Alginate mangane microspheres were prepared by dipping the alginate solution in the manganese chloride solution,and then used to adsorb the pyrrole monomer. Using acidic potassiumper manganate solution as oxidation agent,the pyrrole monomer was polymerized to form the polypyr-role(PPy)on the surface of the alginate manganese spheres to form the composites microspheres ofPPy/alginate manganese. The structure,morphology and electrochemical properties of the compositespheres were characterizated by the infrared spectroscopy,SEM and electrochemical workstation.The results showed that there was PPy microspheres with 200 to 500 nm diameter on the surface ofthe composites spheres of alginate manganese. As increasing the solidification time,PPy/alginatemanganese alginate composite spheres had a tighter structure with a lower polypyrrole amount,its capacitance decreased. Such spheres with the biocompatible and conduct properties will be widely applied in the novel electrode field.


The mechanism of reversible photodegradation of 1-substituted aminoanthraquinones doped into poly(methyl methacrylate) and polystyrene is investigated. Time-dependent density functional theory is employed to predict the transition energies and corresponding oscillator strengths of the proposed reversibly and irreversibly damaged dye species. Ultraviolet-visible and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy are used to characterize which species are present. FTIR spectroscopy indicates that both dye and polymer undergo reversible photodegradation when irradiated with a visible laser. These findings suggest that photodegradation of 1-substituted aminoanthraquinones doped in polymers originates from interactions between dyes and photoinduced thermally degraded polymers, and the metastable product may recover or further degrade irreversibly.


Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between pro-oxidants and antioxidants in favor of pro-oxidants. Photon emission (also called chemiluminescence) has been widely used to study oxidative stress in biological systems in vitro. In vivo chemiluminescence has been proposed as a non-invasive method to assess oxidative stress in the skin. UVA (320-400 nm part of the ultraviolet radiation) exposure is generally accepted as a source of oxidative stress in the skin. In this study, UVA-induced oxidative stress was studied by using an in vivo chemiluminescence detection method. First, the dose response and the fluence rate response of the UVA-induced oxidative stress in human skin were investigated by examining the decay kinetics of the chemiluminescence signal following UVA exposure. A kinetic model was proposed to help differentiate these two responses. We found that the initial burst of the chemiluminescence signal depended on the UVA fluence rate, whereas the decay of the signal following exposure can be related to the UVA dose involved. Second, a significant reduction of UVA-induced chemiluminescence signal was observed after tape-stripping, indicating that stratum corneum is a major source of UVA-induced oxidative stress in the skin. Furthermore, the oxygen dependence of UVA-induced chemiluminescence signal was also confirmed by application of a pressure cuff, implying that some of the oxidative stress occurs in the deeper layers of the skin. Finally, topical application of vitamin C before exposure significantly reduced the UVA-induced chemiluminescence signal. We thus conclude that chemiluminescence is an effective method to assess the oxidative stress induced by UVA in human skin in vivo.


The organothallium phosphorus adduct (Me3 SiCH2)3Tl · P(SiMe3)3 (1) was prepared by combining (Me3SiCH2)3Tl and P(SiMe3)3 at room temperature. Compound 1 was characterized by 1H, 13C{1H}, and 31P{1H} NMR, partial elemental analysis, EI mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray analysis, the first to be reported for a thallium-group 15 adduct. Crystal data for 1: trigonal system, space group P 31, with a = 16.063(6) A, c = 12.148(3) A, Dcalcd = 1.315 g cm−3, and V = 2714.3(11) A3 for Z = 3. Refinement converged at R = 0.042 (Rw = 0.045). The Tl-P bond length in 1, previously unreported for compounds of this type, was found to be 1.922(3) A.


This title discusses planning for a future to respond to global challenges at the megaregional scale. The concept of 'the city' - as well as 'the state' and 'the nation state' - is passe, agree contributors to this insightful book. The new scale for considering economic strength and growth opportunities is 'the megaregion', a network of metropolitan centres and their surrounding areas that are spatially and functionally linked through environmental, economic, and infrastructure interactions. Recently a great deal of attention has been focused on the emergence of the European Union and on European spatial planning, which has boosted the region's competitiveness. "Mega-regions" applies these emerging concepts in an American context. It addresses critical questions for our future: what are the spatial implications of local, regional, national, and global trends within the context of sustainability, economic competitiveness, and social equity; how can we address housing, transportation, and infrastructure needs in growing megaregions; and, how can we develop and implement the policy changes necessary to make viable, livable megaregions. By the year 2050, megaregions will contain two-thirds of the U.S. population. Given the projected growth of the U.S. population and the accompanying geographic changes, this forward-looking book argues that U.S. planners and policymakers must examine and implement the megaregion as a new and appropriate framework. Contributors, all of whom are leaders in their academic and professional specialties, address the most critical issues confronting the U.S. over the next fifty years. At the same time, they examine ways in which the idea of megaregions might help address our concerns about equity, the economy, and the environment. Together, these essays define the theoretical, analytical, and operational underpinnings of a new structure that could respond to the anticipated upheavals in U.S. population and living patterns.


The last two decades have witnessed a rapid increase in the applications of long-term structural health monitoring technologies to the civil structures. A wealth of field data has been collected by the structural health monitoring systems. Nevertheless, the mining of information associated with structural condition from the large database is still a great challenge. In the structural health monitoring signals, spikes are commonly encountered anomalies that have large amplitudes and may show complex spatial and temporal patterns. They can introduce significant errors in data-based condition assessment of structures. Particularly, the long-term structural health monitoring data have an extraordinarily large volume. To remove the spikes in it, the algorithm is highly desired to be both automatic and efficient. An unsupervised and fast despiking method is proposed in this article on the theoretical cornerstone of the wavelet transform. This method is implemented by two steps, namely, spike detection and spike removal. The hypothesis testing and algorithm of searching wavelet modulus maxima chain are incorporated into the spike-detection procedure. Thus, the arrival time of the spikes can be identified fast. And then, the spikes are removed by a cross-scale maxima and minima search algorithm based on the maximum overlap discrete wavelet transform, retaining the unaffected information. The inverse transformation is not required in the spike-detection step, which improves the speed of the algorithm. The spike-removal algorithm removes spikes only from their occurrence frequency bands; thus, the unaffected signal components are intact after despiking. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated using three sets of structural health monitoring data collected from a real bridge, comparing with three other approaches, that is, the time-domain method, frequency filter and traditional wavelet method.


During an environmental assessment of a former fleet vehicle maintenance facility located in Jacksonville, Florida, dissolved trichloroethene (TCE) concentrations exceeding the Florida groundwater standard (3 micrograms per liter) were detected at a depth of 40 feet (12 meters) below land surface (bls). A plume was delineated that measured approximately 600 feet (183 meters) by 150 feet (46 meters), extending across a major road and onto adjacent properties. Shaw Environmental, Inc., which was acquired by CB&I in February 2012, performed pilot tests with in situ oxygen curtain (iSOC), and the injection of Anaerobic Biochem Plus (ABC+), a mixture of lactates, a phosphate buffer, fatty acids, and zero-valent iron. Based on the pilot-test results, ABC+ appeared the more effective of the two methods and was selected for full-scale implementation. In February 2011, Shaw Environmental, Inc. and a subcontractor used direct-push technology to inject ABC+ in 120 borings. By September 2011, the treatment succeeded in lowering the concentrations of TCE to below the Florida standard in all impacted wells. Subsequent sampling events indicate that TCE concentrations have remained below the standard, but sampling continues for iron, which is decreasing but remains slightly elevated. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The Keowee-Toxaway Power Project located in North and South Carolina received the 1975 OCEA Award. The many facets of this project appear overwhelming, yet this contributes to the remarkable concept that one grasps as the smooth coordination of power sources becomes evident. The project utilizes nuclear, hydro, and pumped-storage facilities designed to meet an interrelated capacity factor demand. All of the power facilities use the same reservoir waters in a truly multi-purpose system. Besides the multiple engineering functions of the reservoirs, they serve a multiple-use scheme honored by other awards that involve conservation, recreation, and land development.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Many human breast cancer cell lines have been implanted into immunodeficient mice in order to establish in vivo xenograft models, subcutaneous or orthotopic variants, in order to mimic this type of cancer as good as possible. However, especially the metastasising capabilities of these models turned out to be highly disappointing. In order to get more reliable models, breast cancer cells have often been implanted intravenously or intracardially rather than orthotopically. These models do work fine but resemble only limited parts of the complicated metastasis process. Therefore, a metastasis event originated from an orthotopically growing breast tumor seems more appropriate and displays an expanded view on the process of metastasis.

In the model presented here, the murine brast cancer cell line 4T1 was transduced with fire fly luciferase and implanted orthotopically into the fat pad of female BALB/C mice. The metastasis rate in this model is known to be better than in the common human xenografts transplanted in mice, although still limited. In order to get higher metastasis rates we tried to improve this model by resecting and recultivating the metastases of the invaded lungs after orthotopic implantation of the 4T1 cells. Cultured cells were checked for in vitro luciferase activity in parallel with ex vivo analysis of the lung tissue part which was used for the isolation of the cells. After using this approach for several rounds, what we refer to as "subpopulationing", we checked for increased metastasis properties of this newly isolated breast cancer cells. The new 4T1-M-ortho-luc cells were implanted ortotopically in parallel to the parental 4T1-luc cell line and we analysed 9 different organs ex vivo for luciferase activity. Whereas in the parental model only in lung tissue metastasis in all implanted mice (12/12) was detectable, the metastasis rate in the new model, generated by "subpopulationing", bounced up to 4 organs with measurable metastasis in 100 % of the mice and in general to a much higher degree of metastasis in most other organs. Only in liver tissue no metastases could be detected in both models.

