Prominences are intriguing, but poorly understood, magnetic structures of the solar corona. The dynamics of solar prominences has been the subject of a large number of studies, and of particular interest is the study of prominence oscillations. Ground- and space-based observations have confirmed the presence of oscillatory motions in prominences and they have been interpreted in terms of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. This interpretation opens the door to perform prominence seismology, whose main aim is to determine physical parameters in magnetic and plasma structures (prominences) that are difficult to measure by direct means. Here, we review the observational information gathered about prominence oscillations as well as the theoretical models developed to interpret small amplitude oscillations and their temporal and spatial attenuation. Finally, several prominence seismology applications are presented.


DPMJET-III with chain fusion is used to calculate inclusive distributions of Pb-Pb collisions at LHC energies. We present rapidity distributions as well as scaled multiplicities at mid-rapidity as function of the collision energy and the number of participants.


Abstract. The design scheme of the source-and-detector arrangement of a ring-scanning-based near-infrared optical imaging system prior to the mechanical and optical construction is demonstrated. In terms of the effectiveness and efficiency of design, through the computation of image reconstruction for varied imaging configurations, the influences of the source-and-detector arrangement on the resulting images are evaluated and a formula to estimate the scanning time is provided. The basic idea of our design is to divide circular scanning into several zones, each of which includes n sources and l detectors; i.e., m zones and n sources along with l detectors per zone are defined in the design. Comparison is made among different imaging configurations where their contrast-to-noise ratio measures are evaluated and contrast-and-size detail resolution curves are depicted. Results show that the 2Z3S or 3Z3S configuration is the optimal design in terms of the time consumption of a complete scanning and the resolution of reconstructed optical-property images.


Author(s): Sadeghi Mobarakeh, Ashkan | Advisor(s): Mohsenian-Rad, Hamed | Abstract: Electricity markets, such as the one that is operated by the California Interdependent System Operator (CAISO), plays a critical role in maintaining an efficient and reliable power grid. Participants in electricity markets are generation units, such as major power plants, and load entities. Optimal electricity market participation through bidding is thus a central component to a well-functioning electricity market. In this regard, several fundamental questions arise: 1) What is the optimal method to predict the electricity market prices as a key factor of decision making process? 2) How different resources can optimally bid into the new electricity market services which are recently introduced in the US? 3) How these new services can reflect the actual value of different resources? 4) And finally, how merging technologies such a flexible loads and energy system storages can optimally bid into the global electricity markets to maximize their own profits without violating the local constraints? This thesis aims to address these fundamental questions based on optimization and machine learning methods. First, we developed a machine learning model to forecast the exact values and class labels of the day-ahead market prices in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) market. Such predictions make it easier for those involved with the market to make decisions pertaining to short-term operating schedules, bidding styles, and other market elements.To answer the second and third questions, we focused on a new market design named \emph{performance-based regulation market}. We developed a new analytical framework that streamlines large price-maker generation firm bids to the performance-based regulation markets. A Mathematical Program with Equilibrium Constraints, or MPEC, with system dynamics, is developed. Our design was not bound by the constraints of any single technology. We focused on identifying the key concepts from participants point of view. With this design, we uncovered the conditions for optimal bidding strategies in the performance-based regulation market and also by using real-world data, we determined how poorly performing resources manipulate market prices. We also conducted an in-depth analysis of the distinctions between the Mid-Continent Independent System Operator (MISO) and the CAISO accuracy scores, employing real-world ISO data to demonstrate the root causes for the distinct scores, and offering solutions to fix apparent issues.Finally, to answer the fourth question, we proposed a new mathematical model based on two stage stochastic-robust optimization to handle the optimal bidding of distributed energy resources located in a distribution network. The model handles the optimal distributed energy resource operations in the wholesale electricity markets while simultaneously handling the distribution network constraints. In order to ensure that distributed energy resources provide service in effective and reliable ways, we also introduced some novel indexes that assist in identifying the best investment options. The results are validated using the real-world data from a feeder in Riverside, CA.


Matching region selection is one of the bases of underwater terrain-aided navigation technology. Boundary division of topographic statistical map, which provides convenience to matching region selection and route planning, can be accomplished quickly when using image edge detection on it. This article firstly introduced the characteristics of edge detection operators; the grayscale image was transformed from the underwater terrain model according to the edge detection requirement. Terrain entropy was calculated as well based on the grayscale level information. Then edges in the terrain entropy image were determined using three kinds of edge detection operators respectively. Finally, the underwater terrain matching simulation was implemented in the selected regions which proved the feasibility of matching region selection based on the image edge detection.


Abstract A beam of electromagnetic radiation can generate magnetic fields in plasmas. It is shown that those fields grow significantly when the incident radiation is sufficiently strong. We obtain expressions for the characteristic time of the growth of the fields as well as for their spatial distribution and point out a possible mechanism, which can lead to the formation of a quasi-stationary state. The maximum value of the magnetic field strength is estimated


In January 1762, Prussia hovered on the brink of disaster. Despite the masterful generalship of Frederick the Great, the combined forces of France, Austria, and Russia had gradually worn down the Prussian army in six years of constant warfare. Austrian armies had marched deep into Saxony and Silesia, and the Russians had even sacked Berlin. Frederick's defeat appeared imminent, and the enemy coalition intended to partition Prussia to reduce it to the status of a middle German state no more powerful than Bavaria or Saxony. And then a miracle occurred. The Prusso-phobic Czarina Elizabeth unexpectedly died, only to be succeeded by her son Peter, who idolized the soldier-king. Immediately Peter made peace with Frederick and ordered home the Russian armies. This reversal paralyzed the French and Austrians and allowed Frederick to rally his forces. Although Peter was soon ousted by his wife, Catherine, the allied armies never regained their advantage. In the end, Frederick held them off and kept Prussia intact.1 Frederick's triumph in the Seven Years' War was essential to Prussia's eventual uniacation of Germany and all that followed from it. Conceiving of European history today without this victory is impossible. It is equally impossible to conceive of Prussian victory in 1763 without the death of Elizabeth and Peter's adoration of Frederick. In the words of Christopher Duffy, "It is curious to reoect that if one lady had lived for a very few weeks longer, historians would by now have analyzed in most convincing detail the reasons for a collapse as 'inevitable' as that which overtook the Sweden of Charles XII."2 In short, had it not been for the idiosyncrasies of one man and one woman, European history would look very, very different. Let Us Now Praise Great Men Daniel L. Byman and Kenneth M. Pollack


We give in this work the sufficient conditions on the positive solutions of the difference equation 8 1 1 n n n n x x x x α − + = + , n=0,1,…., where α ≥ 0 and s > 0 with arbitrary positive initials x-1; x0 to be bounded and the equilibrium point to be globally asymptotically stable. Finally we present the condition for which every positive solution converges to a prime two periodic solution. We have given a non-oscillatory positive solution which converges to the equilibrium point.


Marketing is an important process in meeting out the needs of a target market by exploring, creating and delivering the values of products or services. Marketing of services is a specialized branch because it takes care of three more P's of marketing mix viz. People, Process & Physical Evidence in addition to traditional 4 P's (Product, Pricing, Place & Promotion).
Telecom sector plays a vital role among consumer as it provides various services like wireless mobile services, internet / data connectivity (fiber technology or broadband) & telephone connectivity for voice communication. etc These are essential services for all sector now a days be it education, commercial, administration, health & medical etc. People want to stay connected with the whole world.
As the services have some unique properties (in comparison to products) like Intangibility, Ownership, Inseparability & perishability etc, marketing of telecommunication sector services are slightly different.
Due to pandemic (COVID-19) people has witnessed lockdown, e-learning, work from home (WFH), online education etc. Global telecom service providers played a significant and vital role in overcoming the various problems raised due to COVID 19 pandemic. And because of these the demand of internet / data services increased by a significant level.
The expectations from telecom service providers got increased as people are spending more time on internet and consuming more data on various social media platforms. Now subscribers want uninterrupted services round the clock and immediate super quick restoration of servicers, if any outage occurs.
In this paper an attempt was made to present the consequences of COVID-19 in marketing of services especially the telecom sector. For this, important data were collected from websites, journals, reports & consumers through questionnaires. All the data were studied critically to reach the conclusion.
KEYWORDS: COVID-19, Marketing of Services, Telecom Sector, Internet/Data Services


Taxonomies of living things and the methods used to produce them changed little with the institutionalization of evolutionary thinking in biology. Instead, the relationships expressed in existing taxonomies were merely reinterpreted as the result of evolution, and evolutionary concepts were developed to justify existing methods. I argue that the delay of the Darwinian Revolution in biological taxonomy has resulted partly from a failure to distinguish between two fundamentally different ways of ordering identified by Griffiths (1974): classification and systematization. Classification consists of ordering entities into classes, groups defined by the attributes of their members; in contrast, systematization consists of ordering entities into systems, more inclusive entities whose existence depends on some natural process through which their parts are related. Evolutionary, or phylogenetic, systematics takes evolutionary descent to be the natural process of interest in biological taxonomy. I outline a general framework for a truly phylogenetic systematics and examine some of its consequences.


