with applicability to any control room design, military or industrial. Applications include warship control rooms, command centres, fire and accident response centres, chemical plants, nuclear installations, oil rigs, refineries and other similar industries. Key features: A template for a thorough Human Factors programme of work. Applicability to any control room design. Aims to address operator workload and optimise system performance, comfort and safety. Can save significant costs by optimised system integration and enhanced system operation. It is advised that project managers use Human Factors in Control Room Design as a template to develop a control room Operating Philosophy and Human–computer Interface (HCI) Style Guide for their own purposes within the constraints of their specific industry.


—The paper considers present-day rock temperature distribution in the top of the Tyumen and Malyshevka Formations throughout the West Siberian sedimentary basin. A temperature variations map based on earlier and newly obtained data has been compiled for regional hydrocarbon reservoir Yu2. A forecast of the temperature variations in the Malyshevka Formation top has been made for the Arctic regions that have not been well studied with deep drilling. Analysis of hydrocarbon pools distribution within the Bathonian reservoir is presented.


Summary

1. The golden plover Pluvialis apricaria is of high conservation concern in Europe. Previous studies have concentrated on how birds utilize moorland. We used radio-telemetry to study their habitat selection and behaviour, during both night and day, in an upland landscape of enclosed fields and moorland in county Durham, UK.

2. During incubation adult golden plover fed principally in enclosed fields 1·1–3·7 km from their moorland nests, but spent less than 5% of their foraging time on moorland. In contrast, birds with broods spent around 85% of their time foraging on moorland.

3. Birds on moorland selected calcareous grassland and avoided old stands of dense tall heather (> c. 12 cm). Younger, shorter (< c. 5–8 cm), sparser heather was used as much as would be expected by chance. Mires of harestail cotton grass Eriophorum vaginatum, the dominant community type when heather Calluna vulgaris is heavily grazed, was selected on both moorland sites.

4. Only 17 of 85 fields in the study area were used for foraging by breeding golden plover. The number of molehills, a reported indicator of earthworm abundance, was the best single variable explaining field choice. Both field size and distance from road had small but significant effects on field choice.

5. We advocate that groups of enclosed fields regularly used by golden plover during the breeding season be afforded specific protection under conservation schemes (e.g. environmentally sensitive area agreements). Conservationists wishing to locate such fields should look for areas with high earthworm populations, as indicated by molehills, close (< 4 km) to breeding populations of golden plover. Rank heather on flat or gently sloping ground should be kept short by appropriate burning or grazing. Areas of calcareous grassland should be preserved.

6. These data illustrate the value of detailed radio-telemetry in informing equally detailed habitat management for important bird species.


Background This report describes the findings and methods of a systematic review of research which explores the relationship between obesity and educational attainment. It has been conducted at a time of great concern about levels of obesity in the UK, and the negative physical, psychological and social impacts of obesity. Current research suggests that there may be a relationship between obesity and poor educational attainment. It is likely that obesity and poor school performance are elements of a broader picture of inequalities in health and education, whereby disadvantaged socio-economic groups tend to have poorer health and lower levels of education. However, it is possible that other factors influence obesity and attainment, such as gender, discrimination and poor mental and emotional well-being. This systematic review was therefore commissioned to address the question: What do we know about the relationship between childhood obesity and educational attainment, from the research literature? In order that our review might be informed by those closest to observing any interaction between obesity and attainment, we sought the perspectives of teachers and young people to identify the causal pathways that seemed most pertinent to them. Findings Is there a statistical association between obesity and educational attainment? While often conflicting, an overall pattern emerges from the research evidence suggesting that there is a weak negative association between obesity and educational attainment in children and young people; i.e. that higher weight is associated with lower educational attainment. Obesity is also associated with other variables, such as socio-economic status, and when these other variables are taken into consideration, the association between obesity and attainment becomes still weaker, and often loses statistical significance. To what extent does the research evidence explore the influence of the broader determinants of health, and in particular socio-economic position, in explaining any link between obesity and attainment? Place of residence, ethnicity, occupation, gender, religion, education, socio-economic status (SES) and social capital were all explored as potential moderating variables in the included research. Twenty-three of 29 studies used a measure of socio-economic status as a moderating variable. Various factors appear to contribute to low educational attainment to some extent, although given the variation in definitions, analyses and quality of data, it is impossible to point to any causative or definite risk factors. Authors of the included studies have posited theories suggesting that the link between obesity and educational attainment is moderated by individual and societal factors. Does the research evidence support or refute these? Most studies explored the influence of obesity upon attainment. Only two studies examined the influence of attainment upon obesity. Many authors suggested multiple causal pathways, many of which remained untested in their studies. The moderating variables used in statistical analyses of the relationship between obesity and attainment were not consistent with the causal pathways proposed, which is probably a reflection of the constraints imposed upon authors conducting secondary analyses of pre-existing datasets (i.e. they made use of existing variables, rather than collecting their own, tailored data). The most frequently cited factors resulting from obesity and impacting upon educational attainment were poor mental health, stigmatisation and discrimination, disordered sleep, decreased time spent in physical activity and socialising, and absenteeism. Different perspectives on obesity and attainment Few young people initially thought that obesity and educational attainment were associated. However, they considered obesity and educational attainment to be of importance to young people. Young people considered parental influence and circumstances, including family income and poverty, and bullying and emotional health to be the most important factors which might explain an association between obesity and educational attainment. Most teachers said that there was an association between obesity and educational attainment. Bullying, low self-esteem and emotional well-being, poverty and poor diet, and physical activity were commonly cited by teachers as being the most important and credible mediating variables in this association. Teachers also considered gender, ethnicity and parental influence to be important factors. While researchers, teachers and young people identified causal pathways whereby low academic attainment resulted from poor mental and emotional health among obese children and young people, only four studies adjusted for mental and emotional health variables. This may represent a significant divergence in the perspectives of researchers and stakeholders. Alternatively, it may be that in the 23 studies which conducted a secondary analysis of an existing dataset, such data were not available to the authors. Another divergence concerns the impact of reduced participation in sports and social activities. While teachers and young people located this within a broader framework of isolation and lower socialisation suffered by obese children – and thus felt reduced sports participation would result in lower attainment – three studies in the included research proposed a causal pathway in which reduced participation in sports and social activities might lead to increased time spent studying and hence higher attainment.


