Abstract Lake ecosystems, on the one hand, are affected by tourism, and on the other by development for tourism. Lake ecosystem services include: water with its self-cleaning processes, air with climate control processes, as well as flora and fauna. Utilisation of services leads to interventions in the structure of ecosystems and their processes. Only to a certain extent, this is specific to each type of environmental interference, remains within the limits of ecosystem resilience and does not lead to its degradation. One of the threats is bacteriological contamination, for which the most reliable sanitation indicator is Escherichia coli. In lake water quality studies it is assumed that the lakeshore cannot be a source of bacteria. It has been hypothesised that the problem of bacterial contamination can be serious for the places that do not have any infrastructure, especially sanitation. Consequently, the purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which lakeshore sanitation, in particular the level of bacteriological contamination, has an impact on the value of services provided by the selected lake ecosystems (Lake Trzesiecko and Lake Wielimie – Szczecinek Lake District). Five selected services related to lake ecosystems are: water, control over the spread of contagious diseases, aesthetic values, tourism and recreation, as well as the hydrological cycle with its self-cleaning function. Services, as well as the criteria adopted for evaluation, allow us to conclude that the services provided by the lake ecosystems are suitable to fulfill a recreation function. However, the inclusion of quality criteria for sanitary status has shown that the value of system services has dropped by as much as 50%. Value changes are visible primarily for water and aesthetic qualities. Such a significant decrease in the value of services clearly indicates the importance of the sanitary conditions of lakes and their appropriate infrastructure. In view of the valuation proposals, there is a problem of uncertainty of valuation of ecosystem services.


ABSTRACT Whilst there is an extensive body of research on the social and environmental concerns associated with private car usage and the role of the built environment and urban form in sustainable travel, there is limited focus on children's active contribution to these trends, both as part of the problem with their carbon intensive travel patterns and as part of the solution with their capacity to be agents for a positive change. Private cars are heavily relied on by families with children that lead to a wide range of health and environmental issues. In the context of the 'pre-cognitive, habitual' theories of travel behaviour, these travel patterns are likely to be carried into their adulthood. Policy responses to tackle these issues (such as urban consolidation policies) do not generally make room for children in their deliberations. This article aims to explore the place of children in the trends and discourses related to car dependence and sustainable travel in Australian cities and calls for a greater attention to children's travel patterns for more effective policies and longer-lasting benefits.


The purpose of this study was to examine the distributed leadership practices of principals in primary schools from the viewpoint of their teachers and to identify the conditions for the establishment of distributed leadership in these schools in Mashhad, Iran. The survey method was conducted on all the primary school teachers in the third districts of Mashhad and Tabadkan. In total, 335 teachers were selected as the sample population using Morgan's table. Data were collected using Spillane 's scale and interview. In the conceptual framework proposed by Spillane (2002), the four dimensions of distributed leadership include mission, culture, shared responsibility, and leadership experiences. In terms of mission, vision, and goals, special emphasis is placed on the knowledge of all school members about the school's goals, which examines the current status of distributed leadership in schools indicating the above-average average of this variable in our schools. Based on the results of this study, the mean of distributed leadership was 3.683. it seems distributed leadership is a complex phenomenon with teachers engaged in all four dimensions in the primary schools. Accordingly, distributive leadership status in the primary schools was above the average level. As a result of comparing the current and desirable status, there was a significant difference between the current situation and the desirable status of distributed leadership in the schools studied. The main gap between the status quo and the desirable component of participatory decision making seems to be that in the schools studied to track students' educational needs, there is usually no regular meeting with counselors or educational professionals and no attention is paid to students with needs. moreover, it seems that teacher evaluation results are used less to evaluate school curricula and teacher's useless feedback and evaluation results and manager observations to improve classroom instruction. Based on the findings of this study, it seems that the approach of the studied schools has been inclined towards distributive leadership, especially in the last five years, also the school principals, have tried to recognize the goals particularly in the field of mission, attitude, and goals of the school. However, as It was stated earlier to inform all members about the goals and to involve the members in the implementation of the goals and also to align the goals of the school with the educational goals, more work is needed, which shows the gap between the current situation and the desired one. According to the interview data, the establishment of distributed leadership in primary schools requires the incorporation of concepts such as vision and goal setting, organization, optimism culture, enabler structure, and student-centered. Studies in Iran so far have not looked at school prospects and organizations as components of distributed leadership, but there has been some research into the culture of optimism and its underlying components such as self-efficacy and academic achievement as well as professional empowerment. In sum, this study revealed the acceptable attention to organizing people in appropriate situations to share school responsibilities and complete tasks by individuals, also to expand and develop leadership capabilities and publish leadership tasks among individuals in the school social network and the spread of school culture. As a growing body of research on distributed leadership has begun to influence of this leadership style on school performance and student learning. For example, the results of Abbasian et al. (2012), Gholami et al. (2014), Mohammadi (2011), Nasiri et al. (1395), Arianfar et al. (9013) studies, in line with the results of this study, confirmed that the distributed leadership status in primary schools especially in Iran. It is slightly above average in schools. However, Spielan (2005), Groen (2002), Bennett (203), and Ilzofeng (2001) emphasized on the school landscape component. In the school organization component, the status of the schools under study was reported to be above average. In the school organization, the focus is on knowledge, education, and learning in the context of school culture. The results of this study showed a moderate focus on organizing people in the right situations to share school responsibilities and completing tasks by individuals and expanding and developing. Leadership capabilities and dissemination of leadership tasks among individuals in the school social network and the prevalence of school culture. Consideration of the component of individual organization based on leadership tasks has also been emphasized in the studies of Harris (2008); Lewis et al. (2009); Woodsograwen (2009); Woods et al. (2004); Bennett et al. (2003). Participatory decision making also had a higher-than-average mean in this research, a point that scholars such as Lewis, Mayrowitz, Smiley, and Murphy, Van Amijd, Bilesbury, and Van Morsi, (2009); Timberley, 2008; Mayrowitz et al., (2007), They have emphasized it. In this study, leadership behaviors were above average, a topic that has been mentioned in Spillane's theory of leadership experiences that includes leadership tools, thoughts, and intentions. These results were consistent with the findings of scholars (e.g., Lewis; Leitz Wood & Growan 2000; Storm, Wall, 2004; Bush; Gluner, 2003). This study has the potential to be useful to policymakers who develop leadership preparation programs for teachers and principals, as well as faculty members who teach within leadership preparation programs. principals who utilize a framework of distributed leadership embrace the expertise and leadership within their schools, drawing faculty members into the work of curriculum development and improvement, professional development, and school management.


The enterovirus (EV) types echovirus (E-) 5, E-9, and E-18, and coxsackievirus (CV-) A9 are infrequently reported in human diseases and their epidemiologic features are poorly defined. Virus transmission patterns between countries have been estimated with phylogenetic data derived from the 1D/VP1 and 3CD gene sequences of a sample of 74 strains obtained in France (2000–2012) and Tunisia (2011–2013) and from the publicly available sequences. The EV types (E-5, E-9, and E-18) exhibited a lower worldwide genetic diversity (respective number of genogroups: 4, 5, and 3) in comparison to CV-A9 (n = 10). The phylogenetic trees estimated with both 1D/VP1 and 3CD sequence data showed variations in the number of co-circulating lineages over the last 20 years among the four EV types. Despite the low number of genogroups in E-18, the virus exhibited the highest number of recombinant 3CD lineages (n = 10) versus 4 (E-5) to 8 (E-9). The phylogenies provided evidence of multiple transportation events between France and Tunisia involving E-5, E-9, E-18, and CV-A9 strains. Virus spread events between France and 17 other countries in five continents had high probabilities of occurrence as those between Tunisia and two European countries other than France. All transportation events were supported by BF values > 10. Inferring the source of virus transmission from phylogenetic data may provide insights into the patterns of sporadic and epidemic diseases caused by EVs.


The enoploteuthid cephalopod Abraliopsis lineata is re-described and its generic position discussed. Specimens for the present study were captured during the Indian Ocean Expedition of RV Meteor in 1987, where the species occurred in considerable numbers. The geographical distribution of A. lineata is described and discussed. The detailed analysis of the photophore pattern of the present specimens differs from the original description. The diagnostic features in the male, especially the structure of the hectocotylus which separates A. lineata easily from the members of the subgenus Pfefferiteuthis, are outlined. The morphological differences which separate A. lineata from A. gilchristi, the only other member of the subgenus Micrabralia, are summarized.