Secondary sources of information indicate that the proportion of child deaths due to injuries is increasing in Nepal. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of unintentional injuries in children, explore risk factors and estimate the burden faced by families and the community in the Makwanpur district. We conducted a household survey in Makwanpur, covering 3441 households. Injuries that occurred during the 12 months before the survey and required treatment or caused the child to be unable to take part in usual activities for three or more days were included. We identified 193 cases of non-fatal unintentional child injuries from 181 households and estimated an annual rate of non-fatal injuries of 24.6/1000 children; rates for boys were double (32.7/1000) that for girls (16.8/1000). The rates were higher among the children of age groups 1–4 years and 5–9 years. Falls were the most common cause of non-fatal child injuries followed by burns in preschool children and road traffic injuries were the most likely cause in adolescence. Mean period of disability following injury was 25 days. The rates and the mechanisms of injury vary by age and gender. Falls and burns are currently the most common mechanisms of injury amongst young children around rural homes.


Due to the digitization of fine art collections, pictures of fine art objects stored at museums and art galleries became widely available to the public. It created a demand for efficient software tools that would allow rapid retrieval and semantic categorization of art. This paper introduces a new, two-stage image classification approach aiming to improve the style classification accuracy. At the first stage, the proposed approach divides the input image into five patches and applies a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to train and classify each patch individually. At the second stage, the outcomes from the individual five patches are fused in the decision-making module, which applies a shallow neural network trained on the probability vectors given by the first-stage classifier. While the first stage categorizes the input image based on the individual patches, the second stage infers the final decision label categorizing the artistic style of the analyzed input image. The key factor in improving the accuracy compared to the baseline techniques is the fact that the second stage is trained independently on the first stage using probability vectors instead of images. This way, the second stage is effectively trained to compensate for the potential mistakes made during the first stage. The proposed method was tested using six different pre-trained CNNs (AlexNet, VGG-16, VGG-19, GoogLeNet, ResNet-50, and Inceptionv3) as the first-stage classifiers, and a shallow neural network as a second-stage classifier. The experiments conducted using three standard art classification datasets indicated that the proposed method presents a significant improvement over the existing baseline techniques.


Academic curriculum subcommittees of the Association of Medical School Microbiology and Immunology Chairs (AMSMIC) have developed a series of core knowledge objectives for courses in medical microbiology and immunology. Detailed and specific objectives were created by separate subcommittees on Fundamental Microbiology, Host Defenses and Pathogenesis. The academic subcommittees consisted of meeting conferees and distinguished faculty that met at biennial meetings. In 2006 the faculty developed a practical wiki site for membership guidance and revision of the objective documents, allowing changes, contributions and corrections to the core objectives. The wiki afforded the identification of problematic areas and provided a process for ranking objectives, using a numerical rating scale, which provided quantifiable information. The wiki site greatly facilitated the evaluation of core knowledge objectives and was formulated into a condensed set of parameters listing specific academic areas of importance. The final documents contain core competency objectives and provide a format for academic medical microbiology and immunology departments on a national and international level.


The amyloid beta-protein (A beta) pathologically accumulates in cerebral vascular and senile plaque deposits in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders including hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis Dutch type (HCHWA-D). The cerebrovascular deposits are accompanied by degeneration and eventual loss of smooth muscle cells in cerebral vessel wall. Similarly, we have shown that pathogenic forms of A beta cause cell death in cultured human cerebrovascular smooth muscle (HCSM) cells in vitro. Here we show that pathogenic A beta induces a number of structural changes in HCSM cells including shrinkage of cell bodies, retraction of processes, disruption of the intracellular actin network, and nuclear condensation and fragmentation. These changes were accompanied by a number of biochemical alterations in the cells shown by in situ end labeling of nuclear DNA, proteolytic breakdown of smooth muscle cell a actin, and proteolytic activation of the proteinase caspase 3. Together, these characteristics are consistent with an apoptotic mechanism of cell death in HCSM cells in response to pathogenic A beta.


How proteins are targeted and translocated mediated by signal recognition particle (SRP) in eukaryotic cell is very clear and uniform. In contrast, SRP systems are different in various kinds of prokaryotic cells, So it is difficult to identify. Nowadays, the studies of prokaryotic SRP system focus on the structure and function of Ffh, FtsY, 4.5S RNA, and GTP as a regulating molecular. Here, a description was given on research progress of constitutes, structures and functions of bacterial SRP complex proteins. The research status of streptomyces SRP pathway was also reviewed, and this study in streptomyces will be helpful to explain the molecular mechanism of prokaryotic SRP system.


In this paper, a multi-agent system that models Social Foraging Swarm with Disturbance is proposed. The model is an extension of the model proposed by Wang et al., in which disturbance is introduced to the system. Under conditions on the size of the disturbance, it was shown that the new system was similar to the behavior of conventional models. The first similar behavior is stationarity by the swarm center. Here to obtain this result a notion of ρ-annulus will be introduced. The second similar behavior will also be presented in this paper that the agents aggregate and enter a certain ρ-annulus. The radius of the ball when the agents entering ρ-annulus will also be calculated. Numerical simulation demonstrate that the agents aggregate and enter a certain ρ-annulus around the swarm center.


We analyze and interpret the oscillatory signal in the decay phase of the U-band light curve of a stellar megaflare observed on 2009 January 16 on the dM4.5e star YZ CMi. The oscillation is well approximated by an exponentially decaying harmonic function. The period of the oscillation is found to be 32 minutes, the decay time about 46 minutes, and the relative amplitude 15%. As this observational signature is typical of the longitudinal oscillations observed in solar flares at extreme ultraviolet and radio wavelengths, associated with standing slow magnetoacoustic waves, we suggest that this megaflare may be of a similar nature. In this scenario, macroscopic variations of the plasma parameters in the oscillations modulate the ejection of non-thermal electrons. The phase speed of the longitudinal (slow magnetoacoustic) waves in the flaring loop or arcade, the tube speed, of about 230 km s−1 would require a loop length of about 200 Mm. Other mechanisms, such as standing kink oscillations, are also considered.


Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are released by tumors in blood and lymphatic systems and are responsible for the creation of metastasis. They reflect the intra-tumoral heterogeneity and often have different phenotypes comparing to the primary tumor. In Circulating Tumor Cell Liquid Biopsy (CTC-LB) testing, higher CTC numbers correlate with worse prognosis, confirmed by a sharp decline in progression-free survival in studies utilizing CellSearch® technology. Clinically available CTC-LBs (except for EPIC Sciences) utilize enrichment methods that introduce detection bias. Proof of CTC-LB clinical utility will lead to broader CTC-LB adoption in the cancer diagnostic market. The RareScope (QCDx LLC, Farmington CT) is designed to scan all nucleated cells from a patient9s blood sample for unbiased CTC detection and phenotypic characterization. Fluorescence Light Sheet Microscopy offers 3-dimensional visualization of immobilized, morphologically intact cells either live or fixed and selected target cells can be isolated for downstream genomic and expression analyses. Experimentation showed RareScope linearity for detection of cancer cells at frequencies expected for CTCs in breast cancer patient blood. Cells from the SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell line were spiked in the buffy coat from healthy donor blood and fluorescently immunostained for CD45 pan leucocyte, cytokeratins 7&8 (CK), EpCAM and counterstained with DAPI (4′,6-Diamidine-2′-phenylindole dihydrochloride). Four preparations for each dilution of 2, 10, 15, 30, 75 and 300 cancer cells per 106 normal cells were mixed with immobilization medium and scanned with the RareScope. Digitized, 3D-images of each preparation were reviewed by two scientists and cancer cells were identified as CD45-, CK+, EpCAM+, DAPI+ while blood cells as CD45+, CK-, EpCAM-, DAPI+. Results of scanning the six dilutions were as follows [Expected cells: mean ± SEM of observed cells], [2 : 1.6±0.25], [10 : 12.8±4.3], [15 : 15.7±2.7], [30 : 37.1±7.5], [75 : 87.4±1.9] and [300 : 290.4±20.6]. Linear regression analysis of scan results showed R2 correlation coefficient of 0.992. The RareScope will be utilized in the IRB approved, prospective CLINBREAC study at the UConn Cancer Center, starting in January 2020. Blood samples will be collected from early stage and metastatic breast cancer patients longitudinally over a period of 24 months after enrollment for an average of 12 samples per patient. All analyzed cells will be confirmed by 2 cytotechnologists and a clinical cytopathologist. The trial objectives are to enumerate and characterize CTCs, assess the timing of disappearance or persistence with treatment, co-evaluate with NGS results from the primary tumor and compare with results from the CellSearch test. In summary, we anticipate that the RareScope technology will prove to be a high precision CTC-LB to detect and characterize CTCs following confirmation from the CLINBREAC study. Citation Format: Aswanth Reddy, Susan Tannenbaum, Triantafyllos Tafas. Circulating tumor cell detection and characterization with the novel RareScopeTM technology [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6440.


Abstract This paper presents a research review on fabrication processes and mechanical characterization of aluminum matrix composites (AMCs), which have found application in structural, electrical, thermal, tribological, and environmental fields. A comprehensive literature review is carried out on various types of fabrication processes, the effects of individual reinforcement and multiple reinforcements, its percentage, size, temperature, processing time, wettability, and heat treatment on the mechanical characterization of AMCs including different product applications. Various models and techniques proposed to express the mechanical characteristics of AMCs are stated here. The concluding remarks addresses the future work needed on AMCs.


