Larval polytene chromosomes of 1824 individuals of Simulium siamense Takaoka and Suzuki from 32 locations in northern, northeastern, eastern, and central Thailand were examined. Differences in sex chromosomes, fixed inversions, and the kind and frequency of floating inversions revealed five cytoforms (A, B, C, D, and E). In contrast to most Simulium species, females of S. siamense are the heterogametic sex (ZW) and males are the homogametic sex (ZZ). Cytoform A differs from the others by having 23 floating inversions and undifferentiated sex chromosomes (W0 was undifferentiated from Z0). Cytoforms B, C, and D differ from each other by having different W chromosomes (W1, W2, and W3) in females. Cytoform E is characterized by having two fixed inversions, IS-1 and IIIS-2. Cytoform A is widely distributed throughout the geographic ranges of the species in northern, northeastern, eastern, and central Thailand, whereas cytoforms B, C, and D are restricted to a few locations in central Thailand. Although the larvae of the five cytoforms are morphologically similar, they seem to occupy different ecological habitats, which should be further investigated. At present, no definite conclusion can be drawn as to the taxonomic status of the cytoforms of S. siamense. However, this study indicates that S. siamense is represented by at least five cytoforms, of which cytoform B is the most distinct by having complete sex linkage and no floating inversions.


A theoretical study of the plasmon modes is presented for an ideal three-dimensional electron gas (3DEG) subjected simultaneously to linearly polarized intense laser fields and to quantizing magnetic fields. The dependence of the magneto-plasmon excitation on the frequency and intensity of the laser field and on the magnetic field in a GaAs-based 3DEG system is investigated in detail and the results are pertinent to the application of terahertz free-electron laser sources developed very recently.


Objective : To understand the type of dietary patterns in the women during pregnancy and the distribution characteristics of children's birth weight and the association between dietary patterns and neonatal birth weight in Shaanxi, China. Methods: Data were derived from a cross-sectional program named "The prevalence and risk factors of birth defects in Shaanxi Province" in July to November in 2013. A stratified multistage random sampling method was used to select women , according to the urban-rural ratio and taking into account the population intensity and fertility level, 10 urban districts and 20 counties were randomly selected. In the sample counties, 6 townships were randomly selected (3 districts in the urban area), and 6 villages were randomly selected from each township (6 communities in the urban districts), each village randomly surveyed 30 (60 in the community) women whose latest dates of pregnancy were during January 2010 to November 2013 and their children. The mother's diet during pregnancy was investigated using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to collect the frequency and amount of food consumption, and the newborn birth weight as well as related social demographic information was collected at the same time. This study selected children aged between 0-1 years old and their mothers with complete dietary survey data as the study subjects. The main dietary patterns were identified according to factor analysis, and latent class analysis (LCA) was used to investigate the social demographic factors affecting dietary patterns. The logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between birth weight and maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy by establishing three adjusting models and the data were stratified for further analysis by urban-rural and regions. Results : Totally 15980 participants were involved in this study, and the birth weight was 1050-6250g (3279.9±454.6). There were 783 newborns with birth weight of <2500g, accounting for 4.9%; and 703 newborns with birth weight >4000g, accounting for 4.4%. The incidence of SGA and LGA was 14.7% and 7.6%, respectively.Factor analysis was used to extract four dietary patterns during pregnancy: "vegetarian pattern", "balance pattern", "traditional pattern" and "processing pattern". The vegetarian pattern was a predominant pattern. LCA analysis indicated that urban women preferred to choose the balance pattern and rural women preferred for the traditional pattern. The balance pattern and processing pattern were the main ones in the southern region, the vegetarian pattern in the northern region and the traditional pattern in the middle region. Further study on the association between dietary patterns and neonatal birth weight, founding that the vegetarian pattern was positively associated with a higher risk of low birth weight in rural areas and middle region, and the traditional pattern was a risk factor for the occurrence of low birth weight in the middle region. The processing pattern was found a protective factor for the occurrence of low birth weight in rural areas but was a risk factor for low birth weight in the southern region. The balance pattern was a protective factor for the occurrence of low birth weight in the northern region. Conclusion : There are four kinds of dietary patterns in the pregnant women of childbearing age in Shaanxi Province, "vegetarian pattern" is predominant, and the dietary structure needs to be improved. The vegetarian and traditional pattern may be positively related to a higher risk of low birth weight while the balanced pattern may keep birth weight of offspring within the appropriate range. Health education of balanced diet and individual nutrition guidance during pregnancy should be strengthened, in order to make dietary structure during pregnancy are more reasonable, reduce the occurrence of adverse birth weight of newborns.


Introduction: Keratin 80 (KRT80) is a type II epithelial keratin protein that plays an important role in cell differentiation and tumor progression. However, its role and mechanisms in ovarian cancer remain unclear. Methods: The effect of KRT80 on the survival and prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer was determined using immunohistochemistry. Cell lines overexpressing KRT80 and with KRT80 knockdown were established to study its effect on the malignant behavior of ovarian cancer cells. Western blotting was used to detect changes in related molecules, and in the MEK/ERK signal transduction pathway. ChIP assay was used to confirm that ETS1 regulates KRT80 at the transcriptional level. A double luciferase assay was used to confirm the target of miR-206. Results: The expression levels of KRT80 were high in ovarian cancer tissue, and were related to survival and prognosis. KRT80 expression is an independent prognostic factor in patients with ovarian cancer. KRT80 overexpression promotes the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells, the transition from G1 phase to S phase, invasion, and migration. KRT80 overexpression increased the expression of BCL2/BAX, CyclinD1, MMP2, MMP9, and N-cadherin, decreased the expression of E-cadherin, and increased the phosphorylation of MEK and ERK. ETS1 binds to the upstream promoter sequence of KRT80 and regulates KRT80 expression at the transcriptional level. ETS1 is a direct target of miR-206 in ovarian cancer cells. Conclusion: KRT80 regulated by miR-206/ETS1 promotes tumor progression via the MEK/ERK pathway in ovarian cancer, and KRT80 may have applications as a screening biomarker and potential therapeutic target for ovarian cancer.


Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid bilayer membrane particles that play critical roles in intracellular communication through EV-encapsulated informative content, including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are pluripotent stem cells with self-renewal ability derived from bone marrow, fat, umbilical cord, menstruation blood, pulp, etc., which they use to induce tissue regeneration by their direct recruitment into injured tissues, including the heart, liver, lung, kidney, etc., or secreting factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor or insulin-like growth factor. Recently, MSC-derived EVs have been shown to have regenerative effects against various diseases, partially due to the post-transcriptional regulation of target genes by miRNAs. Furthermore, EVs have garnered attention as novel drug delivery systems, because they can specially encapsulate various target molecules. In this review, we summarize the regenerative effects and molecular mechanisms of MSC-derived EVs.


Explores what ethical tools are offered by the research field of Corporate Social Responsibility to handle the ethical issues in the criticism towards Swedish design put forward by Rampell (2002). Perceives the core ethical problem in the research conducted by Rampell (2002) to be the exclusion of minority groups in Swedish design. Looks at the context in which Swedish design developed and how it is described at commercial and official public web sites mainly directed at tourists and foreigners. The examination shows that the distinguishing features that represents the image of Swedish design that Rampell (2002) points out and criticizes still prevails; even though Sweden today is a multicultural country, a single-track image of Swedish design is transmitted to the world. Creates a test case; Swedish design, i.e. an issue at the intersection of the political, cultural and economical systems. Thus, CSR should apply. Reviews CSR and its relation to Business Ethics. Examines what is being discussed in the Nordic CSR context by investigating 19 out of the 20 papers put forward at the CSR track at the Scandinavian management conference NFF2003 that was carried out 14th-16th of August 2003 in Reykjavik, Iceland. Suggests how general CSR theory and the conference development of CSR could apply to the test case, Swedish design. Suggests what is needed are tools to handle the visual semantic based meanings in the Swedish design case, i.e. an applied ethics of representation.


This study compared variable-centered and person-centered analyses to assess the prevalence and adaptiveness of patterns or religiosity and spirituality (R/S) among emerging adults. A sample of 9,495 college students (ages 18–25, Mage = 19.77) from the Multisite University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC; see Castillo & Schwartz, 2013) completed a cross-sectional online survey. Variable-centered analyses (creating groups using mean splits and comparing them on outcomes using ANOVA) found that individuals who were religious and spiritual fared the best in terms of psychosocial outcomes. Individuals who were spiritual but not religious and neither religious nor spiritual tended to have better outcomes than did those who were religious but not spiritual. Person-centered analyses (latent-profile analysis) identified 3 classes: low R/S, moderate R/S, and high R/S. Comparing the classes on distal outcomes revealed that high R/S individuals tended to have the best outcomes, followed by those with low R/S, while those with moderate R/S tended to fare the worst. The results illuminate not only the relative roles of religiosity and spirituality during emerging adulthood, but also provide a unique vantage point for comparing variable-centered and person-centered approaches in the study of religiosity and spirituality.


The need for effective candidates as cytotoxic drugs that at the same time challenge cancer multidrug resistance encouraged a search for these in plants of central Argentina. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the cytotoxic extract from Dimerostemma aspilioides led to the isolation of the germacranolide tomenphantin A (1), along with three new analogues (2-4). These efficiently inhibited the proliferation of the leukemia cell lines K562 and CCRF-CEM and their resistant variants, Lucena 1 and CEM/ADR5000, respectively, with IC50 values ranging from 0.40 to 7.7 μM. The structures and relative configurations of compounds 1-4 were elucidated by analysis of the spectroscopic data, in particular NMR spectroscopy. The most active among these was compound 1 (IC50 = 0.40-5.1 μM), and, therefore, this was selected as a model for a mechanistic study, which revealed that its antiproliferative effect was mediated by cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase followed by apoptosis. The activity of compound 1 was selective, given the absence of cytotoxicity toward peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The results show the potential of these compounds, and in particular of compound 1, as leads for the development of drug candidates to fight sensitive and resistant leukemia cells.