Resin-dentin bond degradation is a major cause of restoration failures. The major aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of a remineralization medium on collagen matrices of hybrid layers of three different adhesive resins using nanotechnology methods. Coronal dentin surfaces were prepared from freshly extracted premolars and bonded to composite resin using three adhesive resins (FluoroBond II, Xeno-III-Bond, and iBond). From each tooth, two central slabs were selected for the study. The slabs used as controls were immersed in a simulated body fluid (SBF). The experimental slabs were immersed in a Portland cement-based remineralization medium that contained two biomimetic analogs (biomineralization medium (BRM)). Eight slabs per group were retrieved after 1, 2, 3, and 4 months, respectively and immersed in Rhodamine B for 24 h. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to evaluate the permeability of hybrid layers to Rhodamine B. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's honest significant difference (HSD) tests. After four months, all BRM specimens exhibited a significantly smaller fluorescent area than SBF specimens, indicating a remineralization of the hybrid layer (P≤0.05). A clinically applicable biomimetic remineralization delivery system could potentially slow down bond degradation.


Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of intranasal splints in preventing nasal adhesion. Study Design: Descriptive case series Place and Duration: The study was conducted at ENT department of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar and Chaudhary Muhammad Akram Teaching and Research Hospital, Lahore for the duration of six months April 2021 to September 2021. Methods: There were 120 participants of both sexes in this research. In this study, the patients ranged in age from 16 to 50 years old. Patient demographics, such as gender, age, and height/weight were logged with their informed written consent. During general anesthesia, a patient with a deviated nasal septum and septoplasty was selected for the procedure. Immediately following the septoplasty treatment, the patient had intra-nasal splints and nasal packing placed. The nasal packing was removed on the second postoperative day, while the nasal splints were removed on the 15th day after surgery. After a three-week follow-up, frequency of nasal adhesion was calculated. Data were analyzed 24.0. Results: Among 120 cases, 75 patients, 59.2% were between the ages of 26 and 40.The mean age of the patients was 26.34±7.51 years with mean BMI 23.07±9.44 kg/m2. Most of the cases were 67 (55.8%) male and 53 (44.2%) were females. Nasal obstruction was found among 53 (44.2%) patients, frequency of rhinorrhea was 33 (27.5%) and mixed symptoms were found in 20 (16.7%). At final follow up prevalence of nasal adhesion was found in 9 (7.5%). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, intranasal splints were an efficient and safe treatment for preventing nasal adhesion after septoplasty. Keywords: Septoplasty, Intra nasal adhesions, Deviated nasal septum, Intra nasal splints


Alternate dispute resolution is becoming more and more popular in India in the present day context. The backlog of cases is alarmingly increasing and disposal of disputes expeditiously are a must for the maintenance of rule of law in the largest democracy in the world. The economic liberalisation in 1991 made more burdens on the courts. The present paper discusses the use of ADR as a tool to reduce the backlog of cases in India through Arbitration, Mediation and Conciliation. Lok Adalats, Gram Nyayalayas and Nyaya Panchayats are the contribution of India to the jurisprudence of ADR. The new Nyaya Panchayat Bill, 2006 and Gram Nyayalayas Bill, 2007 are examined closely. This paper argues that the concept of ADR should be "Indianised" to adapt to the local conditions. In order to counter the opposition from the lawyer community, the law schools should include curriculum to train the law students for amicable settlement of the disputes rather than the present system of promoting litigation.


This article reviews research on the effects of television and magazines on body image and on disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in females. Evidence from different types of studies in the fields of eating disorders, media psychology, health psychology, and mass communication indicates that mass media are an extremely important source of information and reinforcement in relation to the nature of the thin beauty ideal, its importance, and how to attain it. Although considerable research remains to be done, evidence is accumulating that repeated exposure to media and to both direct and indirect (via media's effects on peers, parents, coaches, physicians, etc.) pressures from media to be thin constitute risk factors for body dissatisfaction, concerns over weight and disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls and young women. To guide further research, as well as the prevention and treatment of disordered eating, we present a figural summary of media effects that integrates moderating and mediating factors such as internalization of the thin beauty ideal, social comparison, and activation of the thinness schema. We argue that risk factor research, prevention, and treatment will benefit from systematic research designed to clarify how the impact of various mass media is shaped by source and receiver/perceiver factors.


"Paperwork Reduction Act." Music to the ears of every American taxpayer. And certainly to physicians inundated by Medicare forms. Who could oppose legislation with such a noble name? Well, I could. Not because I advocate paperwork proliferation, but because a proposal within the House of Representatives to renew this Act (first enacted in 1980) contains a clause that would damage an institution that most physicians have long depended on for reliable information—the National Library of Medicine (NLM). This institution represents the largest and finest collection of biomedical publications, papers, and documents in the world. The quality of information products derived from the Library's databases will be at serious risk if HR 3695, The Paperwork Reduction and Federal Information Resources Management Act of 1989, is enacted. This Act, sponsored by Rep John Conyers, Jr, of Michigan, would prohibit the Library from entering into formal agreements with private vendors, thus effectively banning


A patient with relapsing. chemotherapy resistant. acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was treated with 13-cis retinoic acid (RA), an agent known to induce differentiation and maturation of APL cells. After one week of daily oral treatment maturing myeloid cells appeared in the peripheral blood smear and after two months the patient achieved complete remission. Since then the remission has been maintained for more than two years with rotating 13-cis-RA and mild chemotherapy. Based on the experience in this single patient, 13-cis-RA should be applied in the treatment of relapsing APL in countries where the more potent all-trans derivative of RA is not available. Thc use of RA in the treatment of newly diagnosed APL deserves further