Implantation/placentation in domestic pigs is preceded by synthesis of oestrogen by the conceptus to maintain functional corpora lutea throughout pregnancy and a rapid morphological transformation of conceptuses from spherical to long filamentous thread-like structures. Initial conceptus expansion, reaching a metre in length, not only delineates the surface area for placental attachment, but also provides the mechanism for delivery of oestrogen to signal events necessary for placentation throughout the uterine horn. Timing for conceptus gene expression to induce trophoblast expansion and attachment in pigs is temporally associated with downregulation of progesterone receptors and increase in oestrogen receptors within the uterine epithelium. Within the confines of the uterine lumen, pig conceptuses normally do not erode or invade through the uterine epithelial surface. However, the pig conceptus possesses extensive proteolytic activity as it is highly invasive outside the uterine lumen of the pig. Initial release of oestrogen by the elongating pig conceptus induces endometrial release of cytokines and a variety of protease inhibitors. Recently, endometrial expression for the inter-trypsin inhibitor (I alpha I) family of protease inhibitors has been detected in the pig endometrium during conceptus elongation and attachment. It is possible that I alpha Is may function to inhibit trophoblast invasion and also serve as targets for adhesion molecules, such as integrins and heparin, to aid in placental attachment to the uterine epithelium.


The inhabitants of Nigeria's oil-rich Delta region have engaged the State in long-drawn disputes over the ownership and control of oil resources and revenues. While the country's Constitution vests the absolute ownership and control of oil resources as well as the distribution of oil revenues in the federal government, the Niger Delta communities claim that they are entitled to participate in the industry that exploits resources from their environment. Simply, they claim that the country's extant laws and the actions of the federal government infringe on their rights to self-determination. The conflicting stance is one of the fundamental causes of violent conflicts that have besieged the region; particularly in the last decade. Coming off the backdrop of peaceful struggles of the Ogoni peoples considered to be largely ineffectual in achieving the desired objectives, ethnic groups have embraced militancy as a means to force the government and oil-multinationals reckon with their demand for self-determination. The consequent breakdown of law and order in the region and the impacts of shortages in production prompted the federal government to initiate the amnesty initiative in June 2009. Under the amnesty programme, militants were offered a presidential pardon, training opportunities, promises of infrastructure development in the region and direct payments of oil revenues to host-communities. This paper seeks to examine the recent developments vis-a-vis the government's amnesty initiative to determine if this policy has bridged the gap in the longstanding selfdetermination demands of the Niger Delta communities.


Agricultural activity is largely determined by the local climate. Climate plays a vital role in  planning agricultural production systems because all of  climate elements has a major influence on various physiological processes, the growth and productivity of plants. In determining the suitability of land for food crops, especially rice plant, level slope data and average values of several weather elements such as rainfall, humidity, temperature and dry months that occurred within a year were requires. Having earned an average values of some elements of the weather,the land suitability analysis can be determined by some criteria. Based on the result of land suitability analysis, there is  no area with high land suitability (S1), but more than 50% of the area qualifies as a moderate land suitability (S2). This area lies in the western and southern Merauke


The accuracy of defect assessment methods for cracked structures depends on the accuracy of limit load solutions. The present paper focuses on a new method to construct simple three-dimensional kinematically admissible velocity fields for highly undermatched welded joints with edge cracks and its application to single edge cracked specimens in pure bending. The objective is to take into account specific features of flow pattern in highly undermatched joints to propose three-dimensional kinematically admissible velocity fields whose level of complexity as well as accuracy of limit load predictions are comparable with plane strain fields. The three-dimensional solution found for single edge cracked specimens in pure bending is compared to available semi-analytical plane strain solutions. Several feasible ways to improve the solution found are proposed.


Gypsum in Hellas and Cyprus occurs in three different types: (a) bedded (mainly of Messinian age in Cyprus and Crete), (b) domes (mainly western Hellas and Crete), and (c) as bodies, fragments and cementing material in Triassic conglomerate formations (western Hellas). Ground failure caused by void migration to the surface, resulting from gypsum dissolution, is a common phenomenon in such areas, which are also found in other European countries (e.g., Italy, Spain, Switzerland, U.K., Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia). In this paper three different case studies of ground failure are presented: Cyprus, Crete (Viannos) and Corfu. Engineering geological, stratigraphical, geophysical, hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical studies of these areas, revealed the direct relationship between surface runoff, and ground water circulation with the rate of gypsum dissolution, the subsequent development of karst hollows, and the associated ground failure in urban and suburban environments. Two main models were defined, according to different mechanisms of gypsum dissolution. The first model is associated with the erosion activity of surface runoff, the second with the dissolving capacity of ground water. Risks to the urban and suburban environments were assessed, and guidelines as well as mitigation measures were proposed.


The dot-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dot-ELISA) was standardized using somatic (S) and excretory-secretory (ES) antigens of Toxocara-canis for the detection of specific antibodies in 22 serum samples from children aged 1 to 15 years, with clinical signs of toxocariasis. Fourteen serum samples from apparently normal individuals and 28 sera from patients with other pathologies were used as controls. All samples were used before and after absorption with Ascaris suum extract. When the results were evaluated in comparison with ELISA, the two tests were found to have similar sensitivity, but dot-ELISA was found to be more specific in the presence of two antigens studied. Dot-ELISA proved to be effective for the diagnosis of human toxocariasis, presenting advantages in terms of yield, stability, time and ease of execution and low cost.


Plasma cell tumors are lymphoid neoplastic proliferations of B cells that may be classified as multiple myeloma (MM), solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP) and extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP). The extramedullary plasmacytoma account for 1–2% of the total number of plasma-cell growths of which 80 % are originated on the head and neck and upper airways. Males are more frequently affected at sixth-seventh decade. Herein we are presenting a case of 51 years old male with synchronous multiple extramedullary plasmacytomas involving lung, stomach and spine, Presentation of a case 51 years old black male from St. Lucia with no significant past medical history, presented to the local hospital in St. Lucia with hematemesis. Endoscopy was performed and a growth in the stomach was found. He came to the US for treatment. When seen in our hospital, patient complained of black tarry stool, severe right sided chest pain radiating to the back, generalized body aches, fatigue and 10 Lbs. weight loss within the last 2 months Physical examination: revealed tenderness on the right side of chest and back, and decreased breath sound on the righ upper lobe, otherwise unremarkable Work up including CT scan of the chest/abdomen /pelvis showed an irregular right apical mass posteriorly with destruction of the adjacent second and third ribs posteriorly and in T2 and T3 vertebrae, diffuse lytic lesions involving the spines, sacrum, ribs and sternum. There was also a large irregular soft tissue mass the posterior aspect of the fundus of the stomach. Liver, spleen and lymph nodes were normal. Laboratory studies showed WBCs 9.8, Hg 6.9, Platlets 218, BUN 71, Cr. 5.2, Ca 13.4, albumin 3.4, B2 microglobulin 7.5, TP 11.4, LDH 1063, LFT's all normal, Cea 00 ng/ml, AFP 6.0 ng/ml, Ca19-9 9.4 U/ml, PSA.97 ng/ml, iron study, folate, B12 all within normal range, serum protein electropheresis and immunofixation showed monoclonal spike in the Gamma region 53.8% (IgG Kappa and IgA Kappa), IgG 10917 mg/dl, IgA 85 mg/dl, IgM 16 mg/dl, urine protien elctrophersis showed 88 mg/dl M-spike in beta region, 24 hours urine was 2400 mg/24 h Bone marrow biopsy showed extensive infiltration with poorly differentiated plasma cells, flow cytometry consistent with plasma cell neoplasm, cytogenetics and FISH did not show any evidence of chromosome 13 deletion or trisomy 11. Gastric mass biopsy and lung mass biopsy showed plasma cells similar to the bone marrow infiltrate consistent with plasmacytoma. Diagnosis of multiple myeloma and multiple extramedullary plasmacytomas were made. Plasmaphersis was started because of worsening renal function despite aggressive hydration. Kidney function and calcium level normalized after 5 sessions of Plasmaphersis. Chemotherapy with Doxil, Vincrestine and dexamethasone (DVd) was started. Because of the persistent drop in hemoglobin from gastric mass bleeding, Radiation therapy to the gastric area was given (2300 cGy in 4 weeks) While on treatment he developed severe bilateral lower extremities weakness, MRI showed 8 cm epidural mass at the T8 level, the field of radiation was increased to include the new lesion along with Decadron. He developed severe oral mucositis, esophagitis pancytopenia, continue to bleed from the gastric mass, and finally developed an overwhelming VRE sepsis and shock. He was transferred to MICU and expired despite aggressive supportive care. Conclusion: MM can present as multiple extramedullary plasmacytomas. The response to chemotherapy is very poor The prognosis is very poor,


Clubroot, caused by the obligate parasite Plasmodiophora brassicae, is an important disease of the Brassicaceae and poses a significant threat to the $26.7 billion canola/oilseed rape (Brassica napus) industry in western Canada. While clubroot is managed most effectively by planting resistant host varieties, new pathotypes of P. brassicae have emerged recently that can overcome this resistance. Whole genome analyses provide both a toolbox and a systemic view of molecular mechanisms in host-pathogen interactions, which can be used to design new breeding strategies to increase P. brassicae resistance. We used RNA-seq to evaluate differential gene expression at 7, 14 and 21 days after inoculation (dai) of two B. napus genotypes with differential responses to P. brassicae pathotype 5X. Gall development was evident at 14 dai in the susceptible genotype (the oilseed rape 'Brutor'), while gall development in the resistant genotype (the rutabaga (B. napus) 'Laurentian') was limited and not visible until 21 dai. Immune responses were better sustained through the time-course in 'Laurentian', and numerous genes from immune-related functional categories were associated with salicylic acid (SA)-mediated responses. Jasmonic acid (JA)-mediated responses seemed to be mostly inhibited, especially in the resistant genotype. The upregulation of standard defense-related proteins, like chitinases and thaumatins, was evident in 'Laurentian'. The enrichment, in both host genotypes, of functional categories for syncytium formation and response to nematodes indicated that cell enlargement during P. brassicae infection, and the metabolic processes therein, share similarities with the response to infection by nematodes that produce similar anatomical symptoms. An analysis of shared genes between the two genotypes at different time-points, confirmed that the nematode-like responses occurred earlier for 'Brutor', along with cell metabolism and growth changes. Additionally, the susceptible cultivar turned off defense mechanisms earlier than 'Laurentian'. Collectively, this study showed the importance of SA in triggering immune responses and suggested some key resistance and susceptibility factors that can be used in future studies for resistance breeding through gene-editing approaches.


