The balanced iterative reducing and clustering using hierarchies (BIRCH) method was adopted to optimize the results of the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) to analyze the changes in the brain function of patients with chronic pain accompanied by poor emotion or abnormal sleep quality in this study, so as to provide data support for the prevention and treatment of clinical chronic pain with poor emotion or sleep quality. 159 patients with chronic pain who visited the hospital were selected as the research objects, and they were grouped according to the presence or absence of abnormalities in emotion and sleep. The patients without poor emotion and sleep quality were set as the control group (60 cases), and the patients with the above symptoms were defined in the observation group (90 cases). The brain function was detected by RS-fMRI technology based on the BIRCH algorithm. The results showed that the rand index (RI), adjustment of RI (ARI), and Fowlkes–Mallows index (FMI) results in the k-means, flow cytometry (FCM), and BIRCH algorithms were 0.82, 0.71, and 0.88, respectively. The scores of Hamilton Depression Scale (HAHD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were 7.26 ± 3.95, 7.94 ± 3.15, and 8.03 ± 4.67 in the observation group and 4.03 ± 1.95, 5.13 ± 2.35, and 4.43 ± 2.07 in the control group; the higher proportion of RS-fMRI was with abnormal brain signal connections. A score of 7 or more meant that the number of brain abnormalities was more than 90% and that of less than 7 was less than 40%, showing a statistically obvious difference in contrast (P < 0.05). Therefore, the BIRCH clustering algorithm showed reliable value in the optimization of RS-fMRI images, and RS-fMRI showed high application value in evaluating the emotion and sleep quality of patients with chronic pain.


ABSTRACT Antibodies that block PD-L1/PD-1 immune checkpoints restore the activity of functionally-impaired antitumor T cells. These antibodies show unprecedented clinical benefit in various advanced cancers, particularly in melanoma. However, only a subset of cancer patients responds to current PD-L1/PD-1-blocking strategies, highlighting the need for further advancements in PD-L1/PD-1-based immunotherapy. Here, we report on a novel approach designed to combine PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition with the tumor-selective induction of apoptosis by TNF-related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL). In brief, a new bi-functional fusion protein, designated anti-PD-L1:TRAIL, was constructed comprising a PD-L1-blocking antibody fragment genetically fused to the extracellular domain of the pro-apoptotic tumoricidal protein TRAIL. Treatment of PD-L1-expressing cancer cells with anti-PD-L1:TRAIL induced PD-L1-directed TRAIL-mediated cancer cell death. Treatment of T cells with anti-PD-L1:TRAIL augmented T cell activation, as evidenced by increased proliferation, secretion of IFNγ and enhanced killing of cancer cell lines and primary patient-derived cancer cells in mixed T cell/cancer cell culture experiments. Of note, elevated levels of IFNγ further upregulated PD-L1 on cancer cells and simultaneously sensitized cancer cells to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis by anti-PD-L1:TRAIL. Additionally, anti-PD-L1:TRAIL converted immunosuppressive PD-L1-expressing myeloid cells into pro-apoptotic effector cells that triggered TRAIL-mediated cancer cell death. In conclusion, combining PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition with TRAIL-mediated induction of apoptosis using anti-PD-L1:TRAIL yields promising multi-fold and mutually reinforcing anticancer activity that may be exploited to enhance the efficacy of therapeutic PD-L1/PD-1 checkpoint inhibition.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether a customized solution could attenuate the effects of low-flow ischemia and reperfusion injury of the equine jejunum.

SAMPLE POPULATION
A segment of jejunum obtained from 21 healthy adult horses.

PROCEDURE
A segment of jejunum was maintained in an isolated extracorporeal circuit, and arterial flow was reduced to 20% of baseline for 40 minutes (ischemia) followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion. In 1 group, a customized solution was infused at a rate of 1 ml/min during low-flow ischemia and 3 ml/min during reperfusion. In a second group, the solution was infused at the same rate during low-flow ischemia, but it was infused at a rate of 7 ml/min during reperfusion. Control groups received lactated Ringer's solution administered at the same rates as for the customized solution. Various metabolic, hemodynamic, histologic, and permeability variables were recorded.

RESULTS
A lower flow rate during reperfusion (3 ml/min) had a beneficial effect, compared with lactated Ringer's solution or the higher flow rate (7 ml/min). Use of the solution at this rate resulted in less histomorphologic injury and reduced mucosal permeability to albumin.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Use of a customized solution at a lower flow rate during repurfusion appeared to have a protective effect on equine jejunum when administered IV during low-flow ischemia and reperfusion.


Black garlic is currently attracting interest as a health food and constituent of commercial supplements; however, no data regarding the d-amino acids within black garlic have been reported. Therefore, the amino acid compositions of methanol extracts from fresh and black garlic were compared herein. We investigated the contents of the d- and l-forms of amino acids in commercial fresh, black, and freeze-dried garlic foodstuffs by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) using a pre-column chiral derivatization reagent, succinimidyl 2-(3-((benzyloxy)carbonyl)-1-methyl-5-oxoimidazolidin-4-yl) acetate. Several d-amino acids, namely, the d-forms of Asn, Ala, Ser, Thr, Glu, Asp, Pro, Arg, Phe, Orn, Lys, and Tyr, were observed in the methanol extract of black garlic, whereas only d-Ala was detected in that of fresh garlic foodstuffs. These data suggest that several d-amino acids can be produced during fermentation for preparing black garlic.


[eng] Facing the challenges to address complex issues associated with global environmental change and population ageing in the 21th century, architecture design in the developed or developing regions and countries all needs to play a role as a cost-effective tool for sustainable development of our human society rather than a creation only for the sake of art or consumption. This means a substantive ideological change to assess the essential value of architecture according to its long-term impact on people's health and well-being instead of its metaphysical beauty, and more urgently, calls for some effective and efficient approach for architectural research and practice to integrate all the ethical, aesthetic, environmental, technological and economic considerations into an appropriate architectural model. Beyond an intuitive assumption that the design of built environment affects people's Health and well-being, and can have long-term implications for the quality of life, this research tends to provide an evidence-based theoretical and methodological orientation to entail architecture with such positive effects, and hence started from a hypothesis that positive emotional effect is the key linkage to correlate aesthetic experience in and of architecture to human subjective well-being (SWB), which is a predominant indicator for measuring general well-being. Accordingly, emotional architecture for everyday life was coined as a special term in this research to represent such an architectural model that functions as a motivation generator for increasing positive human-environment interactions as well as an affective environment for enriching and regulating human emotional state on a basis of daily life. An interdisciplinary framework involving the research fields of environmental aesthetics, positive psychology and emotional design was formulated as theoretical foundation to direct this research. This qualitative research has combined two research strategies of bibliographical review and field study in order to capture the pluralistic qualities of this research in relation to the multiple disciplines of psychology and neuroscience, social science, gerontology, and the professional areas of elderly care and care facility development. Seven research methods including close and extensive reading, access to official documents and statistics, field study notes and photography, semi-structured interviews, participant and non-participant observations have been used for data collection; and narrative, descriptive and interpretative analysis have been respectively employed regarding each research objective. Such a mixed method approach was considered to accumulate diversified research materials and perspectives as much as possible. The theoretical research to identify the general concept and methodological model of emotional architecture for everyday life and the applied research to test its applicability in the specific domain of architecture design for senior living have been conducted and sequentially presented as Part I (Chapter 1 & 2) and Part II (Chapter 3, 4 & 5) in this thesis. In Chapter 1, the related philosophical and psychological theories about the role and functioning mechanism of emotions in influencing people's perception, motivation and behavior for formulating ethical ideology, aesthetic appreciation, environmental interaction and subjective well-being have been reviewed and taken as evidence to study why and how emotional design approach is possible to comply user experience of a product or environment with user's long-term well-being. Chapter 2 shows a filtering process to discern the exemplary qualities and design mechanism of emotional architecture for everyday life from the previous architectural design theories and practices by synthesizing the multidisciplinary knowledgereviewed in Chapter 1. Chapter 3 interprets the main influential factors that affirm or oppress design quality and efficacy of senior living architecture in a global context. Chapter 4 explores the essential spatial implications responsive to elderly's psychological needs for everyday life through a series of field studies in a selected public care facility in Barcelona. Chapter 5 presents case studies on four selected architectural projects for senior living in order to generalize the applicable design methods for positive emotional effects. An inherent difference in aspect of the cognitive process for aesthetic appreciation has been found among artists, design professionals and non-professional users/appreciators, which implies an empathetic thinking with the users and/or occupants of architecture is necessary for architectural designers to filter the effective emotional stimuli and design approach for positive emotional effects in the design process. A general distance between the actual efficacy of senior living architecture and its socio-political target of promoting social and individual well-being has been detected to emerge because that (1) an inherited mind-set of relying on social manifestation and engineering measures has resulted in a bureaucratic formula of architecture design to apply the standardized configurations and technologies; and /or, (2) aesthetic design associated with traditional formal and stylistic aesthetics of architecture does not respond to a user-centered design thinking and evidence-based design methodology at psychological level. With regard to achieving the substantive quality of senior living architecture in an aged society as being perceived as safe, healthy, appealing and healing environment for all ages, technical design measures for compensating physical/mental frailty and disabilities need be fused into a humane backdrop rather than being highlighted as indifferent devices. Hence, a methodological model for designing emotional architecture for everyday life and a working model of emotional architecture design for senior living have been established and associated as a practical approach to enhance reciprocal improvement of architectural research and practice with an inclusive vision of human health and well-being. The overarching conclusion of this research has been that strong potential of architecture design to comply with the socio-political paradigm for general welfare goal lies in an integration of reality-based and future-oriented aesthetic philosophy of everyday life, scientific understanding of multidisciplinary knowledge on human factors, and the application of emotional design approach to adapt various targeted users, and existing cultural/natural context and economic/technical conditions.


