This study investigated the impact of different region-of-interest (ROI) sizes (Max, 1 mm, and 2 mm) on shear wave elastography (SWE) in differentiating between malignant and benign thyroid nodules. The study cohort comprised 129 thyroid nodules (50 malignant, 79 benign) and 78 normal subjects. Diagnostic efficacy was assessed through pairwise comparisons of area under the curve (AUC) values in receiver operating characteristic analysis by using DeLong's test. Our results indicated significant differences in all SWE elasticity metrics between the groups, with malignant nodules exhibiting higher values than benign nodules (p < 0.05). Smaller ROIs (1 and 2 mm) were found to outperform the max ROI in terms of diagnostic accuracy, particularly for the Emax and Emin elasticity metrics. Emax(1mm) had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an AUC of 0.883, sensitivity of 74.0%, and specificity of 86.1%. This study underscores the significant influence of ROI size selection on the diagnostic performance of SWE, offering valuable insights for future research and clinical applications in thyroid nodule assessment.


The thesis is focussed on the performance of the fuel cell and the design of the cell for operation with natural gas and renewable fuels, e.g. biogas or gasified biomass. The performance is one of the important issues for the development and commercialisation of fuel cell stacks. In order to operate fuel cell on renewable fuels, without preceding reforming of the fuel, a high temperature fuel cell is needed, i.e. a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) or a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC). At present, the latter fuel cell type is much more mature when regarding the technical aspects than is the solid oxide fuel cell. The German company MTU has up to date installed about thirty MCFC plants, mainly in Europe and the USA but also in Japan. Moreover the European Commission has decided that the use of renewable fuels must increase at the expense of fossil fuels. This decision is one step towards a smaller dependence on fossil energy sources and limited emissions of greenhouse gases. The objective of this work is to better understand the factors that influence the cell performance: to determine the kinetic parameters of the hydrogen oxidation and the carbon monoxide oxidation and to get more information about the reaction mechanism, even when dealing with gases of low hydrogen content. The latter is of special importance when operating the cells on biogas or gasified biomass. These fuels also contain higher concentrations of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. It was found that the hydrogen mechanism proposed by Jewulski and Suski describes the anode performance even at lower concentrations of hydrogen, i.e. gases corresponding to gasified biomass. Furthermore, the carbon monoxide reaction will only slightly influence the anode performance but if the rate of the shift reaction is small the influence of direct oxidation of carbon monoxide will increase. Experimental investigations have shown that mass transfer limitations in the gas phase exist. By mathematical modelling it was found that the current collector has a larger affect on the concentration gradients than the porous electrode. The concentrations gradients in the current collector are caused by the shift reaction that mainly takes place at the electrode. However, if the gas corresponds to equilibrium at the current collector the profiles will become almost uniform. Furthermore the influence of wetting properties, the pore structure and pore size distribution have also been investigated in this thesis. The outcome of this thesis may be used for electrode development and design, as well as for input to reliable cell and stack models for system simulations.


Analyze the customer daily load patterns, be used to determine the optimal charging and discharging schedule which can minimize the electrical charges through the battery energy storage system(BESS) installed in consumers is an object of this paper. BESS, which analyzes the load characteristics of customer and reduce the peak load, is essential for optimal charging and discharging scheduling to save electricity charges. This thesis proposes optimal charging and discharging scheduling method, using particle swarm optimization (PSO) and penalty function method, of BESS for reducing energy charge. Since PSO is a global optimization algorithm, best charging and discharging scheduling can be found effectively. In addition, penalty function method was combined with PSO in order to handle many constraint conditions. After analysing the load patterns of target BESS, PSO based on penalty function method was applied to get optimal charging and discharging schedule.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the association between childhood physical activity and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) during postmenopausal years.

METHODS
Proportional hazards and logistic regression were used describe the association between self-reported childhood physical activity and CVD incidence and mortality in 36,741 postmenopausal women.

RESULTS
Older women, African-Americans, or nondrinkers or past drinkers self-reported the highest levels of youth physical activity and women with a history of diabetes, hypertension, overweight or obesity, or current smoking reported the highest youth physical activity dose. Youth physical activity was not associated with CVD incidence (HR=1.11; 0.93, 1.34) or mortality (HR=1.2; 0.9, 1.73).