Background: Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old, and is responsible for killing around 525 000 children every year. Interventions to prevent diarrhea, including safe drinking-water, use of improved sanitation and hand washing with soap can reduce disease risk. This study aimed to investigate risk factors of diarrhea among communities living nearby Deli river area, North Sumatera. Subjects and Method : This was a cross-sectional study conducted in communities living nearby Deli river area, North Sumatera. A total of 96 subjects were selected for this study. The dependent variable was diarrhea incidence. The independent variables were use of toilet, clean water, hand wash, processing of waste, human excreta. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by a multiple logistic regression. Results : The risk of diarrhea increased with poor use of toilet (PR= 1.67; 95% CI 0.99 to 2.79; p= 0.040), poor use of clean water (PR= 1.66; 95% CI 1.02-2.70; p = 0.035), hand washing without soap (PR= 1.74; 95% CI 1.12 to 2.68; p= 0.002), poor garbage management (PR= 2.50; 95% CI 1.33 to 4.89; p= 0.001), improper human excreta disposal (PR= 1.64; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.60; p= 0.032). Conclusion: The risk of diarrhea increases with poor use of toilet, poor use of clean water, hand washing without soap, poor garbage management, and improper human excreta disposal.


Companion technologies aim at developing sustained long-term relation- ships by employing emotional, nonverbal communication skills and empathy. One of the main challenges is to equip such companions with human-like abilities to reliably detect and analyze social signals. In this proposal, we focus our investigation on the modeling of visual processing mechanisms, since evidence in literature suggests that nonverbal interaction plays a key role in steering, controlling and maintaining social interaction between humans. We seek to transfer fragments of this competence to the domain of human computer interaction. Some core computational mechanisms of extracting and analyzing nonverbal signals are presented, enabling virtual agents to create socially competent response behaviors.


Hybrid or heterogeneous integration of silicon technologies and printed electronics is a promising approach for high-performance flexible electronics. It is essentially the integration of rigid microchips with the printed circuit on a flexible substrate. However, microchips with no-lead and millimeter-size pitch introduce practical challenges in terms of precise electrical bonding onto the printed pattern. The differences in mechanical and thermal requirements also make it challenging to use conventional bonding and interconnect technology to robustly connect the microchips on flexible substrates. The focus of this work is to present these challenges with respect to different substrate–adhesive combinations and to provide a facile technique for integrating near-field communication (NFC) microchips on different flexible substrates. Following the successful integration, the smart tags were characterized to demonstrate reliable performance in the NFC reading range. While presenting a hybrid integration for the smart tag, this work also shows a potential solution for several other applications of flexible electronics where high performance cannot be achieved by printed electronics alone.


This paper presents an executable service choreography framework (ECF). Current choreography languages are specification languages. They are used at design time to define a mutual contract between services that are under the supervision of different domain controllers. Choreography contracts are established by specifying the observable sequence of messages that are exchanged between services. Some service collaborations only make sense in a particular context, and have a short life-cycle. Hence, there is a need for mechanisms that support on-demand deployment of peer-to-peer collaborations. The ECF proposes to express the global contracts between domains using business rules rather than application-specific messages sequences. Service collaborations can then evolve and be deployed in a more flexible way. ECF uses a distributed aspect platform to enable dynamic superimposition of collaboration activities. ECF also defines a relationship between the distributed composition units and global collaboration models, so that the correctness of ECF choreographies can be checked for using existing service composition modeling tools.


The space flight community has been investigating lightweight composite materials for use in propellant tanks for both liquid and gaseous oxygen for space flight vehicles. The use of these materials presents some risks pertaining to ignition and burning hazards in the presence of oxygen. Through the hazard analysis process, some ignition mechanisms have been identified as being potentially credible. One of the ignition mechanisms was reciprocal friction; however, test data do not exist that could be used to clear or fail these types of materials as "oxygen compatible" for the reciprocal friction ignition mechanism. Therefore, testing was performed at the NASA Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility to provide data to evaluate this ignition mechanism. This paper presents the test system, approach, data results, and findings of the reciprocal friction testing performed on composite sample materials being considered for propellant tanks.


Because of the importance of the detection of antibodies to RNP and Sm in the diagnosis of mixed connective tissue disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and certain forms of systemic sclerosis, the various factors which influence the sensitivity of the gel precipitation method for the detection of these antibodies were investigated. The agarose concentration, thickness, well sizes and distance between wells influence the sensitivity of the precipitin reactions. Suitable conditions for a sensitive and reproducible test system are specified. Because of variations in the antigenic composition of extractable nuclear antigen preparations made by different methods and from different tissue sources, a two-dimensional "chessboard titration" using serial twofold dilutions of a reference serum to test doubling dilutions of antigen preparations is recommended for standardizing different lots of antigen. Using the above-mentioned standardized agarose plates and appropriate reference serum with anti-Sm and/or anti-RNP antibodies in a chessboard titration, it is recommended that acceptable use dilution of antigen preparation be two doubling dilutions before reaching an endpoint. The reference sera selected should be compared to US reference standards supplied by the Center for Disease Control.


A new technique for measuring the output power from a cw edge-coupled unstable resonator has been developed and applied to a cw DF laser. An internal-cavity calorimeter was used that permits measurement of output power with a variable rectangular mode geometry while containing the radiation inside the resonator. The variable aperture calorimeter absorbing scraper (VACAS) device consists of an absorbing copper plate calorimeter assembly, which replaces the 45 degrees output coupling mirror of a conventional edge-coupled unstable cavity. A rectangular hole in the plate of variable width w and height h defines a rectangular mode of variable width Mw and height Mh within the geometric optics approximation, where M is the magnification. Two important applications of VACAS are (1) the determination of the optimum mode geometry for a cw diffusion-type chemical laser where there is significant variation in gain across the unstable resonator mode and (2) the determination of the power tradeoff between mode width and the number of folds in a folded unstable resonator configuration.