That this festschrift is the first book-length work devoted to the life and writings of Albert Murray—who died on August 18, 2013, at the age of 97—is a startling reminder of how much of African American intellectual life remains to be explored. Too often glossed as a junior partner to his literary comrade Ralph Ellison, Murray's works of fiction, poetry, biography, social and cultural criticism, and aesthetic theory amount to a formidable body of writing that has staked out new discursive territory in the theorization of African American culture and identity, and, as the contributors to this volume amply testify, has won a devoted following. As Henry Louis Gates, Jr. argues here, in an article first published in the New Yorker in 1996, the standpoint adopted by Murray and Ellison during the 1960s was simultaneously a rebuke to the longstanding characterization of black American culture as marginal (if charming) exotica and a rebuff to the rising force of black nationalism, which posited no less of a gulf between the authentically "black" and the "American." What these two writers contended was that American culture is, in Murray's phrase, "incontestably mulatto," and teeming with the idiomatic influence of black music, speech, and dance. In this, as both men acknowledged, they were elaborating the claim in Constance Rourke's American Humor: A Study of the National Character (1931) that all Americans, regardless of skin color, are culturally a composite of the Yankee, the backwoodsman and Indian, and the black. In a bold variation of emphasis, as Gates observes, in Murray's writings for the most part " 'American,' roughly speaking, means 'black' " (27). Of the twenty-seven contributions that follow Barbara A. Baker's introduction, the first fifteen form a section entitled "Observations, Interpretations, and Conversations." While these include a short address by Murray from 2003 and a couple of interviews, the majority of these entries are scholarly essays, albeit written in a self-declared spirit of "homage" (2). Baker's own chapter, "Cosmos Murray and the Aesthetic Imagination of a Nation," usefully explicates the central concepts of Murray's aesthetic theory: the "representative anecdote" (as conceived by Kenneth Burke), through which the particularities of real or imagined experience are rendered with universal significance; "antagonistic cooperation" (a notion derived from the writings of the mythologist Joseph Campbell), a dialectic which refigures crises and misfortunes as opportunities for heroic action; and the "vernacular imperative," Murray's determination to take the idiomatic particulars of black American expressive culture as the basis for stylization as art (53). As Baker and several other contributors observe, a major and original element of Murray's work is his insistence that the blues is not only a musical genre but also an existential philosophy and aesthetic practice rooted in African American experience, and one that articulates the universal dynamics of "heroism," a mode of engagement with and transcendence of the exigencies and cruelties of human existence. Lauren Walsh's illuminating essay shows how Thomas Mann's novels stimulated the young Murray, at the point of graduating from Tuskegee Institute in his native state of Alabama, to conceive of literature as an exploration of "the universal human condition, the common experiences of human endeavor that transcend specific


. In this paper, we prove the symmetry of the solution to overdetermined problem for the equation σ k ( D 2 u − uI )= C k n in hyperbolic space. Our approach is based on establishing a Rellich-Pohozaev type identity and using a P function. Our result generalizes the overdetermined problem for Hessian equation in Euclidean space


Household refrigerator radiates noise of which the pattern is dependent on the operating condition of its parts, such as compressor, flow fans, etc. Thus the refrigerator noise has a variety of frequency characteristics. Therefore, it is required to consider the noise characteristics for evaluating the noise quality and eventually developing the sound quality index of the refrigerator noise. In this study, five units of household refrigerator were selected to measure their noises that were used to generate sound sources for jury test of the study. The measured noises of five refrigerators were divided into ten kinds of sound source by considering operating condition and frequency characteristics. Additionally, the ten sources were each edited to have the same SPL of 30 ㏈A. Totally twenty kinds of sound sources (10-original SPL, 10-edited SPL 30 ㏈A) were evaluated by twenty-two subjects, and compared with their sound quality metrics. It was found that only the loudness of the metrics was meaningfully correlated with the subjective evaluation. The rests, sharpness, roughness and fluctuation strength, were not related. The conclusion of this study is that a new sophisticated index is necessary to be developed to qualitatively evaluate the household refrigerator noise.


To understand, in greater detail, the molecular mechanisms regulating the complex relationship between mechanical strain and alveolar bone metabolism during orthodontic treatment, passive cross-arch palatal springs were bonded to the maxillary molars of 6-wk-old rats, which were killed after 4 and 8 d. Outcome measures included serum assays for markers of bone formation and resorption and for the multifunctional hormone leptin, and histomorphometry of the inter-radicular bone. The concentration of the bone-formation marker alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was significantly reduced at both time points in the appliance group, accompanied by a 50% reduction in inter-radicular bone volume; however, osteocalcin (bone Gla protein) levels remained unaffected. Bone collagen deoxypyridinoline (DPD) crosslinks increased 2.3-fold at 4 d only, indicating a transient increase in bone resorption; in contrast, the level of the osteoclast-specific marker, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP 5b), was unchanged. Leptin levels closely paralleled ALP reductions at both time points, suggesting an important role in the mechanostat negative-feedback loop required to normalize bone mass. These data suggest that an orthodontic appliance, in addition to remodeling the periodontal ligament (PDL)-bone interface, may exert unexpected side-effects on the tooth-supporting alveolar bone, and highlights the importance of recognizing that bone strains can have negative, as well as positive, effects on bone mass.


Mixed amidinato amido complexes [Me3SiNC(tBu)NSiMe3]M[N(SiMe3)2] (M = Sn 2, Ge 3) were prepared by the reaction of [Me3SiNC(tBu)NSiMe3]Li (1a) with SnCl2 and GeCl2(dioxane) in ether. The N(SiMe3)2 ligand in these compounds is derived from the rearrangement of the [Me3SiNC(tBu)NSiMe3]- anion with extrusion of tBuCN. The susceptibility of [Me3SiNC(tBu)NSiMe3]- to rearrangement appears to be dependent on reaction solvent and on the coordinated metal center. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of 2 and 3 are presented. Replacement of Me for tBu in the ligand allowed [Me3SiNC(Me)NSiMe3]2SnII (4) to be isolated, and an X-ray structure of this compound is reported. The isolation of 4 indicates that steric factors also play a role in the stability of [Me3SiNC(tBu)NSiMe3]-. Compounds 2 and 3 are outstanding catalysts for the cyclotrimerization of phenyl isocyanates to perhydro-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triones (isocyanurates) at room temperature. In contrast, complex 4 catalytically reacts with phenyl isocyanate to produce isocyanate dimer and trimer in a 52:35 ratio.


Classical tracking methods are not concerned with energy efficiency and require precise localisation. We addressed these in our previous work through HMTT (hierarchical Markov decision process for target tracking) that tracks single targets at location granularity. HMTT conserves energy by reducing the rate of sensing but preserves acceptable tracking accuracy through trajectory prediction. In this paper, HMTT is extended for the multiple targets case where the state of clusters could be affected by multiple incoming targets and where multiple updates are required at the lower level. The theoretical performance of HMTT in the multiple targets case is derived and simulations demonstrate its effectiveness against 2 other predictive tracking algorithms with up to 200% improvement.


This study was carried out to spatially predict the soil loss rate of Gerdi watershed with a Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS). RUSLE adapted to Ethiopian conditions was used to estimate potential soil losses by utilizing information on  rainfall erosivity (R) using interpolation of rainfall data, soil erodibility (K) using soil map, vegetation cover (C) using satellite images, topography (LS) using Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and conservation practices (P ) using satellite images. Based on the analysis, the total annual soil loss potential of the study watershed was 28,732.5 tons/yr. Out 147.9 ha (64%) of the land's watershed was categorized none to slight class which under soil loss tolerance (SLT) values ranging from 5 to 11 tons ha -1 yr -1 . The study results indicated that the rate of potential soil loss in the watershed ranged from very low to extremely high. The area covered by none to slight potential soil loss was about 147.9 ha (64%) whereas moderate to high soil loss potential covered about 202.1 ha (36%) of the study watershed. The study demonstrates that the RUSLE together with GIS provide a good estimate soil loss rate over areas. Keywords : soil erosion; RUSLE; GIS; Gerdi watershed; Ethiopia


We present two cases where the identities of mixed radiopaque radiolucent lesions in the lower incisor region were unclear, although the position of the lesions and positive pulp sensitivity tests were suggestive of periapical osseous dysplasia. In the first case, the lesion presented as a solitary round mixed radiopaque radiolucent periapical lesion, suggestive in some images as periapical osseous dysplasia. Cone beam CT (CBCT) provided clear images, which confirmed the diagnosis and, additionally, the images showed evidence of initial lesions associated with other anterior teeth and some destruction of the labial plate, not evident on the conventional radiographs. In the second case, radiopacities were identified within the lesion on conventional radiographs, but CBCT imaging also showed extensive and unexpected perforation of the lingual plate. Such destruction of cortical plates may be a feature of periapical osseous dysplasia, which is not visible in conventional radiography.


This narrative illustrates the lived experience of a specific form of sexual violence (stranger rape) and its resulting implications as experienced by the second author, which is discussed under the following headings: your body as a crime scene, how lived experience compares to the myth of the 'real rape' and the wellbeing and health consequences arising from the experience. In their capacity as mental health nurses, the authors invite readers to consider the spoken, or more likely unheard stories of sexual violence, which are unfortunately commonplace among those who access mental health services. For professionals holding the privileged position of hearing these stories, there is a need to be reflective as to how fear, and personal or professionally held myths and stigmatising views of sexual violence, and by extension views towards the survivor, are carried into therapeutic spaces, and the implications these can have. Practical suggestions as to how to discuss and manage disclosure of sexual violence in the context of trauma informed care are also provided.


Pseudoaneurysm following diagnostic or interventional procedures is a well-known complication. We describe a new method of closing a femoral pseudoaneurysm in a case where ultrasound-guided compression had failed. Instead of packing the sac permanently with coils, thrombus formation was successfully induced by temporary placement of a coil transcutaneously in the psendoaneurysm sac, which resulted in closure of the pseudoaneurysm.


As technology scales, Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI), which causes temporal performance degradation in digital circuits by affecting PMOS threshold voltage, is emerging as one of the major circuit reliability concerns. In this paper, we first investigate the impact of NBTI on PMOS devices and propose a temporal performance degradation model that considers the temperature variation between active and standby mode. We then discuss the resemblance between NBTI and leakage mechanisms, and find out that the impact of input vector and internal node on leakage and NBTI is different; hence, leakage and NBTI should be optimized simultaneously. Based on this, we study the impact of standby leakage reduction techniques (including input vector control and sleep transistor insertion) on circuit performance degradation considering active and standby temperature differences. We demonstrate the potential mitigation of the circuit performance degradation by these techniques.