Treatment of the mice with Doxorubicin clearly diminished tumor growth in both breast cancer models and can therefore serve as a potent positive control here.

With this new 4T1-M-ortho cell line we have available a metastasing breast cancer cell line that shows reliable metastasis observed in several organs of the mouse when implanted orthotopically. This model is suitable for testing potential anti-meatstasizing compounds aginst breast cancer. In addition, since this model is established in immunocompetent mice, and is therefore also perfectly suited for approaches involving the immune system of breast cancer patients.

Citation Format: Andreas Lingnau, Steffen Hoffmann, Sandra Moor, Cynthia Schaefer-Obodozie, Christoph Schaechtele. Establishment of a reliable metastasizing syngeneic breast cancer mouse model using orthotopically implanted 4T1 cells after several rounds of isolating and reimplanting lung metastases. [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 1222. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1222


1- Introduction
The literature review of Persian suffixes show that "-i, -in, -ineh, -gan, -ganeh, -aneh, and -iyeh/yeh" are attributive suffixes. Linguistic evidences show that once these suffixes are added to a word, in addition to the central senses of "related to" and "attributed to", they add peripheral sense such as possession, similarity, possibility, obligation, origin, direction, goal, rank, manner, limit, quantity, intermediary, and so on to some words. Such secondary senses are actually related to pragmatics. The way the main senses are related to the pragmatic ones is the subject of study of morphopragmatics which explains the pragmatic roles of words within morphological process and in relation with other words. The aim of the present research is the morphopragmatical study of attribution derivational suffixes in Persian in terms of Jurafsky radial model (1996).

2- Theoretical Framework
Lakoff (1987) argues in his idealized cognitive model (ICM) that words show radial categories. Following Lakoff's radial category model, Jurafsky (1996) performed a typological study of "diminutive" in different languages in terms of morphopragmatics and proposed that semantic expansion and relation can be a reason for the plurality of pragmatic characteristics. He came to the conclusion that the numerous meanings of diminutive affixes are extensions of the central senses of child/small/female gender which are related to the main meanings of child/small/female gender through different semantic change mechanisms such as metaphor, inference, generalization, and lambda-abstraction.
The radial category is a graphic representation of a polysemous category, composed of a central and main meaning of "prototype", which is represented in a network of nodes and links through the expansion of its meaning. Nodes show meanings, and links show metamorphic extensions, transfer in terms of mental overall plans, transfer to different domains, or inference. Therefore, once interpreted as a synchronic phenomenon, the radial category describes active relations among the notions of a polysemous category, and once interpreted as a diachronic phenomenon, it reaches expansions on different mechanisms of semantic change.

3- Methodology
The methodology of the present research is descriptive-analytical, with both library and field data collection methods. The data for the present research are collected from the spoken (conversational) and written versions of the Persian language in different ways. At the beginning, we used some Persian dictionaries such as Ravaghi Dictionary of Persian Suffixes (2009), Farshidvard Dictionary of Persian Prefixes and Suffixes (2007), The Zansou Kashani Persian Dictionary (1993), and Suffix Derivation in Contemporary Persian Language (Kashani, 1992). We used suffix derivative words (attributive suffixes) for note taking on cards. We also used the daily conversation of persons in different contexts and situations for finding out suffixes which are used in everyday conversational Persian. We named different usages of suffixes based on Syntax Patterns in the Persian Language (Sameei and Tafsiri, 2004). We also made some innovations based on prior researches.

4- Results & Discussion
 The study of attributive affixes show that the main and central sense of these affixes has always been "attribution", and that they are used in the meaning of "related to" or "attributed to". However, in the contemporary Persian language, in addition to this central sense, affixes have got other different pragmatic senses which have been derived from the main sense through different mechanisms in different eras based on different needs of speakers. Furthermore, the analysis of data and drawing of the radial diagram of attributive suffixes showed that some of their pragmatic senses overlap with the semantic domains of other derivative suffixes such as diminutive, similarity, and place suffixes.
5- Conclusions & Suggestions
 The overlapping of the pragmatic senses of attributive suffixes with other derivative suffixes of the Persian language shows network links between different linguistic senses which have always been in continuous interaction all through the history. The relation nodes among the semantic network of words are so interconnected that sometimes the prominence of one relation leads to the prominence of some other relational branches, in a way that different meanings are conveyed to mind. Language works in terms of a network all through its history, a complicated and heavily interconnected network which leads to the creation of different meanings and applications in language. In some cases, the pragmatic meaning of an attributive suffix overlaps with the meaning and application of other attributive suffixes or even that of other suffixes of the Persian language such as suffixes of similarity, description, possession, and diminutive. All suffixes subject to this study ("-i, -in, -ineh, -gan, -ganeh, -aneh, and -iyeh/yeh, ci, eki, and ou) rotate around one network and are correlated in some way. Another important point is that the process of semantic change in the attributive suffixes of the Persian language conforms to the "unidirectionality of semantic change" claim of Lak off (1987) and Jurafsky (1996) radial model, i.e., diachronically speaking, the meanings of the attributive suffixes of the Persian language are expanded from the central meanings to peripherial ones of the category.

Key Words: Morphopragmatics, attributive derivational suffix, cognitive approach, Jurafsky radial model.

References (in Persian)
Ravaghi, A.(2009).Dictionary of Persian Suffixes, Tehran: Academy Persian Language and Literature.
Sameei,H. and M.Tafsiri.(2004). Syntax Patterns in the Persian Language, Tehran: Academy Persian Language and Literature.
Farshidvard,Kh.(2007). Dictionary of Persian Prefixes and Suffixes, Tehran.
Keshani,Kh.(1993). The Zansou Persian Dictionary, Tehran: University Publication Centre.,
Keshani,Kh.(1992). Suffix Derivation in Contemporary Persian Language, Tehran:University Publication Centre.

References (in English) Dressler W. & Merlini – Barbaresi, L (1994). Morphopragmatics: Diminutives and intensifiers in Italian, German, and other languages. In Werner (Ed), Trends in linguistics: Studies and monographs 76. New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Heine, B. et al. (1991). Grammaticalization: A Conceptual Frame work. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Jurafsky, Daniel. (1996). "Universal tendencies in the Semantics of the diminutive". Language, Source: Language, Vol. 72 No. 3, pp. 533-578.
 Kiefer, F. (1998). Morphology and Pragmatics. In A. Spencer & S. Zwicky, The handbook of morphology (pp. 272-279). Massachusetts Blackwell.
Klaus Laalo(2001). Diminutives in Finnish Child-Diercted and Child Speech: Morphophonemic and Morphophonemic Aspects,
Psychology of Language and Communication, Vol. 5, No. 2. pp.71-80.
Kortvelyessy, Livia (2015).Evaluative Morphology from a Cross-Linguistic Perspective. Newcastle.Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Lakoff, G (1987). Women, fire and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the mind. Chicago: University of Chicago.
Meibauer, Jorg (2014). Word-formation and Contextualism. International Review of Pragmatics ,Vol. 6,pp. 103–126.
Prieto,Moises,victor(2005).Spanish Evaluative Morphology: Pragmatic, Socialinguistic, and Semantic Issue.PhD Dessertation, University of Florida.


Background and purpose Decisions on the use of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) beyond 8 hours from onset of stroke symptoms remains fairly debatable. The adequate tools used for the triage of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) symptoms has not been definitive yet. We studied the safety and the efficacy of delayed MT (>8 hours) with image-based selection criteria. Methods Data of prospectively treated patients was retrospectively collected between 2010–2017. Data on intra-venous tissue plasminogen activator(IV-rtPA), National Institute Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS; range, 0 to 42) at admission, per-procedure complications (IA/IV-tPA after failed MT, distal embolus, vessel dissection, re-occlusion after MT), mortality, and clinical functional status evaluated with the modified Rankin Scale(mRS0–6) at latest follow-up was gathered. The primary outcomes were: (1) safety and the feasibility of delayed (>8 hours) MT, (2) functional independence on latest follow-up(mRS score <2), (3) functional improvement on latest follow-up defined as a de-escalation by one of the mRS score, and (4)overall mortality with delayed MT. Multivariate effects logistic regressions were conducted for statistical analysis. Results Of 234 patients (average age 64.4 years, 45.3% female) that constituted our population, 215 were included in our statistical analysis: 137patients in the group of patients who received MT <8 hours from onset of symptoms(OS), and 78 others received MT beyond 8 hours from OS. 25/234 (10.7%) patients had tandem embolus. 81/234 (30.7%) patients performed their MT with just Second Generation Stent-Retrievers(SGSR), 16/234 (6.8%) patients received therapy with large-bore aspiration catheters, 135/234 (70.5%) patients received a salvage thrombus aspiration after failed first-line stent-retrievers thrombectomy. 89/234 (38%) patients had a first-pass successful vessel recanalization mTICI >2. The average time of revascularization was 92.2 min (SD=97.10). 27/234 (11.5%) had a mTICI of 2b, and 172/234 (73.5%) had a mTICI of 3. The average patient follow-up was 123 days(SD=163 days). MT beyond 8 hours was not a predictor of disability or functional deterioration, of increased mortality, of per-procedural complications, of successful vessel repermeabilization. However, delayed thrombectomy was linked to a higher length of post-procedural hospital stay. Conclusions Patient selection for MT should not be primarily driven by time-based criteria. More objective dynamics such as image-based criteria should be further promoted as primary selection tools. Delayed MT after 8 hours should be a safe and highly efficacious first-line modality of treatment for strokes of anterior and posterior circulation. Disclosures E. Atallah: None. K. Hafazallah: None. S. Missios: None. R. Abbas: None. S. Tjoumakaris: None. N. Herial: None. M. Gooch: None. R. Rosenwasser: None. H. Zarzour: None. P. Jabbour: None.