Digital Image Processing is an emerging field finding applications in different domains of science and engineering. Image processing forms the basis for pattern recognition and machine learning technologies. Color Image Processing deals with color spaces and models for performing operations on an image of one type and transform it to another model for efficient analysis and feature manipulation. In this paper, a new image enhancement method is established for better visual perception and improving image quality. Histogram of an image is useful in determining the contents in the image and its distribution. Histogram equalization is the technique used to improve the dynamic range of an image and help in distribution of parameter wrights over the entire domain range rather than it getting concentrated over specific regions. This paper proposes an effective approach to enhance image quality by histogram equalization without compromising on mean brightness aspect of the image.


An analytical model was developed to estimate the availability and frequency of medical radiation use on a worldwide basis. This model includes medical and dental x-ray, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy. The development of an analytical model is necessary as the first step in estimating the radiation dose to the world's population from this source. Since there is no data about the frequency of medical radiation use in more than half the countries in the world and only fragmentary data in an additional one-fourth of the world's countries, such a model can be used to predict the uses of medical radiation in these countries. The model indicates that there are approximately 400,000 medical x-ray machines worldwide and that approximately 1.2 billion diagnostic medical x-ray examinations are performed annually. Dental x-ray examinations are estimated at 315 million annually and approximately 22 million in-vivo diagnostic nuclear medicine examinations. Approximately 4 million radiation therapy procedures or courses of treatment are undertaken annually.


We introduce a calcium carbonate birefringent crystal into an Er-fiber laser mode-locked by a saturable absorber, where dual-comb ultrashort pulses with orthogonal polarization have been obtained. The two ultrashort pulse trains from the laser exhibit polarization contrast ratios of 30 dB and 20 dB, indicating that the dual-comb mode-locking is due to the polarization-multiplexing mechanism. The dual-comb ultrashort pulses have central wavelengths of 1564.41 nm and 1564.51 nm, and pulse durations of 825 fs and 805 fs respectively. The optical spectra and pulse durations of the asynchronous ultrashort pulses are nearly identical, so that the output of the laser could be directly used for dual-comb applications. Besides, the repetition-rate difference of the two mode-locked pulses is 673 Hz, while its drift is only 0.093 Hz within 2 hours' time. The low drift of the repetition-rate difference manifests the single-cavity dual-comb Er-fiber laser has a high stability and high common-mode noise suppression. At last, we have tested the dual-comb fiber laser in a ranging experiment, where clear interferogram signal can be observed. The experimental results prove that this single-cavity dual-comb Er-fiber laser based on the birefringent crystal and saturable absorber can be a potential source for spectroscopy, optical imaging, absolute distance measurement and other dual-comb applications.


The EPOK (English Program Okayama) exchange program officially started in April,
1999 after a one-year trial. By the end of the 2011 academic year Okayama University
had accepted 199 students in total from partner universities. Since October, 1999, the
author has been keeping records of EPOK students' problems brought into the
International Student Advisor's Office by EPOK coordinators. In this paper, 57 cases of
problems will be introduced and examined as the author believes that there is a need for
the university to clarify the problems encountered by EPOK students over the past
twelve years in order to promote globalization.


SCIENCE AND THE MEDIABEIJING-- Three Chinese courts have been asked to rule on a libel suit brought by a Chinese research center against media coverage of an international study of the factors that contribute to healthy human longevity. Articles in dozens of local and regional publications have raised questions about the genetic component of the study, for which more than 4000 blood samples have already been collected but not yet analyzed. The controversy led the government last year to temporarily halt the work, and the Chinese Research Center on Aging is asking for $360,000 to cover its legal expenses and the cost of the delays.


Break detection for WDM-PON needed to solve the multi-branch,node density problem for the realization of high-precision positioning of each branch proposed a breakpoint detection method based broadband chaotic light lasers. On the basis of analyzing the characteristics of broadband chaotic sources on a preliminary simulation results show that this method can be highly accurate positioning WDM-PON branch breakpoint location, spatial resolution of 7cm and independent of the detection distance.


This paper presents a First Order Noise Shaping Local-Oscillator Based Time-to-Digital Converter (LO TDC). The architecture and governing equations of the LO TDC are described. In order to show the effect of noise shaping on the resolution of the TDC, the system "LO TDC plus moving average filter" is introduced. An equation to predict the resolution of the system "LO TDC plus filter" is given. Then, the Matlab model of the system "LO TDC plus filter" is illustrated briefly, and some example of simulated input-output characteristics are shown. Afterwards, the implementation of the LO TDC on an FPGA is described. A comparison between the predicted, simulated and measured values of the resolution of the system "LO TDC plus filter" is reported. Finally, we show spectra of the output signals of the LO TDC from experiments and simulations.


We report here a new methodology for the formation of freestanding nanotubes composed of individual gold nanoparticles (NPs) cross-linked by coordination complexes or porphyrin molecules using WS2 nanotubes (INT-WS2) as a template. Our method consists of three steps: (i) coverage of these robust inorganic materials with monodispersed and dense monolayers of gold NPs, (ii) formation of a molecular AuNP network by exposing these decorated tubes to solutions containing a ruthenium polypyridyl complex or meso-tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin, and (iii) removal of the INT-WS2 template with a hydrogen peroxide solution. Nanoindentation of the template-free AuNP tubes with atomic force microscopy indicates a radial elastic modulus of 4 GPa. The template-free molecular AuNP tubes are characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The methodology provides a convenient and scalable strategy for the realization of molecular AuNP tubes with a defined length and diameter, depending on the dimensions of the template.


Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) enables characterization of tissue in vivo by measuring a z-spectrum. Quantitative separation of individual contributions to this spectrum is performed by fitting several Lorentzian shaped lines to the acquired data. Current implementations of the fitting procedure suffer from poor SNR and ambiguity of peaks lying close to each other. To this end, we propose to include a joint spatial regularization to the fitting process to counter the poor SNR and thus improve separation of individual peaks in the final reconstruction.