We consider a system with n processes where some of them can show a byzantine behavior. A byzantine process can deviate arbitrarily from the protocol, e.g., dropping messages, changing the content of a message (different recipients may receive different content of the same broadcast message), delivering messages not sent by any process or creating fake messages. This paper introduces a new broadcast abstraction, namely Intrusion-tolerant Reliable Broadcast (IT-RB). IT-RB ensures that if a message M(v) (where v is the content of M) is broadcast by a correct process, all correct processes will deliver v. Consider now {v1, . . . , vk} (with 1 ≤ k < n) be the set of contents associated with M and sent to other processes by a byzantine one, IT-RB ensures: if the sender of the broadcast M is byzantine, then a subset of correct processes deliver the same content v ∈ {v1, . . . , vk} while the rest of correct processes deliver ⊥. We first provide a protocol P implementing IT-RB and prove its correctness. P can deliver an infinite number of ⊥ in an infinite run. Secondly, we introduce an oracle detecting byzantine processes running P , namely P-LO, and provide an implementation of P-LO. Such oracle exploits the information collected by a process running P to infer bad process behaviors and to remove them from the computation. Considering an infinite run generated by P∗, i.e. a protocol that runs together P plus P-LO, we finally show that the number of ⊥ delivered by correct processes is finite.


The present work determines the perception of the people with regard to the media in the process of organ donation. The research instrument was a questionnaire applied to a sample of 204 people located in 10 big cities in Chile. The variance of the study was 18,8%, the error reached 2,58%, the dependability, measured by Cronbach Alpha was 0,777 and the validity determined by data auditing was 100%. The variables were identified by means of the focus group method; they were measured by nominal and ordinal scales, measured on the bases of frequencies. It can be concluded that people considered themselves informed and that their main source of information is television; although they think that they have made their decision with the necessary information, they find that more and better information would increase the number of donors.


Abstract A herpetofaunal inventory was conducted on Bidong Island, Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. It incorporates data from a recent herpetological survey conducted from 1 to 3 April 2019 with reptile records from previous publications. Specimens were collected with drift-fenced pitfall traps and taxa were recorded with visual encounter surveys (VES). In total, 18 species of reptiles and amphibians were recorded, including three species of frogs, 12 species of lizards, and three species of snakes. Six species from the present survey are new records for the island.


High levels of stress and anxiety are common in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Within this study of school-aged children (20 male, 6 female) we hypothesised that functional hearing deficits (also pervasive in ASD) could be ameliorated by auditory interventions and that, as a consequence, stress levels would be reduced. The use of EarLevel Remote Microphone devices and Classroom Amplification systems resulted in significantly improved listening, communication and social interaction and a reduction in physiologic stress levels (salivary cortisol) in both one-on-one and group listening situations.


The importance of project performance management as an alternative for solving problems is rising, which are followed by the hardships of managing construction project in the construction industry. This research classifies and applies the improvements made by the operator`s work, in order to apply factors of success on the construction project, as performance management factors. In addition, in order to predict the results reflecting the project characteristic of performance management factor un-improvable by the operator in the initial stage of construction, the effect of project characteristic to the performance was drawn by performance difficulty. Also, in order to improve the predicted performance, researches on setting valid best practices according to the performance territory through a correlation analysis between the best practices improvable through the operator`s work, and the performance was made.


The complexity of decision making on taxes, determined by the evolution of economic variables, government objectives and the diversity of fiscal techniques used vary from country to country, therefore we can not define general concepts that are universally accepted or acceptable, regarding the effects generated by them. The effects of fiscal policy are varied, depending on their expression are microeconomic and macroeconomic effects, which are interrelated in the formation and modification of behavior of economic agents, both economically and socially, leading to psychological, economic, social, political, environmental and other effects, on different time horizons. Therefore, achieving a classification of the effects of tax policy is based almost impossible and difficult, requiring a large amount of knowledge, scientific insight and sound impressive volume of comments. The aim of this paper is to give a new classification criteria of the effects of taxation, following strictly the direction of evolution of variables, namely: economic effects, socio-economic effects and political effects.


For the purpose of obtaining satisfactory performance of the non-circular gear & crank-rocker & gear trains (NCCRG) weft insertion mechanism which was proposed in this paper, the ideal kinematic curve of this weft insertion mechanism was given, and the reverse solution models of this mechanism were established. A reverse design and simulation software was compiled based on Visual Basic 6.0 to obtain the mechanism parameters, including the pitch curves and tooth profiles of the non-circular gears. A test-bed of this mechanism was developed according to these parameters. The kinematic performance of this weft insertion mechanism was tested by high-speed video tape recorder with its corresponding video analytical software Blaster's MAS. And the test results were identical with the theoretical calculation. Compared with the conjugate cam weft insertion mechanism which is applied on TT96 rapier loom, under the condition of same weft insertion rate, the variation of acceleration of this mechanism is smaller. This novel weft insertion mechanism can meet the requirements of weft insertion on rapier looms with smooth and steady motion.


Following a review of the most recent literature on benign tumours of the salivary glands of epithelial origin, the paper illustrates an up-to-date classification of these tumours in anatomical and pathological terms. The author's personal clinical experience in 50 cases of major and minor salivary glands operated during the period between 1985 and 1991.


Criticality and yield gradients are two crucial diagnostic metrics obtained from statistical static timing analysis (SSTA). They provide valuable information to guide timing optimization and timing- driven physical synthesis. Existing work in the literature, however, computes both metrics in a non-incremental manner, i.e., after one or more changes are made in a previously-timed circuit, both metrics need to be recomputed from scratch, which is obviously undesirable for optimizing large circuits. The major contribution of this paper is to propose two novel techniques to compute both criticality and yield gradients efficiently and incrementally. In addition, while node and edge criticalities are addressed in the literature, this paper for the first time describes a technique to compute path criticalities. To further improve algorithmic efficiency, this paper also proposes a novel technique to update "chip slack" incrementally. Numerical results show our methods to be over two orders of magnitude faster than previous work.


The influence of ionizing radiation (154.8 mC/kg) on activity of some carbohydrate metabolism dehydrogenases in cells of the whole and fractionated rat bone marrow has been investigated. Different glucose metabolism units differently responded to radiation, the highest radiation response being exhibited by pentosophosphate cycle processes. The pattern of changes in the enzyme activity of different myelokaryocyte populations was shown to depend directly on the functional specialization of cells and the energy exchange types predominated in them.


Several studies have provided evidence that complex relationships between autophagic and apoptotic cell death pathways occur in cancer and virus-infected cells. Previously, we demonstrated that infection of macrophages with Moscow strain of ectromelia virus (ECTV-MOS) induces apoptosis under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Here, we found that autophagy was induced in RAW 264.7 cells during infection with ECTV-MOS. Silencing of beclin 1, an autophagy-related gene, reduced the percentage of late apoptotic cells in virus-infected RAW 264.7 macrophages. Pharmacological modulation of autophagy by wortmannin (inhibitor) or rapamycin (inductor) did not affect or cause increased apoptosis in ECTV-MOS-infected RAW 264.7 cells, respectively. Meantime, blocking apoptosis by a pan-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK, increased the formation of autophagosomes in infected macrophages. Taken together, three important points arise from our study. First, autophagy may co-occur with apoptosis in RAW 264.7 cells exposed to ECTV-MOS. Second, at later stages of infection, autophagy may partially participate in the execution of macrophage cell death by enhancing apoptosis. Third, when apoptosis is blocked infected macrophages undergo increased autophagy. Our results provide new information about the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis in ECTV-MOS-infected macrophages.


In this article we introduce a software framework for embedded online data fusion on different levels of data abstraction. We present our data oriented fusion model and introduce the main functional units. The paper is focused to the decision modeling process. In our approach we use Support Vector Machines (SVM) as well as Least Squares SVM (LS-SVM) for decision modeling. Due to the computation complexity and the necessary memory requirements we prefer LS-SVM for the classification tasks. The main disadvantage of LS-SVM is the loss of sparseness by using equality constraints instead of inequality constraints in the cost function. We introduce a novel method for intelligent data preselection (PTD LS-SVM) to compensate for this short coming. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.


The Rhodesian Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) era, a 14-year period from 1965 to 1979, posed an exceptional and challenging policy dilemma for four separate US presidential administrations. Presidents' Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, and Jimmy Carter were all confronted by the presence of the internationally unrecognized pariah state in southern Africa.
 The shifting patterns in the US approach toward Salisbury ranging from empathy to open hostility were reflective not only of the individual viewpoints of the occupants of the Oval Office but represented the larger diverse pressures, global and domestic, shaping foreign policy during the 1960s and 1970s. The Cold War, economic interest, the need for strategic minerals, race relations, and human rights all guided White House decision making regarding Salisbury.
 Across the presidential administrations, the case of Rhodesia, further exposes the tension and interaction between pragmatism and morality in US foreign relations during the 1960s and 1970s. The US approach toward the UDI state not only reveals broad patterns of conflict between realpolitik and moral justice but also depicts times when pragmatism and ethical considerations aligned together to achieve mutually compatible goals. The differing polices adopted by the occupants of the Oval Office demonstrated the competing visions within Washington itself of what constituted pragmatism or morality during the decolonization era.