As a relatively new university press director intent on future‐proofing the MIT Press during a time of rapid change, a crucial question for me is how to honor a legacy of excellence in content, design, and production as we move into the future as part of an educational institution committed to experimentation, invention, and open information access. For us, the answer is that we not only embrace it but actively participate in creating and defining that future. This article provides a high‐level overview of current strategic priorities and objectives at the MIT Press, focused mainly on the book side of the house.


A standard procedure in processing vertical seismic profile (VSP) data is the separation of up-and downgoing wavefields. We show that the up-down wavefields in boreholes can be reconstructed using only single-component borehole data, given that a full set of surface reflection data is also available. No medium parameters are required. The method is wave-equation based for a general inhomogeneous lossless medium with moderately curved interfaces. It relies on a focusing wavefield from the Marchenko method, which gives the recipe for finding this wavefield that satisfies certain focusing conditions in a reference medium. The up-down wavefields are then reconstructed at borehole positions using this focusing wavefields and the surface reflection response. We show that the method is applicable to boreholes with any general orientation. The requirement is that the source positions in the surface data are regularized to be the same as those in the borehole data, and that source deconvolution and surface multiple removal are applied for the surface data. Numerical results from a field in the North Sea are shown, and three different borehole geometries (horizontal, deviated and vertical) are tested. The result shows that the reconstructed up-down wavefields agree well with those by conventional separation methods.


A second shape finding method was developed to improve the nonlinear finite element based shape finding method. The curved shape is obtained by raising the control points above the projection plane. The convergence was improved using pseudo material properties to get a preliminary shape, and then using the real properties to get the final shape. A large number of examples were analyzed to verify the validity and practicality of this method. The results show that the final curved surface after the second shape finding process is always quite similar to the first one. Moreover, the curved surface obtained after the second shape finding process is accurate and will be realized in real materials.


For a 1-periodic function of finite smoothness and a Diophantine vector the solubility problem is studied for the additive cohomological equation on the torus where is the shift of the torus by the vector and is an unknown measurable function.Necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained for the conjugacy of a linear flow on the -torus to the reparametrized flow where is a positive 1-periodic function of finite smoothness.


Given the credence nature of functional food attributes labelling plays a key role in allowing consumers to make informed choices about foods with enhanced health attributes. The degree to which a particular jurisdiction permits health claims for food products and the type of allowable health claim influence the information set available to consumers. In Canada the regulatory environment governing health claims for functional food products is somewhat more restrictive than in other jurisdictions, including the United States. Food manufacturers therefore also use visual imagery to suggest a health benefit, such as the picture of a red heart to imply that a product has heart health benefits. The paper characterizes these labelling strategies as "partial labelling", while "full labelling'' refers to formal health claims on food labels, ranging from general (structure-function) claims, to risk reduction claims, to disease prevention claims. This paper explores the effect of labelling (full and partial) on consumers' functional food choices. How might different types of labelling information and the verification of health claims by different agencies affect consumers' preferences for functional foods? Using data from an online survey of 740 Canadians conducted in summer 2009 the paper uses discrete choice modelling to examine the responses of Canadian consumers to different product labelling strategies for milk enhanced with Omega-3. Conditional Logit and Latent Class models are estimated. Preliminary results suggest that full labelling is preferred over partial labelling, but primarily for risk reduction claims. There is no significant difference between a function claim, such as "good for your heart" and partial labelling in the form of a red heart symbol. The choice experiment included verification of health claims by a government agency (Health Canada) or by a third party (Heart and Stroke Foundation). The preliminary results suggest that consumers on average respond positively to verification of health claims, however, the latent class model reveals considerable heterogeneity in consumer attitudes toward the source of verification. Interactions between key-socio-demographic and attitudinal variables and the main effects variables in the choice experiment provide further insights into consumer responses.


The accretion of material onto young protostars is accompanied by the launching of outflows. Observations show that accretion, and therefore also outflows, are episodic. However, the effects of episodic outflow feedback on the core-scale are not well understood. We have performed 88 Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic simulations of turbulent dense $1 \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ cores, to study the influence of episodic outflow feedback on the stellar multiplicity and the star formation efficiency (SFE). Protostars are represented by sink particles, which use a sub-grid model to capture stellar evolution, inner-disc evolution, episodic accretion and the launching of outflows. By comparing simulations with and without episodic outflow feedback, we show that simulations with outflow feedback reproduce the binary statistics of young stellar populations, including the relative proportions of singles, binaries, triples, etc. and the high incidence of twin binaries with $q\geq 0.95$; simulations without outflow feedback do not. Entrainment factors (the ratio between total outflowing mass and initially ejected mass) are typically $\sim 7\pm 2$, but can be much higher if the total mass of stars formed in a core is low and/or outflow episodes are infrequent. By decreasing both the mean mass of the stars formed and the number of stars formed, outflow feedback reduces the SFE by about a factor of 2 (as compared with simulations that do not include outflow feedback).


The impact of model membrane degradation compounds on the relevant electrochemical parameters for the oxygen reduction reaction (i.e. electrochemical surface area and catalytic activity), was studied for both polycrystalline Pt and carbon supported Pt electrocatalysts. Model compounds, representing previously published, experimentally determined polymer electrolyte membrane degradation products, were in the form of perfluorinated organic acids that contained combinations of carboxylic and/or sulfonic acid functionality. Perfluorinated carboxylic acids of carbon chain length C1 – C6 were found to have an impact on electrochemical surface area (ECA). The longest chain length acid also hindered the observed oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance, resulting in a 17% loss in kinetic current (determined at 0.9 V). Model compounds containing sulfonic acid functional groups alone did not show an effect on Pt ECA or ORR activity. Lastly, greater than a 44% loss in ORR activity at 0.9V was observed for diacid model compounds DA-Naf (perfluoro(2-methyl-3-oxa-5-sulfonic pentanoic) acid) and DA-3M (perfluoro(4-sulfonic butanoic) acid), which contained both sulfonic and carboxylic acid functionalities.


Background: Corn germ meal (CGM) and corn gluten feed (CGF) are two main corn by-products (CBs) obtained from corn starch extraction. Due to their high fiber content, low protein content and severe imbalance of amino acid, CBs are unable to be fully utilized by animals. In this study, the effect of microorganism, proteases, temperature, solid-liquid ratio and time on nutritional properties of CBs mixture feed (CMF) was investigated with the single factor method and the response surface method to improve the nutritional quality and utilization of CBs. Results: Fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus plantarum and neutral protease notably improved the nutritional properties of CMF under the fermentation conditions of 37 °C, solid-liquid ratio ( 1.2:1 g/mL ) and 72 h. The crude protein (CP) and trichloroacetic acid soluble protein (TCA-SP) in fermented CMF (FCMF) were increased( P < 0.05)by 14.28% and 25.53%, respectively. The in vitro digestibility of CP and total amino acids of FCMF were significantly improved to 78.53% and 74.94%, respectively. In addition, fermentation degraded fiber and provided more organic acids in the CMF. Conclusions: Our results suggest that solid-state fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Lactobacillus plantarum and protease can efficiently improve protein quality and nutrient utilization of CMF.


: Correlations are made between the electrocochleographic aspects and the ultrastructural findings in 60 guinea pigs intoxicated with either Gentamycin or Tobramycin. Small cochlear lesions are studied in order to identify the electrical aspect corresponding to the earliest anatomical cell alterations. The wave shape seems to be more important than the classical input-output functions as first signs of the inability of the organ of Corti to clear the aminoside antibiotics. The reversal of N1 and N2 and later the accentuation of P1, frequently correspond to early signs of cell intoxication such as disruption of the regular arrangement of the endoplasmic reticulum and proliferation of lysosomes. A similar situation may obtain in humans intoxicated with aminosides.


NgR, the receptor for the neurite outgrowth inhibitor Nogo-66, plays a critical role in the plasticity and regeneration of the nervous system after injury such as ischemic stroke. In the present study, we used immunohistochemistry to investigate the regional expression of NgR in rat brain following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). NgR protein expression was not observed in the center of the lesion, but was elevated in the marginal zone compared with control and sham-operated rats. The cerebral cortex and hippocampus (CA1, CA2, and CA3) showed the greatest expression of NgR. Furthermore, NgR expression was higher in the ipsilesional hemisphere than on the control side in the same coronal section. Although time-dependent changes in NgR expression across brain regions had their own characteristics, the overall trend complied with the following rules: NgR expression changes with time showed two peaks and one trough; the first peak in expression appeared between 1 and 3 days after MCAO; expression declined at 5 days; and the second peak occurred at 28 days.


Background & Aims Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a wide spectrum of liver pathologies. However, not medical treatment has been approved for the treatment of the disease. In our previous study, we found PKLR could be a potential target for treatment of NALFD. Here, the aim is to investigate the effect of PKLR in in vivo model and perform drug repositioning to identify a drug candidate for treatment of NAFLD. Methods Biopsies from liver, muscle, white adipose tissue and heart were obtained from control and PKLR knockout mice fed with chow and high sucrose diets. Lipidomics as well as transcriptmics analyses were conducted using these tissue samples. In addition, a computational drug repositioning analysis was performed and drug candidates were identified. The drug candidates were finally tested in both in vitro and in vivo models to evaluated their toxicity and efficacy. Results The Pklr KO reversed the increased hepatic triglyceride level in mice fed with high sucrose diet and partly recovered the transcriptomic changes in liver as well as other three tissues. Both liver and white adipose tissues exhibited dysregulated circadian transcriptomic profiles, and these dysregulations were reversed by hepatic knockout of Pklr. In addition, 10 small molecule drugs were identified as potential inhibitor of PKLR by the drug repositioning pipeline, and two of them significantly inhibited both the PKLR expression and triglyceride level in in vitro model. Finally, the two selected small molecule drugs were evaluated in in vivo rat models and it was demonstrated that these drugs attenuated hepatic steatosis without side effect on other tissues. Conclusion In conclusion, our study provided biological insights about the critical role of PKLR in NAFLD progression and proposed a treatment strategy for NAFLD patients, which has been validated in preclinical experiment.