We conduct a numerical study on the dynamic behavior of a buoyancy-induced turbulent fire from the viewpoints of symbolic dynamics, complex networks, and statistical complexity. Here, we consider two classes of entropies: the permutation entropy and network entropy in ε-recurrence networks, both of which evaluate the degree of randomness in the underlying dynamics. These entropies enable us to capture the significant changes in the dynamic behavior of flow velocity fluctuations. The possible presence of two important dynamics, low-dimensional deterministic chaos in the near field dominated by the motion of large-scale vortices and high-dimensional chaos in the far field forming a well-developed turbulent plume, is clearly identified by the multiscale complexity-entropy causality plane.


Research into the creative use of language can be a source of new knowledge about language structure and its implementation. The paper describes segmental phonetic means involved in the formation of identical or similar acoustic images which interact in the limited semantic space of such English nonsense texts as a limerick and a literary work containing transposed sounds, syllables and words (also known as spoonerisms). This ludic interaction provides the sophisticated plane of expression putting less emphasis on the conveyed message. The analysis included the following stages: 1) identifying the cases of sound-based play in typically English pieces of creative writing; 2) describing the structure and semantics of language units which embody ludic acoustic images; 3) looking at the phenomena in question with relation to such constituents of speech act as the message, the addresser and the addressee. The findings reveal that English nonsense texts the plane of expression of which is foregrounded by the creative use of phonetic means demonstrate simultaneous presence and absence of meaning. The results show that dealing with ludic senses allows to appreciate the ludic possibilities of the English phonemic inventory as well as the metalinguistic awareness and literary appreciation of the author and the recipient.


This paper presents a novel watermarking scheme able to resist geometric attacks. The proposed method performs watermarking of images in the raw domain. A perceptual model is used in order to define the strength of the embedded watermark. For resistance to scaling and rotation attacks, two generalized Radon transformations of the image are introduced, while resistance to translation is accomplished through a localization of the watermarking method based on feature points of the image. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that the proposed scheme is able to withstand a variety of attacks including common geometric attacks.


Purpose: It is important to predict the prognosis of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (DOC). This study established and validated a nomogram and corresponding web-based calculator to predict outcomes for patients with prolonged DOC. Methods: All data were obtained from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University and the Shangrao Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Predictive variables were identified by univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. Receiver operating characteristic curves, calibration curves, and a decision curve analysis (DCA) were utilized to assess the predictive accuracy, discriminative ability, and clinical utility of the model, respectively. Results: Independent prognostic factors, such as age, Glasgow coma scale score, state of consciousness, and brainstem auditory-evoked potential grade were integrated into a nomogram. The model demonstrated good discrimination in the training and validation cohorts, with area-under-the-curve values of 0.815 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.748–0.882) and 0.805 (95% CI: 0.727–0.883), respectively. The calibration plots and DCA demonstrated good model performance and clear clinical benefits in both cohorts. Conclusions: Based on our nomogram, we developed an effective, simple, and accurate model of a web-based calculator that may help individualize healthcare decision-making. Further research is warranted to optimize the system and update the predictors.


Background and Purpose The modified Atkins diet is a less restrictive alternative to the ketogenic diet (KD), allowing unlimited protein, fat, calories, and fluid intake. Moreover, it can be started on an outpatient basis without requiring a fast. This study evaluated the efficacy, tolerability, and compliance of the modified Atkins diet in intractable pediatric epilepsy. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 26 pediatric patients (10 males and 16 females) with intractable epilepsy who were treated using the modified Atkins diet at Samsung Medical Center from January 2011 to March 2017. Results The mean age at initiation of the modified Atkins diet was 10.9 (range, 2–21) years. The diet was continued for a mean duration of 5.9 (range, 1–16) months. After 6 months, 10 (38.5%) remained on the diet, of whom six (60%) had > 50% seizure reduction and two (20%) became seizure free. Four of 26 patients (15.4%) reported side effects of the diet, including constipation (n = 2) and lipid profile elevations (n = 2). Mean body mass index (BMI) was reduced from 22.6 to 20.9 kg/m2 (p < 0.05) in 13 patients who continued the diet for ≥ 3 months. Four of these patients (30.8%) were overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2) before initiating the diet and were satisfied with their BMI changes from a mean of 30.3 to 27 kg/m2 (p < 0.05). Food refusal (n = 3) and poor parental compliance (n = 3) were the common reasons cited for cessation. Conclusions The modified Atkins diet may be an alternative treatment option for children with intractable epilepsy who are unable to tolerate KD because of food intake-related restrictiveness or adverse effects. The continuous support of healthcare professionals and families plays a key role in diet maintenance.


Spinal and epidural anesthesia are the preferred choices for patients undergoing a cesarean section (CS). The increased use of neuraxial anesthesia in obstetrics may lead to certain complications such as needle breakage. While several cases of broken spinal and epidural needles have been reported, the exact incidence of needle breakage remains uncertain. The use of pencil-point needles with smaller diameters and the increasing BMI among pregnant individuals may have contributed to the increase in the reported incidents of broken needles during obstetric surgery. We present a case of a patient who was found to have a leftover spinal introducer needle in her back after undergoing spinal anesthesia for CS.


Background: Regularly engaging in physical activity (PA) is related to health benefits regardless of body size. Yet, individuals with obesity frequently experience weight stigma, which can lead to PA avoidance when internalized. This study will determine if evaluative conditioning (EC) using positive images of persons with obesity increases PA in individuals living with obesity (primary outcome), and affects implicit and explicit attitudes about PA and internalized weight stigma (secondary outcomes).
Methods: Sixty adults that self-identify as living with obesity will be randomly assigned to an experimental or control group, each completing four online sessions one week apart. The experimental group will complete EC tasks to retrain automatic fitness-fatness associations. The control group will read Canada's PA Guidelines and complete PA goal-setting tasks. PA attitudes, internalized weight stigma, and PA behaviour will be measured pre-test, post-test, and at one-week follow-up. Multivariate analysis of variance will be used to determine between-group differences.
Expected results: It is hypothesized that participants in the EC group will have increased PA, and that implicit and explicit PA attitudes, and internalized weight stigma will mediate the relationship between the intervention and PA.
Current stage: Ethical approval has been obtained and data collection will begin in March 2017.
Discussion: The results of this study could demonstrate a way to reduce internalized weight stigma and increase PA in persons with obesity, a typically inactive population. Media and health promotion practitioners may choose to portray individuals with obesity in a non-stereotypical/positive way to promote PA to persons at every size.


A new aggregation method for decision making is presented by using induced aggregation operators and the index of maximum and minimum level. Its main advantage is that it can assess complex reordering processes in the aggregation that represent complex attitudinal characters of the decision maker such as psychological or personal factors. A wide range of properties and particular cases of this new approach are studied. A further generalization by using hybrid averages and immediate weights is also presented. The key issue in this approach against the previous model is that we can use the weighted average and the ordered weighted average in the same formulation. Thus, we are able to consider the subjective attitude and the degree of optimism of the decision maker in the decision process. The paper ends with an application in a decision making problem based on the use of the assignment theory. Key words:


Potassium lithium niobate (KLN) single crystals were grown from a melt with potassium and lithium enriched composition using the rf-heating Czochralski technique. The growth conditions were discussed. A crystal with the composition of 0.315K2O–0.15Li2O–0.535Nb2O5 was grown from a melt of 0.348K2O–0.187Li2O–0.465Nb2O5. The transparent crystal was pale-yellow with an absorption edge at 376 nm, and showed a very small optical absorption in the 420–900 nm region. The electrooptic and nonlinear optic coefficients were measured. The deviation of composition in the crystals was investigated by measuring the change of the Curie temperature and phase matching angle of the second harmonic generation.


Background No spatial analysis of hair selenium and Keshan disease (KD) on a nationwide county-level has been performed. Selenium deficiency is a recognized environmental risk factor for KD. Hair selenium is one of the recognized biomarkers of selenium nutrition. This study aimed to perform a geographically precise and visualized assessment of the achievement of KD prevention and control at the level of selenium nutrition in terms of etiology. Methods A spatial ecological study was conducted. The hair selenium content of the residents was assayed using an atomic fluorescence spectrometer. The spatial analysis was performed using ArcGIS. Results The median of the hair selenium levels of the 3,028 participants in the 1,174 counties was 0.38 mg/kg, and the content of inhabitants in KD endemic counties was significantly lower than that in KD non-endemic counties (0.34 vs. 0.39 mg/kg, z = −10.03, P < 0.0001). The proportion of Se-deficient and Se-marginal counties in KD endemic counties was significantly higher than that in KD non-endemic counties (59.4 vs. 29.0%, z = −7.45, P < 0.0001). The global autocorrelation analysis was not statistically significant (Moran's I = 0.0005, P = 0.68). Local autocorrelation analysis identified 174 low-low clusters of hair selenium levels, 83 (47.7%) of which are KD endemic counties located in KD endemic provinces of Henan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. The hair selenium featured a positive correlation with per capita GDP (rs = 0.20, P < 0.0001). Conclusion The median of the hair selenium levels of inhabitants living in KD endemic counties was significantly lower than that in KD non-endemic counties. All the 83 KD endemic counties with low-low clusters of hair selenium levels should be prioritized in KD precision prevention and control. These findings are geographically precise and visualized evidence of the assessment of the effectiveness of KD prevention and control at the level of selenium nutrition in terms of etiology.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dental developmental anomalies in permanent teeth and their influence on esthetics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The records of 473 subjects, which comprised of orthopantomograms, clinical examination, and anamnestic data, were explored for dental developmental anomalies. Subjects with dental anomalies completed the modified questionnaire. Data on reasons for seeking the treatment as well as factors affecting the patients' satisfaction were collected. The data were processed using the Chi-square test.