CONCLUSIONS
Self-reported youth activity was not associated with postmenopausal CVD incidence or mortality.


Numerous problems are frequently observed when nursing competency assessment systems (NCAS) are implemented. How to effectively implement a nursing competency assessment system, according to academic and practical contributions, is poorly reported in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to present a set of recommendations for public hospitals and nursing management in order to facilitate the implementation of a NCAS. To achieve this objective we have revised the existing literature and conducted a Delphi study with nursing managers and human resource managers of the public hospitals of the Basque Health Service. The results are that the implementation of a NCAS requires a well-planned strategy that managers must consider before implementing any NCAS. This strategy must include, at minimum, the following aspects: communication, training, leadership, and content where the NCAS is concerned. The context of the organisations and the cultural dimensions may also influence the results of the application of the system.


We have studied the effects of natural medicines on neurite outgrowth in PC12D cells in a cultured medium of C2C12 cells. Derived from mouse myoblasts, the C2C12 cells secrete neurotrophic factors including nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). The secretion of these neurotrophins from C2C12 cells stimulate neurite outgrowth in PC12D cells. We have screened a total of 120 samples and found five natural medicines: Trichosanthes Root, Asiasarum Root, Lycium Bark, Sinomenium Stem, and Dictamni radicis Cortex, that enhance the activity of C2C12-cultured medium to stimulate neurite outgrowth in PC12D cells. These natural medicines promoted not only neurite outgrowth but also stabilized the neurite formation in PC12D cells for several days. RT-PCR analysis showed that NGF was significantly increased with Trichosanthes and Lycium Bark. However, BDNF was slightly decreased with Lycium Bark, Sinomenium Stem, and Dictamni radicis Cortex. NT-3 was increased slightly by all of these natural medicines except Sinomenium Stem. All these five natural medicines significantly increased the number and length of neurites in PC12D cells in co-culture with C2C12 cells.


Stochastic models for system effectiveness are developed for a multiple-component human-machine system. System effectiveness is defined as the combined measure of availability and reliability at each task-arrival time, when transient human operator behavior is considered in conjunction with the machine state. Because factors such as fatigue, stress, and learning affect the human operator over time, all probability measures for successful human performance are considered to be time-dependent. Performance evaluation models for a generic military system are developed. The modeling techniques can also be used for large-scale, man-machine systems that consist of modern computers and processors. >


Lodging is the permanent displacement of plant shoots from an upright position and represents a major obstacle to reaching yield potential in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Breeding programs would benefit from the identification of lodging-related traits amenable to easy and rapid screening, even in the absence of lodging. However, no locally tested lodging model is available for the Pampas region of Argentina, and most lodging models are based on measurements before crop maturity. We adapted two existing models and generated a new one, using easily measurable traits at crop maturity in 24 cultivars (14 for model fit and 10 for model validation) grown in plot trials with no nutritional, water or disease restrictions in three crop seasons at Balcarce, Argentina. Of 17 traits evaluated, 16 showed differences between cultivars (P<0.05), and in 11 of these traits, no genotype×environment interaction was detected (P>0.05). Estimations of the safety factor against stem lodging, proposed by Crook et al., and the wind velocity that produces lodging, proposed by Berry et al., showed a high correlation with lodging score (R2=0.60 and 0.72, respectively), but when the estimators were tested with another set of cultivars there was no association. A new empirical regression model was based on three traits measured at maturity: plant height, spike dry weight, and the inertia moment of the stem base (stem resistance to bending estimated from stem diameter and wall thickness). The model was then simplified by replacing the third trait with basal stem diameter, and it showed an even better fit (R2=0.90). These models were satisfactorily validated by rank correlations with a different cultivar set. The regression model proposed in this study can easily be applied to the evaluation of commercial cultivars and may be used to screen breeding materials. Measurements at maturity are convenient and easy to combine with other traits of possible selective advantage.