ABSTRACT This paper seeks to problematise and complexify scholarly accounts of contemporary emotional repression in Western contexts by presenting counterevidence in the form of two examples of post-secular collective affectivity and their ritual expressions. It argues that both narratives of emotional repression and expression fail to capture the non-linear complexity of processes of cultural transformation, which have resulted in the simultaneous expression and repression of ritualistic affects that are products of our evolutionary embodied history. Drawing on insights from affect theory, this paper seeks to illustrate how contingent yet nonetheless residual ritualistic affects have become repressed in the nominally secular public sphere in modernity. This has presented certain obstacles to the open communal display of religious ritual, and, as a corollary, the expression of certain religious affects, which have subsequently re-emerged in post-secular ritual spaces that are both publically private and privately public, carved by contemporary renewal movements. Two of these 'formations of the post-secular' are explored here: the Sunday Assembly, a secular church, and Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, an international Pentecostal Deliverance church.


It was demonstrated previously that a deoxyribophosphodiesterase (dRpase) activity is associated with the DNA repair enzyme exonuclease I, and that this activity is stimulated by the addition of the E. coli single-stranded DNA-binding protein (Ssb). This activity catalyzes the release of deoxyribose-phosphate groups at apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites in the DNA that have been cleared by the action of an AP endonuclease. We have now used the yeast two-hybrid system to demonstrate that a protein-protein interaction occurs between exonuclease I and Ssb. When the E. coli ssb gene was fused in frame to the DNA-activating domain of the GAL4 transcriptional activator and the exonuclease I gene was fused in frame to the DNA-binding domain, a functional GAL4 transcriptional activator was produced as determined by growth of yeast on selective medium and the measurement of beta-galactosidase activity. We have also demonstrated that Ssb can stimulate the dRpase activity of exonuclease I using double-stranded bacteriophage M13 DNA containing several strand interruptions at incised AP sites. These results suggest that Ssb may be required for efficient base-excision repair in bacteria.


PURPOSE
To characterize structural parameters of the basal membrane complex (BMC) and to determine the arrangement and organization of posterior fiber ends during elongation/migration in lenses with branched sutures.

METHODS
Lenses from normal, juvenile (4-6 week old) Sprague-Dawley rats (n=16) were utilized. Posterior fiber ends were assessed on both whole mounts of lens capsules and on decapsulated lenses. The size, shape and organization of migrating fiber ends was assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) along the entire posterior surface. The area of the BMC was measured using image analysis software and subjected to statistical analysis.

RESULTS
Posterior fiber ends had a characteristic regional arrangement during elongation and migration along the capsule. These regions were termed the equatorial, the lateral-posterior (posterior from the equator to within 150 microm of the sutures), the peri-sutural (150 microm surrounding the sutures), and the sutural. The area of fiber ends (seen by SEM) was compared to the area of fluorescent F-actin profiles (seen by LSCM). There was no significant difference (p=0.324) between the average basal end area (40.21 microm2) and the average area of F-actin profiles (40.65 microm2). The average fiber end area in the lateral-posterior, peri-sutural, and sutural regions was 63.19 microm2, 71.95 microm2, and 25.75 microm2, respectively. In the equatorial region, footprints were aligned in rows oriented toward the posterior pole, consistent with the arrangement of straight, meridional rows. Initially, fiber ends within the lateral-posterior region were arranged in short irregular rows having variable orientation with respect to the posterior pole. The remainder of these ends were randomly arranged. In the peri-sutural region, fiber ends approaching suture branches were aligned in short rows oriented at angles to the posterior pole. At the sutures, fiber ends appeared to become rounded, presumably during detachment from the capsule.

CONCLUSIONS
The results confirm that F-actin profiles delineate the BMC of posterior fiber ends. Furthermore, the average area, shape and arrangement of fiber ends varies in a predictable pattern during migration. The data suggests that elongating fiber ends follow defined migration patterns along the posterior capsule to their sutural destinations. This controlled process is crucial to the formation of ordered suture patterns, thereby minimizing their adverse effects on lens optical quality.


Silicone tubes containing a freshly mixed experimental Sealapex, in which titanium dioxide was removed from the original formula, were implanted in the dorsal subcutaneous connective tissue of the rat. Solid silicone rods of the same size as the tubes were also implanted and used as inert controls. The tissue reaction to both these materials was histometrically and quantitatively studied under light microscopy and by elemental electron microprobe analysis. After 7, 30 and 90 d of implantation, different grades of tissue reaction to the tested materials were recorded. A granulomatous tissue containing numerous foreign-body giant cells and macrophages with engulfed particles in their cytoplasms was initially detected in contact with the test material. In addition, many fibroblasts and newly formed vessels were also observed at these areas. The results of this study revealed that these reactions increased progressively at the 30- and 90-d observations. The electron microprobe analysis of the granulomatous tissues showed the presence of heavy components of the experimental material.


This article intends to identify the contribution of the variable integration of OSH management in the business to measure at maturity of OSH management in public organizations of Bogota; additionally, the information provided by the variables OSH policies was considered relevant, as well as strategic position and strategic planning. This was done based on the results obtained from the implementation of the maturity instrument that aims to measure the maturity of the Management of Health and Safety at Work (MHSW). The contribution of the variable integration of the management of the OSH to the measurement of the maturity of the management of the OSH was carried out through a confirmatory factor analysis in R Project and an increase was calculated in the average weight assigned to the variable of 10.47% in relation to the initially assigned weight.


A 58-year-old male patient, previously healthy, presented with right flank pain of few hours duration. Initial workup showed an elevated creatinine and right hydroureteronephrosis. Computed tomography imaging revealed a retroperitoneal soft tissue mass encasing the right common iliac artery which is a first reported case in its anatomical distribution. Patient was referred to interventional radiology service where a percutaneous nephrostomy tube was placed followed by double J stenting. Subsequently, treatment with steroids was started. Follow up imaging a few months later revealed progressive resolution of the inflammatory process.


Abstract:Focusing on Herman Melville's letters to literary peers, this essay reads the extravagance of Melville's epistolary style less as a symptom of any urgent sexual desires for his addressees than as a relatively conventional performance of nineteenth-century masculine letter writing. From this premise, the essay makes two related arguments. The first is historiographic. It shows that the isolation of Nathaniel Hawthorne as Melville's principal love object was as much as projection of mid-twentieth-century Americanist critics (for whom Hawthorne was unquestionably a love object) as it was a historical reality. The critical effort to establish Melville as a great American writer made strategic use of epistolary evidence that linked Melville to another great American writer. The essay's second argument is formalist. It shows that if Melville expressed his longings to a number of male companions according to the period's terms for masculine epistolary convention, those longings were not any less meaningful for being highly conventional. This understanding of literary form shows that the historical study of sexuality can benefit from attention to the formal and conventional aspects of personal expression.


With over 700 photographs, this book shows every type of bicycle including the anatomy, the action and the rider of each bike. The book features all the most popular bikes of today, from tandems to mountain bikes, and from professional racers to the more esoteric bikes of the future. Annotated photographs and text reveal the most efficient way of riding each type of bike and explain the function of all the moving parts of a bicycle. Professional tips and step-by-step photographs show how to maintain each bicycle.


SUMMARY A new motion-free iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm is proposed for building a two-dimensional (2D) map for mobile robot navigation. A laser range finder (LRF) sensor is installed on a mobile robot to scan and measure the depth data of the environment to form a 2D map during mobile robot navigation. Because the scanning and navigation motions are performed independently, the scanned data contain distortions from the motions of the mobile robot. To compensate for the distortions, the proposed motion-free ICP algorithm estimates the effects of the dynamic motions of the robot on the scanning process. That is, the motion-free algorithm compensates for the distance measurement errors related to the dynamic changes in the mobile robot's velocity. Experiments were performed with actual velocity changes of a mobile robot to demonstrate and verify the effective performance of the proposed algorithm.


Taking calcium supplements can reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, but they are not readily absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. Nanotechnology is expected to resolve this problem. In the present study, we examined whether the bioavailability of calcium carbonate and calcium citrate can be improved by reducing the particle size. The morphology of nano calcium carbonate and nano calcium citrate was characterized by dynamic laser-light scattering (DLS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The measurements obtained from DLS, FE-SEM and TEM were comparable. Acute and sub-chronic toxicity tests were performed to establish the safety of these products after oral administration. The no-observed-adverse-effect levels of nano calcium carbonate and nano calcium citrate were 1.3 and 2.3 g kg−1 body weight, respectively. The results of our in vivo studies indicate that administering nano calcium carbonate and nano calcium citrate can enhance the serum calcium concentration and maintain the whole-body bone mineral density in ovariectomized mice. These data suggest that nano calcium carbonate and nano calcium citrate are more bioavailable than micro calcium carbonate and micro calcium citrate, respectively.