We discuss Bayesian analysis of multivariate time series with dynamic factor models that exploit time-adaptive sparsity in model parametrizations via the latent threshold approach. One central focus is on the transfer responses of multiple interrelated series to underlying, dynamic latent factor processes. Structured priors on model hyper-parameters are key to the efficacy of dynamic latent thresholding, and MCMC-based computation enables model fitting and analysis. A detailed case study of electroencephalographic (EEG) data from experimental psychiatry highlights the use of latent threshold extensions of time-varying vector autoregressive and factor models. This study explores a class of dynamic transfer response factor models, extending prior Bayesian modeling of multiple EEG series and highlighting the practical utility of the latent thresholding concept in multivariate, non-stationary time series analysis.


: The basic reliability concepts - parametric ALT plan, failure mechanism and design, acceleration factor, and sample size equation were used in the development of a parametric accel erated life testing method to assess the reliability quantitative test specifications (RQ) of mechanical systems subjected to repetitive stresses. To calculate the acceleration factor of the mechanical system, a generalized life-stress failure model with a new effort concept was derived and recommended. The new sample size equation with the acceleration factor also enabled the parametric ALT to quickly evaluate the expected lifetime. This new parametric ALT should help an engineer uncover the design parameters affecting reliability during the design pro-cess of the mechanical system. Consequently, it should help companies improve product reliability and avoid recalls due to the product failures in the field. As the improper design parameters in the design phase are experimentally identified by this new reliability design method, the mechanical system should improve in reliability as measured by the increase in lifetime, LB, and the reduction in failure rate, As a test case, two cases were studied: 1) failed reciprocating compressors of French-door refrigerators returned from the field and 2) the redesign of hinge kit system (HKS) in a refrigerator. After a tailored of parametric accelerated life testing, the mechanical systems such as compressor and hinge kit system (HKS) with corrective action plans were expected to achieve the lifetime target – B1 life 10 years.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Despite ongoing clinical suspicion regarding the relationship between sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction and lower extremity symptoms, there is a paucity of scientific literature addressing this topic. The purpose of this study was to describe patterns of contrast extravasation during SIJ arthrography and postarthrography CT in patients with lower back pain and to determine whether there are pathways of communication between the SIJ and nearby neural structures.

METHODS
Fluoroscopically guided SIJ arthrography was performed on 76 SIJs. After the injection of contrast medium, anteroposterior, lateral, and oblique radiographs as well as 5-mm contiguous axial and direct coronal CT images were obtained. Contrast extravasation patterns were recorded for each joint. These observations included a search for contrast extravasation from the SIJ that contacted nearby lumbosacral nerve roots or structures of the plexus.

RESULTS
Sixty-one percent of all joints studied revealed one of five contrast extravasation patterns. Three of these observed patterns show a pathway of communication between the SIJ and nearby neural structures. These included posterior extravasation into the dorsal sacral foramina, superior recess extravasation at the sacral alar level to the fifth lumbar epiradicular sheath, and ventral extravasation to the lumbosacral plexus.

CONCLUSION
Three pathways between the SIJ and neural structures exist.


We investigated the structure of Nd2NiO4+δ and Pr2NiO4+δ by single crystal neutron diffraction studies. While the real structure of both compounds is incommensurate, the scattering density of the respective average structures was explored using the Maximum Entropy Method. Unusually high displacement factors were found for the equatorial and apical oxygen atoms showing respectively large displacement amplitudes towards [001] and [110] with respect to the F-symmetry cell. The shifts of the apical oxygen atoms reach up to 1 A from their average position, corresponding to a 25° tilt of the NiO6 octahedra. At 400 °C, i.e. slightly above the orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition, the anharmonic apical oxygen displacements towards [110] in the commensurate tetragonal parent structure are strongly enhanced, showing a double-well potential and pointing towards the interstitial vacancy sites, creating a quasi continuous shallow energy diffusion pathway between apical and interstitial oxygen sites. These large displacement amplitudes are considered to be – at least partially – of dynamical origin, which is consistent with a phonon assisted diffusion mechanism, already activated at very moderate temperatures.


Rapid urbanization leads to degradations upon water quality via eutrophication and pollution, but there are a lack of studies on patterns of water quality change to urbanization by level or process. China has achieved the most rapid urbanization in the world within the past three decades, and its urban development is diverse at level. Nine towns and cities at various development levels along the historic Grand Canal (approximately 1500 years old) were selected to reveal direct linkages between surface water quality and extent of urbanization. Surface water quality in the urban sections of the Grand Canal was impaired by both eutrophic nitrogen and phosphorus and metals. Although metals mostly remained at concentrations permissible to the Chinese National Environmental Standard for Surface Water Quality (GB3838‐2002), the concentrations of metals in most urban canal water might impose an unacceptable effect on aquatic communities according to the Criterion Continuous Concentration from the National Recommended Water Quality Criteria for Priority Toxic Pollutants (US EPA 2006). The loadings of metals in the urban canal were found relating to local industrial activities. The level of urbanization, in this study, was significantly related to water quality parameters in a descending order of electrical conductivity > nutrients > metals. This study suggests that significant mitigation strategies are required for the Grand Canal of China for a sustainable urbanization goal. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The relative sensitivities of somatosensory and motor areas of the cerebral cortex in penicillin epileptogenesis were compared in urethane-anaesthetized rats. Penicillin was applied electrophoretically from a fluid-filled micro-electrode. Spontaneous focal interictal epileptiform discharges were detected by a nearby recording electrode. In motor cortex, every cortical layer was less sensitive in penicillin epileptogenesis than the corresponding layer in somatosensory cortex; epileptic spikes occurred later, were of lower amplitude and were less frequent. In motor cortex, the sensitive depth extended from the deep part of layer III to the upper part of layer V. It seemed possible that penicillin applied to motor cortex might be producing its effects by diffusing back to the sensitive somatosensory area. This was excluded by applying penicillin to motor cortex whilst recording from both somatosensory and motor areas and demonstrating that the spikes were found in motor but not in somatosensory cortex.


The objective of this study was to compare the milk production, dry matter intake, and energy partitioning of autumn-calving Holstein-Friesian cows offered a high or low amount of concentrate using 1 of 2 feeding strategies. One hundred and eight autumn-calving Holstein-Friesian cows were blocked based on milk production data from wk 3 and 4 of lactation, and were divided into low-, medium-, and high-milk yield subgroups. Cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments (n=27) in a 2×2 factorial design. Treatment factors were concentrate feeding amount, high concentrate=7.0 (Hi) or low concentrate=4.0kg of DM/cow per day (Lo), and concentrate feeding strategy, flat rate (FR) or group-fed to yield (GFY). In the GFY treatments, cows were allocated concentrate based on their milk yield in the third and fourth weeks of lactation. The lowest-yielding cows (n=9) received 5.3 and 2.3kg of DM of concentrate on the Hi and Lo treatments respectively, the highest-yielding cows (n=9) received 8.7 and 5.7kg of DM of concentrate on the Hi and Lo treatments respectively, and the average yield cows received the same amount of concentrate as the corresponding FR group (i.e., 7.0 and 4.0kg of DM of concentrate on the Hi and Lo treatments, respectively). The proportion of forage in the diet was 63% of total dry matter intake (TDMI) for the Hi treatment and 75% of TDMI for the Lo treatment. No significant interaction was noted between concentrate feeding amount and concentrate feeding strategy for dry matter intake or milk yield. Cows on the Hi treatment had a higher TDMI (18.7±0.36kg/cow per day) compared with cows on the Lo treatment (15.8±0.36kg/cow per day). The milk yield of cows offered the Hi treatment was 1.3kg/cow per day higher than the milk yield of cows on the Lo treatment (23.8±0.31kg/cow per day). Milk solids yield was 0.10kg/cow per day higher on the Hi treatment than on the Lo treatment (1.83±0.03kg of DM/cow per day). Cows on the Hi treatment had an estimated net energy demand of 18.0±0.38 UFL (unité fourragère lait)/cow per day and a net energy intake of 17.6±0.33 UFL/cow per day during the experimental period. Cows on the Lo treatment had an energy demand of 16.8±0.38 UFL/cow per day and an energy intake of 14.9±0.33 UFL/cow per day. No significant difference in TDMI, milk yield, milk solids yield, or energy balance was observed between the FR and GFY treatments. By increasing the total amount of concentrate offered, cows had higher TDMI and energy intake, which resulted in increased milk production and reduced negative energy balance and body condition score loss.


Report of a 56 years old patient with dysuria, stranguria, an episode of gross hematuria and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) total of 1.35 ng / mL. Workup for prostate cancer disease diagnosed basaloid carcinoma, a tumor with rare histology and scarcely described in the literature.


In electrocardiographic (ECG)-gated computed tomography (CT) for diagnosis of cardiac diseases, radiation dose and image quality are optimized by limiting field of view (FOV) and centering on the heart. However, it is necessary to set wide FOV with large bowtie filter depending on patient positioning or various diagnoses such as aortic diseases. The purpose of this study is to clarify influence of bowtie filter and patient positioning on in-plane dose distribution, organ-absorbed dose, image quality in ECG-gated CT. In-plane dose distribution and organ-absorbed dose were evaluated with radio photoluminescence glass dosimeters, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured for evaluation of image quality. The bowtie filter was used small (S) and large (L). With automatic exposure control, volume computed tomography dose index was 55.3 mGy at S and 71.8 mGy at L. The phantom was positioned on the heart of phantom (Heart) and the center of phantom (Body). In Heart-L compared with Heart-S, organ-absorbed dose was 1.29 times at breasts. In Heart-S compared with Body-S, in-plane dose distribution was increased 25% at left anterior and decreased 20% at right posterior. In SNR, S and L were decreased from 50 mm off-center. To set appropriate bowtie filter and positioning was reduced radiation dose and improved image quality in ECG-gated CT.