after the flowering season is over.CHAS. A. DAVIS, Alima Coillege, Aim a, ?Mic/h. Coriius Baileyi C. & E. in Oregon1.-In the revision of Cornaceae (Coulter and Evans), under the discussion of the relationship of C( slolonifera Michx., C. pubescens Nutt., and C Baileyi C. &E.' the prediction was made that C. Baileyi might be found along the Pacific coast and its ranges, where it had descended from its already known habitat of British America, and that it would be confounded with C. pubescens. Such has since proved to be the case. In a package of plants recently received from Messrs. Drake & Dickson, Portland, Oregon, there was found an undoubted specimen of C. Baileyi from Castle Rock, Columbia River, Oregon, bearing the date June I889 as to flowers, the fruit evidently being of later collection. As in the east, C. Baileyi has been confused with C. stolonifera on account of the presence of some appressed pubescence, so here it had been labeled C. pubescens, evidently on account of the rather loosely pubescent under. surface of the leaves. But an examination with a lens showed the presence of both appressed and wooly pubescence, such as is found in C. Baileyi and not in either of the others. The stone in this specimen is nearly twice as broad as high, is prominently flattened, has the square-shouldered top of typical C. Baileyi, and has its rather deeply furrowed edge. This combination of characters can leave no doubt as to the occurrence of C. Baileyi on the west coast. It is highly probable that forms may be found not so well defined as this one, and the presence of all three of these nearly related species will give more or less trouble when approaching each other, yet the extreme forms should give no cause for difficulty in determination.-WAI.T ER H. EVANS, Indianapolis, Ind., Herbarium Eli LIilily & Co.


Author(s): He, Cyndi Qixin | Advisor(s): Houk, Kendall N | Abstract: Organocatalysis, the use of small organic molecules to accelerate organic reactions, has been of significant interest to synthetic chemists, and publications in this field have increased rapidly since the beginning of this century. In the meanwhile, density functional theory has been extensively applied to explore the origins of catalysis and selectivities observed in these transformations. The first portion of this dissertation reports the theoretical findings of a broad scope of reactions catalyzed by primary and secondary amines, aminoalcohols, and squaramides. The second part focuses on the understanding and the development of cycloadditions including the Diels–Alder and hetero-Diels–Alder reactions, 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, and higher-order cycloadditions.Two examples of asymmetric catalyses with cinchona-alkaloid-derived primary amines are described in Chapters 1 and 2: (1) an intramolecular alkylation towards the synthesis of a migraine drug candidate, and (2) higher-order cycloadditions between tropone and cyclopentenone. We showed that three key interactions are responsible for enantioselectivity of the first reaction, and they are achieved with less distortion in the preferred transition state (TS). Modeling with the counterion is proved crucial to reproducing experimental stereoselectivities. Our TS model for the second example suggests the hydrogen bond formed between the quinuclidinium and the tropone oxygen determines periselectivity. The reaction between an oxyallyl cation and indoles catalyzed by a novel aminoalcohol developed in the MacMillan group is presented in Chapter 3. The uncatalyzed addition of indole to oxyallyl cation is predicted to have a high (S,S)/(R,R) diastereoselectivity. Two hydrogen bonds and a cation–π interaction facilitate binding of the oxyallyl cation to the catalyst. The cyclohexane moiety, a new addition to the Hayashi–Ji?½rgensen catalyst, controls enantioselectivity. Chapter 4 reports the computational design, synthesis, and applications of a new chiral hydrogen-bond donor catalyst. In addition to the bidentate hydrogen-bond donor motif, the squaramide catalyst features three chiral centers and hydrogen-bond acceptors. DFT calculations indicate that C−Hi?½i?½i?½O hydrogen-bonding is crucial to the enantioselective Friedel–Crafts alkylation catalyzed by the squaramide. Chapter 5 discusses the experimental development of an unnatural amino acid mutagenesis method and the computational investigation of cation–π interactions in methyllysine reader proteins. Our results suggest that the two tyrosines in the binding pocket of a model reader protein interact with the methyllysine cation to a different extent. This work suggests the degree of contacts between reader proteins and cationic substrates may be exploited to enhance selective inhibition. Chapters 6–9 consist of DFT studies of the mechanisms, reactivities, and selectivities of a collection of cycloadditions. The remarkable reactivities of transannular Diels–Alder (TADA) reactions are investigated and discussed in Chapter 6. Among 13 TADA reactions computed, 12-membered macrocycles have the largest rate acceleration. This is due to the lowering of distortion energy from the strained reactant to the TS. TADA reactivities are further improved by fine-tuning the ring size, namely by incorporating heteroatoms such as oxygen and nitrogen and alkyne to the macrocycle. Chapter 7 explores the mechanism and selectivity of [6 + 4] cycloadditions of tropone (T) and dimethylfulvene (F), a classic reaction reported in 1967 by Houk and Woodward. An ambimodal [6T + 4F]/[4T + 6F] TS is located using DFT calculations. Reaction dynamics simulations reveal the initial product distribution and predict high [6 + 4] periselectivity. Chapter 8 focuses on the regioselectivity of 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of benzo- and mesitylnitrile oxides with alkynyl pinacol and MIDA boronates. The electronic energies of activation are mainly controlled by distortion energies. In Chapter 1, the N,N-diquaternized cinchona-alkaloid-derived amine catalyzes an intramolecular alkylation reaction, and the last chapter is a second example of quaternary ammonium salts as powerful Lewis acidic organocatalysts. The mechanism of the aza-Diels–Alder reaction catalyzed by onium salts is predicted to be concerted asynchronous when modeled with a counter anion.