The evolution of a design pattern typically involves the addition or removal of a group of modeling elements, such as classes, attributes, operations, and relationships. However, the possible evolutions of each design pattern are often not explicitly documented. Missing part of the evolution process may result in inconsistent evolution. In this paper, we define the evolution processes of design patterns in terms of two-level transformations, thus making the possible evolutions of each design pattern explicit. In addition, we automate the evolution processes as XSLT transformations that can transform the UML model of a design pattern application into the evolved UML model of the pattern. Both the original and evolved UML models are represented in the XML metadata interchange (XMI) format to facilitate the transformations. Furthermore, we check the consistency of the evolution results using the Java Theorem Prover


John Fords early Westerns reflect an optimistic view of society and individual capacity; as his thematic vision evolved, he became more resigned to the limitations of humanity. His thematic evolution was evident in other films, but was best shown in his Westerns, with their stark depictions of the human condition. Fords sound Westerns and his major silent films are compared in this work, revealing how his creative genius changed over time. A complete filmography of Fords Westerns is also provided.


This small monograph probably represents the most valuable statement available today of the problems of cardiovascular surgery. Although describing himself in the foreword as "generally unenthusiastic about books with multiple authors," Dr. Kirklin has chosen well and has brought his own editorial expertise in precise, lucid, orderly, and uncluttered presentation to bear on the contributions of 22 other leading contemporary pioneers in cardiovascular surgery. Several chapters describing management of complex congenital heart lesions are written conjointly by authoritative cardiologists and surgeons, and provide perspective and detail that might otherwise have been lacking. This monograph is not an exhaustive review of the literature. Authors present their own approaches and methods with adequate but not belabored supportive, descriptive, and comparative statistical data. Bibliographies accompanying each chapter are useful, for the most part brief, and provide a good balance between classic and current reference sources. Repetition has been avoided by careful editing. Illustrations,


Many atypical forms of sarcoidosis have been described. mediastinum-lung involvement, observed in 90% of the cases, may cause atypical manifestations: hemoptysis, chest pain, predominant pleural or proximal bronchial involvement. Diffuse "unpolished glass" images or air cavities may be observed on the chest x-ray. A rigorous diagnostic work-up is necessary for these atypical forms. Pathological confirmation is mandatory: non-caseous tuberculoid granuloma. A very wide range of extra-thoracic localizations have been described with variable clinical manifestations. In cases with no mediastinum-lung involvement, pathology data must be confronted with the notion of multiple organ dissemination to reach diagnosis.


Background Depression might be an independent risk factor for cognitive decline, a prodromal dementia symptom or a reaction to cognitive/functional impairment. Objective To investigate the association between (1) depressive symptoms and (2) depressive symptom patterns over 13 years with incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) 5 years later. Materials and methods We included 724/823 cognitively unimpaired men/women who participated in the population-based Heinz Nixdorf Recall study (t1: 2005–2008, ø62.9 years; t2: 2010–2015, ø68.1 years). Depressive symptoms were assessed in the study center and during six postal follow-ups using the short form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Relative risks (RR; 95% confidence intervals) for MCI at t2 (men/women: 71/76) were estimated for CES-D at t1 (linear and dichotomized at ≥17, cut-off for clinically relevant depressive symptoms) and CES-D fluctuations over 13 years (stable low, large fluctuations, stable high/stable around cut-off) using log-linear regression models with Poisson working likelihood adjusted for age, sex, education, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Results Fully adjusted risk for MCI at t2 (per CES-D point increase at t1) was elevated for the total cohort (1.053, 1.031–1.076), men (1.046, 1.012–1.081), and women (1.059, 1.029–1.090). Applying the dichotomized CES-D, risk for MCI was substantially increased for the total cohort [2.22 (1.38–3.58)] and in women [2.59 (1.46–4.58)]. Large CES-D fluctuations and stable high/stable around cut-off were associated with increased RR for MCI in the total cohort and in women compared to stable low symptoms. Conclusion Depressive symptoms predicted MCI in cognitively unimpaired participants of our population-based study. Adequate treatment of depression may therefore contribute to the maintenance of normal cognition and delay dementia onset.


Translating of a text needs enough skill and knowledge about the topic that will be translated. The meaning including in various language sources, lexical meaning, grammatical meaning, contextual or situational meaning, textual meaning, sociocultural meaning and idiomatic meaning. If it is connected to advertisement, meaning that will be delivered to listener or reader are messages that will persuade the reader for acting. Advertisement language is simple but it has persuasive function. The various advertisement forms have specific challenge in translating, because audio advertisement is different from visual and audio visual. Key words/ phrases : translating, advertisement, meaning, advertisement types


Virtually all modern independent States have, as their fundamental goals, the pursuit of the welfare and well-being of their citizens. To achieve these goals, the Nigerian State is required to harness its huge human and material resources for the development of the country. The paper examines the nature and politics of oil subsidy in Nigeria with the aim of identifying the forces behind subsidy removal. To scientifically analyze the issues raised, the study utilized political economy and public choice theories, an eclectic approach. The paper argued that the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government in 2012 violates the fiduciary responsibility of the State as exposed in the preamble to the 1999 constitution. It showcases the insensitivity of the government to the social concerns of the citizenry and attempt by the oil cabal to privatize Nigeria. Given the catalogue of challenges facing fuel subsidy, it recommends among others, that institutions and institutional rules should be strengthened, be accountable and made autonomous of cabals and individuals who might want to manipulate them for group or personal interests. It concludes that unless the government predicates its legitimacy on the peoples' support and obedience derived from better socio-economic performance, the country might experience another democratic reversal.


National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics (IBP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China, Laboratory of Structural Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China, College of Life Sciences and Tianjin State Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, People's Republic of China, and School of Physics, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, People's Republic of China


Recent decades researches indicate that traditional didactic instruction is not producing the student learning that we desire. More importantly, the research is helping in the development of new pedagogical strategies and curriculum that are improving student achievement. We describe one effort based on this research. The aims are to help students: develop qualitative representations and imagery so that they can reason effectively about physical processes without using the knowledge of maths; learn to use the symbolic language of physics by linking it to other representations such as words, sketches, diagrams, and graphs; develop the skills needed to solve complex multipart problems; learn to learn; and develop the skills needed to work effectively in groups.


Relaxation phenomena related to domain structure dynamics in amorphous ferromagnetic Fe64Co21B15, and Co77B23 samples were studied by time-resolved three-dimensional neutron depolarization and a conventional magnetic induction technique. Different initial domain structures were induced either by applying external stresses or by stress annealing. A theoretical model was developed to describe the observed time dependence of neutron depolarization upon passage through such samples. It is shown that the domain structure approaches the equilibrium state with stable domain wall positions at a rate that depends essentially both on the sample composition and on the induced magnetic anisotropy.


This is the first comprehensive academic study of 401(k) plan fees and the first study to measure the relative costs of limited investment menus, fund- and plan-level fees, and aggregate misallocation of investments. Expressing these costs in terms of reduced returns allows us to compare the relative magnitude of costs attributable to plan fiduciaries, which we term fiduciary losses and losses attributable to mistakes that investors make in choosing how to allocate among menu offerings, which we term investor losses. Using a sample of plans that offer publicly listed mutual funds as investment options, we show that investor losses exceed fiduciary losses. Taken together, these losses consume about 17.8% of the optimal risk premium. The majority of losses come from fund and plan level expenses. Large plans have lower fiduciary losses than small plans, but there is substantial variation in plan quality independent of plan size. Plan menu design affects investor losses and the fees investors pay, and advisor compensation is related to menu design. We measure plausible proxies for quality of service and find that plan costs are inversely correlated with these proxies, suggesting that higher costs may not buy better services.


In Flanders, the state that comprises the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, the structural attention given to the problem of elder mistreatment has grown slowly throughout the last decade. Equivalent to the evolution in most other western countries, there is nevertheless still a great lack of scientific research, and several governments (federal, regional, supralocal, and local) are still very reluctant to provide sufficient means in order to prevent and combat elder mistreatment. This article aims to present a general overview of the current state of affairs in the regional state of Flanders to address elder mistreatment. More concretely, it will highlight the history of the Flemish Reporting Point for Elder Abuse, what its aims are, and what definition and typology of elder mistreatment it uses in its daily activities. Because of the importance of well-conducted scientific research and excellent academic support in order for policymakers and social services to deal efficiently with elder mistreatment, the lack of scientific research in Flanders also will be briefly highlighted.


Esophageal tuberculosis is a rare clinical picture. It is typically secondary to tuberculous infection of other organs. There are neither diagnostic signs or symptoms nor typical x-ray or laboratory findings. Histology, too, often fails to establish a reliable diagnosis, so that esophageal tuberculosis might be mistaken for esophageal carcinoma. We report the case of a woman with secondary esophageal tuberculosis to illustrate the clinical course and diagnostic problems of this condition.