Marine Le Pen, of the Front National, and Geert Wilders, of the Netherlands' Party for Freedom, have announced their intention to form an alliance with several parties across Europe after the European Parliament elections. But how should such an alliance be structured? Zoe Lefkofridi presents an analysis of the coherence of potential members of a new nationalist bloc on three different issues: European integration, immigration, and left/right issues. She finds that the greatest level of coherence is shown between these parties on left/right issues. Framing the alliance around this dimension would therefore make for a more effective force in the Parliament.


Purpose: The objectives of this study were (1) to observe the problems in the management of trauma death and to estimate the preventable death rate and (2) to provide guidelines for the analysis of trauma mortality, which is a part of the program to monitor the quality levels of emergency departments(ED). Methods: The records of patients who died at the ED or after admission due to trauma at two tertiary and four secondary hospitals between Jan. 1997 and Dec. 1998 were retrospectively reviewed. The medical records of 210 patients were reviewed, and those of 131 patients, i.e., 62.4%, could be used to evaluate preventability. R e s u l t s: The preventable death rate was 40.5%, which exceeded the rate of 25% before the implementation of the trauma care system. The preventable death rate of secondary hospitals was 46.5% and that of tertiary hospitals was 28.9%. The number of problems per one death was 5.74, and among them 2.82 problems were related to death. Fifty-two percent of those problems occurred in the ED, 13.9% in the prehospital caie, and 18.9% during transportation between hospitals. When the problems were classified into six categories, treatment problems accounted for 73.4% and system inadequacy for 18.7%. Especially, problems related to resuscitation were 40% of all treatment problems. Delay in transportation or delay in diagnosis also accounted for a significant portion of the problems. C o n c l u s i o n: The preventable death rate in korea was much higher than the in developed countries, especially for the secondary hospitals. Improving efforts should be focused to the management in the prehospital arena and the ED. Standardization and training for trauma resuscitation still require much effort. The most important thing in a hospital is a trauma care team that can carry out professional treatment promptly.


This paper analyses the changing forms of international economic integration in Central Asia Republics (CARs) of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan from their emergence as independent states at the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union to the world financial crisis of 2008. The analysis demonstrates some substantial differences in forms of international integration which follow from different starting conditions and transition strategies. Countries that emphasised fuel exports (Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) saw rising GDP alongside a narrowing of their economic bases, losing much that was inherited from the past. In the case of Kazakhstan, natural-resource endowment also lent credibility to domestic financial groups operating in the liberal environment allowing them to benefit from international liquidity and finance their operations through borrowing abroad. Kyrgyzstan followed most closely the neo-liberal path, but the outcome was a similar loss of the established economic base and descent into dependence and peripherality. Uzbekistan followed a path of state-supervised transformation, using the established base to prevent rapid peripheralisation. The implications of the financial crisis of 2008 reflected the differences in international integration. However, striking though some differences may be, the analysis also shows similarities in that the CARs remain peripheral economies largely excluded from, let alone able to move up the hierarchies within, international production networks.


This review article provides information on the impact of HIV-1 on male reproductive functions. HIV-positive patients of reproductive age with now a long-term prognosis may wish to have children. If only one partner is infected, natural conception brings the risk of virus transmission. The article reviews the reproduction possibilities for HIV-positive couples and explains the ways to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to the healthy partner or a child. Assisted reproduction techniques, especially intrauterine insemination, in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection in combination with sperm washing can successfully reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Current trends and dilemmas of infertility treatment in HIV-positive couples are discussed.


Background: Burnout is common among medical residents, and a non-commercial tool for assessing burnout for medical residents is needed. This study aimed to adapt the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) in Bahasa Indonesia for medical residents and to analyze its validity and reliability.Case Discussion: The English version of OLBI was forward and backward translated to and from Bahasa Indonesia by English-language translation experts, and was appropriately modified by the authors. The respondents of the questionnaire were taken from pediatric residents in the first trial (48 subjects), and from internal medicine, pediatric, dermatology, surgery, and neurology residents in the second trial (109 subjects). The item-test correlation to measured construct validity was good for both trials. A confirmatory factor analysis was then undertaken to evaluate the goodness of fit (GOF), the root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA), comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), standardized root mean squared residual (SRMR), and coefficient of determination (CD) in the second trial. The results of the one-factor model and multidimensional GOF of the 16 items were unsatisfactory (χ2<0.05 and RMSEA>0.08). The GOF of the two-factor analysis of burnout with 8 items (3 exhaustion items and 5 disengagement items) created the following results: χ2=0.378; RMSEA=0.025; CFI=0.995; TLI=0.993; SRMR=0.036; and CD=0.898. The Cronbach's alphas, for internal consistency reliability, in the first trial, second trial, and final model were 0.73, 0.87, 0.83, and 0.79, respectively.Conclusion: An 8-items modified Bahasa Indonesia translation of the OLBI for medical residents to measure burnout has good reliability and validity.


The article explores the public perception of neoliberal idea of of 'educational standardisation' against the benchmark of local pedagogical practices and preferences in post-Soviet education modernisation reform in Russia. The analysis shows how the standardisation reform in Russia was developed in convergence with policy recommendations by foreign agents, rather than through consultations with domestic pedagogical community. Using a variety of discursive techniques, the article contrasts the interpretative schemes underlying neoliberal and local interpretations of educational standards and exposes several points of tension surrounding the concept at the linguistic, metaphorical and conceptual levels. While the official discourse positions 'educational standard' as a principle of educational provision, the public discourse interprets it as merely a reduced list of school subjects subsidised by the state. In further explicating specific conceptual frameworks within which particular meanings of 'standard' are instantiated, I identify two conflicting sets of frames within the standardisation debate: state control and pedagogy. One is associated with authoritarian pedagogy and state monopoly over education, while the other is rooted in the local pedagogical tradition of vospitanie through creative learning. I uncover a number of tensions in the interpretation of the idea of standard, including the oppositions 'curriculum versus programma,' 'standard versus non-standard,' and 'whole versus fragmented.' Within these oppositions, one member stands for the 'humane,' 'fundamental,' and 'liberating,' while another represents 'restricting,' 'stereotypical,' 'mechanistic' and 'lacking individuality.' Whilst sharing the initial points of reference, the value points appear reverse in the public and the official discourses: the official discourse construes the progressive idea of educational standard in opposition to the 'grey uniformity' of Soviet-era schooling, while the public discourse castigates the standardisation reform as a total displacement of personality. Straddling contradicting frames of reference, the official rhetoric exhibits a considerable degree of inconsistency, creating confusion in the societal debate and obscuring the direction of reform.


The efficacy of 2 mineral-vitamin supplements in preventing or alleviating initial pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) toxicosis in cattle was tested. Three groups of calves were fed 1 of the 2 supplements plus tansy ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) containing PA and 2 groups of calves were fed tansy ragwort without the supplement. Toxicity comparisons were based on differences in observed clinical signs, serum enzyme changes, survival time of calves, and histopathologic examination of hepatic tissue. Typical tansy ragwort toxicosis terminating in death developed in all calves. There were no marked differences in responses of the groups of calves. Seemingly, the supplements did not afford protection or alleviate tansy ragwort-related PA toxicosis in calves.


Introduction: Postoperative antibiotic treatment is indicated for 3–5 days following appendectomy for complex appendicitis. However, meeting discharge criteria may allow for safe discontinuation of antibiotics and discharge. This study assessed the association between time to reach discharge criteria and duration of postoperative antibiotic use and length of stay. Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study including patients who underwent appendectomy for complex appendicitis and received postoperative antibiotics for >24 h. Main outcome measures were time to reach discharge criteria, duration of postoperative antibiotic use, length of hospital stay, and postoperative infectious complications. Discharge criteria were defined as absence of fever (temperature ≤38°C) for 24 h, ability to tolerate oral intake, and pain controlled by oral analgesics. Results: Between May 2014 and January 2015, 124 patients were included. Time to reach discharge criteria was 2 days (interquartile range [IQR] 1–3). Patients received postoperative antibiotics and were in hospital for a median of 5 (IQR 3–5) and 5 (IQR 4–6) days, respectively. Infectious complications occurred in 12% and did not differ between patients reaching discharge criteria before or after 2 postoperative days. Discussion: Discharge criteria were met by a median of 2 days after appendectomy for complex appendicitis. This suggests that postoperative antibiotics duration and thereby hospital stay can be reduced. In daily practice, prescribed antibiotics are not reduced in total days given. Prospective studies that evaluate limited postoperative antibiotic use, based on these criteria, are necessary.