On January 6th, 2021, right-wing demonstrators forcibly entered the United States Capitol building in an effort to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election. Rioters documented their efforts on social media and live-streaming platforms, creating a digital footprint of their actions. In response, members of the r/DataHoarder subreddit initiated an ad-hoc archival project to collect, deduplicate, and preserve incriminating evidence from the Capitol insurrection. This research examines the r/DataHoarder insurrection archive through the lens of a collective and spontaneous archival project. I examine the methodology undertaken by the Redditors as well as their underlying values and motivations informing their data hoarding in response to the national event. I apply thematic coding as well as quantitative analysis to a dataset of 2,700 Reddit comments documenting the archival effort. I find that users were drawn to the archive project out of a desire to contribute to law enforcement efforts, enact punitive justice upon the rioters, engage in public discourse, and preserve information for posterity. Redditors who engaged with the project repeatedly tended to focus on technical and coordination tasks while single-time participants offered encouragement and identified sources for archiving. Calls to reveal personal information about rioters or to target their places of employment were often ignored and typically proposed by Redditors who did not engage with the project otherwise.


A retrospective study to determine adverse perinatal outcome associated with macrosomic births was carried out at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar (1994-2000). The incidence of macrosomic births was 1 in 25 deliveries. Perinatal mortality rate (PNMR) was 83 per 1000 births was highest in the birth weight range of 4.0 – 4.4kg (P = 0.004) and in macrosomic babies born by caesarean section (P=0.0019). The commonest indication for abdominal delivery was obstructed labour (14.4%) with an associated PNMR of 21.8 per 1000 births. Perinatal morbidity and mortality were seen in 25.3% of cases. Perinatal mortality is significantly high in the birth weight range of 4.0-4.4kg and in babies born abdonminally, mainly because of obstructed labour and ruptured uterus. Intervention before these complications occur may significantly reduce the adverse pregnancy outcome associated with macrosomic births. Keywords : fetal complications, macrosomia Mary Slessor Journal of Medicine Vol. 5(2) 2005: 5-7


In the debate about the demise of the Neandertal, several scholars have claimed that humanity's nearest relatives were indistinguishable archaeologically, and thus behaviorally and cognitively, from contemporaneous Homo sapiens. They suggest that to hold otherwise is to characterize Neandertals as inferior to H. sapiens, a false dichotomy that excludes the possibility that the two human types simply differed in ways visible to natural selection, including their cognition. Support of the Neandertal indistinguishability claim requires ignoring the cranial differences between the two human types, which have implications for cognition and behavior. Further, support of the claim requires minimizing asymmetries in the quantity and degree of behavioral differences as attested by the archaeological record. The present paper reviews the evidence for cognitive and archaeological differences between the two human types in support of the excluded middle position.


In this work, we have assessed the exposure of soil bacteria from potato monoculture to three types of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as well as silver ions (Ag+ ions) delivered in the form of silver nitrate and a commercially available fungicide. The diversity of the soil microbial community, enzymatic activity, and carbon source utilization were evaluated. It was found that only the fungicide significantly limited the abundance and activity of soil bacteria. Silver ions significantly reduced bacterial metabolic activity. In turn, one type of AgNPs prepared with the use of tannic acid (TA) increased bacterial load and activity. There was found in all AgNPs treated soils (1) a greater proportion of all types of persistent bacteria, i.e., Bacillus, Paenibacillus, and Clostridium; (2) a visible decrease in the proportion of Nocardioides, Arthrobacter, and Candidatus Solibacter; (3) almost complete depletion of Pseudomonas; (4) increase in the number of low-frequency taxa and decrease in dominant taxa compared to the control soil. Despite the general trend of qualitative changes in the bacterial community, it was found that the differences in the chemical structure of the AgNP stabilizing layers had a significant impact on the specific metabolic activity resulting from qualitative changes in the microbiome.


Traveling salesman problem (TSP) is a classical combinatorial optimization problem. As it represents a large number of important practical problems, it has received extensive studies and a great variety of algorithms have been proposed to solve it, including exact and heuristic algorithms. The success of heuristic algorithms relies heavily on the design of powerful heuristic rules, and most of the existing heuristic rules were manually designed by experienced experts to model their insights and observations on TSP instances and solutions. Recent studies have shown an alternative promising design strategy that directly learns heuristic rules from TSP instances without any manual interference. Here, we report an iterative improvement approach (called Neural-3-OPT) that solves TSP through automatically learning effective 3-opt heuristics via deep reinforcement learning. In the proposed approach, we adopt a pointer network to select 3 links from the current tour, and a feature-wise linear modulation network to select an appropriate way to reconnect the segments after removing the selected 3 links. We demonstrate that our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on both real TSP instances and randomly-generated instances than, to the best of our knowledge, the existing neural network-based approaches.


Trauma in pregnancy is a leading cause of poor fetal and obstetric outcomes. Trauma team activation (TTA) criteria include injury with ≥ 20 weeks gestational age (GA). A retrospective analysis was performed on pregnant patients evaluated at a Level 1 trauma center. Patients were characterized by TTA: full, partial, or non-TTA, and TTA criteria independent of pregnancy. Index trauma and delayed delivery hospitalization outcomes were examined. Bivariate analysis, t test, and logistic regression were used when appropriate. From 2010 to 2015, 216 full, 50 partial, and 50 non-TTAs presented. Independent of pregnancy, 79 per cent of patients did not meet the TTA criteria. Fourteen (4%) had a pregnancy-related complication during index hospitalization (eight fetal and two maternal deaths). Nine of ten deaths occurred in patients meeting TTA independent of pregnancy. Delivery complications were greater in the index (52%, 13/25) versus subsequent (5%, 17/155) hospitalizations and were predicted by the respiratory rate (P = 0.016) and injury severity score (P < 0.001). Poor delayed delivery outcomes were associated with earlier GA (P < 0.002) and longer index hospitalization (P < 0.024). Odds of complication are higher in patients meeting the physiologic and anatomic criteria criteria for TTA versus GA criteria alone, signifying overtriage. Trauma activation protocols should be adapted based on the physiologic and anatomic criteria criteria in pregnant patients.


The A. discusses the gender constitution of Swedish clergywomen in their professional careers. Light is shed upon the strategies developed by the informants, how they cope with their situation both as women and clerics and their potential to develop a new professional clerical role. It is obvious that clergywomen are often given a warm reception by their parishioners, but not always by their male colleagues. A type of male homosociality excludes women from the top positions in the Church of Sweden. One interesting field for analysis of the process of gender constitution is spiritual counselling, where the axes of gender and positional power tend to reinforce each other when the minister is a man, while they deviate from each other when the minister is a woman. Concerning the informants' understanding of gender, it can be pointed out that essential and constructional understandings appear to co-exist. Activating different understandings of gender in different situations may be a type of survival strategy in a professional context, where the very existence of clergywomen is called into question.


Two-phase compressible flow fields of air-water are investigated numerically in the fixed Eulerian grid framework. The phase interface is captured via volume fractions of each phase. A way to model two phase compressible flows as a single phase one is found based on an equivalent equation of states of Tait's type for a multiphase cell. The equivalent single phase field is discretized using the Roe's approximate Riemann solver. Two approaches are tried to suppress the pressure oscillation phenomena at the phase interface, a passive advection of volume fraction and a direct pressure relaxation with the compressible form of volume fraction equation. The direct pressure equalizing method suppresses pressure oscillation successfully and generates sharp discontinuities, transmitting and reflecting acoustic waves naturally at the phase interface. In discretizing the compressible form of volume fraction equation, phase interfaces are geometrically reconstructed to minimize the numerical diffusion of volume fraction and relevant variables. The motion of a projectile in a water-filled tube which is fired by the release of highly pressurized air is simulated presuming the flow field as a two dimensional one, and several design factors affecting the projectile movement are investigated.


The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceived impacts of COVID-19 in participating in academic events, relating the attractiveness of destinations and tourist opportunities as pull factors. Remote communication technologies have also been put into perspective to understand how they can influence future participation in events. A Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used to test both research model and hypotheses. This study supports that COVID-19 has profoundly affected participation in events and has an impact on the attractiveness of the destination and tourist opportunities. During the pandemic context, remote communication technologies have replaced physical presence at events and are expected to continue to be present in future events. However, it is anticipated that technology will not permanently replace physical presence at events, due to the social character it represents. Also, destination attractiveness, and tourist opportunities will be important in the decision to participate in physical events. This paper addresses the current topic of COVID-19 and the impact on the future of physical events and gives some indicators that may contribute to a better planning of destinations in the recovery of this sector, namely by enhancing the tourist attractiveness of destinations as pull factor.


The adiabatic quantum evolution of the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick (LMG) model across its quantum critical point is studied. The dynamics is realized by linearly switching the transverse field from an initial large value towards zero. We concentrate our attention on the residual energy after the quench in order to estimate the level of diabaticity of the evolution. We discuss a Landau-Zener approximation of the finite size LMG model, that is successful in reproducing the behavior of the residual energy as function of the transition rate in most of the regimes considered. The system proposed is a paradigm of infinite-range interaction or high-dimensional models.


Schwannoma (neurilemmoma) is a peripheral nerve sheath tumor and commonly occurs singularly on the head, neck, and trunk. Giant schwannoma is rarely located on the retroperitoneum and pelvic cavity. The majority of symptoms caused by the tumor are due to the effect of its mass. Surgical resection is enough to treat the tumor. Schwannoma is reported usually as benign, and despite incomplete resection of the tumor, the risk of recurrence and metastasis is low. A schwannoma on the retroperitoneum that was preoperatively misdiagnosed as a malignant adnexal mass in a 60‐year‐old menopausal woman is presented, with a brief review of the literature.