Peppermint oil was one of the essential oils with an antibacterial bioactive component and the potential to be used as an antibacterial label. The purposes of this research were preparing the antibacterial label and evaluate their activity in prolonging the storage of shrimp. Antibacterial label was created by loading the peppermint oil onto the recycled paper as a matrix. Peppermint oil was characterized with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to identified suspected antibacterial activity compounds. The results showed that peppermint oil contains 39.79% of menthol and 35.69% of menthone as the main component. Peppermint oil and antibacterial labels have been screened for Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus NBRC 100910 and Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli NBRC 100910 using the paper disk diffusion method. Peppermint oil has antibacterial activity in both bacteria, and the label only have antibacterial activity in E. coli NBRC 100910. The antibacterial labels research on prolonging the storage of shrimp shown that the Total Volatile Basic Nitrogen (TVBN) value was lower than without using the label. The results on this study showed recycled paper filled with peppermint oil can be used as an antibacterial label for an active packaging system.


Microcrystalline silicon thin films were deposited using an inductively-coupled plasma source with an internal linear-type antenna in the dual frequency mode (2 MHz/13.56 MHz), and the characteristics of the thin film and the plasma were investigated as functions of the relative power ratio. The deposition was performed in the SiH4 depletion condition at a deposition rate of about 10 Å/s to improve the microstructural properties of the film. In the dual-frequency mode, the crystalline volume fraction could be increased by increasing the low-frequency power, which is added to the fixed 13.56 MHz rf power without changing the microstructure factor (R*), which is related to defects in the crystal structure. The differences appear to be related to the lower-energy ion bombardment of the substrate in the dual-frequency mode. In addition, by increasing the low-frequency power from 0 to 1.5 kW while keeping 3 kW at 13.56 MHz, we were able to change the uniformity of the deposition from 15.5% to less than 10% an improvement.


Background: Performing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examination is difficult when a child needs to stay awake and cooperate. Many techniques help to prepare them for the study but without modification of the examination protocol. The objective of this research was to prepare a gamified motor paradigm ("computer game") that will improve the fMRI examination of young children. Methods: After preparing a dedicated application the fMRI examination was performed on 60 healthy children (10 girls and 10 boys in each age group of 4, 5, and 6 years old). Each child performed the gamified and a standard motor paradigm, both based on squeezing a rubber bulb. The effectiveness of squeezing were compared. Results: With the application of the gamified paradigm children completed significantly more active blocks (3.3 ± 1.4) than for the standard paradigm (2.2 ± 1.6) (p < 0.0001). In mixed-effects Poisson regression, age (IRR = 1.9; 95%CI: 1.5–2.5) and application of gamified paradigm (IRR = 5.6; 95%CI: 1.1–28.0) were significantly associated with more completed blocks. Conclusions: The gamified motor paradigm performed better than a standard paradigm in the fMRI examination of children between 4 and 6 years old. It allowed a significant increase in the number of completed active blocks and also better squeezing effectiveness in each block.


Predisaster risk factors are related to postdisaster psychopathology even at relatively low levels of disaster exposure. A history of panic attacks (PA) may convey risk for postdisaster psychopathology and has been linked to a wide range of psychiatric disorders in Western and non‐Western samples. The present study examined the main and interactive effects of pretyphoon PA and level of typhoon exposure in the onset of posttyphoon posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a Vietnamese sample of typhoon survivors.