RESULTS
It was found that 79 subjects (16.7%) had at least 1 dental developmental anomaly. The most common anomalies were hypodontia (7.2%), followed by talon cusps (3.4%), and microdontia (2.5%). Hypodontia, microdontia, and talon cusps were found more prevalent in females than males, whereas hyperdontia and macrodontia were more common in males. The reason for dissatisfaction with their smile in most cases was due to missing teeth or spacing between anterior teeth (excess space 2.9 mm ± 1.1 mm), followed by crowding of anterior teeth (lack of space 3.1 mm ± 0.8mm), difficulty maintaining oral hygiene and midline asymmetry (1.8 mm ± 0.9 mm). All subjects were treated using a fixed orthodontic appliance and 30 (37.9%) of them had additional dental specialists included to achieve good esthetics and function. Overall, 92.4% of subjects were satisfied with their resulting appearance after treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
Dental developmental anomalies are clinically evident abnormalities. They may be the cause of various dental problems and can influence esthetics and the development of orthodontic problems.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
This paper evaluates the distribution of dental developmental anomalies and their influence on esthetics and function. Careful observation and appropriate investigation are required to diagnose the condition and institute treatment. The therapeutic approach to some dental anomalies should be interdisciplinary.


In the past, control theory developed along different lines that required different mathematical tools. Time-varying systems required one set of tools, time-invariant another. Single-input, single-output problems lend themselves easily to one approach, but this approach is awkward for multivariable systems, etc. The purpose of this article is to point to the desirability of a unified approach to elementary control education using only tools of linear algebra as the enabling unifier. The following is a description and motivation for the proposed new control course (approach). There is only one main theorem from linear algebra, and at least 17 different control problems all reduce to solving a single linear algebra problem. >


Vanadium dioxide undergoes a reversible thermally induced semiconductor—metal phase transition near 70°C.1 Associated with this transition, the material exhibits large changes in its optical, electrical, and magnetic characteristics with respect to temperature.1,2 The extent of these changes depends on the stoichiometry and homogeneity of the VO2 film. By substituting various dopant transition metal ions into the VO2 lattice, the observed transition temperature may be raised or lowered depending on the percent and valence of the dopant ions added.


Aflatoxin B, (AFB1) is a clastogen that causes cellular damage by covalent modification of nucleic acids. In this investigation, male rats were injected i.p. with AFB1 (8 mg/kg b.w.) in DMSO and the same dose of AFB1 was also administered intratracheally (i.t.) to the animals separately. The animals were killed after 26 h of the carcinogen treatment, femur bone was removed, and bone marrow cells were isolated and stained with Mayer's hematoxylin and eosin. Micronuclei (Mn) were scored by using light microscopy. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was prepared from rats administered AFB1 i.t. A part of BAL was fixed with 70% ethanol, stained with the fluorochrome DAPI, and analysed for cell cycle variations; the other part of the lavage was used for making slides to record Mn with a fluorescent microscope. A significantly greater proportion of lung cells were found to enter cell cycle with extended S-phase due to AFB1 treatment. Mn were induced in polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE) as compared to normochromatic erythrocytes (NCE) in the bone marrow of AFB1-treated rats, where there was nearly a three-fold increase in the number of Mn of bone marrow cells. The administration of AFB1 resulted in a two-fold rise in the Mn in the lung cells. The effect of BSO, DEM, and PB, the modulators of AFB1 metabolism, was studied on AFB1-induced Mn formation. A significant increase in the Mn score in PCEs of BSO- and DEM-treated rats was noted, while a slight reduction in the Mn score was noted in the case of PB-treated rats. The administration of the methanol extract of the leaves of Piper argyrophyllum (taken up in DMSO) to rats for a week exhibited normalising effect on AFB1-induced Mn in bone marrow cells. These observations record the induction of Mn in lung cells due to AFB1 for the first time. We propose the utility of AFB1-induced Mn as a model for screening plant extracts as inhibitors of genotoxicity. Prevention of genotoxic changes described above by phytochemicals is being pursued in our Laboratories.


Exploring possibilities for joint projects in geomagnetism was the focus of an Indo-U.S. workshop on "Geomagnetism in Studies of the Earth's Interior" held in Pune, India, August 22–26, 1994. The 40 participants included delegates from 14 of India's major centers of geomagnetic research. Participants considered the meeting mutually beneficial and agreed that communication should continue through regular meetings.

T. M. Mahadevan reviewed the deep crustal structure and crustal provinces of the Indian subcontinent. Seismic, gravity, electrical conductivity, and heat flow, as well as magnetic data were used to classify these provinces, which have the greatest Moho depths in the southern shield (45 km) and Himalayan (70 km) areas, and shallowest (20–30 km) along the western continental margin. The major plate tectonic features of the Indo-Asian region were reviewed by M. N. Qureshy. He pointed out that gravity and magnetic data have revealed some possible suture zones in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, and Pakistan. The Satpura Suture (Narmada-Son lineament) of Peninsular India block is one of these.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

Systemic mastocytosis (SM) includes a heterogeneous group of disorders ranging from indolent SM to the rare and aggressive mast cell leukemia (MCL). Somatic mutations in the KIT receptor kinase (most frequently, D816V) can be detected in >90% of patients and are thought to play an important pathogenetic role. Nevertheless, morphological and clinical diversity, as well as the fact that some patients are negative for KIT mutations, suggest that the underlying molecular picture is far from being fully elucidated. To shed further light on this issue, we undertook an integrated molecular genetic study of a KIT gene mutation-negative MCL case who came to our attention in 2012. After having obtained written informed consent, we extracted genomic DNA and total RNA from purified mast cells (MCs) isolated from bone marrow at diagnosis and at progression, as well as DNA from saliva, and performed whole exome sequencing (WES) and RNA-seq on an HiSeq1000 (Illumina, San Diego CA). High resolution karyotyping was also performed with Cytoscan HD arrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara CA). Among the mutated genes detected in MCs but not in saliva by WES, SETD2 stood out among others because two loss-of-function mutations (a nonsense and a frameshift mutation) inactivating both alleles of the gene were identified. Western Blotting (WB) confirmed the expression of the truncated SETD2 isoform resulting from the nonsense mutation. The SETD2 gene encodes a histone methyltransferase responsible for trimethylation of Lysine 36 of histone H3 (H3K36Me3), a key hystone mark associated not only with active chromatin but also with transcriptional elongation, alternative splicing, DNA replication and repair. Loss of the highly conserved WW and SRI domains was predicted to impair SETD2 binding with RNA polymeraseII and hNRNP L, as confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. Accordingly, RNA-seq showed evidence of spurious transcripts initiated from cryptic promoter-like sequences within genes as well as non-canonical splice isoforms. More importantly, WB confirmed that H3K36Me3 was completely abrogated. In line with the role of SETD2-dependent H3K36Me3 in DNA repair and genome stability, Cytoscan HD arrays and WES showed that several losses at many chromosomal loci, together with more than 70 additional point mutations, undetectable at diagnosis, were acquired at the time of progression. Absence of SETD2 protein expression and/or reduced H3K36Me3 were detected in 3/3 additional MCLs and in 6/8 aggressive SMs so far screened. Our data point to epigenetic regulation and/or DNA repair as candidate pathways deserving further investigation in SM - in an attempt to elucidate the mechanisms underlying enhanced clinical aggressiveness and to identify more effective treatment modalities. Molecular characterization of 10 additional MCLs and aggressive SMs is ongoing. Supported by FP7 NGS-PTL project and Progetto Regione-Universita 2010-12(L. Bolondi)

Citation Format: Simona Soverini, Caterina De Benedittis, Michela Rondoni, Manuela Mancini, Cristina Papayannidis, Luca Zazzeroni, Viviana Guadagnuolo, Elisa Zago, Francesca Griggio, Alberto Ferrarini, Marianna Garonzi, Massimo Delledonne, Giorgina Specchia, Roberta Zanotti, Omar Perbellini, Livio Pagano, Michele Cavo, Peter Valent, Giovanni Martinelli. Integrated molecular characterization of mast cell leukemia reveals recurrent inactivation of the SETD2 tumor suppressor gene. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3957. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3957


�Abstract— this paper, introduces to the power systems society Modified Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization (MEPSO), as a tuning algorithm for AVR-PID controller for synchronous generator excitation system, for nominal system parameters and step reference voltage input. MEPSO is a hybrid in concepts of Genetic Algorithms (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), the algorithm is adopted to solve the target problem. Simulation is applied on synchronous generator's excitation system model, and a comparison between excitation system performances using the hybrid algorithm (MEPSO) and both of its parent algorithms (GA and PSO) is introduced, to prove that the MEPSO is a competitive algorithm and provides better performance if implemented to tune the AVR-PID controller for synchronous generator excitation system.


Purpose:The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the osseointegration of zirconia implants in rabbit tibiae with and without 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP) treatment. Materials and Methods:Twenty-eight rabbits received a total of 112 external hex-type implants made by the powder injection molding technique with and without MDP treatment before installation in the tibiae. The contact angles on the zirconia implants and zirconia discs before and after MDP application were evaluated. Removal torque (RT) and bone-implant contact (BIC) ratios were measured. Results:The MDP treatment markedly enhanced the hydrophilicity and seemed to alter the topography and chemical composition of the implant and disc surface. As the healing time increases, the BIC and RT were increased in both groups. The MDP-treated implants exhibited higher BIC values than the control implants after 2 and 4 weeks of healing. The RT was higher in MDP-treated implants after 2 weeks of healing but not after 4 weeks of healing. Conclusion:The 10-MDP treatments made the surface more hydrophilic and enhanced the osseointegration of the implants in the early healing phase.


Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) is useful for various clinical fields such as minimally invasive surgery, gastrointestinal endoscopy, and interventional or radiological procedures. It provides suitable intraoperative conditions as well as comfort for patients. The commonly used drugs are midazolam, propofol, and opioids such as fentanyl, alfentanil or remifentanil. Occasionally, the administration of sedatives or hypnotics in conjunction with analgesics can cause significant respiratory depression and/or transient upper airway obstruction.

Dexmedetomidine is a highly selevtive α2-adrenoceptor agonist with eight times higher specificity for the receptor compared to clonidine. It provides excellent sedation and analgesia with minimal respiratory depression [1]. Recent multicenter trial indicated that it was an effective baseline sedative for patients undergoing a broad range of surgical procedures under MAC, providing greater patient satisfaction, less opioid requirements, and less respiratory depression compared with the placebo [2]. In patients undergoing diagnostic transesophageal echocardiography, the sedative effect of dexmedetomidine proved to be equivalent to that of the standard therapy using midazolam and fentanyl without increasing the incidences of respiratory depression or oxygen desaturation. It also seemed to be better in terms of hemodynamic results [3]. Dexmedetomidine with fentanyl could be used safely and effectively for sedation and analgesia during extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy [4].

In the current issue of the Korean Journal of Anesthesiology [5], the authors demonstrated dexmedetomidine was a useful sedative drug for MAC in outpatients undergoing cataract surgery, and in aspects of patients' satisfaction and cardiovascular stability, it was superior to the combination of propofol and alfentanil.

However, Muller et al. [6] have showed dexmedetomidine alone was not as effective as propofol with fentanyl for providing conscious sedation during ERCP. Furthermore, it was associated with greater hemodynamic instability and longer recovery time. Spontaneously breathing pediatrics patients undergoing cardiac catheterization with dexmedetomidine and ketamine experienced insufficient sedation and analgesia and prolonged recovery compared to propofol and ketamine [7].

Dexmedetomidine leads to dose-dependent decreases in blood pressure, heart rate, and plasma catecholamine concentrations [8,9]. Higher concentrations of this drug can also result in systemic and pulmonary hypertension [10]. Severe bradycardia progressing to pulseless electrical activity caused by dexmedetomidine was reported in a 74-year-old man who experienced a postoperative myocardial infarction [11]. These adverse effects on cardiovascular system might limit the use of high concentrations of dexmedetomidine, and clinicians must always be careful when using this drug, especially in patients with significant cardiac disease.

Rapid administration of dexmedetomidine can lead to transient hypertension, bradycardia, or tachycardia, and therefore, administration of a loading dose for over 10 minutes is recommended [12]. The drug is sometimes used without a loading dose [11]. The report, published in the current issue of the Korean Journal of Anesthesiology [5], suggested continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine adjusted depending on the sedation scale without a loading dose neither disturbing cardiovascular stability nor delaying discharge.

It is necessary to monitor blood pressure even after discontinuation of dexmedetomidine as its infusion for 2 minutes has induced a long-lasting decrease in mean arterial blood pressure in the healthy volunteers, with a maximum decrease of 14% for 0.25 µg/kg and 16% for 0.5 µg/kg at 60 minutes after the discontinuance of the drug [13].

Although dexmedetomidine is an attractive drug for MAC, further studies on appropriate dosage according to patients' age or race or the presence of other drugs and on the method of infusion suitable for each procedures are required for safe use. The use of dexmedetomidine in pediatric patients is not yet approved in Korea.


The recent introduction oftissue expanders' into plastic and reconstructive surgical practice prompts this letter, in particular for those anaesthetists not involved in this surgical discipline. The principle involves subcutaneous insertion of a distensible plastic bag into an area where extra tissue is desired, the distension being obtained by progressive inflation with sterile saline through an introducing tube and self-sealing valve. This in turn, by stretching, creates the extra tissue for defect replacement. One common area for their use is the scalp, where areas of alopecia can be excised and the defect covered. Such an example is shown in the photograph (Fig. I ) , with the desired tissue expansion achieved and general anaesthesia induced for the definitive surgery. Readers will note the potential impediment to a correct position for tracheal intubation. similar to the hair-style effect described by Famewo.L Since these devices are kept in situ for several weeks, intercedent surgery is always a possibility. In an emergency situation, they could be missed for patient guile and skill in disguise attains a high standard. Where serious difficulty is anticipated, the liquid can be removed prior to anaesthesia and the device refilled later.


Underfill encapsulant is the material used in flip-chip devices that fills the gap between the IC chip and the organic board, and encapsulates the solder interconnects. This underfill material can dramatically enhance the reliability of flip-chip devices as compared to nonunderfilled devices. Current underfill encapsulants generally consist of epoxy resin, anhydride hardener, catalyst, silica filler, and other additives to enhance the adhesion, flow, etc. Underfill properties that are mainly determined by the catalyst include pot-life, cure speed, and cure temperature. Long pot-life and fast cure at relatively low temperature (/spl sim/150/spl deg/C) are desired, such that it requires the catalyst to be latent at room temperature, but able to catalyze the epoxy curing efficiently at desired temperature. Currently, the pot-life of commercial underfills is normally less than 1 day. The underfills must be put in the freezer at -40/spl deg/C for storage and in dry ice for shipping. The goal of this work was to test various catalyst systems that have the potential to enhance the pot-life of the underfill without adversely affecting its curing. The viscosities of the underfill with various catalysts were measured periodically by using a stress-controlled rheometer in order to establish their viscosity-time relationships. The curing of the underfills was studied using DSC. The pot-life and curing data of the underfill mixed with each of these catalysts are presented in this paper.


The origin of the Tuzo Wilson Seamounts, 50 km south of the Queen Charlotte Islands, has been ascribed by various workers to either the Pratt-Welker mantle plume, which has formed the Pratt-Welker seamount chain, or the formation of a new segment of the Explorer-Juan de Fuca spreading ridge system. Abundances of major and trace elements in dredged alkali basalts from Tuzo Wilson and Bowie seamounts (360 km northwest of Tuzo Wilson Seamounts) are typical of alkaline volcanism on ocean islands associated with mantle plumes, but X7~r/X6~r ratios (0.70252-0.70258) fall within the range of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) from the Explorer and Juan de Fuca ridges. Geochronological and chemical data from the Pratt-Welker, Bowie, and Tuzo Wilson seamounts suggest that the Tuzo Wilson Seamounts are in an early stage of development as a result of activity of the Pratt-Welker mantle plume but that contributions from both a depleted and an undepleted mantle source are necessary to reconcile trace-element and Sr isotope values. Modelling of rare-earth behaviour during partial melting indicates that neither the Tuzo Wilson nor Bowie basalts could be generated from a mantle source similar to that of the Explorer or Juan de Fuca MORB, unless recent metasomatism has enriched the seamounts' source region in incompatible elements.


We investigate effects of nitridation on AlN morphology, structural properties and stress. It is found that 3 min nitridation can prominently improve AlN crystal structure, and slightly smooth the surface morphology. However, 10 min nitridation degrades out-of-plane crystal structure and surface morphology instead. Additionally, 3-min nitridation introduces more tensile stress (1.5 GPa) in AlN films, which can be attributed to the weaker islands 2D coalescent. Nitridation for 10 min can introduce more defects, or even forms polycrystallinity interlayer, which relaxes the stress. Thus, the stress in AlN with 10 min nitridation decreases to -0.2GPa compressive stress.


Porokeratotic eccrine ostial and dermal duct nevus (PEODDN) is a rare dermatosis initially described as 'comedo nevus' and renamed 'PEODDN'; it has also been referred to as linear eccrine nevus with comedones, porokeratotic eccrine ostial and hair follicle nevus, and porokeratotic adnexal ostial nevus. PEODDN is usually present at birth or develops early in life. Rarely, PEODDN can develop in adults. The treatment of this puzzling condition is not standardized. We report herein a new case of adultonset PEODDN with dermatoscopic images. Our patient responded favorably to topical tazarotene.


A BSTRACT This paper explores how the principal speaker Ulysses in Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "Ulysses" combines the real spirit of wisdom and knowledge with action, following the ideals of Kierkegaard's philosophy of the stages. The perfect blending of action and knowledge brings perfection to Ulysses' life. He strives for his existence and inner evolution, which is a quest for real identity. His ideation is that the moment one stops to know something, one starts dying inwardly. Ulysses, a great man of learning, strives for self-transformation, exposing the spirits of existential philosophy, choices, and the different stages of inner growth and advancement. Following the footsteps of Kierkegaard's philosophy, he passes through the aesthetic stage, the ethical stage, and in his culmination of self-transformation, he attains the genuine spirit of the religious stage. Thus, it remains significant to view Ulysses, as a practitioner of Kierkegaard's philosophy in action, existence, and evolution, proving that when wisdom and knowledge come together, then there prevail glory, victory, and bliss. As a research article in qualitative paradigm, this aims to provide a deep insight into Ulysses' evolution of inner self, exploring it from the perspective of Kierkegaard's philosophy of existence, choice, and stages.