. The ribbon-shaped salivary glands in Bulla striata were studied with light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Secretion is produced in tubules formed by two types of secretory cells, namely granular mucocytes and vacuolated cells, intercalated with ciliated cells. A central longitudinal duct lined by the same cell types collects the secretion and conducts it to the buccal cavity. In granular mucocytes, the nucleus is usually central and the secretory vesicles contain oval-shaped granular masses attached to the vesicle membrane. Glycogen granules can be very abundant, filling the space around the secretory vesicles. These cells are strongly stained by PAS reaction for polysaccharides. Their secretory vesicles are also stained by Alcian blue, revealing acidic mucopolysaccharides, and the tetrazonium reaction detects proteins in minute spots at the edge of the vesicles, corresponding to the granular masses observed in TEM. Colloidal iron staining for acidic mucopolysaccharides in TEM reveals iron particles in the electron-lucent region of the vesicles, while the granular masses are free of particles. In vacuolated cells, which are thinner and less abundant than the granular mucocytes, the nucleus is basal and the cytoplasm contains large electron-lucent vesicles. These vesicles are very weakly colored by light microscopy techniques, but colloidal iron particles could be observed within them. The golf tee-shaped ciliated cells contain some electron-dense lysosomes in the apical region. In these cells, the elongated nucleus is subapically located, and bundles of microfibrils are common in the slender cytoplasmic stalk that reaches the basal lamina. The morphological, histochemical, and cytochemical data showed some similarities between salivary glands in B. striata and Aplysia depilans. These similarities could reflect the phylogenetic relationship between cephalaspidean and anaspidean opisthobranchs or result from a convergent adaptation to an identical herbivorous diet.


The Heck protocol was applied for the first time to the atroposelective synthesis of macrocyclic natural products. As ring closure to bis(bibenzyls) of the isoplagiochin type leads to a configurationally stable biaryl axis in the molecule, cyclization could be conducted atroposelectively in the presence of a chiral BINAP ligand.


Double network (DN) gels are anomalously robust but soft and wet materials, whose maximum stress in compression reaches 30MPa and surface friction coefficient reaches 0.001 simultaneously. The DN gels also have shock absorbency, permeability, and biocompatibility. Thus it is expected that the DN gels will be applied to artificial joints, artificial cartilages, and artificial blood vessels. In this study we focused on both high transparency and large transformation of the DN gels, and we tried to develop novel optical devices. Our purpose is to apply it to a deformable lens system. Indeed, we succeed to make an artificial gel lens, which is nontoxic and have biocompatibility. The value of strain of the gel lens can achieve more than 2, and Young's moduli of our two kinds of DN gels show 0.45MPa and 0.46 10MPa, which is enough higher than human lens. We will realize further miniaturization and simplification of various optical products containing the gel lens.


MUC1 mucin is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein expressed at the apical border of healthy epithelia that line the respiratory, reproductive and gastrointestinal tracts and is overexpressed in various cancer cells. The goal of the study was to check the effect of berenil complex of Platinum(II) applied together with anti-MUC1 antibody on induction of programmed cell death in human skin fibroblasts. The influence of novel platinum(II) complex used with anti-MUC1 on the concentration of selected markers of apoptosis such as p53, Bax, cytochrome c, caspase-8, -9 and caspase-3 was determined using the ELISA technique. The results from combined treatment were compared with those obtained using monotherapy and combined treatment with cisplatin and anti-MUC1. In our study we observed that combined treatment of Pt12 with anti-MUC1 had no influence on induction of programmed cell death in normal cells such as human skin fibroblasts. Also we showed that cisplatin in dose 20 μM strongly induced apoptosis in human skin fibroblasts. We observed higher concentrations of all tested apoptotic markers such as Bax protein, p53, caspases-3,-8,-9. The proapoptotic effect was weaker after combined treatment of cisplatin together with anti-MUC1. The obtained results proved that only cisplatin in dose 20 μM induced both apoptotic pathways. It activated the death receptor pathway associated with higher concentration of caspase-8 as well as mitochondrial pathway connected with cytochrome c and caspase-9 releasement. On the contrary cisplatin used together with anti-MUC1 induced only death receptor pathway. We observed higher concentration of caspase-8 in cell lysates as compared with that in control group. The novel Platinum(II) complex together with anti-MUC1 showed no harming effect in the normal cells. Taken together, our results suggest that the combined treatment with anti- MUC1 is a possible way to improve selectiveness of chemotherapeutic agent.


The rock meal based fertilizers were evaluated for their toxicity towards duckweed (Lemna minor). Lemna minor is a standard ecotoxicological object for testing aquatic plant toxicity of chemicals including pesticides, biocides, heavy metals and variable industrial substances and mixtures. In recent years so called rock meal based fertilizers gain popularity in organic and standard agriculture.  They prove to be effective, easy to produce and available for farmers. Some of them can express additional induced system resistance activity or even direct fungicidal or insecticidal action.  Although fertilizers are considered to be safe for most the aquatic organisms, they can be toxic under certain circumstances, especially due to the fact they are used often in large amounts nearby water basins. The conducted research reveals that in registered concentrations, all of the tested products do not cause any harmful effects on lemna minor. Some of them were completely safe for the plants even in 7-fold increasing concentrations. However, some of the tested fertilizers were founded to be more toxic for duckweed in much less increasing of their concentrations.


Two-phase routing, where traffic is first distributed to intermediate nodes before being routed to the final destination, has been recently proposed for handling widely fluctuating traffic without the need to adapt network routing to changing traffic. Preconfiguring the network in a traffic independent manner using two-phase routing simplifies network operation considerably. In this paper, we extend this routing scheme by providing resiliency against link failures through fast restoration along link backup detours. We view this as important progress towards adding carrier-class reliability to the robustness of the scheme so as to facilitate its future deployment in Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks. On the theoretical side, the main contribution of the paper is the development of linear programming based and fast combinatorial algorithms for two-phase routing with link restoration so as to minimize the maximum utilization of any link in the network, or equivalently, maximize the throughput. The algorithms developed are fully polynomial time approximation schemes (FPTAS)-for any given isin > 0, an FPTAS guarantees a solution that is within a (1 + isin)-factor of the optimum and runs in time polynomial in the input size and 1/isin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work in the literature that considers making the scheme resilient to link failures through preprovisioned fast restoration mechanisms. We evaluate the performance of link restoration (in terms of throughput) and compare it with that of unprotected routing. For our experiments, we use actual ISP network topologies collected for the Rocketfuel project and three research network topologies.


NITP (1) is an effective marker of hypoxia in tumours for both microscopy and cell sorting studies and, additionally, the compound shows post-irradiation sensitization, probably by inhibition of repair of radiation damage to DNA. However, NITP does not have the substitution pattern which the immunochemical reagents are raised to recognize and the compound has very low solubility in water. We report the synthesis of an isomer (13) of NITP which has the desirable substitution pattern and is also soluble in very weak aqueous base. The successful synthesis of 13 uses a nitrosation and cyclization of a substituted uracil (16), but earlier approaches from 5 and 12 yielded the pyridoxanthine derivative 6. The preparative use of nitro group displacement reactions from 8-nitrocaffeine is shown to be a useful entry to a range of 8-substituted caffeines and is utilized to obtain two derivatives of NITP which carry aliphatic amine chains, i.e. 34 and 35.


Cereal grains, in their various forms, are the dominant staple foods worldwide and have an important impact on nutrition and health. The challenge is to select ingredients and processing techniques that result in cereal foods with beneficial nutritional properties. Carbohydrates are the most prominent component of cereal grains. Starch, containing alpha 1-4 linked glucose, is mostly digested and absorbed in the small intestine. The non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) are a heterogeneous grouping, which pass into the colon where they can be fermented to varying extents. In cereal grains the main types are cellulose and arabinoxylans, with soluble beta-glucans present in oats and barley. The NSP have a structural role in the plant cell wall, which can slow carbohydrate release, and is particularly associated with the bran and germ fraction that contain most vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Although these structural properties may be disrupted by milling, NSP remains a good marker for the associated micronutrients, and this is an important attribute of the beneficial naturally fibre-rich cereal foods. These unique properties cannot be replicated by resistant starch (RS) or other preparations of non-digestible carbohydrates. The glycaemic index has highlighted the fact that many cereal products are rapidly digested, whereas there is evidence that a more sustained carbohydrate release is more desirable. However, foods can have a low GI due to high fat or fructose contents, indicating a need for a more direct measure of slow release carbohydrates. In conjunction with human studies we have developed in vitro measures that describe the bioavailability of carbohydrates from the food matrix. The Rapidly (RAG) and Slowly (SAG) Available Glucose measures describe the likely rate of release, and RS describes the amount likely to escape digestion in the small intestine. Typically RS represents 2-3 % of the starch component in cereal foods. Intact whole grains are rich in slow release carbohydrates (20-45%SAG), as are many pasta products (20-45%SAG) due to their dense food matrix. The majority of breads and bakery products are rapidly digested (0-10%SAG), as are breakfast cereals (05%SAG), due to the ready disruption of the food matrix and the gelatinised starch in these products. In contrast some biscuits are slowly digested (15-30%SAG), as starch remains in the ungelatinised form due to the low moisture baking conditions. These bioavailability measures compliment the glycaemic index, and together with the overall classification and measurement scheme (Englyst & Englyst, 2005) provide investigative tools with which to further explore the concept of 'carbohydrate quality'. Reference Englyst KN, Englyst HN (2005) Carbohydrate Bioavailability. Brit J Nutr,94,1-11 IUFoST 2006 DOI: 10.1051/IUFoST:20061333


Although governments intervene extensively across an ever-increasing range of activities, there are some problems that they are loath to address. These issues vary in size, scale and complexity. Some are local; others are national. A number are international or global. The impediments to action also differ. They may be technical, institutional or political. In some cases, there is no agreement even that a problem exists. In a few, by contrast, expert consensus on diagnosis and prescription may have been long-standing, even if yet to issue in concrete measures. What these issues share, however, is that their successful resolution would bring significant benefits to society, but that for whatever reason governments consider them too problematic to tackle. Hence they are consigned to the 'too difficult box'. Where this happens the system of democracy is itself likely to be weakened. This article discusses these issues and introduces contemporary instances.