Background To analyze the efficacy and necessity of multiple lumbar punctures for postoperative delayed lumbar epidural hematoma(PDLEH).Methods Patients who underwent lumbar spinal surgeries between 2012 and 2016 at our institution, were reviewed through their medical records. For patients with PDLEH, the therapies, duration to onset(DO), duration from onset to intervention (DOI), symptoms (ASIA grade), neurological outcomes, VAS before and after treatment were examined. Only patients that received evacuation surgery(Group A) or mutiple lumbar punctures(MLP)(Group B) were included. We compared ASIA grade and VAS before and after treatment, DOI between the two therapies, and analyzed the correlation among the parameters.Results 15 cases(Group A) were performed with emergent surgical evacuation of the hematoma, and 16 cases(Group B) were treated with lumbar MLP at surgical site. The DOIs were 10.87±6.14h in group A and 2.05±5.33 in group B(P=0,P<0.05.). Preoperative neurological status in Group A were slighter than that in Group B.(P=0,P<0.05.). There was significant difference on VAS after treatment (P=0,P<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that DOI were significantly positively correlated with neurological state before interventions (r=0.672, p=0,). In Group A, neurological outcomes at 2 years follow-up were correlated significantly with DOI (r=0.594, p=002) and neurological state before reoperation (r=0.665,p=0.007,). And in Group B, the correlation coefficient of neurological state and neurological outcomes at 2 years follow-up was r=o.584 (p=0.02),while there was no correlation between neurological outcomes and DOI(r=0.158,p=0.558).Conclusions In addition to serving as a timely, minimally invasive treatment, MLP could also serve as a preliminary measure during preoperative preparation before surgical evacuation.


The marking of livestock is a method of livestock handling that has been in use for as long as man has owned livestock. In addition, nothing symbolises the power and ownership of man over the beast more clearly. As mankind became aware of domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep and goats, more techniques came into play in a bid for owners to identify them as the property of certain individuals and communities.


This literature review provides current information about intrauterine growth retardation (IGR) as one of the causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality. There is a sustaining trend to augmentation of the UGR level despite the new methods of diagnostics, treatment and prevention development. Furthermore, there is high percentage of complications among children with IGR at any age. Therefore, early diagnostics of accompanying diseases in children with IGR sparks the interest, especially in view of the fact the new diagnostic methods incipience. The article highlights the features of the neonatal immune response, including the one in children with IGR. These data indicate the predominance of non-specific immune response over specific one, prevalence of generalized inflammation, decreased activity of phagocytes, neutrophils, specific antigen-presenting cells (APC) as a response to most of the Toll-like receptor agonists (TLRAs), high levels of interleukin-6 and interleuken-23. Moreover, analyzed sources demonstrate spurt of growth of the levels of proinflammatory factors, despite the fact of their relatively low levels in neonates with IGR right after birth. Increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines on the ground of systemic inflammation is an unfavorable factor of the course of the disease. In addition, the review contents the information about microRNA presence in the breast milk. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs of 19–23 nucleotides in length that regulate the expression of the target gene. Breast milk microRNAs are resistant to the enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract of the child and are mainly absorbed. There are the data, proving the change of the transcriptome of the breast milk microRNA depending on the gestational age, the nature of labor, the mother's diet, her medication. According to the mentioned studies, the breast milk microRNA, that are detected in the early stages of lactation (miR-155, miR-148a, miR-146b, miR-181a, miR-181b, miR-17), probably change the levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and regulate acuity of the child's immune response. Research of the breast milk microRNA may be important for the prediction of the presence of possible inflammatory complications in a child with IGR. We used such databases as Scopus, Web of Science, MedLine, PubMed, Google Scholar, CyberLeninka, RSCI for writing the article. No conflict of interest was declared by the author. Key words: intrauterine growth retardation, intrauterine growth restriction, IGR, breast milk, microRNA, miR, immune response, immunity, review.


Social concern about online behaviour and safety of children and youth has increased dramatically in the last decade and has resulted in an abundance of parenting advice on ways to manage and protect children online. The cultural context in which this is happening is one characterised by intensive parenting norms, heightened risk awareness, and growing concerns about the effects of 'over-parenting', especially in the teenage years. Using contemporary advice to parents on managing adolescents' digital experiences, this study investigates the ways that parenting, youth and the youth–parent relationship are depicted. Parental roles, in this material, are portrayed as instrumental and pedagogical while youth are assumed to lack agency and judgement. Intensive parenting expectations are extended as parents face advice to be both highly vigilant agents of surveillance and trusted confidantes of their children, with an overall goal of shaping children's subjectivity in ways that allow them to become self-governing.


There is no doubt that the greatest health problem threatening the human race these times is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The greatest burden of this scourge is in sub-saharan African. This has undoubtedly increased the incidence of opportunistic infection like herpes simplex virus infection. This study investigated the epidemiological pattern of HIV and HSV co-infection in patients attending the sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic of University College Hospital, Ibadan. The findings revealed that a total of 63 patients presented classical genital ulceration during the period of study. There was statistical significance between the age group of the patients and their seropositivity status (x 2 = 3.86, P< 0.05). The epidemiological studies also revealed that there was statistical significant difference in development of genital herpetic ulceration and their HIV seropositivity status (x 2 = 39.35, P< 0.05). There was also a significant difference between herpes simplex virus CPE formation from genital lesion and the HIV seropositivity status of the patients (x 2 = 10.96, P< 0.05). Also, there was statistical significant difference in HSV CPE formation from genital lesions of HIV seropositive patients already on antiretroviral therapy (x 2 = 4.06, P< 0.05). Ballooning degeneration of cells indicative of CPE of HSV in vero cell lines were detected within 2-3 days post inoculation. The HIV and HSV Co-infection pattern among patients attending Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic in University College Hospital, Ibadan is therefore discussed. (Afr. J. Biomed. Res. 11: 23 -26)


In this paper we present a method for achieving real-time view interpolation in a virtual navigation application that uses a collection of pre-captured panoramic views as a representation of the environment. In this context, viewpoint interpolation is essential to achieve smooth and realistic viewpoint transition while the user is moving from one panorama to another. In this proposed approach, view interpolation is achieved by first computing the optical flow field between a pair of adjacent panoramas. This flow field can then be used by the view morphing algorithm to generate, on-the-fly, virtual viewpoints in-between existing views. Realistic interpolation is obtained by taking into account both scene geometry and color information. To achieve real-time viewpoint interpolation, a GPU implementation of the viewpoint interpolation algorithm has been developed. We ran our algorithm on multiple interior and exterior scenes and we were able to produce smooth and realistic viewpoint transitions by generating virtual views at a rate of more than 300 panoramas per second.


A conceptual analysis of the CLOPPA (Contributions from Localized Orbitals within the Polarization Propagator Approach) expressions that deconvolute NMR spin-spin coupling constants [Diz A. C.; Giribet C. G.; Ruiz de Azua, M. C.; Contreras, R. H. Int. J. Quantum Chem. 1990, 37, 663.] into orbital contributions can provide an in-depth insight into the features of the electronic molecular structure that originate a given 1JCH experimental trend. In this work, several 1-X-cyclopropane derivatives are taken as model compounds to apply such ideas to rationalize substituent effects on the Fermi contact term of 1JC1,H spin-spin coupling. It is shown that in this type of coupling, its experimental trend, as measured in this work, cannot be accounted for with only the "bond" and the "other bond" contributions, requiring the inclusion of "other antibonding contributions". Such effect is discussed in terms of hyperconjugative interactions.


Reviews two recent edited volumes focused on the identification and characterization of armed conflict: What Is War? An Investigation in the Wake of 9/11, and International Law and the Classification of Conflicts. Both books seek to explore and elucidate the meaning of war, or armed conflict, with the goal of enhancing international law's ability to apply to and regulate that enterprise. Considering the two books in tandem offers a window into the types of questions that lie at the heart of the challenges and debates within the academic and practitioner communities focused on this field of international legal analysis and practice, and the methodologies chosen to explore the topic. After a brief description of the two books and their most apparent contributions to the debate, this review highlights some themes and contrasts that arise as a result of their interaction.


Critical care myopathy (CCM) is an important, often unrecognized cause of weakness in the intensive care unit (ICU). We report a child who developed severe myopathy in the ICU. Our patient was newly diagnosed to have autoimmune hepatitis that may have predisposed her to toxicity from corticosteroids and neuromuscular-blocking agents, but she recovered her strength completely. Risk factors that may have predisposed this patient to CCM include underlying liver dysfunction, presence of acute lung injury, use of corticosteroids, and use of neuromuscular blockade. Given the apparent prevalence and underreporting of CCM in the ICU, it is important for rheumatology consultants to include this entity in their differential diagnosis of weakness in critically ill children and adults, and to recommend appropriate evaluation.


One of the activities usually pointed out as crucial to promote the students' success is the closely monitoring of the students' academic activities related with the teaching-learning process. Although important this activity does not take place in many higher education institutions. To support this complex process an adequate, conceptual and technological support is needed. In this sense, it is presented in this paper a Student Relationship Management (SRM) system. The SRM system supports the SRM concept and practice and is based in a Business Intelligence infrastructure. To demonstrate the SRM system relevance in the process of acquisition of knowledge about the students and theirs academic behaviour, in the support of the decision-making associated to the teaching-learning process and in the automatic interaction with the students, it is presented an application case, which was carried out in a real context.


As the United States Congress began its 113th session, 72 freshman members arrived on Capitol Hill to represent their congressional districts for the first time. It would be universally heralded as the most diverse freshman class in history, containing four new African Americans, 10 new Latinos, five new Asian Americans, 24 new women, the first two Hindus, the first Buddhist, the first non-theist to openly acknowledge her belief prior to getting elected, and four new LGBT members, including the first openly bisexual congresswomen and the first openly gay congressman of color. But for all their diversity, each of them had at least one thing in common: none of them had ever been a member of Congress before. How do freshman policy-makers legislate? What unique challenges do they face? What accounts for variations in their legislative activity?