This Topical Review presents an overview of increasingly robust interconnects that are being established between atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics and the life sciences. AMO physics, outgrowing its historical role as a facilitator—a provider of optical methodologies, for instance—now seeks to partner biology in its quest to link systems-level descriptions of biological entities to insights based on molecular processes. Of course, perspectives differ when AMO physicists and biologists consider various processes. For instance, while AMO physicists link molecular properties and dynamics to potential energy surfaces, these have to give way to energy landscapes in considerations of protein dynamics. But there are similarities also: tunnelling and non-adiabatic transitions occur both in protein dynamics and in molecular dynamics. We bring to the fore some such differences and similarities; we consider imaging techniques based on AMO concepts, like 4D fluorescence microscopy which allows access to the dynamics of cellular processes, multiphoton microscopy which offers a built-in confocality, and microscopy with femtosecond laser beams to saturate the suppression of fluorescence in spatially controlled fashion so as to circumvent the diffraction limit. Beyond imaging, AMO physics contributes with optical traps that probe the mechanical and dynamical properties of single 'live' cells, highlighting differences between healthy and diseased cells. Trap methodologies have also begun to probe the dynamics governing of neural stem cells adhering to each other to form neurospheres and, with squeezed light to probe sub-diffusive motion of yeast cells. Strong field science contributes not only by providing a source of energetic electrons and γ-rays via laser-plasma accelerations schemes, but also via filamentation and supercontinuum generation, enabling mainstream collision physics into play in diverse processes like DNA damage induced by low-energy collisions to invoking dissociative attachment in quantification of stress levels in humans. The prognosis is extremely good for more intense interaction of AMO physics and biology; by way of future predictions attention is drawn to only two of very many opportunities for such interactions: application of attosecond techniques and tunnelling experiments to biological problems.


Introduction: some research works have reported a sort of "medical coldness" observed in the care for infertility by health care providers and perceived by medical service users. Objective: to find out the perception of users and of health care providers on the management and provision of care for infertility in three medical services of Havana. Methods: descriptive study conducted from April 2007 to March 2010. A qualitativetype approach was used to respond to the design of founded theory. The target population was divided into two groups: fertile couples assisted in selected services and their health care providers. Results: four inductive categories were described: care for infertility by the health care system; the organization and functioning of and satisfaction with the infertility care services, relationships of users and service providers, and the transit of users through the services of care for infertility. Some weaknesses in infertility care services were confirmed such as the poor resolution capacity and the need of establishing functions, standards and algorithms in each level of care in order to improve their processes, and lack of adequate social and medical thinking resulting from the hegemonic medical ideology. Conclusions: there are some constraints in material and professional resources; the organization and integration of services are poor leading to failures in management and continuity of care; executive decentralization of standards and the treatment given to persons and couples, taking their sociocultural conditions into account, is not enough.


Abstract. Working with measurement data in atmospheric science often necessitates the collocation of observations from instruments or platforms at different locations, with different geographical and/or temporal data coverage. Varying complexity and abundance of the different data sets demand a consolidation of the observations. This paper presents a tool for (i) finding temporally and spatially resolved intersections between two- or three-dimensional geographical tracks (trajectories) and (ii) extracting of observations and other derived parameters in the vicinity of intersections to achieve the optimal combination of various data sets and measurement techniques. The TrackMatcher tool has been designed specifically for matching height-resolved remote-sensing observations along the ground track of a satellite with position data of aircraft (flight tracks) and clouds (cloud tracks) and intended extension for ships (shiptracks) and air parcels (forward and backward trajectories). The open-source algorithm is written in the Julia programming language. The core of the matching algorithm consist of interpolating tracks of different objects with a piecewise cubic Hermite interpolating polynomial with subsequent identification of an intercept point by minimising the norm between the different track point coordinate pairs. The functionality wrapped around the two steps allows for application of the TrackMatcher tool to a wide range of scenarios. Here, we present three examples of matching satellite tracks with the position of individual aircraft and clouds that demonstrate the usefulness of TrackMatcher for application in atmospheric science.


Urachal adenocarcinoma (UA) represents a rare subset of bladder tumors involving a urachal remnant. Incidental gross hematuria is often the only presenting symptom, with patients often presenting late in their course, thereby imparting an overall poor prognosis. Although there are prior case reports, there is little literature reported and no standardized treatment guidelines. We report a case of a middle-aged male who presented with incidental gross hematuria after a fall. Workup indicated the presence of a calcified bladder dome mass and pathology reported a primary urachal adenocarcinoma with pelvic nodal involvement. Patient underwent surgical resection and subsequent adjuvant, systemic chemotherapy regimen with leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX). We hope to bring greater awareness to this rare cause of bladder malignancy.


A two-potential localised exchange approach is used to study the dynamics of the atomic collision process in electron impact excitation of the resonant transition in sodium at three intermediate energies: 12.1, 22.1 and 30 eV. Results are presented for the angular variation of the components of polarisation (P1, P2 and P3) of the radiation emitted normal to the scattering plane. From these results the coherence of excitation and the alignment of the charge cloud ( gamma ) are investigated. Differential and total spin asymmetry in the scattering of spin-polarised electrons with spin-polarised sodium are also studied.


This work presents the first chip design for a portable speech-to-speech translation application. First, we construct a speech-to-speech translation system based on multiple-translation spotting (MTS). In terms of the proposed MTS method, the optimal multiple-translation spotting template is retrieved and the appropriate target patterns are extracted. To overcome the computational bottleneck due to the MTS algorithm, this work introduces a template retrieval core and a target pattern extraction core. Combined with a low cost programmable core, this work takes the most out of both programmable and application-specific architectures, including performance, design complexity, and flexibility. This design was experimentally verified via semi-custom chips using 0.35 μm CMOS single-poly-four-metal technology on a die of approximately 3.85 × 3.85 mm 2 size.


The characteristics of exchange-biased soft underlayers (SULs) were investigated using magnetic force microscopy and spin stand measurements with a single-pole (focused ion-beam trimmed gap) writer and magnetoresistive head. The SUL high-moment materials (FeCoB, FeAlN) were exchange biased by using IrMn. Spin stand data on perpendicular media (CoCrPtB) with an exchange-biased FeCoB SUL also showed a low integrated dc erase noise level, demonstrating its potential for use in double-layered perpendicular media.


Immunofluorescence studies on the distributions of vimentin and desmin in embryonic rat cardiac muscle cells in culture were carried out, using antibodies against vimentin and desmin. The cell culture was continued for 5 days. Both vimentin and desmin increased in concentration as the cardiac myocytes matured in culture. Vimentin and desmin were mainly organized as filamentous structures and oriented in longitudinal and other directions within the cytoplasm of the cells. Cross-striated fluorescence of vimentin and desmin was rarely observed in cardiac myocytes, although cross-striated myofibrils were present during early and late periods of culture. Desmin did not show preferential adherence to the Z-line of the cultured myocytes. Vimentin was observed on the nuclei of cardiac myocytes in the form of complex network and beaded structures during culture period. Both vimentin and desmin were present in fibroblastic cells in culture. Our observations suggest that vimentin and desmin in cardiac myocytes in culture probably provide a skeletal framework, which facilitates the assembly of myofibrils. Also, these intermediate filaments are probably involved in the organization of cellular organelles in the cell cytoplasm. The role of the intermediate filaments found on the nucleus and its periphery is probably to maintain the position of the nucleus in the cytoplasm of the cell, providing an adherence between the nucleus and adjacent cytoplasmic sites.


Granites are widespread in the Nanling region of China, which were emplaced in different tectonic environments as a result of frequent and intense magmatic activity. Two evolution sequences have been distinguished: the extrusivehypabyssal and plutonichypabyssal sequences. Different mechanisms governing the evolution, especially the differentiation, of the two sequences may account for the different mechanisms of uranium mineralization leading to the formation of various types of uranium deposits in the Nanling region. As a result of frequent and intense granitic magmatic activity, granites were widely emplaced in the Nanling region of China, accounting for about 28.82% of the entire region, and the outcrop area tends to increase from 8.6% in the west to 66.67% in the east. The distribution of magmatic rocks is controlled by regional structures. The leading tectonic system in this region consists of latitudinal structures, along which the magmatic rocks are distributed, constitution nearly EW-striking granite belts; coming next are the SN-, NE-and NNE-trending magmatic rock belts. Differentiation-evolution, intrusion and effusion of magmas are associated with alternating activities of the latitudinal, longitudinal, Cathaysian and Neocathaysian systems, which is particularly noticeable in the coastal area along eastern Nanling region. The evolution-differentiation of the magmas has resulted in abundant tungsten, tin, rare-earth element and other mineral resources. Uranium reserves in the Yenshania'n granites and volcanic rocks of this region amount to more than 50% of the total uranium reserves in China. This kind of uranium deposits occupies an important position not only in China, but also in other parts of the world. Characteristics of the Magmatic Evolution Sequences in the Nanling Region Two magmatic evolution sequences are distinguished in terms of geological setting, tectonic stress field, mode of magmatic activity and petrology, i . e . , the extrusive-hypabyssal sequence and the plutonic-hypabyssal sequence. In the former case magmatic extrusion took place in accompany with magmatic intrusion, with no difference in composition between the extrusive and the intrusive rocks; in the latter case magmatic intrusion played a leading role relative to volcanism. ,During the Calidonian to the Yenshanian, especially during the Yenshanian, more intensive and frequent magmatic activities were recorded over this region, resulting in the two magmatic evolution sequences. No.2 CHINESE JOURNAL OF GEOCHEMISTRY 179 Characteristics of the Two Magmatic Evolution Sequences of the Yenshanian Period The plutonic-hypabyssal magmatic evolution sequence It is developed in the middle and western parts of the Nanling region, but most completely and most intensively in the Jiufeng EW-trending sub-belt ( the principal stress plane of the Nanling latitudinal structural system ). This sequence possesses the following characteristics: a. It is dominated by intrusive rocks, especially granites, b. Intrusive activities can be divided into four stages including at least ten phases, which started with a strong impetus, and enhanced progressively until they reached the maximum, followed by a weakening trend, hence giving rise, in most cases, to composite rock bodies, c. From early to late, changes took place in environment of granite emplacement from plutonic and stable to shallow, ultra-shallow and instable. Meanwhile, the oxidation rate also tends to increase. Moreover, granite bodies also show changes in shape from batholith to stock, as well as in outcrop area from large to small. All these changes may be attributed to the transformation of geological setting from gigantic folds to deep large faults. d. The rocks exhibit porphyroid textures (Photo 1 ) and have experienced no rock facies transformation in the earlier phases, while in the later phases, fine-grained granitic texture and porphyritic texture (Photo 2) are commonly observed and rock facies transformation is noticeable, e. Magmatic differentiation is remarkable from early to late, with an increase in differentiation index (Table 1, Fig. 1 ) and a decrease in t~ Eu value (Table 2). The magmatic evolution in the