The Shahbag movement emerged in early February of 2013 as a sit-in protest in the Shahbag square of Dhaka city on the demands of capital punishment of war criminals of the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh. This paper evaluates the movement as case study for the framing tasks theory of social movements and explores how faulty framing of the movement grievances led to counterproductive consequences for the movement constituents. The theoretical analysis is supported by the empirical findings of an original public opinion survey of up to 300 movement participants. Key movement leaders and movement critics were also interviewed through open-ended questions to further inform the survey data. The paper provides a genealogy of the secularist civil society framing tasks and shows how Shahbag, after originating from that frame, eventually shifted away from it under the a politically coopted leadership. As a consequence, the Islamist civil society mobilized a countermovement under the banner of Hefazat-e-Islam, which lead to the re-legitimation of Islamism as a political ideology and reestablished Islamists as an influential interest group.


Tensor algebra is widely used in many applications, such as scientific computing, machine learning, and data analytics. The tensors represented real-world data are usually large and sparse. There are tens of storage formats designed for sparse matrices and/or tensors and the performance of sparse tensor operations depends on a particular architecture and/or selected sparse format, which makes it challenging to implement and optimize every tensor operation of interest and transfer the code from one architecture to another. We propose a tensor algebra domain-specific language (DSL) and compiler infrastructure to automatically generate kernels for mixed sparse-dense tensor algebra operations, named COMET. The proposed DSL provides high-level programming abstractions that resemble the familiar Einstein notation to represent tensor algebra operations. The compiler performs code optimizations and transformations for efficient code generation while covering a wide range of tensor storage formats. COMET compiler also leverages data reordering to improve spatial or temporal locality for better performance. Our results show that the performance of automatically generated kernels outperforms the state-of-the-art sparse tensor algebra compiler, with up to 20.92x, 6.39x, and 13.9x performance improvement, for parallel SpMV, SpMM, and TTM over TACO, respectively.


The Kalman filter is a powerful recursive state estimator and has been widely used in many applications. To guarantee its optimality, the noise covariances should to be exactly known. In reality, however, for most practical applications, it is difficult or unrealistic to obtain the noise covariances. A typical practice is to use some pre-determined alternatives for unknown noise covariances. The main issue concerning this is how the pre-determined alternatives will affect the performance of the Kalman filter. In this study, the authors study recursive performance ranking of Kalman filter with mismatched noise covariances. For this purpose, three types of mean squared errors (MSEs) have been used, i.e., the ideal MSE (IMSE), the filter calculated MSE (FMSE), and the true MSE (TMSE). This study considers the recursive ranking of these three types of MSEs at each time step. It is found that for the case with positive semi-definite deviation from the truth, they have FMSE ≥ TMSE ≥ IMSE at each time step recursively. On the contrary, for the case with negative semi-definite deviation, they have TMSE ≥ IMSE ≥ FMSE at each time step recursively. Target tracking examples further verify these results.


The incidence of gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep of Jammu area of Jammu And Kashmir State was investigated for the year 2007-2008. A total of 257 animals from different study areas were screened for necroscopic examination in which 115 (44.74%) were found positive for various types of helminthic infections. Four types of nematodes viz., Trichuris ovis, Haemonchus contortus, Dictyocaulus filarae and Chabertia ovina were identified. Seasonal prevalence of infections indicated that the nematode infection was highest in spring and summer months followed by winter and autumn. Some other epidemiological parameters like sex wise and age wise were also revealed during the present study.


Wearable plant sensors hold tremendous potential for smart agriculture. We report a lower leaf surface-attached multimodal wearable sensor for continuous monitoring of plant physiology by tracking both biochemical and biophysical signals of the plant and its microenvironment. Sensors for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs), temperature, and humidity are integrated into a single platform. The abaxial leaf attachment position is selected on the basis of the stomata density to improve the sensor signal strength. This versatile platform enables various stress monitoring applications, ranging from tracking plant water loss to early detection of plant pathogens. A machine learning model was also developed to analyze multichannel sensor data for quantitative detection of tomato spotted wilt virus as early as 4 days after inoculation. The model also evaluates different sensor combinations for early disease detection and predicts that minimally three sensors are required including the VOC sensors.


This CD-ROM contains the text of all papers presented during the 12th International Drying Symposium (IDS2000), held from 28-31 August 2000 in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands. IDS2000 also includes the mini-symposium Advances in Paper Dewatering (AIPD2000). This searchable CD-ROM contains the text of all presented papers in PDF format, which can be browsed, viewed and printed with Acrobat Reader 4 software which is available for free. Also background information of the symposium, as published on the website http://www.ids2000.tue.nl, is given. The bi-annual International Drying Symposia (IDS) provide a worldwide platform for the exchange of knowledge and expertise on science and technology concerning all aspects of solids drying. The information on the CD-ROM is organised in such a way that the user-friendly interface allows easy access to the more detailed information without losing the necessary overview.


The current U.S. economic environment for the disposition of radioactive waste, including very-low-activity metals, is currently experiencing relatively low radioactive disposal costs and readily available disposal space. Despite the recent market increase in demand for recycled scrap metal commodities, there is still little change in the behavior of the nuclear industry (including radioactive waste processors and radioactive scrap metal recyclers) to pursue the recycling of potentially contaminated scrap metal. The relatively low cost of traditional radioactive waste disposal combined with the perceived risks associated with recycling of previously contaminated metals means that most U.S. radioactive facility managers and stakeholders will elect not to recycle. Current technology exists and precedence has been set for prescreening (by means of bulk radioactive assay techniques) scrap metal that is not contaminated and diverting it to industrial landfills for disposal. Other processes also allow some radiologically contaminated metals to be melted and recast into products with low, but acceptable, activity levels for restricted use in the nuclear industry. A new concept is being considered that would create a centralized licensed facility for the process and disposition of "very-low-activity" metals for "directed first use." The advantages to this type of approach would include a standardized method for licensing the clearance process.


Meson production at threshold in the hadron-hadron interaction began in the fifties when sufficient energies of accelerated protons were available. A strong interdependence between developments in accelerator physics, detector performance and theoretical understanding led to a unique vivid field of physics. With the advent of the new cooler rings the field entered a new domain of precision. The analysis of these new data permits a more fundamental consideration and a quantitative comparison of the production processes for different mesons in the few-body final states. The interpretation of the data takes advantage of the fact that production reactions close to threshold are characterized by only a few degrees of freedom between a well defined combination of initial and exit channels. Deviations from predictions of one-meson-exchange models are indications of new physics. In future, precision data on differential cross sections, isospin and spin observables will test theoretical models.


OBJECTIVE
To ascertain the correlations between the histology and radiology of microcalcifications revealing subclinical carcinoma.

TYPE OF STUDY
A retrospective series of 127 exereses of microcalcifications of the breast identified on preoperative radiographs.

RESULTS
Histology revealed 43 (33.9%) carcinomas including 72% in situ cancers and 17 borderline lesions (13.3%) for a total of 47.2% cancerous or high risk lesions. 56% of the malignant lesions were diagnosed by mammography during screening. In most cases, conservative treatment was carried out. Axillary node invasion was not found in any of the cases of in situ carcinoma. 16% of the invasive carcinomas were pN+. Re-examination of the radiographs revealed that there was a correlation between the histology and the radiographic findings. 68% (n = 59) of the localizations with less than 30 microcalcifications were benign and 73% (n = 30) were malignant. The triangular appearance of the microcalcification localizations rwas in favour of a carcinoma in 88% (n = 22) cases. The polymorphism microcalcifications within a given localization was suggestive of malignancy in 69% (n = 25%). On the basis of data in the literature, different criteria can be used to provide precise information preoperatively.


Abstract Dr. Catherine Harper reviews Narelle Jubelin's Constance Howard Memorial Lecture at Goldsmiths College, University of London, November 2001. She discusses Jubelin's deliberate and seductive use of the traditions of petit point embroidery in relation to her examination of colonialism, consumption, and identity. Textile means have been used by a range of female visual practitioners to examine, for example, women's historical and contemporary oppression within the domestic or industrial economy; within specific cultures and geographies; within fashion; within medical practices; as well as to make contemporary pictorial and design representations of non-traditional subject matter. Narelle Jubelin requires in her practice that we consider the construction of exclusive national identities, contemporary manifestations of historical colonialism, the politics of geographical exploration, systems of commerce, imperialism and global trade, and the relational exchanges of art and culture. And she makes these huge abstract issues unavoidable for us by rendering them small, intimate, engaging, and via the apparently innocuous craft of petit point embroidery. She makes us take heed of that which we may not wish to encounter, that which might make us uncomfortable, that which might implicate us in systems of desire and economy less savory than we might hope.


Several aspects of the secondary xylem anatomy of oak (Quercus robur L.) branches, trunks and roots are investigated. These are. growth ring width and definition, vessel size (diameter), shape (eccentricity) and distribution, fihre type (ge1atinous or normal), and fibre, axial parenchyma and ray distribution. These observations are put in perspective by comparison with beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), and discussed in relation to their implications in wood identification, archaeology, dendrochronology and water relations of the tree.


Neurodegenerative diseases are a leading cause of disability worldwide, and despite significant resources put toward the discovery of potential therapeutic targets, there are currently no effective treatments. The rise of methods to derive and propagate stem cells in vitro offered great promise toward the development of cell replacement therapies. Unfortunately, these attempted therapies were stymied by extremely low cell survival and a lack of integration into the pre-existing circuitry due, in part, to an unfavorable environment. A recent report in Science from the laboratories of Heinrich Jasper and Deepak Lamba at the Buck Institute by Neves et al . (1) provides evidence that components of the immune system may underlie the favorability of a tissue microenvironment to cell survival and regeneration. Furthermore, they identify mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) as a potential mediator of regenerative favorability.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of popliteal cyst (Baker's cyst) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), through the use of a very sensitive and non-invasive method, high resolution ultrasonography. The present is the first such report in the literature.