Malignant tumor cells are endowed with the ability to invade host tissues and to produce metastases. In this review, tumor cell locomotion as an important pathogenic mechanism in the invasive process is discussed. The traffic of neoplastic cells along preformed or newly created tissue pathways will not only depend on cellular cues and/or extracellular stimulatory or inhibitory soluble factors, but also on the interactions of tumor cells with the invaded tissue. Normal tissue exerts its influence on tumor cell migration mainly by providing contact surfaces, as both the growth and locomotor phenomena of tumor cells depend on the cells ability to adhere to structures present along the invasion front. Migrating tumor cells are morphologically characterized by a cell shape change typical for locomoting cells, i.e. polarization. This locomotor phenotype is associated with altered functions of the cytoskeleton induced by agents acting on cell surface receptors, on the signal cascade, or on the cytoskeletal apparatus itself, or evoked by mutations of cytoskeletal proteins. The search for stop signals of tumor cell locomotion is of particular interest, as this may represent an approach to exert an influence on the invasive process.


In patients with hyperthyroidism the serum activities of the leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and the alanine aminopeptidase (AAP) as well as the alanine aminopeptidase excretion in the urine were determined. A significantly increased activity of the leucine aminopeptidase in the serum and an increased excretion of alanine aminopeptidase in the urine were found. The AAP in the serum did not show a significant increase of activity. On account of the changes in the serum and in the urine before and during therapy a low-grade participation of the hepatobiliary and renal systems which are clinically not uppermost is to be assumed. Increased excretion of AAP and hyperthyroidism coincide nearly without exception in out patients. Correlation-statistical investigations make it probable to regard the increased excretion of AAP in the urine as an indirect parameter of the peripheral metabolism in hyperthyroidism.


The transportation of heavy and oversized shipment, e.g. 100 tons or more, from the factory to the final destination can be a complicated task which involves a lot of planning, transporting, unloading and installing processes. One example is transporting power transformers. This research developed a new end-to-end logistics management algorithm, supporting the transportation of heavy and oversized shipments in the context of timing, location of personnel, communication and the regulations involved from the process of preparation, real-time management to the installation at the destination.  This logistic management system helps to reduce the mistakes in the preparation of all the procedures involved.  The process of planning includes the monitoring the main routes, accidents, natural disasters, traffic conditions, theft along the route, and coordination between the point of origin and destination.  In the event that the unforeseeable circumstances occurred, secondary routes will be taken.  The context will provide useful information for the shipper in decision making whether to use the original or secondary routes; and once the shipment has reached the destination, the business regulations involved during the inspection, the process of unloading shipments, the storage and the supervision of installation process according to the company standards will also be undertaken


The recently published book Affliction by Veena Das explores the meaning of normalcy, illness, suffering, and loss in the lives of the marginalized urban poor living in and around India's capital city of Delhi. The language that evolves in such communities to describe the afflictions of the body forms from an amalgamation of terms derived from medical, spiritual, and faith-based systems, resulting in a unique vocabulary that needs to be understood by the clinical service provider. This think piece is a psychiatrist's interpretation of an anthropological exploration of the understanding of various illness experiences. The commentary focuses primarily on the introductory chapter of the book, entitled 'How the Body Speaks', and discusses the various themes and theorizations offered by Das regarding communication about illness. The book and the chapter complement and broaden the biomedical understanding of what constitutes sickness and cure for the vulnerable and the disadvantaged.


The BIMA Survey of Nearby Galaxies is a systematic imaging study of the 3 mm CO J = 1-0 molecular emission within the centers and disks of 44 nearby spiral galaxies. The typical spatial resolution of the survey is 6″ or 360 pc at the average distance (12 Mpc) of the sample. The velocity resolution of the CO observations is 4 km s-1, though most maps are smoothed to 10 km s-1 resolution. For 33 galaxies, multifield observations ensured that a region ≳190″ (〈D〉 = 10 kpc) in diameter was imaged. For the remaining 11 galaxies, which had smaller optical diameters and were on average farther away, single-pointing observations imaged a 100″ diameter (〈D〉 = 11 kpc) region. The sample was not chosen based on CO or infrared brightness; instead, all spirals were included that met the selection criteria of v⊙ ≤ 2000 km s-1, δ ≥ -20°, i ≤ 70°, D25 < 70′, and BT < 11.0. The detection rate was 41/44 sources or 93%; of the three nondetections, one (M81) is known to have CO emission at locations outside the survey field of view. Fully sampled single-dish CO data were incorporated into the maps for 24 galaxies; these single-dish data comprise the most extensive collection of fully sampled, two-dimensional single-dish CO maps of external galaxies to date. We also tabulate direct measurements of the global CO flux densities for these 24 sources. For the remaining 20 sources, we collected sensitive single-dish spectra in order to evaluate the large-scale flux recovery. We demonstrate that the measured ratios of flux density recovered are a function of the signal-to-noise of the interferometric data. We examine the degree of central peakedness of the molecular surface density distributions and show that the distributions exhibit their brightest CO emission within the central 6″ in only 20/44 or 45% of the sample. We show that all three Local Group spiral galaxies have CO morphologies that are represented in SONG, though the Milky Way CO luminosity is somewhat below the SONG average, and M31 and M33 are well below average. This survey provides a unique public database of integrated intensity maps, channel maps, spectra, and velocity fields of molecular emission in nearby galaxies. It also lays the groundwork for extragalactic surveys by more powerful future millimeter-wavelength interferometers like CARMA and ALMA.


The use of phytoregulators is a modern way of producing crops to increase yields and product quality. The components of phytoregulators have a beneficial effect on the growth and development of plants and help to withstand unfavorable environmental factors, stress, lack of mineral nutrition, soil fatigue, and the action of a wide range of pesticides. The research is aimed to investigate the influence of three phytoregulators: Cherkaz, Floravit, EcoFus on two varieties of flax: Severny and LM 98. We conducted a 3-year, field experiment with flax. In the so-called herringbone stage of the plant growth, the flax seedlings were treated the investigated phytoregulators. Flax plants were analyzed for yields. The method of near-infrared spectroscopy was used to analyze the content of lipids and proteins in flax seeds after harvesting. The oil content in flax seeds was determined. Using chromatography, we analyzed each variant of the experiment from the point of view of fatty acid composition. The application of phytoregulators increased the seed yield by 14-19% and the short fiber yield by 9-20% relative to control. The protein content in the seeds of the experimental samples Floravit and Cherkaz increased by 2.3-2.5% and by 1.5% in the experiments with EcoFus relative to the control. The lipid content in flax seeds increased by 5-5.6% (Floravit), by 3.5-3.95% (EcoFus), and by 4.7-5.1% (Cherkaz) relative to control. The oil ratio in flax seeds of the LM 98 and Severny varieties averaged 35.5-45.5%. An increase in the oil yields was 2.8-6.9% for Floravit, 2-4.1% for EcoFus, and 4.4-4.9% for Cherkaz relative to control. The application of Floravit, Cherkaz and EkoFus in flaxseed cultivation contributed to an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids in oil: the content of ω-3 fatty acids ranged 61.90-63.10% compared to control 54.70%. Floravit proved to be the most effective of the three tested phytoregulators. The studies carried out over three years allow us to conclude that the use of new phytoregulators contributes to an increase in the quality and flaxseed yield and the flax fiber yield. Floravit was the most effective preparation and can be used for pre-sowing seed treatment and during the growing season.


In this paper we describe a method to learn parameters which govern pedestrian motion by observing video data. Our learning framework is based on variational mode learning and allows us to efficiently optimize a continuous pedestrian cost model. We show that this model can be trained on automatic tracking results, and provides realistic and accurate pedestrian motions.


Synopsis The Lower Old Red Sandstone of southern Kintyre is divided into three formations. The aggregate thickness (excluding the island of Sanda) is 1200 m. Breccias, conglomerates and sandstones are described which are similar to those of Arran. Also described are pyroclastic sediments, which are kaolinitic. Three volcanic vents in the Southend region have been re-investigated and are thought to illustrate three stages in the same sequence of igneous activity. The composition of the sediments and palaeocurrent observations show that the sediment was derived from the north or north-west. The thickness of the Lower Old Red Sandstone succession is compared with that of other successions in the Midland Valley, and the differences are explained in terms of the geometry of crustal movement. The position and nature of the Highland Boundary Zone is briefly discussed. It is suggested that it extended across southern Kintyre during Lower and Middle Devonian times as a relatively broad zone of southward down-warping.


A governing equation of stable random walks is developed in one dimension. This Fokker‐Planck equation is similar to, and contains as a subset, the second‐order advection dispersion equation (ADE) except that the order (α) of the highest derivative is fractional (e.g., the 1.65th derivative). Fundamental solutions are Lévy's α‐stable densities that resemble the Gaussian except that they spread proportional to time1/α, have heavier tails, and incorporate any degree of skewness. The measured variance of a plume undergoing Lévy motion would grow faster than Fickian plume, at a rate of time2/α, where 0 < α ≤ 2. The equation is parsimonious since the parameters are not functions of time or distance. The scaling behavior of plumes that undergo Lévy motion is accounted for by the fractional derivatives, which are appropriate measures of fractal functions. In real space the fractional derivatives are integrodifferential operators, so the fractional ADE describes a spatially nonlocal process that is ergodic and has analytic solutions for all time and space.


Space as an academic concept occupies a place in various disciplines and professions. In each case it tends to be named, studied, understood and created in the appropriate conceptual apparatus, using the relevant methodology for the acquisition and analysis of data. On the other hand, an ever greater role in the process of designing space is accorded to the users themselves, who have certain specific preferences and their own models of shaping the space. Awareness of these different perspectives requires interdisciplinary cooperation. The paper refers to experience gained during interdisciplinary spatial design workshops, at which students of architecture, interior architecture, sociology and philosophy jointly prepared designs for urban space. The design process is analysed as communication between the representatives of disciplines using different resources of reflexivity about space. This workshop experience is not treated as ordinary, empirical research. It is rather an impulse and a starting point for further research on the cognitive aspects of cooperation gathering together experts rooted in different institutional contexts and fields of knowledge. The article discusses the possibility of cross-disciplinary cooperation between architects, designers, sociologists, philosophers, artists and other space constructors and users. Our assumption – based on the conceptions of reflexivity by Pierre Bourdieu, Scott Lash and Anthony Giddens – is that this cooperation is practised as an interdisciplinary relationship, incapable of overcoming disciplinary borders.