The article deals with the topical problems of formation of political culture in the Russian society from the standpoint of synergetics. We consider in this context the main features of the synergetic processes that foster the involvement into political activities of various groups of population. We reveal the features of the formation of synergetic mechanisms of civil society, which is considered taking into account the specificity of the domestic social and cultural traditions of participation of the society's active members in solving the public and political problems. The basic synergetic mechanisms of individuals' adaptation in the space of intercultural interaction are described as the conditions of the political culture formation.


Enantioselectivities and yields comparable to the best catalysts reported previously can be achieved in the addition of potassium dimethyl malonate to diphenylallyl acetate by the use of Pd(0) complexes of bis-phospholanes prepared from d-mannitol. By appropriate changes in the C2−C5 substituents, rare example of a useful monophosphine can also be prepared by a similar route. In both instances chirality of C3 and C5 oxygen seems to play a crucial role in the asymmetric induction.


By 2016, Botswana aspires to triple its 1994 per capita income and to completely diversify its economic base. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) objectives, as spelt out in the SADC Policy document, emphasise the attainment of enhanced development and economic growth, poverty alleviation, and support of the socially disadvantaged through regional integration. Since telecommunications have long been recognised as the engine for economic growth, the aspirations of SADC and Botswana are consistent with the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications, and Metrology, which aims at developing a reliable, efficient, vibrant, consumer‐driven telecommunications sector. We examine the focus of the World Bank and the International Telecommunications Union, in global telecommunications development. We then discuss the efforts of Botswana and other SADC states in ensuring that they take advantage of the private sector finances to build reliable, sophisticated public telecommunications networks for entry into the Global Information Infrastructure (GII).


Calspan corporation, under contract with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, developed improvements to the belt systems and compartment of a 1979 Plymouth horizon and 1981 Plymouth reliant. In addition, in subsequent model years, Chrysler incorporated structural modifications into the reliant to improve the crash performance. An unmodified horizon had previously been subjected to car-to-car crash tests into a Ford mustang and a chevrolet citation at 70 mph closing velocity and both the horizon and reliant had undergone barrier crash tests at 35 mph. Certain parts of the Federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) 208 injury criteria, measured on part 572 dummies in driver and front seat passenger positions, were exceeded on at least one of the dummies in both horizon car to car tests and the reliant to barrier test. The improvements significantly reduced all injury measures to levels well within the fmvss 208 criteria when these cars were subjected to the same test conditions as the previous crash tests.(Author/TRRL)


Australia is aiming to treble plantation wood production by 2020. Eucalyptus
globulus Labill. and E. nitens (Deane and Maidem) Maiden are the predominant
plantation species in southern Australia. This thesis describes physiological strategies
employed by these species in response to cold-induced photoinhibition during
seedling establishment. A series of experiments was conducted on seedlings prehardened
in the nursery. Their physiological and growth responses after planting in
the field was investigated.
A field trial was established at 350 m asl in early spring 1997. Severe cold-induced
photoinhibition caused photodamage which restricted growth of non-hardened E.
globulus. Artificial shading alleviated cold-induced photoinhibition and photodamage
in both E. globulus and E. nitens, and increased growth in E. globulus. Before
planting, nutrient-starved E. nitens were photoinhibited and had high anthocyanin
levels. Increased photoinhibition was not measured after planting because of
sustained xanthophyll activity and/or light attenuation by high anthocyanin levels. In
other treatments changes in anthocyanin levels were related to the severity of coldinduced
photoinhibition. Relative to E. nitens, growth of E. globulus was more affected by cold-induced
photoinhibition and photodamage. This was possibly due to inherently low levels of
carotenoids and lack of acclimation to cold temperatures. The effects of shading on
E. globulus and the absence of any effect of cold-hardening on E. nitens stresses the
importance of incident light and pigment levels in cold-induced photoinhibition. In a second field trial, an early winter planting of E. nitens was established at 700 m
asl in June 1998. Shading may have increased biomass production because of
alleviation of cold-induced photoinhibition. Growth in non-shaded than shaded
seedlings was greater overall due to higher biomass production in spring and summer.
Seedlings grew taller when shaded due to apical dominance. Fertilised seedlings
produced more biomass in the field than non-fertilised seedlings.
Low growth rates of E. nitens during winter at 700 m asl were associated with high
NPQ and sustained xanthophyll activity; photooxidation of chlorophylls, xanthophylls
and 13-carotene (which decreased light absorption), and increases in lutein and
neoxanthin (which indicated an antioxidant role). In general fertilised seedlings had
higher pigment levels which maintained higher levels of light utilisation and
dissipation. A controlled environment experiment which induced cold-induced
photoinhibition, confirmed that galloylglucoses and flavonoids can act as antioxidants
during seedling establishment. Sideroxylonals were also implicated in this role.
Anthocyanin kinetics during seedling establishment indicated absorption of irradiance
between 400 and 590 nm during periods of greatest cold-induced photoinhibition.
Chemical fractionation of leaf N and P indicated that E. globulus is more efficient at
acquiring N and P than E. nitens. After planting, re-translocation of stored foliar
protein N and inorganic P to roots occurred in both species. Greater amounts of retranslocation
in fertilised seedlings may contribute to their superior growth in the
field.
Planting seedlings involves risk. Planting nutrient-starved seedlings may decrease the
risk of severe cold-induced photoinhibiiton and photodamage. However, this is at the
expense of optimal growth performance. Planting altitude and season will determine
whether fertilised or nutrient-starved seedlings should be planted.


Having visited several European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congresses, this time the plan was to explore famous American College of Cardiology (ACC) annual Congress. For a long time American way of making science dominated over not only Europe but the rest of the world. Is it still holds true? Probably the answer is not simple, nevertheless, the glimpse of true American perspective can be tasted in real only on the American soil. The 65th ACC Congress was taken place between 2nd till 4th April in Chicago, Illinois at the gargantuan McCormick Convection Centre located just at the bank of magnificent Michigan lake. The first striking difference was the weather! When in Poland and rest of Europe, the spring was in full swing, the north-west part of the USA was griped in the frosty cold with an average temperature of minus five. Not to mention the icy winds for which Chicago is famous and called the windy-city. This is not an exaggeration, please do believe me! But now a little about the Congress itself.