As and when the mobile users are increasing in day by day the demands of video traffic over mobile networks keep on rising, so the wireless link capacity cannot satisfying the demands of mobile user due to the variation in the link status and many disruptions, it causes long time buffering to mobile user. To overcome from this a framework is proposed for the efficient utilization of wireless link capacity by the combination of Adaptive mobile video streaming (AMoV) and Efficient social video sharing (ESoV) techniques using cloud. In AMoV, there is a combination of adaptability and scalability features. So that it provides efficient utilization of bandwidth. Likewise ESoV provides efficient social video sharing by use of same combination of features. So that user experiences continuous flow of video streaming by avoid of buffering.


Background and Objectives In patients with ischemic stroke undergoing endovascular treatment (EVT), time to treatment and collateral status are important prognostic factors and may be correlated. We aimed to assess the relation between time to CT angiography (CTA) and a quantitatively determined collateral score and to assess whether the collateral score modified the relation between time to recanalization and functional outcome. Methods We analyzed data from patients with acute ischemic stroke included in the Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke Registry between 2014 and 2017, who had a carotid terminus or M1 occlusion and were treated with EVT within 6.5 hours of symptom onset. A quantitative collateral score (qCS) was determined from baseline CTA using a validated automated image analysis algorithm. We also determined a 4-point visual collateral score (vCS). Multivariable regression models were used to assess the relations between time to imaging and the qCS and between the time to recanalization and functional outcome (90-day modified Rankin Scale score). An interaction term (time to recanalization × qCS) was entered in the latter model to test whether the qCS modifies this relation. Sensitivity analyses were performed using the vCS. Results We analyzed 1,813 patients. The median time from symptom onset to CTA was 91 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 65–150 minutes), and the median qCS was 49% (IQR 25%–78%). Longer time to CTA was not associated with the log-transformed qCS (adjusted β per 30 minutes, 0.002, 95% CI −0.006 to 0.011). Both a higher qCS (adjusted common odds ratio [acOR] per 10% increase: 1.06, 95% CI 1.03–1.09) and shorter time to recanalization (acOR per 30 minutes: 1.17, 95% CI 1.13–1.22) were independently associated with a shift toward better functional outcome. The qCS did not modify the relation between time to recanalization and functional outcome (p for interaction: 0.28). Results from sensitivity analyses using the vCS were similar. Discussion In the first 6.5 hours of ischemic stroke caused by carotid terminus or M1 occlusion, the collateral status is unaffected by time to imaging, and the benefit of a shorter time to recanalization is independent of baseline collateral status.


This study is an attempt to find out the effective approach for English teaching-learning, which is still problematic in the country like Indonesia where the status of English is as a foreign language. Most English teachers seem not to realize that the position of English as such, not to mention students. Besides, English learning orientation/priority sometimes is not obviously defined. This will potentially implicate to the learning process due to the lack of orientations/priorities. At least two of four language skills, if not possible for the four language skills, should be established vis a vis: speaking-listening or writing-reading. The two couples of the skills, where a language is perceived as a skill leading to fluency, are not free from 'the knowledge about' that will potentially lead to accuracy. The approach of two pathways, DECPRO (DEClarative to PROcedural) and PRODEC (PROcedural to DEClarative), seems to be an appropriate academic attempt to improve students' ability in English. The process carried out in DECPRO pathway, proceduralization, focuses on learning, while the process performed in PRODEC pathway, declarativization, emphasizes what the so-called acquisition. This approach, which also employs the principles for teaching speaking, is seemingly realistic to be implemented in indonesian universities where English is accentuated to equip students in this global competition. The study which can be a significant contribution to the teaching and learning of speaking-listening, and structure seems to improve fluency and accuracy. In turns, the results of the study can encourage students to achieve their competitiveness, in terms of English mastery, in this global market.


Abstract Using microdata from the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS), this study examines the role of inheritance, income and welfare state policies in explaining differences in household net wealth within and between euro area countries. First, about one-third of the households in the 13 European countries we study report having received an inheritance, and these households have considerably higher net wealth than those which did not inherit. Second, regression analyses on households' relative wealth position show that, on average, having received an inheritance lifts a household by about 14 net wealth percentiles. At the same time, each additional percentile in the income distribution is associated with about 0.4 net wealth percentiles. These results are consistent across countries. Third, multilevel cross-country regressions show that the degree of welfare state spending across countries is negatively correlated with household net wealth. These findings suggest that social services provided by the state are substitutes for private wealth accumulation and partly explain observed differences in levels of household net wealth across European countries. In particular, the effect of substitution relative to net wealth decreases with growing wealth levels. This implies that an increase in welfare state spending goes along with an increase—rather than a decrease—of observed wealth inequality.


Abstract In this paper we consider repeated coalitional games with transferable utilities (TU) over networks. Namely, we consider a set of n players that have to distribute among themselves a vector of rewards (one for each player). In our network version there is no coordinator allocating the rewards, but the agents have to agree on a common time-averaged vector by updating the local estimates of the reward vector. The common time-averaged reward vector has to approach a suitable constraint set, called core of the game, that guarantees that no agents benefit from quitting the grand coalition. We propose a doubly (over time and space) averaging distributed algorithm. At every iteration, each agent first computes a weighted average of its own time-averaged estimate and those of his neighbors and then generates a new reward vector in order to drive the time-averaged estimate towards a pre-assigned set. The main contribution of the paper is to prove that under certain assumptions, i) all agents' estimates reach consensus on the true time-averaged reward vector, and ii) the estimates (and thus the true time-averaged reward vector) approach the pre-assigned set. Conditions for this to happen are related to the connectivity over time of the communication topology and to the approachability principle.


This essay examines the debate over female impersonation in theatre in early Republican China (1912-1937). The adversaries of nandan (female impersonators) saw the social equity between the sexes and the normalcy of gender, sex, and sexuality as integral parts of the process of building a modern nation and contended that theatre should contribute to this endeavor. Supporters of female impersonation saw female actors as hedonistic, underscored women's inferiority in xiqu performance, and emphasized that female impersonation was essential to the artistry of xiqu's distinct aesthetic.


Abstract In this study, the three parameters of the abrasive particle size, distance of tool to the work piece, and the rotational speed of cylindrical surface finishing of steel AISI 321 by abrasive particles in the MAF magnetic field was studied. The advantages of this process that can be noted are the lack of residual stress after the process and modification of the coaxial shaft. Surface roughness was considered as a function of rotational speed (RPM), the distance between tool and work piece (GAP) and the size of the abrasive particles.Special tools for finishing the cylindrical surface (shaft) are designed from mentioned material and the rotational motion of the shaft is provided by the lathe. Experiments were performed according to full factorial method, using abrasive powders consisting of a mixture of silicon carbide SiC with carbonyl iron Fe in different particle size and SAE40 oil. After the surface roughness measurement of samples, the influence of various parameters on the final surface quality was evaluated, the results have shown that in the mentioned stainless steel shaft finishing, variables of 1. Distance between tool and work piece 2.Abrasive particle size 3. Rotation speed, respectively, have the highest influence on obtained surface roughness. Finally, by using the neural network analysis, a better condition in terms of three parameters was obtained to achieve better surface finish.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major mediator of angiogenesis and a strong vascular permeability factor. VEGF is known to open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and induce cerebral edema. Experimental studies of VEGF antagonism have shown it reduces cerebral edema after ischemia, indicating its potential for prevention of secondary brain damage. We examined the therapeutic effect of VGA1155 (5- [N-Methyl-N- (4-octadecyloxyphenyl) acetyl] amino-2-methyl-thiobenzoic acid), a novel small molecule antagonist of VEGF, on rat permanent focal cerebral ischemia.

METHODS
Permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was induced with the suture occlusion method. A single dose of VGA1155 (10mg/kg, i.p.) was administered 30 minutes before the induction of MCAO after which brain water content, Evans blue extravasation, neurological score, infarct volumes and VEGF expression determined by means of ELISA were compared with corresponding values for vehicle injected control rats.

RESULTS
Brain water content and Evans Blue extravasation 24 hours after ischemia were not significantly reduced, but, compared with control group, VGA1155 significantly reduced infarct volume (32.0% for VGA1155 vs. 46.7% for control; % volume of hemisphere volume) and improved neurological function 7 days after ischemia, when tissue content of the VEGF group markedly increased to nine times that of the vehicle-treated animals.

CONCLUSION
VGA1155 was found to protect against secondary ischemic brain damage after permanent focal cerebral ischemia, although it did not reduce vasogenic edema at 24 hours. Changes in endogenous VEGF may be related to the therapeutic effect of VGA1155.