Most erosion models applied at basin scale are based on spatially aggregated representation, for example, in a space subdivision of the surfaces to which behavior is assumed homogeneous (sub-basins, hydrological units, etc.). This approach leads to a desirable simplification of the calculations, but presents difficulties in addressing problems related to sediment transport and identification of sediment source areas, which should be treated by a continuous spatial representation. Spatially distributed models, however, allow a more accurate approach to this problem, at the cost of an increased computational complexity. The objective of this work is the calibration and validation of the model WATEM/SEDEM, an empirical-conceptual spatially distributed model, to predict erosion and sediment yield in two watersheds in the Central Spanish Pyrenees: i) the watershed of the Barasona Reservoir (1504 km2), which is drained by the Esera and Isabena Rivers, the model calibration and validation was based on the depositional history of the Barasona Reservoir and suspended sediment records over 3 years (May 2005–May 2008) at the outlet of the Isabena River; ii) the experimental Arnas catchment (2.84 km2), the model calibration was performed based on a dataset of soil redistribution rates derived from point 137Cs inventories, allowing capture differences per land use in the main model parameters. The validation process was carried with the registration of six years of suspended sediment at the outlet of the Arnas catchment. The calibration process for watershed of the Barasona Reservoir showed the problem you have when trying to calibrate the parameters of transport capacity with a single variable (the export of sediment to the basin outlet), making impossible to find a single set of parameters that optimize the error function, making it necessary to adopt a compromise solution. For the experimental Arnas catchment the model calibration processes using spatially distributed sediment yield derived from 137Cs inventories allowed calibrating the empirical parameters of transport capacity in a satisfactory way, finding a single combination of values that optimizes the error function. These results show that the calibration parameters of transport capacity are a fundamental aspect of the model WATEM/SEDEM and other similar models. To obtain a reliable estimate of the spatial distribution of erosion and sediment transport requires a calibration and validation by means of spatially distributed data of soil loss, which in turn allows a calibration of spatially distributed parameters concerning transport capacity


Recent studies of demyelination in multiple sclerosis revealed four different patterns, which led to the assumption of disease heterogeneity, but without evident correlation with clinical and neuroimaging picture. Therefore at present it seems too early to conclude that multiple sclerosis is not a uniform entity, but a group of different diseases.


Inaccurate results are usually produced due to lack of precise dynamic parameters when analyzing the running stability of railway vehicles. In this paper, a new solution is proposed to conduct the running stability analysis of railway vehicles supported by their three-dimensional (3D) CAD models, which are realized based on the intrinsic mapping relationship between the dynamic model and the 3D CAD model of railway vehicles. First, a dynamic model library of railway vehicles is established, and for each model type the software package for running stability analysis is programmed with Matlab. Then according to the requested parameters of each model, the corresponding dynamic parameter extraction flow based on 3D CAD model is designed by the secondary development of CAD software. The user chooses CAD objects and sets part of dynamic parameters using a wizard-style guiding dialogs; the background program will automatically and accurately extract the physical and geometric parameters from the CAD model, and then call the Matlab software package and transfer the parameter values, with analysis results presented in CAD environment. The case study shows that, this method can not only ensure the precision of dynamic parameters, but also improve the dynamic modeling efficiency for running stability analysis of railway vehicles.


The zero-error classical capacity of a quantum channel is the asymptotic rate at which it can be used to send classical bits perfectly, so that they can be decoded with zero probability of error. The study of zero-error capacities dates right back to Shannon and the early days of information theory. We show that there exist pairs of quantum channels, neither of which individually have any zero-error capacity whatsoever (even if arbitrarily many uses of the channels are available), but such that access to even a single copy of both channels allows classical information to be sent perfectly reliably. In other words, we prove that the zero-error classical capacity can be superactivated. This result is the first example of superactivation of a classical capacity of a quantum channel. We further strengthen this result to show that there exist pairs of channels, neither of which have any zero-error classical capacity (as before), yet for which access to one copy of the joint channel even allows far more delicate quantum information to be transmitted perfectly. This subsumes the first result, and also implies that the quantum zero-error capacity can be superactivated. But it is strictly stronger than either of these. Indeed, this is the strongest conceivable form of superactivation, and nothing similar is possible for standard Shannon capacities of quantum channels or for zero-error capacities of classical channels.


INTRODUCTION ............................................................ A NOTE ONTERMINOLOGY. ENERGY TRANSDUCTIONS IN MITOCHONDRIA ......................... Theories of Energy Conservation ............................................ Chemical coupling hnpothesis ............................................. Conformational coupling .................................................. Chemiosmotic hypothesis ................................................ Point and Counterpoint ..................................................... Permeability of the mitochondrial membrane to protons .................... Vectorial organization of respiratory catalysts ............................. Proton extrusion and the generation of a membrane potential ............... The coupling device: ATPase and ion translocation ........................ Uncoupling and proton conduction ........................................ Fluorescent molecules as probes of the energized state ...................... Metabolite Transport by Mitochondria ...................................... Accumulation of calcium .................................................. Accumulation of potassium ............................................... Transport of phosphate and substrate anions .............................. Summary: Energy Transductions in Mitochondria ........................... ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS IN BACTERIAL MEMBRANES............ Structural Basis ........................................................... Oxidative Phosphorylation .................................................. General features of respiration and phosphorylation ........................ Coupling factors: the role of ATPase ...................................... Nature of phosphorylating particles from bacterial membranes ............. Coupling of respiration to phosphorylation ................................. Photosynthetic Phosphorylation ............................................. Coupling of Metabolism to Transport ........................................ Transport systems and carriers ........................................... Group translocation ...................................................... Kinetic approach to energy coupling ....................................... Coupling of transport to the respiratory chain in membrane vesicles. Ion gradients and energy coupling ......................................... Role of the Membrane in Motility ............................................ Bacteriocins and the Energized State ........................................ SUMMARY AND PROSPECT .............................................. LITERATURE CITED ....................................................... 172 174 175 175 176 176 177 180 180 180 181 182 183 184 185 185 186 188 189 190 191 193 193 195 196 199 200 201 201 202 205 207 210 214 215 216 216


The time course of methemoglobin reduction by ascorbic acid under anaerobic conditions was analyzed by using isoelectric focusing on Ampholine plate gel in order to compare results obtained by studies of the changes in absorption during the reaction. The intermediate hemoglobin which appeared all through the reaction was single and identified as the alpha3+beta2+ valency hybrid. In the presence of inositol hexaphosphate, reduction of methemoglobin was considerably accelerated and this acceleration was restricted to the step in which methemoglobin is reduced to the alpha3+beta2+ valency hybrid. The phase containing alpha3+beta2+ valency hybrid reduction to deoxyhemoglobin was not affected by the presence of this organic phosphate. The reaction rate constant of each phase was estimated by the analysis of the changes in three components such as methemoglobin, alpha3+beta2+ valency hybrid, and deoxyhemoglobin. The specific attack of beta-methemoglobin chains in methemoglobin tetramer by ascorbic acid was explained by the functional differences in alpha- and beta-methemoglobin chains in the protein.


Doubling up on optically driven catalysis During photosynthesis, plants absorb light from the Sun four consecutive times before they accumulate enough energy to make oxygen from water. In contrast, when chemists harness light energy to promote reactivity, they tend to rely on single discrete absorption events. Ghosh et al. now show that a particular dye molecule can channel the combined energy from two absorbed photons to the reduction and subsequent coupling reactions of aryl halide molecules. The method expands the reach of photocatalysis to a broader range of compounds, such as chlorides, which are too stable to breach with a single photon. Science, this issue p. 725 A dye molecule channels the energy of two visible photons into aryl substitution reactions. Biological photosynthesis uses the energy of several visible light photons for the challenging oxidation of water, whereas chemical photocatalysis typically involves only single-photon excitation. Perylene bisimide is reduced by visible light photoinduced electron transfer (PET) to its stable and colored radical anion. We report here that subsequent excitation of the radical anion accumulates sufficient energy for the reduction of stable aryl chlorides giving aryl radicals, which were trapped by hydrogen atom donors or used in carbon-carbon bond formation. This consecutive PET (conPET) overcomes the current energetic limitation of visible light photoredox catalysis and allows the photocatalytic conversion of less reactive chemical bonds in organic synthesis.


OBJECTIVE
In many cases, the prognosis of an adrenocortical tumor cannot be determined from pathologic findings alone. We investigated cyclin E levels as a potential marker.