Abstract The article explores the emergence and workings of the free port of Gustavia, founded in 1785 shortly after the Swedish acquisition of its first Caribbean colony, St. Barthélemy. Its free trade policy was modelled closely after Dutch and Danish predecessors in the region, which had been successful for centuries as neutral marketplaces, especially during times of international conflict. An increasing field of scholars have begun reconsidering the significance of contraband trade in Caribbean and Atlantic history. Arguments have been made for a more nuanced understanding of Caribbean geopolitics, one that acknowledges the necessity of informal transnational trade networks. The history of Gustavia is poorly explored in this context. With the aid of new sources, it has become possible to assess the economic role of Gustavia in the Caribbean transit trade during the European conflict of 1793–1815; these sources show that the free port was of greater importance than previous research has found it to be. Through its creation, the Swedish government hoped to commercially exploit a colonial territory of marginal value. War was the primary catalyst that drew people as well as capital to the island, contributing to both its commercial strength and cultural diversity. Former inhabitants of Dutch and French colonies sought refuge there in the wake of the French Revolution and the subsequent wars. Albeit for a brief time, Gustavia gained the character of an international, polyglot merchant community and functioned as an imperial crossroads where business could be conducted as usual between allies, neutrals, and enemies.


Background: Post-Contrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) is a severe complication of coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). At present, the mechanism and effect of statins on PC-AKI and its mechanism are still unclear. Methods: It was a multicenter retrospective obeservational study. We reviewed 4386 patients who underwent CAG or PCI, with serum creatinine recorded pre- or post-procedure within 72hrs after PCI, from December, 2006 to December, 2019 admitted to Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital and its medical consortium hospitals. Multivariate logical regression was used to explore whether preoperative use of statins was a protective factor for PC-AKI, and then path analysis model was used to explore the specific mechanism of statins. Results: In total, 4386 patients were enrolled in the study, the mean age was 67 yrs old, 17.9% with PC-AKI, 83.3% with pre-operative statin therapy. The incidence of PC-AKI was significantly lower in statin therapy group than non-statins therapy group. Multivariate regression indicated that pre-operative statin therapy was significantly negatively associated with percentage of elevated creatinine (β: -0.118, p<0.001) and PC-AKI (OR: 0.575, p<0.001). In pre-operative statin therapy group, no statistically significant deference was detected between atorvastatin and rosuvastatin group (OR: 1.052, p=0.558). Pathway model analysis indicated the direct protective effectiveness of pre-operative statin therapy on PC-AKI (p<0.001), but neither with its lipid-lowering effect (p=0.277) nor anti-inflammatory effect (p=0.596). Furthermore, It was found that "LDL-C→CRP" mediated the relationship between pre-operative statin therapy and PC-AKI (p=0.007); however, only explained less than 1% of the pre-operative statin therapy's protective effects on PC-AKI. Conclusion: Pre-operative statin therapy is an independent protective factor of PC-AKI, which is not affected by the type of statins and not achieved by lipid-lowering effect or anti-inflammatory effect. Keywords : post-contrast acute kidney injury, statins, path analysis, mediation analysis.


The purpose of the study is to understand the importance of corporate governance reforms for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) country banks. To address this issue, the author combines the staggered timing of corporate governance reforms for banks across MENA countries with bank-level data for the period 2000-2012 and examine the impact on bank performance.,The author employs fixed effects regression within a difference-in-differences specification for the analysis.,The analysis suggests that not all governance characteristics are equally effective and some of these characteristics exert a more pronounced effect on bank performance as compared to others. These results also vary across oil-exporting and -importing nations and differ during the crisis. Besides, the authors find that improved operating efficiency and access to finance are the key channels through which governance improves bank performance.,Corporate governance reforms in the MENA countries need to be carefully tailored, taking into account the inherent economic characteristics of the country for it to exert durable impact. The challenge for policymakers is to find the right balance that can ensure maximum benefits for the banking sector, while minimizing the challenges involved in its implementation.,To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the earliest studies for MENA country banks to examine the interface between corporate governance reforms and bank performance, while controlling for the possible endogeneity of such reforms on performance.