We examine the comparative effectiveness of three alternative licensing systems in professional football. The three systems' main concern is with the promulgation of responsible financial behaviour among football clubs. To that effect, all three systems rely on entry control and ex ante budget approval rights. However, the three structures also differ, especially with regard to the way in which they seek to impose ex post budgetary discipline. We analyse these differences, using Transaction Cost Economics as our basic frame of reference. Both theoretically and empirically, we demonstrate that the effectiveness of the licensing arrangements depends on the credibility of the punitive measures available to the governing body. We also find evidence to suggest that social ties may partly substitute for formal deterrence and enforcement.


PURPOSE
RNF6 is verified to promote the malignant growth of colorectal cancer (CRC) and its level is linked to prognosis in CRC patients. Radioresistance is a key factor influencing prognosis in CRC. This study aimed to uncover the potential regulation of ring finger protein 6 (RNF6) in CRC radioresistance.

METHODS
RNF6 levels in radioresistant and non-radioresistant CRC patients were detected. In vitro and in vivo regulatory effects of RNF6 on radioresistant CRC cell lines and nude mice bearing radioresistant CRC were examined, respectively. The involvement of Wnt pathway in CRC radioresistance was explored by Western blot.

RESULTS
RNF6 was highly expressed in radioresistant CRC species than that of non-radioresistant ones. Identically, RNF6 was upregulated in radioresistant CRC cells compared to parental cells. SW1116 cells overexpressing RNF6 were more tolerant to radiotherapy, and similar results were obtained in nude mice bearing radioresistant CRC with overexpression of RNF6. Moreover, the Wnt pathway was activated during RNF6-induced radioresistance improvement in CRC.

CONCLUSIONS
RNF6 enhances radioresistance of CRC through activating the Wnt pathway.


This paper presents a novel temperature-compensated two-state microelectromechanical (MEM) capacitor. The principle to minimize temperature dependence is based on geometrical compensation and can be extended to other devices such as MEM varactors. The compensation structure eliminates the effect of intrinsic and thermal stress on device operation. This leads to a temperature-stable device without compromising the quality factor (Q) or the voltage behavior. The compensation structure increases the robustness of the devices, but does not require any modifications to the process. Measurement results verify that the OFF and ON capacitance change is less than 6% and the pull-in voltage is less than 5% when the temperature is varied from -30 to +70/spl deg/C.


Herein, we briefly review the anthropological studies published so far on the Basque population, highlighting the most relevant works and findings, the first interpretations and the limitations of the so called "classic" Anthropology. We describe the methodological innovations that have been recently implemented for the reconstruction of our evolutionary history and we present some interdisciplinary views, which are illustrated with some examples focused on the Basque Country. Future demands the comprehension of the basis of morphological variation, the genomic analysis of current populations and the reconstruction of gene genealogies through methods that can take into account data from extinct populations, i.e. DNA from ancient remains.


This paper proposes a decision making methodology using clustering methods and fuzzy techniques to determine the optimal location of distributed generation sources into an electrical distribution system. Based on the operational characteristics (loss sensitivity factor and voltage values in nodes) first of all was found the optimal distribution network partitioning, using k-means clustering method and after that were used fuzzy techniques to determine the optimal location of the DG sources for an appropriate DG planning. The suggested method is tested on a 20 kV real rural distribution network with 91 nodes. The results demonstrate that the methodology can be successfully used to determine the optimal DG location into an electrical network without disrupting the proper operation of the entire system.


Acoustic emission (AE) practitioners routinely use surface pencil lead breaks (monopoles) to observe expected AE signal characteristics. In contrast, stress-generated AE sources are almost universally composed of dipoles. Thus, understanding the primary differences between the signals generated by these two different source classes is of key importance. This research had the goal of analyzing and contrasting the AE signals generated by monopole and dipole sources. A finite-element-modeled database of AE signals provided an ideal means to study these two source types. The AE signals represented the top-surface out-of-plane displacement versus time from point sources inside an aluminum plate 4.7 mm thick. In addition, monopole sources both on the plate top surface and the edge surface were included in the database. The AE signals were obtained from both in-plane and out-of-plane monopole and dipole sources. Results were analyzed with both a 100 to 300 kHz bandpass filter and a 40 kHz high-pass filter. The wide-plate specimen domain effectively eliminated edge reflections from interfering with the direct signal arrivals.


INTRODUCTION
The objectives of this work were: (1) To determine the prevalence of bone neoplasms and pseudoneoplasms lesions in a group of adolescents (15 to 19 years), (2) To determine the more frequent bone neoplasms and pseudoneoplasms lesions in a group of young adults (29 to 39 years), (3) To determine if there are differences in the frequency of bone neoplasms and pseudoneoplasms lesions between the group of adolescents and the group of young adults and (4) To determine if there is any difference according to gender.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study that consisted in the review of the Pathology Department files in the National Institute of Rehabilitation. We included all patients with a histopathologic diagnosis of bone neoplasms or pseudoneoplasms lesion from January 2000 to December 2006 within the age of presentation from 15 to 19 or 20 to 39 years.

RESULTS
The five more frequent bone neoplasms and pseudoneoplasms lesions in adolescents were osteochondroma, osteosarcoma, chondroblastoma, non-ossifying fibroma and aneurysmal bone cyst. In young adults the five more frequent were: giant cell neoplasm, osteosarcoma, osteochondroma, fibrous dysplasia and enchondroma.


Aim / Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of maximal exercise on the level of cardiac remolding and Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) in elite athletes as compared to sedentary healthy subjects and correlation of ANP with the adaptation of athlete's heart and cardiac remodeling (if any) Place and Duration of Study: The present study was carried out at the Department of Physiology, Army Medical College, with collaboration of Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) Rawalpindi from June 2003 to May 2004. Methodology: A total number of 44 subjects were included in this study. These comprised of 22 elite endurance athletes and 22 healthy sedentary volunteers as controls. All subjects were examined clinically to rule out the cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases on the basis of medical history, physical examination, and echocardiography. All the selected subjects were examined on a Toshiba Power Vision 6000 echocardiograph for assessing and measuring their LV end-diastolic internal diameter (LVIDd), Diastolic interventricular septal thickness (IVSTd), diastolic posterior wall thickness (PWTd). The left ventricular mass was (LVM) was calculated by using the Devereux formula. They were subject to go for ergometer cycle exercise before breakfast. The Blood samples were drawn before and after exercise to assess the level of ANP in their samples. Results: It was found that LVIDd, IVSTd, PWTd, LVM were higher in athletes as compared to their age, sex and BMI matched controls. The ANP levels in athlete's plasma were also high in post and pre exercise sample as compared to controls. Conclusion: Systolic blood pressure, Diastolic Blood Pressure and heart rate are lower in endurance elite athletes than matched sedentary controls. The maximal Exercise increases the level of Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) in elite athletes significantly as compared to sedentary healthy controls. There was a Positive correlations between ANP and LVIDd, IVSTd, PWTd, and LVM while there was negative correlation between ANP and heart rate, ANP and Blood pressure. However, none of correlation was found to be statistically significant. Keywords: Athlete's Heart, ANP, Cardiac remodeling in athletes, Echocardiography of heart


The movement toward bio-economy means the complex system changes, it concerns such wide and important aspects as food security, resource efficiency, biodiversity, job creation, GDP production. Purpose of the article – generalizing of the basic parameters of food security and outlining of the impact directions of the bio-economy. There are analyzed the meaning of food security in the article, described the links between food security and the bioeconomy, determined that the bioeconomy has the potential to improve food security through the development of more efficient systems of agricultural production which can significantly increase the production of food by increasing the sustainability of the agricultural sector, which is essential in the long term. We consider that there is some scope for the development of the bioeconomy in Ukraine, including the sector of biofuels production and « green » sector without endangering food security. Dilemmas « food or fuel » for Ukraine is not acute at this stage, however, the benefits from the bioeconomy transition are quite significant.


Stable isotope compositions of a suite of magmatic amphiboles from alkaline basalts and andesitic rocks were examined to constrain the effects of degassing processes on the hydrogen isotope compositions. The Fe3+ (as Fe3+/Fetotal) and H2O contents, as well as the H isotope compositions of the amphiboles, differ markedly (27–58%, 0.5–2.2 wt%, −107 to −15‰, respectively) but indicate systematic variations. The observed trends can be explained either as dehydrogenation or dehydration processes, both of which are coupled to oxidation processes, the latter most probably related to O2− substitution within amphiboles. The dehydrogenation-dehydration models can be used to assess the primary compositions of the magmas. As an important example, δD values of amphiboles of Martian meteorites are discussed in a similar context. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The history and progress of organ transplantation in Uppsala are reviewed. Renal transplantation was begun in 1969, and the programme now comprises 50 to 60 transplants per year. Since 1976 the operation is performed at the department of urology. Close collaboration has been established with other departments in the hospital, especially with the medical nephrology unit. The indications for active management of uraemic patients have broadened, and maintaining resources on a par with the demands has constantly been a problem. This report concerns immunosuppressive therapy, transplantation results and research connected with the transplantation programme and deals briefly with the prospects for Uppsala as a transplantation centre in the future.


Thebaine which occurs nearly without any accompanying alkaloids in Papaver bracteatum L. can relatively easily be converted into codeine. Therefore Papaver bracteatum offers itself as a morphine-free source of codeine. This species of poppy could be a profitable alternative for agriculture if yields of up to 50 kg/ha thebaine as found in small size experiments could be realized in field conditions as well. This will especially be possible when capsules as well as roots show high contents of thebaine. Several clones were investigated over a period of 2 years in 2 locations. Clones represent single plants of different origines from the populations ARYA I and ARYA II. The selection was made because of divergent thebaine content and morphological characters. The thebaine contents of fully ripe capsules and roots in the stade of summer-dormancy were analysed quantitatively. Comparative experiments show how far the environment has a modifying influence and wether the genotype can be expressed. Furthermore the relation between the thebaine content of capsules and roots is determined because a correlation specially a positive one would faciliate the selection of high yielding types.