METHODS
Ninety-nine unselected consecutive patients with RA, after undergoing routine clinical and laboratory evaluation, had knee radiographs and ultrasound examinations of both knees, the popliteal fossae and calves, using an Ultramark 9ATL apparatus with a 3 MHz curved array and 10 MHz linear array heads and color doppler ability.

RESULTS
A Baker's cyst was detected in 47 patients (47.5%) and in a total of 67 out of the 198 knees (33.8%). Four of the 67 cysts were ruptured. Only 29 of the 67 cysts (43.3%) had been diagnosed clinically. A statistically significant correlation was found between the presence of a Baker's cyst and clinical and radiologic involvement of the knee by rheumatoid arthritis (p < 0.025, and p < 0.05 respectively). There was a highly significant correlation between the presence of a cyst and ultrasonographically demonstrated joint effusion (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
Baker's cyst is very common in RA but it may escape clinical detection. High resolution ultrasound scanning of the area is a simple, highly sensitive and non-invasive technique able to overcome this problem. Therefore, it should be more widely employed by clinicians in the diagnosis of popliteal cysts, which may sometimes be accompanied by significant morbidity.


Most areas related to language and speech technology, directly or indirectly, require handling of unrestricted text, and Text-to-speech systems directly need to work on real text. To build a natural sounding speech synthesis system, it is essential that the text processing component produce an appropriate sequence of phonemic units corresponding to an arbitrary input text. A novel approach is used, where the input text is tokenized, and classification is done based on token type. The token sense disambiguation is achieved by the semantic nature of the language and then the expansion rules are applied to get the normalized text. However, for Telugu language not much work is done on text normalization. In this paper we discuss our efforts for designing a rule based system to achieve text normalization in the context of building Telugu text-to-speech system.


The purpose of the research. The main purpose of the study is to find out the experience of researching and solving the problem of professional burnout for physicians including family ones in the United States, by analyzing recent surveys and scientific papers of American and European scientists. Methodology. While working on the article, general scientific theoretical methods were used to accomplish the tasks and achieve the purpose of the research. The methodological basis of the research was the structural-functional method, which allowed considering the phenomenon of professional burnout as a whole with separate elements and their dependencies. Using a historical method, a brief overview of the research development by US scientists on the problem of professional burnout of physicians with a focus on key events that occurred at each of the stages highlighted in the scientific papers. A comparative method was used to compare the results of surveys of different years and topics, data presented in the proceedings of the scientists, and research approaches. Methods of systematization and generalization were used to formulate the paper's conclusions, in particular, to highlight the essential features of the American research experience and practical problem solution of professional burnout of physicians. Results. It has been found that the professional burnout of physicians has been a matter of concern for the government, professional medical associations, and the general public for physicians of various US specialties for a long time. Although burnout affects physicians of all disciplines, it has been discovered that, among family physicians, this phenomenon exceeds the average level, especially compared to the general economically active population of the United States. Two approaches to identifying and reducing the risk of occupational burnout in the United States have been identified and characterized: the first approach covers measures aimed directly at a physician, that is, a specific individual, and the second, involves measures aimed at an organization, that is, a medical institution. It has been found that American scientists have concluded that organizational measures are more effective, but the first approach should be applied as a first step in overcoming professional burnout. Practical meaning. The results of the research are applicable for further scientific exploration and practical problem solution of professional burnout of physicians, including family ones, in Ukraine. Prospects for further research. Methodology of surveys of physicians of various specialties on burnout, depression and professional satisfaction. Factors of professional burnout for family physicians in Ukraine.


8 CHILEAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 77(2) APRIL-JUNE 2017 Soda saline-alkali soil has double adverse effects on growth, morphogenesis and yield of the crops by creating a salinity stress and a high pH value in the rhizosphere surroundings of the plant. Seed priming can be an effective approach to enhance stress adaptation in seedlings growing in salinity stressed conditions. The present study examined the role of hydropriming and comprehensive seed priming with ZnSO4, CaCl2, betaine hydrochloride and GA3 to enhance the soda saline-alkali tolerance in soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) seedlings. An unprimed control treatment was also maintained for comparison. The results show that two seed priming treatments can effectively mitigate the negative effects of soda salinealkali stress. Nevertheless, compared with hydropriming, soybean seedlings from the comprehensive seed priming treatment had better growth performance through accumulation of soluble sugar and free proline contents, enhancing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), decreasing the malondialdehyde (MDA) content formed from lipid peroxidation, increasing the photosynthetic pigment contents, maintaining a better membrane integrity of the chloroplasts and mitochondria, and generating more starch grains in the chloroplasts of spongy mesophyll cells under soda saline-alkali stress. In conclusion, our results suggest that soybean seedlings from comprehensive seed priming exhibited a higher tolerance to soda saline-alkali stress than the unprimed control treatment.


A simple model is presented for the estimation of image blurring in X-ray microscopy of biological specimens in a hydrated environment. The model is essentially based on thermal diffusion of an object to be imaged. The degree of image blurring by diffusion depends on the following situations of the object. The object is free from, is tightly fixed to, or is partially connected to the surrounding structures. The proper imaging time required to achieve a given resolution in X-ray microscopy of biological structures was estimated with the present method. The results suggest that imaging time shorter than 3 msec (free) to 1.4 sec (tightly fixed) is required for the observation of a cell (30 microns in diameter) at the resolution of 100 nm. The model is also applicable to a fragmented object caused by imaging X-rays.


Background: Several works pointed immigration as a risk factor for drug resistance in Western countries. In Portugal immigration is responsible for 13,6% of tuberculosis cases, 75% of those cases being originated from Sub-Saharan African countries.

Aim: To evaluate the role of immigration from African countries in drug resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt) in Portugal.

Methods: Comparative retrospective study between African immigrants (I) and native (N) patients with positive-culture to Mt and who realized susceptibility tests, admitted in a Pneumology unit from 2000 to 2010. Clinical-demographic characteristics, aetiopathogenic factors, drug resistance profiles and inhospital outcomes were evaluated.

Results: 1328 patients were enrolled, 240 (18,1%) being immigrants, most of them from Portuguese spoken countries. Statistically significant differences were found on the following variables: drug addition (I:6,7% vs N:28,8%); WHO classification; number of previous treatments (I:0,21 vs N:0,37); duration of previous treatments (I:0,88 vs N:1,83); inhospital mortality (I:4,2% vs N:8,5%).The variables with predictive value for resistance in this population were HIV co-infection, number of previous treatments and chronic TB infection.The total incidence of drug resistance was similar in both groups (I:20,8% vs N:21,0%), but secondary resistances were less frequent in immigrants (I:5,4% vs N:9,7%).

Conclusion: African immigration was not associated with increased prevalence of drug resistance to Mt. These findings can be explained by the reduced access to antituberculosis drugs in Sub-Saharan countries.


Despite many water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and other environmental health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about interactions involving scientists, journalists and the public to aid public understanding of the relationship between WASH and health. Using purposive sampling, we conducted key informant interviews and focus group discussions with scientists, journalists and members of the public in Ghana and Uganda to identify issues associated with the promotion of public engagement with WASH and other environmental health issues. An inductive thematic analysis was used to explore the evidence, challenges and opportunities of public engagement. The effectiveness of public engagement was constrained by poor interactions between scientists and journalists and limited understanding among the public on WASH and other environmental health issues. Challenges identified included inadequate scientists–journalists collaborations, scientists' lack of time, pressure from media organizations and concerns about journalists' inadequate capacity to communicate environmental issues due to lack of training. Possible solutions included increased interactions, science communication training and using public information officers as knowledge brokers between scientists and journalists to boost public engagement with WASH and other environmental health issues. Our study contributes to the literature on the need to actively engage the public with WASH and other environmental health concerns.


Genetic research may be a useful approach for understanding factors that could impact productivity and restoration of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) herds.  For example, genetic consequences of inbreeding in small populations can impact recruitment and local adaptations can influence translocation success.  This modest pilot study quantified genetic attributes of bighorn sheep populations with a range of different herd histories in Montana and Wyoming to investigate genetic similarity and differences, genetic heterogeneity and genetic distance.  Employing an Ovine array containing about 700,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with approximately 24,000 markers that are informative for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, we used whole genome genotyping to analyze genetic material.  This technique represents a significant advancement in genetic analysis of bighorn sheep, as most previous studies have used microsatellites and less than 200 genetic markers.  We analyzed approximately fifteen individuals from each of four different populations that we predicted would differ in genetic characteristics, due to population dissimilarities that potentially impacted their genetics, including origin (native/reintroduced), population size, bottleneck history, degree of connectivity, and augmentation history.  We selected four populations that provided a spectrum of these herd attributes, including the Tendoys, Stillwater and Glacier National Park in Montana and the northeastern Greater Yellowstone Area in Wyoming.  We present the results of this effort and examine expected and observed heterogeneity and genetic distance estimates to evaluate the potential for links between genetics and herd demography.  We discuss the utility of genetic analyses in improving knowledge of bighorn sheep populations and potential implications for bighorn sheep management.


This paper discusses the issues which must be addressed when integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and, in particular, expert system applications in an energy management system (EMS) environment. It is argued that these issues can be resolved by creating an environment which supports all the interfaces between the AI applications and the EMS. This environment should also be responsible for maintaining a model of the power system common to all the AI applications. Once this environment has been created, AI applications can be easily "plugged" into the EMS. The design of such an environment is described and case studies are provided to illustrate.