METHODS
We studied 57 tumors by immunohistochemical staining with an anticyclin E antibody. We also evaluated clinical and pathologic factors (McFarlane staging and Weiss score) and previously validated genetic markers (17p13 loss of heterozygosity, 11p15 uniparental disomy, and overexpression of the IGF-II gene) for these tumors. Disease-free survival was estimated in 49 patients who underwent curative surgery.

RESULTS
Cyclin E overproduction (> or =5%) was associated with the malignant phenotype and was strongly correlated with tumor size (P<0.0001), Weiss score (P<0.0001) and the presence of genetic abnormalities in tumors (P<0.001) (nonparametric Wilcoxon test and Fisher's exact test). Within a median follow-up of 44.1 months, seven patients exhibited a recurrence and two patients died from other causes. Cyclin E overproduction was significantly associated with shorter disease-free survival in univariate analysis (P=0.016; RR: 7.6), as were histologic grade (Weiss score > or =4; P=0.0006; RR: 18), 17p13 LOH (P=0.014, RR: 14.9), 11p15 UPD (P=0.003, RR: 11.8) and overexpression of the IGF-II gene (P=0.015, RR: 13.8).

CONCLUSION
This study shows that cyclin E overproduction is of adverse prognostic significance in adrenocortical tumors.


Thevetia peruviana (TP) and Hura crepitans (HC) seed oils with 73 and 65% unsaturation, respectively as analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) chromatogram were used for the synthesis of copper metal salt. The sodium carboxylate (soluble soap) prepared from the oils by saponifying with sodium hydroxide were reacted with solution of copper salt to produce the metal soaps. The yield was encouraging ranging from 60 to 65%. The progress of the reaction was monitored and confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The difference in absorption frequencies of the FTIR spectra of the oils and their corresponding soaps indicates their production. Confirming it further, the appearance of the characteristic peaks of 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR of the metallic soaps affirm the synthesis of these compounds. The seeds are thus good sources of raw materials (oleochemicals) for the production of valuable industrial and domestic products.


The Sodium Chemistry (NAC) package in MELCOR has been developed to enhance application to sodium cooled fast reactors. The models in the NAC package have been assessed through benchmark analyses. The F7-1 pool fire experimental analysis is conducted within the framework of the U.S.–Japan collaboration; Civil Nuclear Energy Research and Development Working Group. This study assesses the capability of the pool fire model in MELCOR and provides recommendations for future model improvements because the physics of sodium pool fire are complex. Based on the preliminary results, analytical conditions, such as heat transfer on the floor catch pan are modified. The current MELCOR analysis yields lower values than the experimental data in pool combustion rate and pool, catch pan, and gas temperature during early time. The current treatment of heat transfer for the catch pan is the primary cause of the difference in the results from the experimental data. After sodium discharge stopping, the pool combustion rate and temperature become higher than experimental data. This is caused by absence of a model for pool fire suppression due to the oxide layer buildup on the pool surface. Based on these results, recommendations for future works are needed, such as heat transfer modification in terms of the catch pan and consideration of the effects of the oxide layer for both the MELCOR input model and pool physic.


The decision of choosing a university major is one of the most important decisions in every adult life. To make a suitable decision, a student needs an expert opinion, time, and effort. Therefore, a decision-making system should be developed in order to help prospective students to increase their educational outcome and productivity. In Saudi Arabia, each university requires specific criteria in order to accept students. These criteria are made based on two factors: 1) the outcome of student's qualification exams and 2) overall high school grades. The student must take these calculations into consideration when selecting a major. Thus, in this paper, a Fuzzy-Based Recommendation System (FRS) is proposed to aid students in choosing a suitable major. This system designed using Fuzzy Expert System (FES). Additionally, a cluster-based preferences technique is implemented to obtain the student's preferred majors, using distance measurement. The system has been tested on fifteen prospective students to measure its accessibility. Results showed that students are stratified by the suggested majors that fell in line with their preferences.


This paper presents adaptive e-learning to a map-based serious game in aerial image interpretation which trains both geographic knowledge as well as the identification of relevant objects. We attach an interoperable adaptivity framework, called "E-Learning A.I." (ELAI) which adjusts the game's difficulty and the provided amount of assistance to match the learners need. The underlying software architecture uses the Experience API (xAPI) to collect, store and analyze the captured usage data. The scientific research questions affect the possible usages of the collected interaction data and how to manifest adaptivity in serious games. A study has been conducted to answer questions regarding the acceptance and effects of adaptivity in map-based seek-and-find games for aerial image interpretation. The three main hypotheses cover the questions on the acceptance of adaptivity mechanisms, on the users' motivation and on the learning outcome effectivity. Although the adaptivity has been recognized, the dynamically inserted virtual agent was rather seen as a disturbance to the game flow. The study verifies the feasibility of the adaptivity framework and reveals issues on the study design of similar adaptive systems. The ELAI software architecture consists of generic and specific components. The most specific component is the so called ELAI-adapter which basically captures and adapts attached games or computer simulations. Obviously this adapter has to be specific to the actual game, genre, characters etc. In our application example we have implemented the ELAI-adapter for the Unity game engine. The xAPI protocol allows to easily connect other xAPI-compliant serious games or e-learning course software. The ELAI-controller interprets the collected usage data and computes influence strategies for the attached games or simulations, which in turn are then realized in the games itself by the ELAI-adapter.


The encoding and decoding method and apparatus of an audio signal is provided. The present invention includes the steps of receiving an audio signal including a downmix signal and spatial information signal, if the header is included in the spatial information signal, extracting configuration information from the header included in the spatial information signal comprising the steps of extracting spatial information, converting the downmix signal by using the configuration information and the spatial information into multichannel signal. Thus, the header can be selectively included in the spatial information signal, when a plurality of headers are included in the spatial information signal, it is able to decode the spatial information when reproducing audio signals from a random point . .FIELD 1


This report summarizes analyses of survey responses of approximately 101,310 teachers and principals who, between 1999-00 and 2011-12, answered the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) and the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), two national surveys.  Their responses to most recurrent discipline incidents and to most serious problems facing schools were cross-referenced with their responses to safety initiatives, programs, and other practices that were implemented to curb indiscipline and crime. The findings reflect efforts underway nationwide to transition from zero tolerance policies to non-retributive, non-exclusionary discipline practices.  For teachers, indiscipline incidents and major problems facing schools continue plaguing schools, and increasingly put their careers at risk.  By contrast, compliance requirements of the transition period seem to have pushed principals to under-report the incidents and problems. It appears that a genuine dialogue is needed between administrators and teachers to agree on the overarching implications of indiscipline and safety in schools.  Non-retributive and non-exclusionary discipline policies can only be effectively implemented when teachers and administrators are equally committed to their success, and when parents and students are provided opportunities to support initiatives .


Consider the complete graph on n vertices where each edge is independently open with probability p, or closed otherwise. Phase transitions for such graphs for p = Cn have previously been studied using techniques like branching processes and random walks. In this paper, we use an alternate component counting argument for establishing phase transition and obtaining estimates on the sum size of the nongiant components. As a corollary, we also obtain estimates on the size of the giant component for C large: If C is sufficiently large, there is a positive constant M0 = M0(C) so that with probability at least 1− e−C/100, there is a giant component containing at least n−ne−C/8 vertices and every other component contains less than M0 log n vertices.


The potential usefulness of Nosema locustae Canning as a microbial agent for grasshopper control was first demonstrated by Henry (1971) and Henry et al. (1973). These authors found that a 50–60% reduction in grasshopper density (as compared with untreated populations) could be achieved, and they speculated that 35–50% of the survivors would be sufficiently infected so that their fecundity would be reduced. The value of incorporating such an agent into a grasshopper pest-management system is obvious: By suppressing high insect densities to manageable levels, the need for conventional chemical insecticides could be reduced and perhaps even restricted only to "hot spot" areas. The objectives of the study we report here were to: (1) Determine if N. locustae was infective to the predominant species of grasshoppers in Saskatchewan; (2) if so, monitor the development of the disease within the populations; and (3) determine if the pathogen could survive over the winter and infect next year's populations. Because this was a preliminary experiment, we did not attempt to determine any effect the pathogen might have on population reduction.


During last decade, power quality problems have become one of the most intensive studied areas of power engineering. Fourier transformation (FT) and especially its digital form-fast Fourier transform was usually used for power quality analysis. Unfortunately, this transform has its drawbacks. During recent years, a novel technique for signal processing emerged in engineering practice-the wavelet transform. Wavelets are limited duration signals with zero average value. The aim of this paper is to present the transient analysis of digitally controlled AC/DC converter input waveforms, since the AC/DC converter is the most common harmonic "polluter" of the power supply.


The phonetic inventories of 13 Italian children at 18, 21, 24 and 27 months of age are presented. The children were taperecorded during a play interaction with the mother, and their vocalizations were phonetically transcribed. The individual phonetic inventories were calculated by applying the criteria put forward by Stoel-Gammon [1]: a consonantal singleton or cluster was attested only if word-initially or word-medially present in two different words at least, in a individual vocabulary of 10 to 50 different word types. Variable forms of the same word type were considered only twice. The collective phonetic inventories were calculated for each month on the bases of the number of subjects producing every phone. Further, the consonants at the onset or coda of the syllables constituting the selected words were classified for place and manner of articulations and their frequencies were calculated. Results for the consonantal structures in words and syllables produced by children have been compared to results for consonantal structures of adult words and syllables attempted by the children of 27 months.