KERENA is an innovative boiling water reactor concept with passive safety systems (Generation III+) of AREVA . In order to verify the functionality and performance of the concept required for the transient and accident management, the test facility A¢Â€ÂœIntegral Teststand KarlsteinA¢Â€Â (INKA) was built in Karlstein (Germany). It is a mockup of the KERENA boiling water reactor containment, with integrated pressure suppression system. The complete chain of passive safety components is available. While the scaling of the passive components and the levels match the original values, the volume scaling of the containment compartments is approximately 1:24. The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is simulated via the steam accumulator of the Karlstein Large Valve Test Facility (GAP). This vessel provides an energy storage capacity of approximately 1/6 of the KERENA RPV and is supplied by a Benson boiler with a thermal power of 22 MW. With respect to the available power supply, the containment- and system-sizing of the facility is by far the largest one of its kind worldwide. On March 21, 2013 the worldwide first large-scale, only passively managed, integral accident test of a boiling water reactor was simulated at INKA. The integral test measured the combined response of the KERENA passive safety systems to the postulated initiating event A¢Â€ÂœMain Steam Line BreakA¢Â€Â (MSLB) inside the Containment with decay heat simulation. The main goals were to show the performance and the interaction of the KERENA passive safety systems, the ability to keep the core covered, to discharge the decay heat via the appropriate pathway under all circumstances and to maintain the containment within defined limits, i.e. to bring the plant to a controlled state. The performed integral test (MSLB) was being initiated via the opening of the leak at original RPV boundary conditions (75 bar reactor pressure). The leak causes a mass and energy flow from the reactor pressure vessel into the containment. The resulting drop in the RPV water level activates the Emergency Condenser, so that an additional path for energy transfer out of the RPV in parallel to the leak is opened. The pressure increase in the containment is limited via the containment pressure suppression system (short term) and the containment cooling condensers (long term). The results of the test showed that the passive safety systems alone are capable to bring the plant to stable conditions meeting all required safety targets with sufficient margins. Therefore the test verified the function of those components and the interplay between them as response to an anticipated accident scenario. The test provided evidence that the INKA is worldwide the first large scale test facility to perform integral verification tests of passive safety concepts under plant-like scaling and thermodynamic conditions.


Financial literacy is an important managerial skill for every student. Ciputra University with its main value of entrepreneurship also prioritizes financial literacy as an ability that must be mastered by students and graduates. Therefore, learning Financial Management at the Tourism Study Program, Ciputra University Surabaya is structured so that it can implement the practical use of accounting and finance learning in the tourism industry.
This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the Financial Management learning process for Tourism at Ciputra University Surabaya. The research method was carried out through limited trials on the subject of Financial Management for Tourism by adapting the classroom action research model by Kemmis and McTaggart which consisted of four stages, namely planning, action, observation, and reflection. . The learning process is divided into two cycles, and in each cycle evaluation and improvement efforts are made to improve the learning process in the next cycle.
The results showed that the learning process in the Financial Management for Tourism course had reached the specified learning achievement target. The practical implementation of financial management which is manifested in the form of business plan design has a positive effect on increasing the financial literacy skills of undergraduate students of the Tourism Studies Program class A at Ciputra University, Surabaya. Student learning outcomes increased as indicated by the percentage of student learning completeness reaching 82.35% in the Financial Management for Tourism course


In this study we performed an initial investigation and evaluation of altmetrics and their relationship with public policy citation of research papers. We examined methods for using altmetrics and other data to predict whether a research paper is cited in public policy and applied receiver operating characteristic curve on various feature groups in order to evaluate their potential usefulness. From the methods we tested, classifying based on tweet count provided the best results, achieving an area under the ROC curve of 0.91.


In recent years, mounting environmental and sustainability concerns are driving the construction industry players to adopt green supply chain management (GSCM) in their organizations. GSCM is a converging sustainability approach that integrates environmental thinking and initiatives into the traditional supply chain management (SCM) practices. However, despite having various benefits, this approach has not been widely implemented. Therefore, this paper aims to reveal the challenges faced by Malaysian construction companies in implementing GSCM. A total of 160 questionnaires were distributed among contractors and consultants in Malaysian Construction Companies. Only 50 questionnaires completed by the respondents resulting in a response rate of 32%. The research found that leadership and commitment from top management as the main challenges among construction players in implementing GSCM, in addition to changing mindset and culture and government support and regulation. This finding will allow practitioners to acknowledge and prioritize the challenges embedded with GSCM implementation, thus come out with strategies to overcome the challenges. This research can be further enriched by including an in-depth study on the GSCM challenges through qualitative research.


To the Editor: —The Worcester, Mass., chest x-ray survey was the 22nd of its kind conducted with the cooperation of the United States Public Health Service. The main object of these surveys has been to obtain roentgenograms of the entire population over the age of 15 years during a period of 5 years. This objective has not been reached, although the program is now in its eighth year. This type of survey is a service to the person of whom a film is made and to the persons close to him, but it is not an effective method for bringing a costly disease under control. Our program was completed in September, 1952, and our statistics as of Dec. 3, 1952. The work required 3,000 volunteer workers of all classifications and professions. It is estimated that they supplied more than 300,000 hours of work, which, if paid at a minimal wage


Old Etonian missionary on the borders of Tibet and an English country squire at noisy multi-racial meetings in the back streets of Los Angeles: such contrasts suggest an interesting life, the life of Cecil Henry Polhill. However, this study is undertaken not for curiosity's sake, but because Polhill was a significant figure in the origins of the Pentecostal movement. Like his friend, the Revd. Alexander Boddy, vicar of All Saints, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland in north-east England, Cecil Polhill was a Pentecostal pioneer who remained until his death a faithful member of the established Church of England. Unlike Boddy, Polhill has not until now attracted any researcher. 1


Aquatic animals need veterinary care as any other animal species but sometimes this care is inadequately managed. The role of veterinarians in conventional farmed animal health prevention and control are undoubtedly some of the activities most commonly recognised to the veterinary profession. Although poultry, swine, beef, and other terrestrial animals have been historically considered as the main source for animal protein production, it is very important to highlight that nowadays, fisheries and aquaculture represent a substantial sources of animal protein for human consumption. Global fisheries have reached a non-sustainable breakpoint and, in this scenario, aquaculture emerges as the sustainable alternative for animal protein production for the future. Animal health and welfare, and particularly the control of impact of the diseases in finfish, crustacean and mollusc farming still represents a very important challenge for aquatic animal veterinarians. The ornamental fish sector is also a relevant area, and untapped resource for aquatic animal professionals. However, these needs are not followed by the same level of veterinary services required, indicating that there is still a lot of work to be done in this direction. Disease control and prevention, and aquatic animal health promotion across these different areas is a very challenging task for the future, and represent a tremendous source of opportunity for aquatic veterinarians.


When we hear the words breaking news the public has continuously shown to rely on social media to stay on top of the latest updates. It is true that social media comes with a whole slew of stipulations, but is social media just encouraging unverified rumors? The rumors that are brought up during breaking news reports remain unproven and unreliable. Because of this we don't know much about the process of a social media, especially how long they last and the assumptions that follow these rumors. This paper will show a study done by Zibiaga et al., in 2016 and will show the data collected from 330 rumor threads, which was associated from 9 breaking news events, from the popular social media site Twitter. This data was analyzed to understand how users spread, denied, or even supported unverified rumors. The data will also show how these rumors were either proven true or false by determining primarily two levels of prominence during the life cycle of these rumors, the before and after effect. Identifying whether the rumors were true or not, along with tweets that corrected the rumors, was done by members of the research group who tracked the event in real time. This study shows the rumors that are finally proven true are usually corrected faster than the ones that are false. While some can immediately observe users denying rumors once they have been proven false, users are generally not able to distinguish true rumors from false rumors when their honesty remains in question. This paper also shows the everyday tendency for users to support every unverified rumor. They also analyze the different aspects of users, exposing highly esteemed users, like news organizations, to post statements that appear to be true and backed up by evidence. Though, these always show unproven pieces of information that encourage the rise of false rumors. The study demonstrates and increases the demand for creating vigorous learning approaches that can give assistance in real time for analyzing the degree of honestyin eachrumor. The findings of this research provide applicable techniques for achieving this desire.


This work explores how to learn robust and generalizable state representation from image-based observations with deep reinforcement learning methods. Addressing the computational complexity, stringent assumptions and representation collapse challenges in existing work of bisimulation metric, we devise Simple State Representation (SimSR) operator. SimSR enables us to design a stochastic approximation method that can practically learn the mapping functions (encoders) from observations to latent representation space. In addition to the theoretical analysis and comparison with the existing work, we experimented and compared our work with recent state-of-the-art solutions in visual MuJoCo tasks. The results shows that our model generally achieves better performance and has better robustness and good generalization.