Sir ADOLPHE ABRAHAMS said that the criticism was made that the doctor could not be much of an authority on athletics because his preoccupation was with diseased not with healthy people. Superficially that was true, but only superficially. The doctor had played a great part in athletic training; he had rescued it from its extraordinary former state when athletes were advised to eat huge quantities of halfraw meat and to reduce their liquid consumption until they became dehydrated. As for injuries in athletics, in major injuries the general principles of surgery obtained, but minor injuries were a different matter. The athlete regarded himself as a privileged person. The ordinary patient might be satisfied to get away with a 10% disability, but the athlete expected complete restoration and in the shortest time. On the medical side much was said formerly about the dangers which schoolboys incurred by strenuous exercise and about the "athlete's heart." Tb-day he doubted whether any authority would agree that there was such a thing as a '"strained heart" in the case of a healthy heart. A word should be said in warning against taking any violent exercise while in a pyrexial condition. In the case of poliomyelitis the danger was serious. All vital processes were affected by a rise in temperature-an engine worked best when hot-but there were dangers above a certain temperature limit. He had always protested against marathon races being run in the heat of the day. In conclusion he paid a tribute to the work of British physiologists. Nearly 40 years ago Professor F. A. Bainbridge wrote his book on The Physiology of Muscular Exercise. It had been re-written and edited by others since then, but the basic principles there set out remained for all time. Such names as Joseph Barcroft, Martin Flack, A. V. Hill, and many others proved that this country was a pioneer in this field.


This paper speaks about the uniqueness on African baby elephant's mock charge towards tourists' vehicles. The particular behavior is recognized to be much frequent in African infants or juveniles compared to Asian counterparts. Following research had been composed by observation of Youtube footages uploaded by various individuals. Corresponding to that, there seems to be a high tendency, particularly in the Southern African baby elephants. The aforesaid behavior is just a linkage of the playing behavior of young elephants. The hypothesis proposition suggests that this can be a result of anthropogenic disturbance due to the conspicuous amount of culling and translocation.


AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA

5459

Resveratrol, a naturally occurring antibacterial and antifungal compound produced by several plants, has been well documented to modulate cell cycle progression and exert antiproliferative as well as apoptotic effects on multiple cancers including lung. However, reseveratrol's molecular mechanism of action in human lung cancer has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we utilized dual protein and gene screening methodologies involving high-throughput immunoblotting (Power Blot) and Microarray gene expression profiling to determine novel molecules and molecular pathways regulated by resveratrol treatment in A549 human lung carcinoma cells. Comparative analysis of protein and gene expressions after resveratrol treatment identified alterations in several canonical pathways including cell cycle checkpoints, apoptosis cell death cascade pathways as well as the pathways regulating nuclear NFκB and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase/c-jun-NH2 signaling. Most importantly, these two techniques concomitantly revealed the involvement of the transforming growth factor (TGFβ )/ Smad pathway in mediating resveratrol action in A549 human lung cancer cells. Resveratrol treatment resulted in the up-regulation of smad 7 mRNA expression, a repressor of TGFβ signaling. Conversely, the treatment down-regulated the mRNA expression of TGFβ signaling activators smads 2 and 4. Based on these observations and the fact that TGFβ has been shown to activate the anti-apoptotic PI3K/AKT pathway and induce EGF receptor expression in certain cell types, we investigated the effect of resveratrol treatment on the phosphorylation levels of AKT and its effect on protein expression of the EGF receptor (EGFR). Conventional western blot analysis determined that resveratrol treatment down-regulated the phosphorylation of AKT on threonine 308. Additionally, the results showed that resveratrol had no effect on the expression of EGFR protein levels in A549 cells. Taken together, our findings identify the TGFβ / Smad pathway as a novel molecular target of resveratrol action and imply an interaction with the PI3K/AKT pathway which will help in paving the way for defining resveratrol as an effective chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agent for human lung cancer. (Supported by Philip Morris USA Inc. and Philip Morris International).


Introduction: We designed this study in order to investigate the relation between histopathological and clinical properties in prostatic carcinoma patients and microvessel density (MVD) of tumoral and peritumoral tissue, assessed by CD105 and CD31 expression. Methods: A total of 100 radical prostatectomy samples, have been evaluated retrospectively with clinical and histopathological findings. Immunohistochemical markers of CD105 and CD31 were applied to the tumoral tissue and surroundings of tumor. Relation between tumoral and peritumoral CD105, CD31 and clinical or histopathological findings was evaluated. Results: CD105 and CD31 together with MVD have been found more significant in the tumoral tissue than the periphery (p<0,001). CD105 expression in the peritumoral tissue was significantly lower than the CD31 expression. A significant correlation has been found between CD105 MVD in the tumoral tissue and the preoperative serum total PSA levels and tumor volume (r=0.259, p=0.009, r=0.198, p=0.049, respectively). Tumoral CD105 expression was significantly higher in cases with perineural invasion, lymph node metastasis and local invasion (p=0.003, p=0.009, p=0.044). CD31 expression was significantly correlated with pathological stage (r=0.228, p= 0.022, p=0,034, respectively). Cases with seminal vesicle invasion and extracapsular extension had with significantly higher CD31 MVD. No significant correlation was found between peritumoral tissue MVD and clinical or histopathological findings. Discussion and Conclusion: Finding of association between CD105 and CD31 in the tumoral tissue and prognostic clinical findings, supports the importance of angiogenesis in tumoral progression. This may reveal new treatment modalities for research involving anti-angiogenic agents.