: Coffee is one of the most valuable primary products in the world trade and its consumption causes the production of a lot of waste. The coffee grounds remain today a major focus to study, particularly for bioenergy purposes. Since it is possible to use coffee waste in many ways at level demand, it is also important to investigate the coffee waste at the supply level and provide important information for the development a proper supply chain Conceivably, coffee shops' owners are the producer of such waste, their mean profile is still unknown. Therefore, in the circular economy framework, the study aims to analyze the coffee shops' attitude towards coffee grounds use relying on a sample of Italian coffee shops and to profile an average Italian coffee shop. Data were collected by using a web-based survey administered during the period October – November 2019 in Rome and the sample was 95 coffee shops. The descriptive statistics was applied. The findings shows that 57% of the sample did not know the circular economy concept and 62% of the respondents would be available to attend formation courses about this new concept. The findings showed also a mean profile of an Italian coffee shop: it has been running for 10 years, serving 347 cups of coffee per day and producing about 2 kg per day of coffee grounds. It is interesting to underline that, on average, the coffee shop owner was willing both to sell the coffee grounds for energy purposes and to buy services or products which use the coffee grounds (as energy comes from coffee grounds use). These findings point out that people are becoming more sensitive towards coffee grounds use, considering it as a suitable alternative feedstock for energy purposes. Even if this study relies on explorative approach, the findings allowed to draw an identikit of hypothetical coffee shop that could supply the coffee grounds to industries for energy purposes. Moreover, it provides further insights in the coffee shops' owners attitude towards coffee grounds use.


Volcanic rocks, glaciogenic sediments, and recycled marine microfossils at Mount Murphy provide evidence for large-scale fluctuations in the mass of the West Antarctic ice sheet during Neogene time. Mount Murphy is a large shield volcano with an atypical structure. Its basal unit consists of alternating subaquatic and subaerial rock types through a stratigraphic interval of at least 300 m, suggesting that ice level changed several times during shield building. Much larger changes are suggested by an outcrop of glacial lake sediment near the volcano summit, 1,300 m above present ice level. It contains an assemblage of recycled marine microfossils derived from marine basins in the interior of West Antarctica. They suggest multiple intervals of near-complete deglaciation in West Antarctica between about 24 and 3.5 Ma. The microfossils were probably deposited by meltwater from the ice sheet during a much higher stand of ice, in late Pliocene time. It has long been suspected that the West Antarctic ice sheet is unstable and vulnerable to greenhouse warming, because it is grounded more than 1,000 m below sea level. Our results provide field evidence consistent with that proposal. More than the West Antarctic ice sheet may be involved, however. The nature of the evidence and timing of events at Mount Murphy are similar to the record in East Antarctica, suggesting continent-wide synchroneity of the major glacial and interglacial intervals. This conflicts with interpretations of marine data, Which suggest a shorter history for the West Antarctic ice sheet and a more stable history for the entire ice sheet.


In this work we present an application for integrating and analyzing life science data using a biomedical data warehouse system and tools developed in-house enabling knowledge discovery tasks. Knowledge discovery is known as a process where different steps have to be coupled in order to solve a specified question. In order to create such a combina- tion of steps, a data miner using our in-house developed knowledge discovery tool KD 3 is able to assemble functional ob- jects to a data mining workflow. The generated workflows can easily be used for ulterior purposes by only adding new data and parameterizing the functional objects in the process. Workflows guide the performance of data integration and aggregation tasks, which were defined and implemented using a public available open source tool. To prove the concept of our application, intelligent query models were designed and tested for the identification of genotype-phenotype correla- tions in Marfan Syndrome. It could be shown that by using our application, a data miner can easily develop new knowl- edge discovery algorithms that may later be used to retrieve medical relevant information by clinical researchers.


We have reached the stage where real-time electronic monitoring during general anaesthesia has become virtually mandatory, and as with a ventilator alarm, a medicolegal requirement for even the simplest and shortest procedure. There are still two desirable facilities which I have not seen on the equipment I know, and neither would be expensive to introduce or add to existing devices. Firstly, it should be possible to obtain a distinctive audible signal on a combined ECG/pulse oximeter for either variable because of the vital, although often overlooked, distinction between the electrical and the mechanical activity of the heart.' Cardiac arrest can occur even if sinus rhythm persists; an example of 'power failure' without 'electrical failure'.' I know of several occasions where failure immediately to distinguish between the two had tragic consequences. Indeed, a pulse oximeter and an automatic sphygmomanometer alone and without an ECG are today adequate for most general anaesthesia. Secondly, there should also be an audible signal with each aterial pulse during invasive blood pressure monitoring with an easily adjustable systolic pressure alarm; the diastolic pressure is, of course, clinically unimportant in this context. This is essential even for cardiac surgery when the heart is not visible, since the anaesthetist (or intensive care nurse) cannot watch the monitor continuously or without essential interruptions, Reliable pulse oximetry in vasoconstricted or low cardiac output patients is another major need. Can we have a sensor for such patients which works from a deep mucosal surface such as the oesophagus, or even maybe from well inside the auditory meatus with a suitable earpiece? As some workers have pointed out, the Ohmeda pulse oximeter works well on the buccal m ~ c o s a . ~ Finally, I hope manufacturers will continue to improve the artefact filters on their alarms, a real headache!


Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the most critical opportunistic pathogens. TA systems are promising drug targets because they are related to the survival of bacterial pathogens. However, structural information on TA systems in K. pneumoniae remains lacking; therefore, it is necessary to explore this information for the development of antibacterial agents. Here, we present the first crystal structure of the VapBC complex from K. pneumoniae at a resolution of 2.00 Å. We determined the toxin inhibitory mechanism of the VapB antitoxin through an Mg2+ switch, in which Mg2+ is displaced by R79 of VapB. This inhibitory mechanism of the active site is a novel finding and the first to be identified in a bacterial TA system. Furthermore, inhibitors, including peptides and small molecules, that activate the VapC toxin were discovered and investigated. These inhibitors can act as antimicrobial agents by disrupting the VapBC complex and activating VapC. Our comprehensive investigation of the K. pneumoniae VapBC system will help elucidate an unsolved conundrum in VapBC systems and develop potential antimicrobial agents.


This article investigates exporting firms' perceptions of a number of obstacles to export activities. Obstacles to exporting is an issue of vital importance in export marketing as the way they are perceived by exporters often determines their future behaviour with regard to export activities. Data for the study was obtained from personal interviews with the executive most responsible for or most knowledgeable on a firm's export activities, from 48 firms. The findings showed that the highest ranked perceived obstacle (work and residence permits), was basically external to the firms.


Many online game players spend inordinate amounts of time in their favorite virtual worlds. A large percentage of these players are teenagers who show behaviors normally associated with physical addiction. Parents, educators, and social scientists are therefore saying that online games are sources of social problems. The authors surveyed 174 Taiwanese college-age online players to collect data on the potential effects of online games on the quality of interpersonal relationships and levels of social anxiety. According to the results, the quality of interpersonal relationships decreased and the amount of social anxiety increased as the amount of time spent playing online games increased.


In this thesis an empirical model for optimal production of North Sea oil is implemented for the purpose of evaluation in a contemporary context. The model was presented by Pesaran in 1990 and is one of dynamic optimization where a price-taking producer faces a maximization problem subject to constraints describing production conditions. The model along with some background research is initially presented in a quite extensive form. Later the generalized method of moments estimator is used to estimate the equations describing optimal production and exploration of oil. The model proofs to be relatively unsuccessful for the period 1989Q1-2008Q4 and the reason for the failure of it is argued to be implicit assumptions about the stationarity of real oil prices and the lack of cointegration between variables included. Key terminology: Oil Production, Resource Scarcity, Norway, Dynamic Optimization, GMM.


Rationale: Dietary PUFA9s alter the expression and secretion of a variety of adipokines. Diets rich in omega-6 fatty acids shift the leptin:adiponectin ratio in favor of leptin, whereas diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids have the opposite effect. We tested the hypothesis that different ratios of adipose-derived factors differentially drive or inhibit normal mammary stem cell self-renewal. Methods: F344 rats were fed an obesogenic diet supplemented with arachidonic acid (AA) and eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) in either a 1:0 or 1:0.4 ratio. At 20 weeks, the animals were sacrificed and the visceral adipose explants were maintained in culture for up to 10 days. Conditioned media was collected at 48 hours. Adipokine concentrations were measured with the Proteome Profiler Adipokine Array and normalized to a leptin ELISA. Primary human mammary epithelial cells and the MCF10A breast cell line were expanded in a non-adherent sphere-forming assay as a measure of stem cell self-renewal. Cell suspensions were exposed to adipose conditioned media (1 mg/ml total protein concentration). After 10 days, spheres were counted and sphere size was measured using ImageJ. Results: Adipose explants were maintained in culture for up to 10 days with >99% viability. The secretome from the rats fed omega-6 PUFA9s was enriched for leptin, resistin, serpin E1, and lipocalin-2. The omega-3 rich diet led to enrichment for adiponectin, pentraxin, and RBP4 in the adipose secretome. The adipose conditioned media from the omega-6 fed rats increased mammary stem cell self-renewal by 190%, whereas that from the rats fed omega-3 PUFA9s attenuated this effect. Conclusion: The n3:n6 dietary ratio promotes a shift in the ratios of multiple secreted adipokines. These ratios have a differential effect on mammary stem cell self-renewal. A diet rich in omega-6 PUFA9s leads to increased stem cell self-renewal, whereas a diet supplemented with EPA attenuated this effect. Further studies will clarify the role of specific adipokines on mammary stem cell self-renewal. Citation Format: Ray Esper, Michael Dame, Djuric Zora, William Smith, Wicha Max, Dean Brenner. Dietary PUFA9s alter the visceral adipose secretome, which modulates mammary stem cell self-renewal. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 242. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-242


The launch phase is the most demanding mechanical environment typical satellites experience. In order to verify that a payload or piece of equipment will survive the expected loads experienced during launch, it is subject to prescribed vibration environments. However, current vibration testing methods tend to overtest. This means the harshest environment a satellite and its equipment must survive is the testing, not the launch. Consequentially, design process compromises are made, moving the focus from surviving the launch to surviving the testing.