Background: Treatment failure in clinical trial, may be caused by P. falciparum resistant to antimalarialdrug. This study aimed to confirm the treatment failure cases of P. falciparum whcther caused byrecrudescence / resistant or new infection of different strain parasite.Methods: This study was a part of the activity in antimalarial drug efficacy trials (artemisinin-naphthoquine/AN versus dihydroartemisinin – piperaquine/DHP). P. falciparum infections on failure cases weregenotyped for allelic variation in those 3 markers by comparing before (D0) and after treatment (DF) ifparasites recurrent with nested polymerase change reaction (PCR).Results: Thirteen of 19 P. falciparum failure cases showed PCR genotyping completely successful 100%for MSP1 (D0 a DF), MSP2 (DF) and GLURP (D0) and the lowest (76,9% ) for GLURP (DF). Whenall 3 genes were combined, the amplification result showed 69.2%. Identification allele for each locusgenes shown that MSP1 had just one (D0 or DF). Conversely, for MSP2 and GLURP, there were someadditional alleles either at D0 and DF. By comparing the pattern of genotype (alleles) P. falciparum atD0 and DF each locus genes, the confirmation of P. falciparum resistant from new infection could bedetermined The proportion of recrudescence and new infection almost the same, 8 of 13 failed cases werefrom artemisinin-naphthoquine (AN) group.Conclusion: The confirmation of P. falciparum by comparing genotype at D0 and DF could determine parasiteresistant and new infection from treatment failure cases. Recrudescence occurred within 17 days after treatmentand new infection occurred g28 days after treatment. (Health Journal of Indonesia. 2015;6:29-37)


An open-label study was conducted of nelfinavir mesylate, given with reverse transcriptase inhibitors to human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1)-infected infants and children 3 months to 13 years of age. Doses of nelfinavir mesylate of 20-30 mg/kg yielded drug exposures comparable to those seen in adults. The drug was well tolerated; mild diarrhea was the primary toxic effect observed. Seventy-one percent (39) of the 55 evaluable subjects had an initial decrease in plasma HIV-1 RNA, of at least 0.7 log10 copies/mL; suppression of plasma HIV-1 RNA levels to < 400 copies/mL was observed in 15. Children who began taking at least one new reverse transcriptase inhibitor near the time when nelfinavir mesylate was started, and those with a > or = 24% proportion of CD4 lymphocytes, had a greater chance of achieving and maintaining a decline in plasma HIV-1 RNA to < 400 copies/mL. Suppression of viremia was achieved in children as young as 3 months of age.


Principles of an intertissue distribution of D-alpha(5 methyl-3H)tocopherol were studied depending on ontogenesis of animals. The tissues were divided into three groups via kinetics of the label distribution: tissues responsible for transport and recirculation of the vitamin, tissues-consumers from which the third group was derived--endocrine glands with the maximal rate of the label incorporation within a week. In preadolescent rats the rate of the vitamin consumption was high due to increase in hepato-intestinal recirculation and to optimal conditions of tocopherol intestinal absorption. In ageing rats the rate of the vitamin utilization was decreased as a result of lowering of its absorption in intestine but the vitamin E metabolism was increased in the tissue-consumers considering that the label content was decreased in tissues, the intestinal phase was prolonged two-fold and more as compared with young animals and that excretion of the vitamin metabolites with urine was increased. High level of radioactivity in feces appears to occur because of presence of tocopherol nonabsorbed in intestine.


The historical emission of mercury from a municipal sewage treatment works, which discharges to a lowland river, has resulted in a 17 km contamination plume, the nature of which is strongly dependent upon river bed morphology. Significant variations occur in the spatial distribution of mercury concentrations over very short distances as dictated by sediment type, channel morphology, hydrology and sedimentation rates. The major sedimentalogical process is one of net deposition of paniculate matter rather than downstream transportation, which has buried contaminated sediment beneath a cleaner overlay. The behaviour of methylmercury within the sediment system is not dependent solely upon total mercury concentrations but instead is governed by a complex interplay between sediment redox potential, temperature, sulphur chemistry and the nature of bacterial communities. Detectable levels of methylmercury were confined to the uppermost 40 cm of sediment with peak loadings occurring 4-8 cm from the sediment/water interface. Methylmercury concentrations vary seasonally with minimum loadings in the autumn and highest concentrations in the summer. The distribution of methylmercury within the sediment compartment closely mirrors that of the mercury tolerant bacteria but in-situ and laboratory based experiments have also linked seasonal variations in methylmercury levels to changes in temperature.


Mapping with Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs whose weight does not exceed 5 kg) is gaining importance in applications such as corridor mapping, road and pipeline inspections, or mapping of large areas with homogeneous surface structure, e.g. forest or agricultural fields. In these challenging scenarios, integrated sensor orientation (ISO) improves effectiveness and accuracy. Furthermore, in block geometry configurations, this mode of operation allows mapping without ground control points (GCPs). Accurate camera positions are traditionally determined by carrier-phase GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) positioning. However, such mode of positioning has strong requirements on receiver's and antenna's performance. In this article, we present a mapping project in which we employ a single-frequency, low-cost (< $100) GNSS receiver on a MAV. The performance of the low-cost receiver is assessed by comparing its trajectory with a reference trajectory obtained by a survey-grade, multi-frequency GNSS receiver. In addition, the camera positions derived from these two trajectories are used as observations in bundle adjustment (BA) projects and mapping accuracy is evaluated at check points (ChP). Several BA scenarios are considered with absolute and relative aerial position control. Additionally, the presented experiments show the possibility of BA to determine a camera-antenna spatial offset, so-called lever-arm.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with a range of cognitive deficits. Few studies have carefully examined the subtle impacts of PD on cognition among patients who do not meet formal criteria for MCI or dementia. The aim of the current study was thus to describe the impact of PD on cognition in those without cognitive impairment in a well-characterized cohort. Methods: Non-cognitively impaired participants (122 with PD, 122 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers) underwent extensive cognitive testing. Linear regression analyses compared diagnostic group performance across cognitive measures. For cognitive tasks that were significantly different between groups, additional analyses examined group differences restricting the group inclusion to PD participants with mild motor symptoms or disease duration less than 10 years. Results: Processing speed and semantic verbal fluency were significantly lower in the PD group (B = −3.77, 95% CIs [−5.76 to −1.77], p < .001, and B = −2.02, 95% CIs [−3.12, −0.92], p < .001, respectively), even after excluding those with moderate to severe motor symptoms (B = −2.73, 95% CIs [−4.94 to −0.53], p = .015 and B = −2.11, 95% CIs [−3.32 to −0.91], p < .001, respectively) or longer disease duration (B = −3.89, 95% CIs [−6.14 to −1.63], p < .001 and B = −1.58, 95% CIs [−2.78 to −0.37], p = .010, respectively). Semantic verbal fluency remained significantly negatively associated with PD diagnosis after controlling for processing speed (B = −1.66, 95% CIs [−2.79 to −0.53], p = .004). Conclusions: Subtle decline in specific cognitive domains may be present among people diagnosed with PD but without evidence to support a formal cognitive diagnosis. These results suggest the importance of early awareness of the potential for diminishing aspects of cognition in PD even among those without mild cognitive impairment or dementia.


In the late 19 and early 20 century various tools and techniques existed for vowel characteristic tone measurements, including the use of such instruments as tuning forks and resonators. This subtle method demanding from the researcher a sensitive ear and a good training nevertheless remained subjective and depended to a great extent on the explorer's will. Contrary to modern data descriptions, most of vowel measurements were given as precise single values and not as value areas. Thus several questions arise: what are the possible reasons underlying the choice of a concrete value by a researcher? Could this choice be deliberate? Was it due to the measuring technique imperfection? What role could tradition and psychological aspect play? In order to answer these questions, values suggested by Helmholtz, Koenig and Rousselot are analyzed in the present study in correlation with the descriptions of measurement methods existing at that time.


The analysis of the numerical study of underwater high-speed gas jets is presented in this study. This work aims to understand the development of the flow structure of the gas jets submerged in water and assess the performance of the jet in terms of the thrust under varying operating conditions. The behavior of the submerged gas jet is studied under two operating parameters, namely the pressure ratio (ratio of the pressure of the gas jet at the nozzle exit to ambient pressure) and the depth of water at which the propulsion takes place. The effort utilizes Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using the finite volume method to solve the Unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations in a two-dimensional axisymmetric domain combined with the mixture model for the multiphase flow. The unsteady behavior of different flow variables under varying operating parameters is discussed in detail. Further, the flow physics of a submerged supersonic gas jet is compared with a supersonic gas jet expanded in the air under a similar set of operating parameters. The effects of density difference between the gas and water have been studied from the comparative analysis.