Tapping mode atomic force microscopy in liquids is enhanced using an insulated cantilever with an integrated piezoelectric microactuator. When vibrating the cantilever via direct force modulation by the actuator, a single resonance peak appears in the plot of rms cantilever amplitude versus excitation frequency, eliminating the spurious resonances typical of acoustic excitation in a liquid medium. This simplifies selection of the cantilever's natural resonance frequency for improved tuning accuracy and speed. Acoustic excitation can excite cantilever modes that do not displace the tip of the cantilever but vibrate the microscope's detection system and create unwanted liquid-coupled acoustic waves between the liquid-cell and the sample. These modes are eliminated by directly forcing the cantilever. Insulated microactuated probes offer a simple and more direct alternative solution to recently presented magnetic tuning methods.


Based on the principle of statistical energy analysis for non-conservatively coupled dynamical systems under non-correlative or correlative excitations, energy relationship between two similar SEA systems is established in the paper. The energy relationship is verified theoretically and experimentally from two similar SEA systems i.e., the structure of a coupled panel-beam and that of a coupled panel-sideframe, in the cases of conservative coupling and non-conservative coupling respectively. As an application of the method, relationship between noise power radiated from two similar cutting systems is studied. Results show that there are good agreements between the theory and the experiments, and the method is valuable to the analysis of dynamical problems associated with a complicated system from that with a simple one.


Traditionally, high-accuracy full-sphere polar measurements require dense sampling of the sound field at very-fine angular increments, particularly at high frequencies. The proposed HELS (Helmholtz Equation Least Squares) method allows this restriction to be relaxed significantly. Using this method, far fewer sampling points are needed for full and accurate reconstruction of the radiated sound field. Depending on the required accuracy, sound fields can be reconstructed using only 10 to 20% of the number of sampling points required by conventional techniques. The HELS method allows accurate reconstruction even for sample spacing that violates the Nyquist spatial sampling rate in certain directions. This paper examines the convergence of HELS solutions via theory and simulation for reconstruction of the acoustic radiation patterns generated by a rectangular plate mounted on an infinite rigid flat baffle. In particular, the impact of the numbers of expansion terms and measurement points as well as errors imbedded in the input data on the resultant accuracy of reconstruction is analyzed. Lu and et al. High-Accuracy Polar Measurements AES 121st Convention, San Francisco, CA, USA, 2006 October 5–8


Kinetic art, such as mobile sculptures and balance toys, is art that involves movement. The design of original kinetic art is difficult because one must consider physics in order to predict the result. Current computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided engineering (CAE) tools are of limited use when designing such dynamic objects because typically these systems are entirely separated. In this paper, we propose a new system for designing original kinetic art objects in which a three-dimensional (3D) geometrical modeling interface and a rigid body simulation are combined. In this study, we introduce an implementation technique to achieve real-time responses and present a prototype system. To demonstrate the technique's effectiveness, we report the results of user studies and show several objects designed on the system.


OPERA is a neutrino oscillation experiment designed to perform a ντ appearance search in the CNGS beam from CERN to Gran Sasso underground laboratory, 730 km from CERN. The identification of the τ lepton produced by a ντCC interaction is based on the use the Emulsion Cloud Chamber (ECC) which consists of a modular structure made of a sandwich of passive material plates interleaved with emulsion films. In addition of its very good tracking information capability, used to the detection of short-lived particles, the ECC can be used as a fine sampling electromagnetic calorimeter allowing the study of the τ→ e decay and the νμ → νe oscillation channel. We will report the method developped to reconstruct the electromagnetic showers with ECC and the energy measurement in the 1-10 GeV range.


Underpinning the conservation management of Austropotamobius pallipes in the UK is the process of monitoring and reporting crayfish distribution. Should the current trend in the decline of A. pallipes continue, the species could be virtually extinct in mainland Britain within 30 years (SIBLEY, 2003). Conversely, if the increase in the distribution of non-indigenous crayfish species (NICS) continues at its current rate, the distribution (by 10 km squares) of these species could double within 15 years. These forward projections are based on a number of possibly unreliable assumptions; they illustrate however the magnitude of the challenge facing those concerned with the conservation of A. pallipes in the UK at this time.Recent work in crayfish conservation management in the UK has yielded guidance in several areas including monitoring, habitat enhancement and a re-introduction protocol for A. pallipes (KEMP and HILEY, 2003). Similarly, scientific research continues to inform our understanding of the movement and behaviour of NICS and explores new methods for the potential management of these species. In addition, the protection afforded to A. pallipes by current legislation is key to the long-term survival prospects of the species, albeit with a probable fragmented distribution, across the British Isles and continental Europe.Legal provisions in the UK derive in part from European instructions (e.g. EC Habitats and Species Directive) and also from national legislation (e.g. Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act (1975) and the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981)). Also, a raft of "quasi-legislation" exists which requires responsible organisations in the UK to implement the white-clawed crayfish biodiversity action plan (BAP). Altogether these provisions constitute a considerable volume of legal protection for crayfish and provide the legal framework on which UK management policy and practice are based.


Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a non-destructive testing (NDT) technology, which uses electromagnetic (EM) techniques to map the buried structures in the shallow sub-surface. The efficiency of the GPR system significantly depends on the antenna performance as the signal has to propagate through lossy and inhomogeneous media. The GPR antennas should possess a low frequency of operation for more depth of penetration, ultra-wide band (UWB) performance for high resolution, high gain and efficiency for increasing the receiving power, minimal ringing, compact and lightweight for ease of GPR surveying. Bow-tie antennas are widely used as it can provide most of the above mentioned antenna performances. Though a number of researchers have carried out their research work for the design and development of the Bow-tie antennas for the GPR applications, still there is ample of scopes for the improvement of this antenna to achieve compactness and lightweight, reduced end-fire reflections, better gain and directivity, high radiation efficiency, etc. In this work, two improved Bow-tie antennas for the GPR applications have been proposed. A compact resistive loaded Bowtie antenna is designed and investigated which can provide an impedance bandwidth of 167% (0.4 - 4.5 GHz) with reduced end-fire reflections. The compactness is achieved by using a thin sheet of graphite for the resistive loading instead of using volumetric electromagnetic absorbing materials. The end-fire reflections are minimized by blending the sharp corners of the Bowtie antenna. However, the radiation efficiency and gain of the antenna are degraded significantly due to resistive loading which has been in the second proposed antenna by using an improved RC-loading scheme. The improved and compact RC-loaded Bowtie antenna with metamaterial based planar lens is designed and investigated which can operate over a UWB bandwidth of 3.71GHz (0.29 GHz - 4.5 GHz). This provides a maximum gain of 12.4 dB and maximum radiation efficiency of 94 % throughout the operating band. An improvement in the gain of 5 dB in the bore side direction is achieved by using a modified meta-material lens. The performance of both the designed antennas is investigated in the temperature varying environment and GPR scenario at the simulation level. A comparative analysis of the designed antennas with the other reported antennas indicates that the proposed antennas are advantageous for the GPR applications.


This paper explores preferences for use and sale of three types of agricultural land in Sublette County, Wyoming. Most respondents agreed that productive (irrigated) landscapes should remain in agriculture. Well-established residents, large landowners, and those pursuing low taxes preferred agricultural and recreation/ wildlife uses of more remote landscapes. Wealthier and part-time respondents were more likely to prefer residential use. Respondents expecting improved quality of life with population growth supported land sales. Those who would leave the county if population increased were not likely to sell. Results are applicable to other growing Western counties and are important for land use planning. (JEL Q24)


E-learning refers to the way to deliver learning content by means of computer technology. E-learning is classified to synchronous and asynchronous; each has its advantages and disadvantages. Virtual lab is an example of an e-learning and it's a simulated environment which enables students and professionals to do the exercises. The aim of this research is to design and implement an architecture of virtual lab based on multi-agents system. The multi-agent system overcomes some limitations of the well known server-client model. Using multi-agents based virtual lab system provides an adaptable, interactive, extensible, distributed, collaborative virtual lab system to effectively realize the learning anytime and anywhere to our approach.


As leader of the Platonic Academy in France, Ficino inspired leading statesmen, scholars and churchmen throughout Europe. The Academy renewed the Platonic tradition with its insistence on the reality of the spiritual world and the possibility of human transformation. This work attests to the influence of the academy and its ideas. The ideas they discussed appeared again and again in the works of literature and art that followed: in Spenser, Shakespeare and Donne, in Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Durer and many more. The power of these ideas to inspire lives on in areas as diverse as music, medicine, psychotherapy, astrology, Shakespeare studies, philosophy and art.


Intervarietal differences in xylem structure could
significantly affect water transport as well as vulnerability
to cavitations and thus crop yield. Evaluation of crop
varieties with respect to the specific traits can be thus
helpful in breeding and agricultural practice. In the present
study we compared basic anatomical traits (vessel length and
diameter) as well as theoretical and measured hydraulic
conductivities (K) of xylem in stems of three hop varieties
(Agnus, Saaz hop - Osvald's clone 31, Vital). There were no
statistically significant intervarietal differences in measured
K (overall mean 1.68 x 10(-6) m(4)/MPa/s), the ratio between K
and theoretical conductivity (mean = 0.194), as well as vessel
diameter and vessel length distributions. The only noticeable
difference was in the distribution of vessels with the diameter
= 100 mu m which differed in Vital compared to Agnus or
Osvald's clone 31 (Kruskal-Wallis test, P < 0.001). Our results
thus indicate highly conservative nature of xylem basic
functional and anatomical characteristics in hop varieties
studied.