Vibration testing involves shaking the test article in each of the three standard directions (X, Y and Z) according to the provided testing specifications. These specifications are based of the single launch environment which is split into three for practical reasons, but which leads to overtesting.

One of the causes for equipment overtesting is that items are normally tested along its three orthogonal axes (i.e. X, Y and Z). However, the body axes of the equipment are not always in line with the structure it is attached to. Even if the body axes do align, the dynamics of the coupled system mean any vibration at the base of the larger structure is unlikely to be acting all on the same axis (or axes) at the interface between the satellite and equipment. Another key difference between the testing environment and launch environment is the direction of the vibrations. The launch vibration environment is a single 3D environment, while testing is usually comprised of three single axis vibrations tests.

This thesis presents two alternative testing methods that separately, or together, can create a test campaign which better matches the environment the piece of equipment would see during launch.

The first method, the Angle Optimisation Method, looks at testing the piece of equipment is mounted at an offset angle on to the shaker rather than the traditional three orthogonal mounting directions. The method optimises the testing angle for the piece of equipment such that testing responses are closer to those seen when the equipment is attached to the higher level assembly. This method focuses on covering the maximum Root Mean Square (RMS) values for each quantity (e.g. sum of interface forces, and acceleration at centre of mass) obtained from the coupled system tests - resulting in a test campaign of one to three separate tests, each with altered input directions. This results in RMS values much closer to the desired higher level testing values than the traditional testing.

The second method, the Dual Input Method, looks at adding a secondary smaller vibration source at a specific location on the test item. The method finds the best location to attach the second vibration source that produces a more representative testing of the piece of equipment when compared to the higher level testing. It also determines what the input should be at this specific point. This method looks at improving the correlation of the Operational Deflecting Shapes (ODS) of the equipment when tested in isolation and when attached to the higher level assembly. Response Vector Assurance Criterion (RVAC) is used for the correlation of the ODS.

Two case studies were undertaken to demonstrate the benefits of these methods. The first was a computational case study that both methods were applied to. In this case study the Angle Optimisation method was able to reduce the amount of over testing by up to 70% compared to the traditional testing method. While the Dual Input method was able to improve the correlation between the equipment and coupled system responses by nearly 50%.

The second case study was an experimental application of the Angle Optimisation Method. This case study successfully showed that it was possible to implement this method as a physical test. A custom angled interface plate was manufactured to the specifications determined by the Angle Optimisation method. In addition to showing the successful implementation of this method, the over testing was reduced by roughly 50% when compared to the traditional method.


Scholars dealing with the rise of contemporary Islamism and the Muslim Brothers' early history frequently turn to Ḥasan al-Bannā's autobiography, Mudhakkirāt al-Daʿwah wa'l-Dāʿiyah (Memoirs of the Call and the Preacher) as one major source of information about the movement's origin. Despite the centrality of this autobiography and the abundance of references to it in Islamist literature, it remains poorly understood. Drawing upon a range of under-explored primary sources, this article argues that the autobiography was never written as a traditional ex post facto memoir. Only by recognizing its fictionalized nature and by exploring the boundaries between biography and fiction, can al-Bannā's memoirs can be properly understood.


Genetic predisposition to melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer extends far beyond the Fitzpatrick phenotype classification scheme. Specific alleles of the gene that codes for the malnocortin 1 receptor are predictive of skin cancer risk independent of skin type and hair color. The ability to identify high risk patients independent of the red hair phenotype may help to modify routine sun and skin monitoring behaviors. In addition, as this increased skin cancer risk is likely due to impaired UVA and UVB defence mechanisms, consideration of genetic predisposition may also be appropriate for patients undergoing psoralen + UVA (PUVA) or UVB treatments for various cutaneous disorders, such as psoriasis, eczema, and vitiligo. Testing aimed at improving prognostication may serve to limit the influence of certain risk factors.


Thirteen hypercoagulation parameters related to coagulation, anticoagulation, platelet functions, dynamics of clot formation and hemorrheology were determined in 15-109 patients with thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO). The results showed that VIIIR = Ag, PAdT, PagT, HPF, and whole blood and plasma viscosity were elevated, fibrinogen elevated in the active stage, AT-III declined, RBC electrophoresis time prolonged, and changes suggesting hypercoagulation in thromboelastogram. All these indicated the existence of a hypercoagulation state in TAO patients, which could contribute to the process of thrombosis. The relationship between immune reactions and blood hypercoagulability could be crucial in the pathogenesis of TAO. Immune reactions causing injury of vascular endothelium play a primary and fundamental role, and blood hypercoagulability could play a secondary but important role in the course of the disease.


ABSTRACT. Better knowledge of bird response to savanna and woodland restoration is needed to inform management of these communities. We related temporal and habitat variables to breeding demography and densities of the Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) across a gradient of savanna, woodland, and forest. We determined nest success, clutch size, young fledged, and breeding densities and evaluated support for relationships with year, nest stage, date, nest height, tree cover, and percent forest in a 10-km radius. One hundred and twenty-eight of 310 nests (41.3%) fledged young. The most supported nest-survival model included nest stage and percent forest in the landscape. Daily nest survival was greater in the incubation than in the nestling stage and increased substantially with decreasing forest in the landscape. Four nests (1.3%) were parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Eastern WoodPewee density increased 83% over a range of 10–170% tree cover (percent tree stocking). Increased nest success with decreasing forest in the landscape indicates that Eastern Wood-Pewees are not highly susceptible to forest-fragmentation effects in the Missouri Ozarks, probably because they were not very susceptible to brood parasitism. The absence of any strong relationships between habitat measures and nest success, clutch size, or young fledged is in contrast to the large increase in density over the range of tree cover and is further evidence that variation in bird density does not always correspond to similar patterns in productivity.


Clinical practice often requires simultaneous administration of antidepressants with opioids (oncology, rheumatology). Coadministration may either attenuate or potentiate opioid analgesia. The purpose of this paper was to verify how the analgesic action of fentanyl (0.05 mg/kg) is affected by single administration as well as 4- or 21-day premedication with antidepressants characterized by various mechanisms of action. The effects of amitriptyline 3 mg/kg, moclobemide 5 mg/kg, fluoxetine 5 mg/kg and reboxetine 0.08 mg/kg were investigated. Experiments were conducted on normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats. The pain threshold was measured using an analgesimeter. It was concluded that the single administration of an antidepressant increases the analgesic action of fentanyl. Four-day premedication with fluoxetine and reboxetine significantly attenuated the antinociceptive action of fentanyl, whereas 21-day premedication with all antidepressants investigated (fluoxetine, amitriptyline, moclobemide, reboxetine) markedly decreased it. The potential clinical importance of this observation is discussed.


Informed by the existing literature on executive exit in the for-profit, public, and nonprofit sectors, this analysis identifies the key elements of succession planning with implications for nonprofit human service organizations. It focuses on self-leadership, executive-board relations, and comprehensive succession management, and concludes with the importance of aligning succession-based efforts and strategic planning.


Background The different drug treatments in rheumatic patients can lead to situations of immunosuppression and predispose to infection by immunization. Objectives To present preliminary results of antibody response of immunisation with a double-doses recombinant hepatitis B vaccine and its effectiveness in these patients. Methods Of the 532 adult patients referred by the Department of Rheumatology at the Immunization Unit of Preventive Medicine of this hospital to assess their vaccination status from the beginning of the protocol in January 2010, 55 correspond to diagnoses of PA. We have studied the variables of sex, treatment with corticosteroids (yes/no), and other treatments such as methotrexate, anti-TNF monotherapy, MTX and anti-TNF. Patients in whom vaccination was indicated (negative antibody level against HBsAg) were vaccinated with a double dose. Results Of the patients diagnosed with PA (55), 12 were not vaccinated (background infection, previously vaccinated, elderly, etc.). Of the remaining 43, 1 left the vaccination and 10 were pending completion of the vaccination schedule. Of the remaining 32, 6 were pending serological testing postvaccination. 26 patients completed vaccination and postvaccination control anti-HBs. Of these 22 (84.6%) patients we given a double-dose schedule. 9 (39%) of them presented a positive control and 13 post-vaccination negative serology. Among patients with positive results, 4 were women and 5 were men. Of the 9 patients with positive results, 7 (77.7%) were not administered corticosteroids. Of the13 patients with negative serology, 77.0% were not administered corticosteroids. Of the 9 patients with positive results, only 3 were treated with MTX. Of the 6 patients treated with anti-TNF, 4 were positive in the post-vaccination control. In 2 patients treated with MTX and anti-TNF postvaccination the control was positive. No significant adverse effects have been detected and no exacerbation of their disease Conclusions 39% of postvaccination patients screened serologically were positive. Of the patients with positive results, 77.7% were not administered corticosteroids. We understand the need to increase vaccination policies from the time of their diagnosis before the patients begin with immunosupressive treatment. References Beck CR, McKenzie BC, Hashim AB, Harris RC, Zanuzdana A, Agboado G, et al. Influenza Vaccination for Immunocompromised Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis from a Public Health Policy Perspective PloS One 2011; 6(12). E29249. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Stroke is a major cause of disability world-wide, representing a significant health and social burden (Feigin et al., 2009). Self-management has potential importance for reducing the personal and health service impact of illness, but is yet to be fully understood or measured in stroke (Boger et al., 2013, Jones & Riazi, 2011).This research sought to develop a new patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) of self-management following stroke. A mixed methods paradigm with three distinct phases was adopted. Focus group methodology (n=28) first explored self-management from the perspectives of people following stroke and informed the content of a preliminary PROM. Three key themes identified from the data affect stroke self-management; Individual capacity; Support for self-management and Self-management environment. Following the focus group enquiry, the preliminary PROM item pool consisted of 57 items relating to Individual Capacity. Cognitive Interviewing methodology (n=11) was next employed to refine the item pool and explore acceptability of the items. Finally, the revised PROM was subject to psychometric evaluation using responses from a nationally derived sample (n=87). Mokken scale analysis and correlations with additional outcome measures of theoretical importance were used to identify scale structure and investigate reliability and validity. The subsequent PROM, the Stroke Self-Management Questionnaire (SSMQ) forms a unidimensional Mokken scale which measures the construct of self-management competency. The SSMQ possesses excellent internal consistency reliability (Mokken r 0.89), test retest reliability (ICC 0.928) and represents a valid tool for the evaluation of stroke self-management interventions.