Pituitary gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) binding sites were studied in persistent estrous rats. For comparison females at different stages of the estrous cycle, ovariectomized animals, and intact males were examined. Persistent estrus was induced by a hypothalamic knife cut, administering testosterone to neonatal rats, or by constant illumination. Rats showing spontaneously such alteration were also used in the experiment. Besides pituitary GnRH-binding sites, the GnRH content of the median eminence and plasma luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, and progesterone concentrations were determined. Pituitary GnRH receptors changed during the estrous cycle with the highest concentrations observed on proestrus. In rats in persistent estrus, pituitary GnRH-binding sites varied between proestrous and estrous values of cyclic females. Ovariectomy resulted in a significant increase in receptors. Depending on how the persistent estrous syndrome was induced, very different amounts of GnRH were found in the median eminence of the various groups. Our data indicate that the GnRH-binding sites on pituitary cells of persistent estrous rats are in essence not changed.


In recent years, dome display has become popular, and it is desired to establish a method to create dome image contents easily. In this study, psychophysical experiment was conducted to measure the three-dimensional sensation that was felt in the dome environment quantitatively. Based on the result of this experiment, the layered image representation method was developed. In this method, dome image is generated by placing the two-dimensional layered images in the three-dimensional space. The user can feel the three-dimensional sensation from the image by moving the layers or view position effectively. In addition, the scenario description language and the renderer were developed so that the usual creator can produce the dome image contents easily without the programming. This method was applied to produce some dome image contents and the effectiveness of this method was evaluated.


BACKGROUND
The aim of the present study is to evaluate the clinical and histologic healing of deep intrabony defects treated with guided tissue regeneration (GTR) with a collagen membrane from bovine pericardium and implantation of granular bovine bone biomaterial.

METHODS
Thirty patients with one deep, combined 1- and 2-wall intrabony defect exhibiting a probing depth ≥6 mm and an associated intrabony defect ≥3 mm were treated with GTR with a bioresorbable collagen membrane from bovine pericardium and adjunct implantation of a granular bovine bone biomaterial. The clinical results were evaluated 1 and 3 years after surgery. In addition, five teeth fulfilling the inclusion criteria but scheduled for extraction because of advanced periodontitis or restorative considerations were treated similarly and then extracted along with a portion of their surrounding periodontal tissues for histologic evaluation 6 months after surgery.

RESULTS
Healing was uneventful in all patients. Significant clinical improvements were observed at 1 and 3 years postoperatively (P <0.01; probing depth averaged 4.4 ± 1.6 and 4.7 ± 1.4 mm and clinical attachment level gain was 3.9 ± 1.4 and 3.5 ± 1.3 mm, respectively). The histologic evaluation revealed formation of new cellular cementum and new periodontal ligament in four of the five cases. In general, the xenograft particles seemed to be mostly embedded in connective tissue without any evidence of new bone formation.

CONCLUSION
GTR treatment of intrabony defects with the collagen membrane from bovine pericardium and adjunct implantation of the new bovine bone biomaterial may result in significant clinical improvements that can be maintained over a period of 3 years, and regeneration of cementum and periodontal ligament, but without bone formation.


This paper explores the formation of and behavior within rogue groups in business settings and considers implications of the analysis for whistle-blowing. Behavior may be unacceptable to some groups but seen as worthy by others, and rogue behavior typically revolves around the exercise of idiosyncratic skills of value to a rogue group. This paper shows how the behavior can be modeled as the formation of human capital, but that the modeling needs to be embedded socially to be of interest in distinguishing different groups. The paper demonstrates that rogue behavior in business may be conceptualized analogously to that of a gang, albeit with recognition of certain differences. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


First principles density functional theory modeling of point defects and structural disordering in BaxSr1–xCoyFe1–yO3−δ (BSCF) perovskites reveals that the material tends to decompose at low temperatures into a mixture of cubic and hexagonal perovskite and/or oxide phases. Special attention is paid to elucidating the effects of oxygen nonstoichiometry on cubic and hexagonal phase stability, decomposition energies, and oxygen vacancy formation energies. The observed lattice instability is likely to negate the advantages of the fast oxygen transport chemistry and impede the applicability of BSCF in solid oxide fuel cells and oxygen separation ceramic membranes. The general methodology presented here can be applied to analyze other candidate materials for many energy conversion applications.


A method for copper direct drilling by carbon dioxide (CO2 ) laser was investigated for efficient microvia formation on the copper conducting layer of high-density interconnection (HDI) of printed circuit board (PCB). A metal-tin layer was coated on the surface of copper conductor foil to enhance the CO2 laser energy adsorption on it. The coated surfaces were then drilled by a CO2  laser with various pulse energies. The microvia holes were efficiently formed in good quality with one laser pulse on 9-mum-thick polished copper conducting layer. The laser energy absorption of coated copper foils was approximately calculated. The experimental results demonstrated the potential application of the developed method in high-density interconnection printed circuit board manufacturing


The soluble protein pancreatic adenocarcinoma upregulated factor (PAUF) is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer. We have recently reported that PAUF plays a crucial role in the progression and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells. However its role in angiogenesis, which is crucial feature of tumor development, has not yet been understood. We here show that PAUF promotes angiogenesis and induces vascular permeability via endothelial cell activation. PAUF increased angiogenic traits of HUVEC cells such as proliferation, migration, and vascular network formation in vitro, which were abrogated by treatment with antibodies against PAUF. Consistently, PAUF stimulated the sprouting of microvessels from aortic rings ex vivo and the development of blood vessels into matrigel plug loaded with PAUF in vivo. We also found that PAUF increased permeability of endothelial cells as a result of the phosphorylation of VE-cadherin and promoted vascular leakiness of mouse skin. Intracellular signaling molecules ERK, AKT, and eNOS were activated in endothelial cell by PAUF, and chemical inhibitors for these signaling molecules inhibited PAUF-induced angiogenesis and vascular permeability. Expression analysis of several angiogenic factors indicated that these observed angiogenic effects of PAUF were independent of VEGF. We will discuss potential mechanism of angiogenesis mediated by PAUF. Collectively, our studies demonstrate PAUF as a novel angiogenic factor promoting angiogenesis and vascular permeability and suggest that targeting for PAUF can be an effective therapeutic treatment strategy to reduce tumor angiogenesis correlated with tumor progression and metastasis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5137. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5137


" It has been proposed that Hebbian learning could be responsible for the ontogeny of predictive mirror neurons in the premotor cortex (Keysers and Gazzola, 2014). Here, we show that an artificial neural network (ANN) that evolves via variation of Oja's rule (an implementation of Hebbian learning) is sufficient to account for the emergence of predictive mirror neurons. By extension, this work provides positive evidence for the association hypothesis, which states that mirror-like behavior in the motor cortex is a byproduct of associative learning. Keywords" Mirror neurons, Hebbian learning, Associative learning, Computational model


Some researchers have raised concerns about significant volatility in initial payments from fixed immediate life annuities and the subsequent inflation risk during the retirement period. This paper investigates these concerns using recent high frequency data. It finds that while there is significant volatility in initial payments from nominal fixed annuities, phased purchases of fixed annuities can reduce their volatility. It also finds that an inflation-adjusted annuity may address both the volatility and inflation risk problems. The results are applicable to current discussions about Social Security and trends toward the defined contribution type of pension plan.


Abstract Parsimony analysis of plastid rpl16 sequences from 62 members of Tribe Cacteae, and four outgroup taxa yielded 1296 equally parsimonious trees of length 666. Strict consensus evaluation of these trees established a highly pectinate topology, which delimited clades within the tribe that correspond to several previously considered generic groups. Aztekium and Geohintonia, which manifest ribs in their stem morphology were shown to represent an early divergence in the tribe, forming a sister group to remaining members of the tribe. Clades containing other genera having ribbed stems also are basal to those that develop tubercles. The most derived clade forms a distinct group of typically small stemmed species with tubercular stem morphology. Within Mammillaria, species formerly placed in the genus Cochemiea and members of the Series Ancistracanthae formed a well-supported, sister clade to the remaining members of Mammillaria. Length variation of the intron in two members of Mammillaria series Stylothelae was also observed. Communicating Editor: Thomas G. Lammers


A study around the concepts of "witness" and "testimony," in the fields of Philosophy and Theology, as exemplified by the life work of Dorothy Day. The impact of her work in the U.S., from early to mid-twentieth century, and with the Catholic Worker Movement, is compared to that of the Latin American movement of Liberation Theology. Examples are provided of Dorothy Day's observations on the agricultural workers strike and César Chávez, as well as various socio-political movements in Latin American countries. Also detailed and compared, are the early and later efforts under Liberation Theology, for its Church influences and dictates, as well as its popular impact and significance.


Water plays a key role in our day to day life. A common man tend to use about 250 litres per day. Due to poor rainfall and contamination of the ground water the source of fresh water is decreasing drastically. Thus the alternative method for the source of water is by, Conversion of Sea water in Fresh water. The normal conversion of sea water into drinking water is tedious and costly. Thus an alternative method is used to remove salt from the water. The Boiling point of liquid under vacuum condition or low pressure is generally low. Thus this process involves Evaporation and Condensation of sea water, which is done under Vacuum condition, by using only Natural resource as the main source of energy. The major source of energy used in this process is solar energy. Solar water heater is used for producing the heat needed for the Evaporation zone and Sea water is used for cooling purpose in Condensation zone. The solar energy used to generate electricity, which is used for Conversion of Sea water into fresh water and the remaining electrical energy is used for Domestic purpose. This is process doesn't affect the environment, hence it is considered completely Eco-friendly. The amount or quantity of water produced is high per day. This method can be encouraged in an area, where the per-capita usage of water high or in the area where the source of fresh water is less. This process generally helps producing water and electricity, and also help in saving a large amount of money.