A methodology is proposed and developed for the simulation of post-surge condition in a multi-stage compressor that is part of a gas generator system that also includes the combustor and turbine and ducts. Given the essentially one-dimensional nature of surge, the approach basically consists of coupling single blade passage multi-stage RANS CFD simulations of the compressor for with 1D equations modelling the behaviour of the other components applied as dynamic boundary conditions. This method allows for the simulation of the flow behaviour inside a multi-stage compressor during surge and, by extension, for the prediction at the design phase of the time variation of aerodynamic forces on the blades and of the pressure and temperature at bleed locations inside the compressor used for turbine cooling. The main advantages of this method over existing methods are its relatively modest computational time and resource requirements and the fact that it does not require any empirical data input beyond what is used in standard CFD simulations.The method is implemented in a commercial CFD code (ANSYS CFX) and applied to three compressor geometries with distinct features. Simulations on a low-speed (incompressible) three stage axial compressor allows for a validation with experimental data, which shows that the proposed methodology captures the surge behaviour of the system very well both qualitatively and quantitatively. This comparison also highlights the strong dependence of the surge cycle frequency on the volume of the downstream plenum (combustion chamber). Subsequently, the addition of a low-speed centrifugal compressor to the previous compressor is used to demonstrate the adaptability of the approach to a multi-stage axial-centrifugal configuration, yielding qualitatively realistic surge results. Finally, application of the method to an industrial transonic compressor geometry demonstrates the tool on a mixed flow-centrifugal compressor configuration operating in a highly compressible flow regime. A comparison of predicted versus measured shaft loading amplitude during surge is highly promising.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Making use of real-life cases that have come before an ethics board, we study the differences between an ethics of trust and an ethics of fear. We argue that an ethics of trust is worth implementing, and we give examples of what a trusting ethics means in practice. Such an ethics of trust starts from the premise that no practitioner willingly does wrong, that is, our intentions as helpers tend to be very well-meaning and ethical. However, coaching psychology tells us that our intention does not always match how we come across, for example, retrospectively, when ethical committees scrutinise our work. Despite being fearful of not practicing ethically, we may still fall short of doing so. One reason is that fear is not always a good guide and can make us cautious, protective, withholding: not necessarily a better coach. Another reason is that with practice we grow our self-confidence and seniority, and they may delude us into thinking that we are more ethical than how others experience us. We believe that it is helpful to be warned that coaches are much more vulnerable to unethical behaviour than we believe we are. We argue how an ethics of trust can nevertheless be built on our humility, coaching qualifications, and ongoing supervision.


The liver X receptors LXRalpha and LXRbeta regulate the expression of genes promoting cellular cholesterol efflux and the formation of HDL particles, and are atheroprotective. However, LXRalpha and LXRbeta also regulate the expression of genes involved in lipogenesis and hypertriglyceridemia. The identification of efficacious LXR modulators that are devoid of undesirable side effects remains a significant challenge for drug development. The X-ray structures of many LXR protein/small-molecule complexes have revealed that the ligand-binding pockets of LXRalpha and LXRbeta, despite being highly conserved, are large and flexible; these properties have allowed the design of a wide range of ligands with varied selectivity profiles. This review discusses the latest medicinal chemistry strategies used to derive novel LXR modulators with the potential for enhanced therapeutic utility and safety, and summarizes the current status of compounds that have progressed into clinical development.


The effects of heart rate on left-ventricular performance were studied in an areflexic dog right-heart bypass preparation which allowed independent control of aortic pressure, cardiac output, and heart rate. When the heart rate was increased while stroke volume and mean aortic pressure were maintained constant the left-ventricular mean rate of pressure rise during isovolumic systole, the maximal rate of pressure rise during isovolumic systole, and the mean rate of ejection were all increased without any change in left-ventricular end-diastolic pressure. Further, it was shown that the left ventricle performed the same amount of stroke work over a wide range of heart rates without an increase in end-diastolic pressure in spite of the markedly shortened time available for performing this work. This was accomplished because of the increase in stroke power. These observations demonstrate that the performance of the left ventricle becomes intrinsically "faster" as the heart rate is increased. When the transient phenomena that occur when the heart rate is increased are considered, the fact that the same stroke work is produced over a wide range of heart rates without an increase in end-diastolic pressure indicates that the left ventricle has also become "stronger" than it would have been if the adaptive change had not occurred.


The objective of this study was to investigate microbiological, serological and parasitological quality in cig kofte (raw meatball) and their lettuce consumed in Istanbul. Consequently, a total of 102 cig kofte and 60 lettuce samples were analyzed for total mesophylic aerobic bacteria (TMAB), sulphite-reducing bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus-Micrococcus, and Salmonella spp. levels. Sulphite-reducing bacteria were not isolated from any of the samples. Salmonella were found positive in 9 of cig kofte and in 5 of lettuce samples. None of the analyzed samples was found to contain pork. Ten of them contained equine, 5 contained beef+mutton, 12 contained beef+poultry and 7 contained equine+poultry, while 68 of the 102 samples were only beef meat. Parasites and their fragments were also observed in some of the cig kofte and lettuce samples (6 insect fragments in cig kofte samples and 2 insect fragments, 5 acarus and mites and 2 Entamoeba coli + acarus in lettuce samples). It was concluded that cig kofte and lettuce offered to consumers in Istanbul have low microbiological and parasitological quality. Due to imitation of the products, unfair competition and profit is provided and consequently the safety of the consumer is at risk.


Retraining and upskilling of human resources in organizations are deemed vital whenever a reform takes place, or whenever a huge policy is being implemented on a comprehensive scale. In an education system, officers, principals, and teachers need to be retrained so as to enable them implement and manage new changes, which are manifested in the form of new policies and strategic development plan mooted by the government. This article presents a study on the core professional development needs of school principals in the context of educational reform in Oman since 1998. The study used the survey method in which the respondents comprised 80 principals in Muscat, Oman. The study found fifteen prominent needs factors or domains which were necessary for professional development of school principals in Muscat specifically. The factors apparently could be group into two kinds of leadership needs, namely instructional leadership and transformational leadership. Also, principals contended that a systematic model relevant for professional development programs of principals ought to be designed and used by the Ministry of Education of Oman. New leadership competencies were needed to implement new policies and changes.

 Key words: Reformative policy, policy implementation, school management, leadership, professional development.


We describe a representation of the local Hecke algebra for GLn in which the Hecke operators act on the vertices of the Bruhat-Tits building for SLn(Qp). We also give a geometric interpretation of this representation, characterizing the action of our operators on a vertex in terms of the endpoints of minimal walks in the building. This generalizes work of Serre who dened Hecke operators acting on the vertices of a tree (the building for SL2(Qp)).


Martensite and bainite are the most complex structures being formed in steel in heat treatment including the quantitative interpretation. On frequent occasions, the application field of these steels includes the operation at high static and dynamic compression stresses. The thorough and comprehensive analysis of the materials' structure after different types of treatment enables to use them competently for the manufacturing of the parts and structures providing them with the necessary complex of physical and mechanical properties. The factor determining the mechanical properties of the materials are the structure of solid solution, presence of nano-dimentional particles of the second phases, dislocation substructure, types and location of various boundaries and internal stress fields. For successful control of the formation of structural phase states and mechanical properties of the material it is necessary to know the quantitative laws and the cold hardening mechanisms of steels of different structural classes at active plastic deformation. By methods of transmission electron diffraction microscopy the analysis of cold hardening of 38CrNi3MoV steel with martensite and 30Cr2Ni-2MoV steel with bainite structures at active plastic compression deformation to 26 % and 36 %, respectively, was done in the research. The contributions caused by intraphase boundaries, dislocation substructure, carbide phases, atoms of alloying elements and long-range stress fields are considered. It is established that the substructural hardening (caused by the internal long-range stress fields) and solid solution strengthening (caused by carbon atoms) give largest contribution to cold hardening of 38CrNi3MoV hardened steel. For normalization of 30Cr2Ni2MoV steel hardening also takes place at the expense of the internal stress field's action, at the penetration of carbon atoms to the ferrite crystal lattice as well as at the structural fragmentation with the deformation degree higher than 26 %. The dislocation substructure and the particles of carbide phase make comparatively small contribution to the hardening of these steels. It is shown that the cause of bainite steel softening at large (more than 15 %) degrees of deformation is connected with the activation of deformation microtwinning process.


Abstract. Agrometeorological services are a subset of climate services targeted to support farmers' tactical and strategic decisions, with the potential to support farmers' capacity to cope with climate variability and change, as well as strengthen their resilience toward climatic risks. However, the effectiveness of such services is often limited by inadequate and unsuitable means of communication with farmers. Therefore, in recent years, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and partners have focussed their efforts on improving communication through these services. At the European Meteorological Society (EMS) Annual Meeting in September 2022,
a workshop on effective communication of agrometeorological services was
held as a hybrid side event, with the aim of answering the question: "How
can we deliver efficient and effective agrometeorological services"? The
workshop was a joint endeavour of Met Éireann, the International Society
of Biometeorology, the EMS Media and Communication Committee, the Slovenian
Environment Agency, the Slovenian Meteorological Society, and the S. W. Tromp Foundation. The aim of this workshop was to advance better
communication of services to the agriculture sector as a basis for promoting
adaptive strategies for weather and climate change, which would enable
sufficient food production at present and in the future. The workshop also
provided an opportunity for transdisciplinary discussions between national
meteorological and hydrological services, universities, research institutes,
private companies, and the WMO. The topics discussed at the workshop
included learning about exemplar agrometeorological services at various
national hydrometeorological services, strengthening communication of
agrometeorological services to end-users, improving data and information
sharing, and educating end-users. The workshop resulted in a list of
recommendations for the future.


With the introduction of intelligent textile systems, the functionality of personal protective clothing is further enhanced. High tech fabrics protect the wearer from harsh environmental conditions, while monitoring systems provide information about his physical state during operation. Thus, a wireless communication device between the wearable system and an external base station is required. In order to allow maximum integration of this antenna into a garment, flexible textile antennas have been introduced. In this work, a protective foam-based antenna for integration into a firefighter jacket is developed . Keywords—Wearable antennas, off-body communication, protective clothing, firefighters.