In December 2016, the Obama administration released a Report on the Legal and Policy Frameworks Guiding the United States' Use of Military Force and Related National Security Operations (Report). Its purpose was to "enhance the public's understanding of the legal and policy principles that have guided U.S. national security operations". The Report outlines the administration's view of international and domestic law regulating the resort to, and use of, armed force against non-state armed groups in the territory of other nations, here called "transnational self-defense." In a personal foreword, President Obama claimed that the Report "reinforce[s] the fact that we defend our interests at home and around the world in a manner consistent with the laws, values, and traditions that are the source of our greatest strength."

In this chapter I argue that the Report and related 2013 Presidential Policy Guidance (PPG), which I collectively label the "Obama doctrine," are inconsistent with both international law and fundamental American liberal values in two important ways. First, the Obama doctrine permits the resort to force in preemptive self-defense when not clearly necessary to avert a grave threat of impending harm. Second, the Report and PPG strongly imply that all uses of force in transnational self-defense occur within the context of armed conflict regulated by international laws of war. This adoption of an armed-conflict paradigm for all acts of transnational self-defense is erroneous in some contexts: not all violence between states and non-state actors creates or occurs within an armed conflict to which the laws of war apply. Relatedly, the Report extends its law of war paradigm to attacks against all "associated forces" of a non-state group without precisely outlining a legal and factual basis for doing so. When combined, these errors allow for much greater destruction of life and property than is clearly necessary to defend against a relatively specific, certain, impending threat of harm. Respect for international law and American liberal values requires a much more circumscribed and calibrated approach to transnational self-defense.


This thesis presents a new convenient method for the synthesis of malonic acid half esters and thioesters under solvent-free conditions. The relative acidity of a broad variety of MAHOs and MAHTs has been estimated by an innovative and simple method based on the determination of observed rate constants from hydrogen-deuterium exchange experiments of malonates. The results obtained from kinetic experiments allowed us to select the more suitable artificial malonyl carriers in decarboxylative aldol-type condensations.
In the second part of the thesis, the first example of a base and metal -free decarboxylative aldol condensation is described. Three different catalytic systems have been successfully employed to carry out mild condensations between malonates and aldehydes. One of these
catalytic systems involves the first use of an antibiotic (valinomycin) in the catalysis of decarboxylative aldol condensations.
In the last part of the thesis, a new versatile and regioselective method to obtain monofunctionalised calix[4]arenes blocked in a cone conformation is described. A broad range of monoarmed calix[4]arenes have been synthesised and the properties of some of these
calix[4]arenes studied. In addition, a simple method for the preparation of multi functional calix[4]arenes blocked in the cone conformation has been developed, using a procedure based on the discovery of new reaction conditions for efficient Cannizzaro reactions of diformyl calix[4]arenes. Finally, the synthesis of a bio-inspired bifunctional mercapto-calix[4]arene has been carried out, in order to mimic part of the active site of a PKS. The new mercapto-calix[4]arene prepared, which carries two sulfhydryl groups in the upper rim, has been successfully loaded with
two malonyl molecules and employed to mimic the condensing function of PKS.


Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is the preferred method of local ablation for patients with small (<3 cm sized) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) when surgical resection cannot be applied. If RFA procedure is sufficiently completed, it provides lower local tumor recurrence, and longer overall as well as disease-free survival. We experienced a case of early stage HCC which recurred at 2 months after successful RFA procedure, and rapidly metastasized to lung and brain.


This article compares the treatment of war and nationalism in two of Geoffrey of Monmouth's texts, the Historia regum Britanniae (ca. 1136) and Vita Merlini (ca. 1148–50), arguing that the Vita Merlini critiques the earlier text's problematics of colonial sovereignty. By contrast, the Vita explores a politics of the local, the natural, and the geographically and emotionally connective. It renounces the war-producing dynastic rivalries of the Historia and instead imagines healing through a local community of friendly exchange and knowledge production. The Vita's critique illuminates the unanswerable ambiguities of the Historia and witnesses further to the human and political futilities of its version of British nationalism.


The Northwest Kidney Center (NWC) in Seattle, Washington, has been a leader in nephrology care for almost 60 years, opening the first hemodialysis unit in the United States in 1962. In February 2020, one of their patients was the first reported death from COVID-19 in the United States. On April 6, 2020, as a part of NNJ Extra - the Nephrology Nursing Journal's podcast series, Beth Ulrich, EdD, RN, FACHE, FAONL, FAAN, Editor-in-Chief of the Nephrology Nursing Journal, talked with the leaders of the Northwest Kidney Centers - Suzanne Watnick, MD, the Chief Medical Officer, and Liz McNamara, MN, RN, Vice President of Patient Care Services and the Chief Nursing Officer, who discussed dealing with the onset of COVID-19 at NWC, how their team worked together to provide care for their patients and support for their staff members, and the lessons they learned that can benefit others.


Summary.  To evaluate joints alterations, we performed clinical examination, X‐rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Denver score) in 165 joints of 40 children with severe (n, 32) or moderate (n, 8) haemophilia A or B. All investigated joints had a history of more than three bleeds. At evaluation, 25 of 40 haemophilic patients were on prophylaxis for the last 1–8 years (mean: 3.5 years). MRI revealed chronic synovitis in 55.4% and 50% of joints, which were diagnosed, as normal by the clinical scale and plain radiography respectively. Moreover, MRI unmasked more profound alterations than those observed by plain radiography in 70% of cases. Statistical analysis showed that the clinical and Pettersson scores in contrast to the Denver score provide an underestimation of arthritic changes. Besides, Denver score did not provide resolution in differentiating stages of arthropathy, because of its inherent nature; however, a score of 6 expressing severe synovitis seemed to be the cut‐off value for the distinction of severe cases. Based on MRI findings we intensified prophylaxis in nine children and initiated it in another nine children. Five children, who were already on prophylaxis complied with our recommendations and eliminated haemorrhages. Finally, three boys with severe haemophilic arthropathy in knees underwent successful chemical synovectomy with rifampicin.


— This paper summarizes the workshop session on the pivoting interconnection between various Internet of Things (IoT) services in the air, ground, and human applications. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has been intelligently applied in space-to-ground, IoT-based remote sensing and imaging land applications for earth sustainability. The integrity and reliability of these GNSS services has been ensured with the digital signatures among the ground GNSS and edge IoT devices through the mobile terrestrial infrastructure. Edge IoT devices such as drones have traditionally suffered from unsustainable power consumption during mission critical operation such as hovering surveillance. These have been addressed by the introduction of perching drones that will reduce power consumption of the flying drones. Its critical safety aspect that will impact various human operations on the ground has been cleverly investigated through the design of dynamic design rules for flight operation.


Intraabdominal heterotopic ossification is a very rare lesion, especially in the mesentery. In all reported series, there was a history of traumatic injury of the abdomen. We report two cases of heterotopic mesenteric ossification occurring after laparotomy in adults.


Building a positive and strong bond is a relationship goal between parents and their children since it is the most significant in life. This relationship is believed to be able to construct the children's self-confidence and behavior. Getting involved in children's lives through parental home supervision is necessary to improve and strengthen the communication between parents and their children. This paper explores the role of parents in children's academic achievement as parents' involvement is essential aprt of the solution to many problems in education (Fan & Chen, 2001). Ten participants consisting of 4 fathers and 6 mothers of children are studying at junior high schools in Banda Aceh were studied. Interview consisting of several questions was used to obtain any information from the participants to enrich the data required. The data then were analyzed by using descriptive analysis. The findings revealed that the way of the participants engaged in their children's academic achievement is different depending on various factors such as the parents' background of study and their social relationship.


It is necessary to estimate empirical constants in order to predict the monthly mean daily global radiation on a horizontal surface in the developing areas for alternative energy. Therefore many different equations have proposed to evaluate them for certain areas. In this work a new correlation has been made to predict the solar radiation for any areas over Korea by calculating the regression models taking into account latitude, percentage of possible sunshine, and cloud cover. From the results, the single linear equation proposed by using percentage of possible sunshine method shows reliable results for estimating the global radiation with average annual deviation of -3.1 to +0.6 % from measured values.