Models to estimate forest degradation in terms of removed volume and biomass from the extraction of wood fuel and logging using stump diameter (SD) are lacking. The common method of estimating removals is through estimating diameter at breast height (D) by applying equations relating measured D and SD. The estimated D is then used to estimate biomass and volume by means of allometric equations, which utilize D. Through this sequence of procedures, it is apparent that there is an accumulation of errors. This study developed equations for estimating volume, aboveground biomass (ABG), and belowground biomass (BGB) using SD in miombo woodlands of mainland Tanzania. Volume models were developed from 114 sample trees while AGB and BGB models were developed from 127 and 57 sample trees, respectively. Both site specific and regional models were developed. Over 70% of the variations in BGB, AGB, and volume were explained by SD. It was apparent that SD is inferior compared to measured D in explaining variation in volume and BGB but not AGB. However, the accuracy of BGB and volume estimates emanating directly from SD were far better than those obtained indirectly, i.e., volume or BGB estimates obtained from estimated D from SD, since the latter is affected by accumulation of regression equation errors. For improved accuracy of ABG, BGB, and volume estimates, we recommend the use of site specific models. However, for areas with no site specific models, application of regional models is recommended. The developed models will facilitate the addition of forest degradation as a REDD+ activity into the forthcoming FREL.


The present review paper is on the performance improvement of IC engine by using backpressure reduction in the exhaust manifold and their CFD analysis of Single Cylinder Four Stroke C.I. Engine. It is found that development of energy-efficient exhaust manifold system is possible by minimization of backpressure on the engine, due to an increase in brake thermal efficiency. Effective utilization of energy from exhaust manifold can be achieved by designing for backpressure reduction by energy-efficient exhaust manifold system. The exhaust manifold system design with reduced back pressure requirements is an important factor for upgrading engine performance. It is analysis by CFD on reduction in the backpressure of the exhaust manifold system to increase the efficiency.


In resource constrained countries, animal-sourced foods (ASFs) are an important nutrient-dense source of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients. While several studies have suggested the value of ASFs to child growth, most empirical evidence is based on cross-sectional data which can only provide information about the contemporaneous relationship between diet and anthropometric outcomes. This study uses longitudinal panel data for Nepal, Bangladesh, and Uganda to assess the association between contemporaneous as well as past ASF consumption and linear growth of children aged 6-24 months. Fixed effects models found that ASF consumption was significantly correlated with lower stunting, with a decline in stunting prevalence as high as 10% in Nepali children who had consumed any ASF in the previous year. Consuming two or more ASFs showed an even higher magnitude of association, ranging from a 10% decline in prevalence of stunting associated with lagged consumption in Bangladesh to a 16% decline in Nepal.


Lichen planus belongs to the group of frequent skin diseases. Therefore, the concurrence with other diseases might be expected by chance. However, the bullous form of lichen planus is a rare disease and for this variant a coincidence with malignant diseases, tumors and systemic diseases, has been reported. Additionally, in the last decade the association of lichen planus respectively lichen planus pemphigoides and diseases accompanied with or caused by immunologic dysfunction has been pointed out. This concerns lupus erythematosus, myasthenia gravis, and ulcerative colitis, diseases, which are accompanied by circulating organ-specific antibodies. A further patient is reported who developed a lichen planus pemphigoides consecutively to an ulcerative colitis.


We cloned a new gene from the amidase signature (AS) family, designated am, from the marine actinomycete Salinispora arenicola CNS-205. As indicated by bioinformatics analysis and site-directed mutagenesis, the AM protein belonged to the AS family. AM was expressed, purified, and characterised in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), and the AM molecular mass was determined to be 51 kDa. The optimal temperature and pH were 40 °C and pH 8.0, respectively. AM exhibited a wide substrate spectrum and showed amidase, aryl acylamidase, and acyl transferase activities. AM had high activity towards aromatic and aliphatic amides. The AM substrate specificity for anilides was very narrow; only propanil could be used as an effective substrate. The extensive substrate range of AM indicates it may have broad potential applications in biosynthetic processes and biodegradation.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of over-expression of Sirt1 on cytokines in the collagen type 2-induced arthritis (CIA) mice.

METHODS
The female DBA/1 mouse CIA model was established by subcutaneous injection of collagen type 2. Recombinant adenovirus carrying Sirt1 gene was infected into CIA mice through tail vein injection. The effects of over-expression of Sirt1 on CIA mice were assessed by measuring arthritis index. The serum levels of cytokines including interleukin 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), IL-17, IL-4 and IL-10 in CIA mice were examined by ELISA. The mRNA levels of Sirt1, matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) were detected by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). The protein levels of NF-κB subunit p65 and acetylated p65 were determined by Western blotting.

RESULTS
Compared with control groups, over-expression of Sirt1 significantly ameliorated the symptoms of arthritis in CIA mouse. Furthermore, proinflammatory factors (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-17) decreased while anti-inflammatory factors (IL-4 and IL-10) increased in CIA mice. The over-expression of Sirt1 significantly down-regulated MMP-13 mRNA level and up-regulated TIMP-1 mRNA level. Additionally, the over-expressed Sirt1 reduced acetylation of p65.

CONCLUSION
Over-expression of Sirt1 may regulate the balance of cytokines in CIA mice.


An introduction to ozone photometry is provided. The principle and the inner workings of an ozone analyzer are explained, together with the different units available to express measurement results. Sources of error in an ozone analyzer are identified and quantified on a component basis. Some practical advice is given for operating an ozone analyzer in an industrial environment, including drying of wet sample gas. A manufacturer of ozone analyzers has to provide a self made Primary Standard. An error budget is shown for such a standard. Three Primary Standards were made and compared among each other and also to a 20 year old standard used in production.


The purpose of this study was to determine the use of continuous intraperitoneal insulin infusion over an extended period (in maintaining metabolic control) and to evaluate the benefits of this treatment in reversing the kidney pathology of a chronic diabetic dog with membranous glomerulopathy. Hyperglycemia was eliminated, but reevaluations of the insulin infusion pattern were necessary. An initial kidney biopsy revealed fusion of the foot processes, thickening of the basement membrane, and subendothelial deposition. After 5 months of infusion, there was less fusion of the foot processes and a decrease in the subendothelial deposition. Urinary protein loss decreased from 17.3 g/day to 625 mg/day after 2 months of infusion. The dog gained weight, muscle wasting was reversed, and his stamina returned while on continuous insulin infusion. The reduction of a life-threatening urinary protein loss to a tolerable level and the improvement in the microscopic kidney lesions observed indicate that this treatment with insulin infusion may be beneficial in the management of long-term diabetic dogs, affected with advanced kidney lesions secondary to diabetes.


The van den Bergh reaction 1 for bile pigment in the blood was introduced in 1918. As originally proposed, the determinations were made with the blood serum. During the twelve years that have elapsed, the test has received general and widespread acceptance. Today, both in the original technic and in the modifications, most important of which is the Thannhauser and Andersen method, 2 serum is still employed. McNee and Keefer 3 were the first to suggest the use of plasma instead of serum. These workers applied the original van den Bergh technic to the plasma obtained from oxalated blood in the proportion of 0.2 cc. of 10 per cent potassium oxalate to from 10 to 15 cc. of whole blood. The results led them to assert that plasma and serum may be utilized equally well. Shay and Schloss 4 disagreed with these observers. In a series of eleven simultaneous examinations of serum and plasma


The integrated radar communication system combines the functions of radar and communication systems. It has attracted wide attention because of its advantages in effectively reducing electromagnetic interference between equipment and reducing equipment volume. However, there is no complete radar communication integrated signal design scheme so that the radar and communication system can operate well at the same time to achieve better detection and communication performance. In order to achieve better results for the integration of radar communication, this article summarizes and analyzes the existing research on integration of radar communication, and summarizes the realization of two design ideas of superimposed signal and single signal. The basic system composition of pulse radar and continuous wave radar, the working mechanism of radar speed and distance measurement and the basic composition of communication system are described. Research has proved that through the integration of radar communication, signal processing and identification are greatly improved, the signal transmission strength is more than 30% stronger than that without integration, and the transmission distance is 20% higher. Moreover, there are also great differences between the different integration methods. The fuzzy function used in this article is better than other experimental methods. This shows that the integrated radar communication system is the trend of future research on signal processing and recognition.


Fingerprint-based indoor localisation suffers from influences such as fingerprint pre-collection, environment changes and expending a lot of manpower and time to update the radio map. To solve the problem, we propose an efficient radio map updating algorithm based on K-Means and Gaussian Process Regression (KMGPR). The algorithm builds a Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) predictive model based on a Gaussian mean function and realises the update of the radio map using K-Means. We have conducted experiments to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm and results show that GPR using the Gaussian mean function improves localisation accuracy by about 13·76% compared with other functions and KMGPR can reduce the computational complexity by about 7% to 20% with no obvious effects on accuracy.


We investigated the impact of a sustainable development technology on the macroeconomic variables in a small economy utilizing a case study with a stochastically improving energy saving technology and a stochastically increasing energy price. The results show the technological displacement effects of energy saving technology are stronger, but there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns to physical capital. However, the energy saving technology's displacement effects might not affect the conditions under which the Harberger-Laursen-Metzler (HLM) effect holds. The effects of rising energy prices on bonds are stronger, and there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns, but the conditions under which the HLM effect holds are different.