International Relations scholars have recently begun exploring the politics of human-animal relations in global affairs. Building on Jacques Derrida's work on hospitality and animals, this article theorises possibilities of responsibility to animals in war zones, pushing the limits of what it means to be with and for others regardless of their human or animal otherness. Specifically, I develop a critical account of cosmopolitan belongingness to illustrate how our being on earth is always a 'being-with' animal others. In thinking through possibilities of post-human belongingness that could emerge in times of war, cosmopolitanism becomes a futural task, an out-of-time and endless confrontation of past and future opportunities for interspecies togetherness. The theoretical significance of this approach is illustrated with a case study on the killing of stray dogs during the Iraq War. This case reveals a cosmopolitanism calibrated to more fully consider possibilities of human-animal belongingness amidst violence.


We explore the different geometric structures that can be constructed from the class of pairs of second-order PDEs that satisfy the condition of a vanishing generalized Wünschmann invariant. This condition arises naturally from the requirement of a vanishing torsion tensor. In particular, we find that from this class of PDEs we can obtain all four-dimensional conformal Lorentzian metrics as well as all Cartan normal conformal O(4, 2) connections. To conclude, we briefly discuss how the conformal Einstein equations can be imposed by further restricting our class of PDEs to those satisfying additional differential conditions.


. We briefly review the main problems related to the computation of the evolution of intermediate-mass stars: the treatment of turbulent convection and the occurrence of blue loops during the core He-burning phase. It is shown that, in order to obtain more accurate and reliable stellar models for this class of stars, one has to consider all possible theoretical and observational constraints. This includes observations of low-mass stars to constrain the treatment of envelope convection, and the analysis of the pulsational behaviour of Cepheid stars.


Using analog beamforming in mmWave frequency bands we can focus the energy towards a receiver to achieve high throughput. However, this requires the network to quickly find the best downlink beam configuration in the face of non-IID data. We propose a personalized Federated Learning (FL) method to address this challenge, where we learn a mapping between uplink Sub-6GHz channel estimates and the best downlink beam in heterogeneous scenarios with non-IID characteristics. We also devise FedLion, a FL implementation of the Lion optimization algorithm. Our approach reduces the signaling overhead and provides superior performance, up to 33.6% higher accuracy than a single FL model and 6% higher than a local model.


This paper uses panel data for the period ranging from 1996 to 2013 to investigate the contribution of US foreign direct investment to economic growth in fourteen Sub-Saharan African Countries. We apply the fixed and random effects model as well as the Generalized Method of Moments model to estimate two different equations. In the first equation, capital stock is estimated to include US foreign direct investments for selected years while the second equation excludes US direct investment from the capital stock variable. The results of the estimations revealed that domestic capital significantly affect economic growth in these countries but found no discernible evidence that US FDI have any direct impact on economic growth in the host countries. The results also found significant effect of political stability and openness on the growth of Sub Saharan African countries. The implication of these findings is that the region can promote economic growth by mobilizing domestic resources, ensuring that there is political stability and opening their economies to external competition.


On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the European Space Agency's Huygens probe landing on Saturn's moon Titan (14 January 2005), approximately a hundred international scientists and engineers met at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum, in Spain, to assess what was discovered and what remains to be done by future spacecraft missions to Titan and the Saturnian system. The Huygens probe was deployed from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Speakers at the meeting pointed out that discoveries from the Cassini-Huygens mission have shown that Titan is much more interesting than even their wildest expectations more than 20 years ago when the mission was conceived, in the 1980s, several years after the Voyager flybys. Perhaps most stunning are the many similarities between Titan and the Earth. Though there are important differences, when one views the lakes and seas, the fluvial terrain, the sand dunes, and other features through the hazy, nitrogen atmosphere, it calls to mind the geological processes that created analogous features on the Earth. On Titan it has been discovered that frozen water plays the geological role of rock, and liquid methane takes the role of terrestrial water. As Saturn proceeds along its orbit about the Sun, the seasons change on Titan. The seasonal effects on the transport of methane are starting to be seen. A large lake in the south polar region seems to be getting smaller as winter sets in.


Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a well-established pre-malignant lesion for esophageal adenocarcinoma, a condition that carries a dismal five-year overall survival rate of less than 15%. Among several available methods to eliminate BE, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) provides the most efficient modality, since it has been demonstrated to successfully eradicate BE with or without dysplasia with acceptable safety, efficacy and durability profiles. In conjunction with proton pump therapy, this new technology has quickly become the standard care for patients with dysplastic BE. However, several technical questions remain about how to deploy RFA therapy for maximum effectiveness and long-term favorable outcomes for all stages of the disease. These include how to select patient for therapy, what the best protocol for RFA is, when to use other modalities, such as endoscopic mucosal resection, and what should be considered for refractory BE. This review addresses these questions with the perspective of the best available evidence matched with the authors' experience with the technology.


The Eocene Babine Intrusive Suite of west-central British Columbia hosts a number of porphyry copper deposits, most significantly Bell, Granisle, and Morrison. All deposits feature central potassic zones containing the ore zones and peripheral propylitic zones. In addition, Granisle and Bell feature superimposed sericite-carbonate zones between the potassic and propylitic zones, and the Bell deposit also possesses a superimposed phyllic stockwork zone, which hosts most of the ore.Calculated fluid compositions from potassic zone biotites of all deposits yield a range from delta 18 O (sub H 2 O) = 6 to 8 per mil, whereas plagioclases yield delta 18 O (sub H 2 O) = 1 to 7 per mil. Since plagioclase samples yield more 18 O-depleted fluids than coexisting biotites and delta (sub plagioclase-biotite) values are very small, it appears that isotopically lighter fluids were present in later stages of potassic alteration. Oxygen isotope values from the sericite-carbonate and phyllic alteration zones yield fluid compositions more 18 O-depleted than magmatic fluids, requiring the incorporation of isotopically light ground waters.Calculated hydrogen isotope values of potassic, propylitic, and sericite-carbonate fluids fall in the range of -40 to -110 per mil. These results, in combination with the delta 18 O data, suggest that the alteration events were caused by mixtures of magmatic and meteoric waters. Phyllic and argillic alteration fluids (delta D (sub H 2 O) = -100 to -130 and -140ppm, respectively) indicate fluids dominantly of meteoric origin.The stable isotope data, in combination with the petrologic and field relations, suggest that early alteration fluids were derived from the magma, and in peripheral areas fluids evolved at very low water/rock ratios. Incorporation of external fluids in later alteration was responsible for the texturally destructive, cation-leaching alteration and remobilization of the ores.Differences in the stable isotope systematics and salinities of porphyry copper deposits compared to meteoric hydrothermal systems and epithermal ore deposits indicate that the systems are fundamentally distinct. The strong density contrast between the high-salinity magmatic fluids and low-salinity meteoric waters most likely inhibits mixing, resulting in separation of the hydrothermal systems.