Public safety risks are becoming an important issue in the planning of new pipelines and the operation of existing pipelines. Pipelines are initially routed to avoid densely populated areas. However, new developments may encroach on existing pipelines. Risks to the public can be estimated to determine an adequate setback distance.The methodology for risk assessment is described using a Canadian case study. Ethane, propane, butane and pentanes are commonly transported as liquids in pipelines. These compounds have a high vapour pressure, and when accidentally released, may form a flammable dense gas cloud. If the cloud is ignited, a flash fire or vapour cloud explosion may occur. Consequences and frequencies of the selected hazardous incidents are provided. Individual risk levels in rural and urban areas along the pipeline are presented and compared to the risk-based land use planning guidelines of the Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada.Copyright © 1996 by ASME


Hadoop MapReduce has become one of the most popular tools for data processing. Hadoop is normally installed on a cluster of computers. When the cluster becomes undersized, it can be scaled by adding new computers and storage devices, but it can also be extended by real or virtual resources from another computer cluster. We present a utilization of the MapReduce paradigm on a Hadoop installation extended across two clusters connected over the Internet. We measured execution times of Map and Reduce tasks in a multicluster environment, and compared them to the corresponding times obtained while only computers from a single cluster are used. The results show that there might be a decrease in MapReduce performance depending on: the concrete data analyses application, the ratio of the number of local and remote computers, and connection bandwidth to remote computers. Additionally, the investigation suggests an upgrade to the Apache Hadoop MapReduce, making it more adjusted to the multicluster environment.


This research studied the relationship between cracking and water permeability of normal-strength concrete under load and compared the experimental results with theoretical models. A feedback-controlled wedge splitting test was used to generate width-controlled cracks. Speckle interferometry was used to record the cracking history. Water permeability of the loaded specimens was evaluated by a low-pressure water permeability test at the designed crack mouth opening displacements (CMODs). Water permeability results were compared with those previously obtained for unloaded specimens for which cracks were induced by a feedback-controlled splitting tension test. The experimental results indicate that water permeability of cracked material significantly increases with increasing crack width. The flow for the same cracking level is repeatable regardless of the procedure used for inducing the cracks. No direct relationship between water flow and crack length was observed, whereas clear relationships existed between CMOD or crack area and flow characteristics. Experimentally measured flow was compared with theoretical models of flow through cracked rocks with parallel walls and a correction factor accounting for the tortuosity of the crack was determined. Calculated flow through cracks induced by a wedge-splitting test provided an acceptable approximation of the measured flow.


The advancement of technology allows for various developments, such as the creation of systems and applications that facilitate human tasks and transactions. However, the existence of applications also requires research to measure user satisfaction, one of which is the DANA application. DANA is a smart application that provides convenience in transactions. With DANA, people can easily make online and offline payments using electronic money. This research aims to determine the level of user satisfaction with the DANA application using the End User Computing Satisfaction (EUCS) method. This method focuses on user satisfaction by analyzing the application based on content, accuracy, format, user-friendliness, and timeliness. The research conducted is descriptive research using a questionnaire as the research instrument. The sampling technique used in this study is random sampling. This research is deemed necessary to determine the level of user satisfaction. Furthermore, the data is processed using SPSS Version 25. The results show that the level of user satisfaction for the five variables is as follows: the Content variable received a high satisfaction score with a percentage value of 78.8%, the Accuracy variable received a high satisfaction score with a percentage value of 78.7%, the Format variable received a high satisfaction score with a percentage value of 79.2%, the Ease of Use variable received a high satisfaction score with a percentage value of 79.2%, and the Timeliness variable received a high satisfaction score with a percentage value of 77.3%.


ABSTRACT Redevelopments of Lima's water infrastructure aim to reduce inequalities in water consumption, connections, and coverage by implementing data technologies and claim to make urban water management more efficient. However, little research has been done on how the city's hydrosocial geography is shaped by the increasing use of data for the supervision and control of its water infrastructure. This article analyzes the datafication of Lima's water infrastructure as the interplay between different legibility-making practices to understand how the use of multiple, interoperable and real-time data sources, shapes the hydrosocial geography of the city as well as the relationship between Lima's main provider of water and sewerage services (SEDAPAL) and urban water consumers across three scales: newly urbanized areas, water sectors, and households. We conclude that, in an already unequal urban landscape, the datafication strategically (re)structures the relationship between SEDAPAL, as a state organization managing the water infrastructure, and Lima's residents.


In this writing we shall address certain beautiful inter-relations between the construction of 4-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories and resolution of algebraic singularities, from the perspective of String Theory. We review in some detail the requisite background in both the mathematics, such as orbifolds, symplectic quotients and quiver representations, as well as the physics, such as gauged linear sigma models, geometrical engineering, Hanany-Witten setups and D-brane probes.
We investigate aspects of world-volume gauge dynamics using D-brane resolutions of various Calabi-Yau singularities, notably Gorenstein quotients and toric singularities. Attention will be paid to the general methodology of constructing gauge theories for these singular backgrounds, with and without the presence of the NS-NS B-field, as well as the T-duals to brane setups and branes wrapping cycles in the mirror geometry. Applications of such diverse and elegant mathematics as crepant resolution of algebraic singularities, representation of finite groups and finite graphs, modular invariants of affine Lie algebras, etc. will naturally arise. Various viewpoints and generalisations of McKay's Correspondence will also be considered.
The present work is a transcription of excerpts from the first three volumes of the author's PhD thesis which was written under the direction of Prof. A. Hanany - to whom he is much indebted - at the Centre for Theoretical Physics of MIT, and which, at the suggestion of friends, he posts to the ArXiv pro hac vice; it is his sincerest wish that the ensuing pages might be of some small use to the beginning student.


Pickle is considered as an integral part of Indian meal, especially in southern India. There are several varieties of pickles made out of different vegetables across India and mango pickle is predominant among them. The present study validates histamine level and its associated bacterial population in mango pickles. The preliminary microbial analysis on Niven's agar revealed the population of histamine-producing bacteria in mango pickle. Further confirmation of histamine producing bacteria with PCR using HDC specific primers showed two bacterial isolates had HDC gene and they were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing as Enterobacter cloacae PUFSTP86 and E. cloacae PUFSTP92. Physicochemical analysis and nutritional properties of mango pickle showed pH (5.3 to 6.4), moisture (67.17 to 74.76 %), ash (85.20 to 88.72 %), nitrogen content (3.60 to 7.46 %) and water activity (0.86 to 0.89 aw). Histamine in the mango pickles was quantified using HPLC and noticed a lesser histamine content (3.60 to 7.46 mg kg-1) which makes mango pickle safer for consumption. Nutritional property and histamine content concludes that the mango pickle does not lead to any histamine related toxication and are biologically safer fermented product.


Whether to disperse, and where to, are two of the most prominent decisions in an individual's life, with major consequences for reproductive success. We studied natal and breeding dispersal in the monogamous black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa limosa in the Netherlands, where they breed in agricultural grasslands. The majority of these grasslands recently changed from wet herb-rich meadows into well-drained grassland monocultures, on which godwits have a lower reproductive success. Here we examine habitat selection with a multistate mark–recapture analysis. Habitat transition probabilities between meadows and monocultures were estimated on the basis of 1810 marked chicks and 531 adults during seven years in a 8500 ha study area. Young and adult godwits may differ in habitat selection because: 1) adults may have gained experience from previous nest success where to settle, 2) younger individuals may find it harder to compete for the best territories. Both young and adults moved at a higher rate from the predominant monocultures to meadows than the other way around, thus actively selecting the habitat with better quality. However, dispersal distance of adults was not affected by previous nest success. The average dispersal distance from place of birth of godwits breeding for the first time was ten times larger than that of adult godwits. That godwits breeding in their second calendar year arrived and laid at similar dates and were equally able to select territories in areas with high breeding densities, suggests that young birds were not competitively inferior to adults. Although on monocultures reproduction is insufficient to maintain constant populations, birds sometimes moved from meadows to monocultures. This explains why even after 30 years of land-use intensification, godwits still breed in low-quality habitat. The adjustment to changing habitat conditions at the population level appears to be a slow process.


In this study, alternative application of bilateral filter for image deblurring and enhancement is discovered. The concept of Total variation model is added to BF. Based on analyzing force distribution rules of variance, standard deviation is managed to distinguish degree of degrade. The optimization solution of total variation is gained by tracking minimum change channels and keep maximum edges. Experimentation proves that the new V-ABF can solve the deblurring problem where original BF is solution for de-noising.


Introduction: A specific diagnosis of an exudative pleural effusion (EPE) often poses a clinical challenge for the pulmonary physician. Although medical thoracoscopy (MTH) remains the gold standard technique in the work up of patients with EPE a definite histological diagnosis will not be established in a significant number of the cases and will therefore be, characterized as non specific pleuritis (NSP). Objective: To study the outcome of patients with NSP in a group of patients with long term follow up. Method: A retrospective analysis was performed on 110 patients who underwent thoracoscopy for EPE, over a 7 year period, at our Institution. In 47(42,7%) cases, that were histologically diagnosed as NSP, long-term follow up (a minimum of 24 months) was available. MTH was performed by a respiratory physician, experienced in the procedure, under local anesthesia and IV/IM sedation. Results: A definite histological diagnosis was established in 63 patients. In the remaining 47 (42.7%), 35 men and 12 women with mean age of 64.5 years, the diagnosis of NSP was rendered. Four of the latter (8.5%) were subsequently diagnosed with malignancy after an interval of 3-5 months (2 mesotheliomas, 2 adenocarcinoma). A probable cause was established on clinical grounds in 13(27.6%) cases. Finally, in 30 (63.8%) patients, the underlying etiology for NSP was not discovered and was therefore, described as "idiopathic pleuritis". Conclusions: In our series 3.6% proved to be false negative, after a mean follow up of 4 months. Furthermore, in 27.3% of our undiagnosed EPE cases, a definite diagnosis could not be determined and was characterized as "idiopathic pleuritis".