A detailed clinical, bacteriological and histopathological study of 1373 patients of leprosy who sought medical advice at the Department of Skin, STD and Leprosy of Dr. Sampurnanand Medical College, Jodhpur, during 1975-1993 is reported. The disease was observed in 1.54 patients per 1000 cases attending in the skin department out-patients. More than 50% of them had polar type of lepromatous leprosy. The disease was found 2.42 times more often in males than in females and was found mainly in the age group 11-70 years. Family history of leprosy was obtained in 130 (9.5%) of the cases. Lepra reactions were seen in 151 (11%) cases, of which 30 had type 1 reaction (19.2%) and 121 type 2 reaction (80.1%). The majority of leprosy cases (966 or 70.4%) were from Jodhpur district, followed by 109 (7.9%) from Nagaur district and then from, Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jalore etc. All cases of leprosy responded well to the WHO regimens of multidrug therapy. The reactional cases were satisfactorily managed with higher doses of clofazimine along with oral prednisolone.


Purpose While structural changes within the retina of psychosis patients have been established, no detailed studies of choroidal microvasculature in these patients have been performed. Given evidence of microvascular disruption in psychosis patients, this study sought to determine whether there exists evidence of microvascular disruption in the choroids in these patients. Methods Fifty-six subjects (20 controls and 36 psychosis patients) were recruited from April 2018 to February 2020. Five were excluded due to imaging artifact or missing demographic information. Swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) images were obtained. Choroid vascular enface images (12 mm × 9mm) were exported every 2.6 μm from Bruch's membrane to the choroid–scleral interface from Topcon to ImageJ. The images were binarized using Otsu's method, signal from the optic disk and retinal vasculature was removed, and average choroid vascular density (CVD) was calculated as the average of percent area occupied by choroidal vasculature across images in the stack. Choroid vascular volume (CVV) was calculated as the CVD multiplied by maximum CT and image area. During image analysis, study staff were blinded to the phenotype of the study subjects. Results Compared with same-sex controls, male psychiatric patients had significantly lower CVD. Compared with same-sex controls, female psychiatric patients had significantly lower maximum CT with correspondingly decreased CVV, after adjusting for age. When all psychiatric patients were compared with all healthy controls, no significant differences in CT, CVD, or CVV were noted. Conclusion These results suggest that the pathogenesis of psychotic illness affects choroidal microvasculature in a sex-specific manner.


Differential equations are derived for forced mode locking of a homogeneously broadened laser in the frequency domain and time domain. Simple methods are presented for the analysis of pulse shapes for other than sinusoidal modulation. The higher order Hermite-Gaussian solutions of the synchronous sinusoidal modulation are shown to be unstable and hence unrealizable in the steady state.


Social scientists in general and social gerontologists in particular have investigated extensively the correlates of subjective well-being in adulthood. This paper examined whether ratings of study quality for 280 research reports on the correlates of subjective well-being in adulthood vary with year of report, type of report, journal focus, and study quality dimension. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that Year of Report and Journal Focus were related to quality of study ratings. There were differences by Year of Report on ratings of significance of the problem, adequacy of sampling, appropriateness of statistical analyses, and adequacy of research report. Studies published in journals with an "aging" focus relative to those in journals with a "non aging" focus were rated higher on adequacy of the measuring instrument and reasonableness of the conclusions. The mean rating across all items was 2.67, indicating that the average study was judged to meet less than "some requirements." Concerns are noted for definition of the problem, relevance of the population, adequacy of sampling, and adequacy of control for errors.


Vitamin C is known to exist in particularly high concentrations in brain tissue, and its free radical scavenging function is thought to represent a major antioxidative defense system. We have cloned, sequenced and analyzed the genomic structure of a mouse sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter gene, Slc23a1 (also known as Svct2). The mouse Slc23a1 cDNA is 6.4 kb long and was cloned directly from a mouse brain RNA preparation. Hybridization screening of a mouse genomic BAC library identified BAC 53L21 which contains at least the entire coding sequence of the mouse Slc23a1 gene. Determination of the exon-intron structure of the gene revealed 17 exons ranging from 58 bp to 4407 bp extending over 50 kb of the mouse genome, with the translation start codon located in exon 3. Its 1944 nucleotide open reading frame encodes a polypeptide of 647 aa, which is highly similar to rat and human orthologs. The mouse gene was assigned to chromosome 2qG2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. Expression of this gene was demonstrated in a wide range of tissues, with especially high levels in brain. Neurodegenerative diseases with an established role for oxidative stress in the cytoplasm may therefore be conditions of SLC23A1 dysfunction. Key words: gene structure; Vitamin C; transporter; oxidative stress


The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next generation of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes. It will reach a sensitivity and energy resolution never obtained until now by any other high energy gamma-ray experiment. Understanding the systematic uncertainties in general will be a crucial issue for the performance of CTA. It is well known that atmospheric conditions contribute particularly in this aspect.Within the CTA consortium several groups are currently building Raman LIDARs to be installed on the two sites. Raman LIDARs are devices composed of a powerful laser that shoots into the atmosphere, a collector that gathers the backscattered light from molecules and aerosols, a photo-sensor, an optical module that spectrally selects wavelengths of interest, and a read--out system.Unlike currently used elastic LIDARs, they can help reduce the systematic uncertainties of the molecular and aerosol components of the atmosphere to <5% so that CTA can achieve its energy resolution requirements of<10% uncertainty at 1 TeV.All the Raman LIDARs in this work have design features that make them different than typical Raman LIDARs used in atmospheric science and are characterized by large collecting mirrors (2.5m2) and reduced acquisition time.They provide both multiple elastic and Raman read-out channels and custom made optics design.In this paper, the motivation for Raman LIDARs, the design and the status of advance of these technologies are described.


A segmentation algorithm, which detects a single cardiac cycle (S 1-systole-S2-diastole) of phonocardiogram (PCG) signals using homomorphic filtering and K-means clustering and a three way classification of heart sounds into normal (N), systolic murmur (S) and diastolic murmur (D) using grow and learn (GAL) neural network, are presented. Homomorphic filtering converts a non-linear combination of signals (multiplied in time domain) into a linear combination by applying logarithmic transformation. It involves the retrieval of the envelope, a(n) of the PCG signal by attenuating the contribution of fast varying component, f(n) using an appropriate low pass filter. K-means clustering is a non-hierarchical partitioning method, which helps to indicate single cardiac cycle in the PCG signal. Segmentation performance of 90.45% was achieved using the proposed algorithm. Feature vectors were formed after segmentation by using Daubechies-2 wavelet detail coefficients at the second decomposition level. Grow and learn network was used for classification of the segmented PCG signals and a classification accuracy of 97.02% was achieved. It is concluded that homomorphic filtering and GAL network could be used for segmentation and classification of PCG signals without using a reference signal


Abstract. Urban Heat Island (UHI) refers to the development of higher urban temperatures of an urban area compared to the temperatures of surrounding suburban and rural areas. Highly reflective urban materials to solar radiation present a significantly lower surface temperature and contribute to reducing the sensible heat released in the atmosphere and mitigating the urban heat island. Many studies of the UHI effect have been based on Land Surface Temperature (LST) measurements from remote sensors. The remotely sensed UHI has been termed the surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect. This study examines Tabriz city land use/land cover (LULC) and LST changes using Landsat satellite images between 2000 and 2017. Maximum likelihood classification and single channel methods were used for LULC classification and LST retrieval respectively. Results show that impervious surface has increased 13.79% and bare soil area has decreased 16.2%. The results also revealed bare soil class LST after a constant trend become increasing. It also revealed the impervious surface LST has a decreasing trend between 2000 and 2011 and has a little change. Using materials that have low absorption and high reflectance decrease the effect of heat island considerably.


The article presents the study of R-SOD 3% nanocomposite's molecular mobility based on thermoplastic PI (R-SOD) with 3% of carbon nanofibres by dielectric method. Dielectric spectrum shows two processes of dipole polarisation relaxation: in the glassy state (local β process) and in the highly elastic state (cooperative a process) related to molecular mobility of phenyl rings with polar —О— groups in diamine and dianhydride parts of a macromolecule and to segmented motion, respectively.


A hierarchical approach to decision rule design in the HeKatE project is introduced in the paper. Within this approach a rule prototyping method ARD+ is presented. It offers a high-level hierarchical prototyping of decision rules. The method allows to identify all properties of the system being designed, and using the algorithm presented in this paper, it allows to automatically build rule prototypes. A practical implementation of the prototyping algorithm is discussed and a design example is also presented. Using the rule prototypes actual rules can be designed in the logical design stage. The design process itself is supported by HaDEs, a set of design tools developed within the project.


Liquid fluidized beds containing porous magnetic ion-exchange particles with densities ca. 1.03-1.16 g mL-1 were examined. The effect of magnetic stabilization was studied, both in terms of bed physical characteristics and sorptive behavior. Maximum applied magnetic field strength was approximately 200 oersted. Breakthrough and pulse analyses were carried out with protein and acetone solutions, respectively, with liquid flow rates ranging from approximately 1 to 3 cm min-1. Acetone pulses in columns containing 7 mL of particles had plate numbers ranging from 2.5 to 18 for magnetically stabilized beds and from 7.8 to 20 for non-stabilized fluidized beds. Under any particular set of conditions, magnetic stabilization always resulted in poorer efficiency, both in pulse analyses and in protein breakthrough experiments.