BACKGROUND
Flow-related aneurysms (FRAs) associated with cerebellar arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are complicated, and their management is difficult. We performed a retrospective study to explore the efficacy and outcome of parent artery occlusion (PAO) for FRAs at the proximal segment of the main feeding arteries of cerebellar AVMs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective study was performed for patients admitted for a cerebellar AVM between January 2015 and December 2019. Patients were included if (a) they presented with a ruptured or symptomatic FRA at the proximal segment of the main feeding arteries of the cerebellar AVM, (b) the cerebellar AVM did not bleed before admission, (c) the FRA was secured via PAO of the parent feeding artery, and (d) the cerebellar AVM was not intentionally managed or embolized through other feeding arteries during hospitalization.

RESULTS
Eight patients aged between 27 and 72 (48.6 ± 14.3) years were identified. Eight ruptured and symptomatic FRAs at the proximal segment of the main feeding arteries of the cerebellar AVMs underwent PAO with coils or Onyx while preserving the arteries distal to the aneurysms. All the patients achieved a favorable recovery after treatment in a follow-up ranged from 8 to 48 months. One patient experienced FRA recurrence and underwent a second PAO.

CONCLUSIONS
PAO for FRAs at the proximal segment of the main feeding arteries of cerebellar AVMs is a feasible option. This method is effective in preventing re-rupture of the FRAs and relieving the symptoms in the short term, allowing sufficient time for the patients to receive subsequent treatment.


Perturbation methods in microwave measurements are addressed. The perturbation formulas will not remain correct when the perturbation object approaches the wall of the resonant cavity. This is a consequence of the effect of the induced charges on the cavity wall when the object approaches it. The author takes this effect into account, and gives modified perturbation formulas which were verified by experimental results. These modified perturbation formulas can be widely used in the measurement of the electromagnetic fields in linear accelerators and other microwave devices. In deriving the formulas, metallic and dielectric spheres are used in perturbing objects. >


It is well known that patients with hypercalcemia of diverse etiologies may exhibit marked polyuria (1-5). The increased rate of urine formation is often associated with considerable losses of urinary solute and sometimes results in severe depletion of extracellular salt and water stores (6). This urinary wastage has been attributed to slowly developing pathological changes in the renal tubules produced by prolonged hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis. It is possible, however, that the renal response may in part be conditioned by a direct and immediate physiological effect of the hypercalcemia and/or hypercalciuria. The studies of Wolf and Ball in which calcium infusions in the dog provoked a prompt increase in the rate of sodium excretion (7) suggest that such is the case. To test this hypothesis further, experiments were devised in man and monkey to evaluate the immediate effects of changing filtered calcium loads upon discrete renal functions and upon the rate of excretion of electrolytes.


Aluminum is one of the most versatile engineering metals, finding its use in a variety of fields including construction, architecture, aerospace, automotive, consumer products, and many more. The high demand for aluminum production is driven by its advantageous physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, such as a high strength to weight ratio and good corrosion resistance. Additionally, aluminum can be recycled using processes that require only a fraction of the energy required for primary production. Aluminum recycling is primarily accomplished by melting in foundries. In some aluminum foundries, a large amount of energy is lost due to poor insulation and an inaccurate knowledge of the crucible temperature. This project focused on designing a safe, efficient electric aluminum foundry. Using theoretical calculations, an electric foundry was designed to melt 3.0 kg of aluminum cans using ~9 MJ of energy. A prototype was successfully fabricated and tested with attention to the structural, thermal, and electrical design aspects. Experiments showed that the foundry was capable of melting 3.0 kg of aluminum cans using ~11 MJ of energy, which was close to the theoretical calculations. The normalized energy usage of the foundry was ~6.9 MJ per kg of pure aluminum produced, which compares well with benchmarked aluminum recycling foundries.


As the complexity of DSP (digital signal processing) applications increases, the need for efficient processor architectures and compilers also grows. RISC-based DSP processors not only have general-purpose registers and orthogonal instruction formats to support compiler-friendliness, but also contain several DSP processor-specific features, such as single cycle MAC (multiply-and-accumulate), direct memory access, automatic address generation, and hardware looping, to execute arithmetic and data-intensive DSP operations efficiently. We evaluate the performance effects of each architectural add-on feature using DSP benchmarks. Benchmark programs are compiled using modified C compilers that accommodate the DSP processor-specific features. We also compare the performances with those of superscalar RISC architectures having two, three, and four issue capabilities in one clock cycle. Finally, an application-level performance comparison is conducted using a QCELP vocoder program.


Abstract Accurate measurement of electrocardiograms (ECG) is critical for effective diagnosis of patient's cardiac functions. Detailed examination of filters' effects on ECG accuracy, reproducibility and robustness covering a wide range of available commercial products can provide valuable information on the relationship between quality and effectiveness of filters, and assessments of patients' cardiac functions. In this study, ECG device with 12 leads and built-in filters used for ECG measurements was assessed on human volunteers. Results showed that with respect to measuring QRS wave duration and R-amplitude variation, there was a 4 % inaccuracy when the main filter was ON and OFF, and R-amplitude variation was most pronounced in the V4 lead. Accordingly, variability of R-amplitude and length of QRS wave can be reduced by the use of appropriate lead, and filter activation during the ECG assessment.