One promising application of sensor networks is object tracking. Because the movements of the tracked objects usually show repeating patterns, we propose a heterogeneous tracking model, referred to as HTM, to efficiently mine object moving patterns and track objects. To ensure the quality of moving patterns, we develop a storage management to facilitate mining object moving patterns. Specifically, we explore load-balance feature to store more moving data for mining moving patterns. Once a storage of a cluster head is occupied by moving data, we devise a replacement strategy to replace the less informative patterns. Simulation results show that HTM with storage management is able not only to increase the accuracy of prediction but also to save more energy in tracking objects


Because it has been difficult to predict crack sensitivity depending on alloy composition during aluminum direct chill casting (DC casting), a new prediction method based on the relationship between the calculated solid fraction and temperature was developed for Al-Mn and Al-Mg series aluminum alloys. In this work, two crack indexes are suggested. The first index is brittle temperature range (BTR). The second index is based on the strain rate difference in the mushy region. These indexes are quantitatively calculated by using thermodynamic software such as Thermo-calc. This method is verified by DC casting of A3000 and A5000 series aluminum alloys. It can be utilized in the alloy design stages to control the crack sensitivity before casting.


This letter reports preparation of γ-(Fe1-xOsx)2O3 thin films that have easy axis of magnetization normal to the film plane. This unusual condition was the result of magnetic annealing under an external field of 10 kOe perpendicular to the film plane. The optimum annealing temperature and Os content, x, to obtain film with a large perpendicular anisotropy were about 400°C and 0.05, respectively. Read/write characteristic measurement of film with ring head exhibited a dipulse waveform, confirming perpendicular magnetic recording.


Chris,the hero in Fusang,revives the collective daydream which virtually reflects the racist attitude of the white American society towards the Chinese immigrants in the second half of 19th century.Family environment,social ideology,as well as European culture all leave their marks on him. His obsession with Fusang is mixed with his oedipal,orientalist longing and chivalrous fantasies of rescuing her.And he is also strongly influenced by the anti-Chinese hysteria that prevailed during that period. As a Christian,he becomes mentally rational and mature through constant confession and self-reflection.Thus, the traditional roles of white male characters in western colonial literature are reconstructed due to the characterization of Chris.By virtue of this,Yan expresses her hope that the East and the West need to get rid of the stereotypes and prejudices,and learn to treat different cultures with board mind.


If the market and money have played a dynamic role in social building in Europe, they also contributed to devaluing the notion of social progress, and they generated numerous distortions. Social progress in Europe involves a two-sided concept: a social Europe, and a European economic governance model. Social coordination means the recognition of social fields (such as working conditions and workers' rights, social security, social dialogue, and collective bargaining) as well as a distinction in the skills of the European Union and those of member states, and taking into account the regulation methods and institutions of each member country.


This study aimed to explore the association between developmental coordination disorder (DCD) diagnosed after the age of three and both a standardized motor test—the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS)—and non-standardized observation of movement quality carried out before the age of three. Children at risk or with developmental concerns were studied retrospectively. Children were excluded in case of a diagnosis, excluding DCD, e.g., cerebral palsy, or IQ < 70. Of the 503 included children, 246 were diagnosed with (at-risk) DCD. Multivariate binary logistic regression revealed a significant association between DCD diagnosis after the age of three and male gender and with different aspects of poor movement quality in different age groups before the age three. Univariate analyses revealed an association between DCD diagnosis and the number of poor movement-quality descriptions at 0–6 months, 6–12 months, and 18 months–3 years but not with the AIMS scores. The MABC-2 scores after the age of three were significantly correlated with the number of poor movement-quality descriptions in age groups 0–6 months and 18 months–3 years and with the AIMS scores in age groups 6–12 months and 12–18 months. The results suggest that DCD can be associated with poor movement quality before the age of three.


For progressive development and dissemination of mobile service applications, the most important thing is the satisfaction and consolation of users. The theoretical model proposed in this study is based on revised technology acceptance model that comprises of the distinct features from mobile service, information systems domain. It helps to enlarge our comprehension of the application, implication, utility and usage of mobile service applications. This study adopted the quantitative method. A cross-sectioned quantitative approach using a survey tool was used to collect data. The proposed model was tested on the 171 mobile service users in Hyderabad Region, Pakistan. The structural modeling using with PLS software, data analysis has provided significant support for the extended hypothetical model. The extended model achieved acceptable fit and most of the hypothesis paths were significant. The result, according to the degree of importance, perceived usefulness shared the largest variance 68% followed by mobile service acceptances 64% and perceived ease of use 41%. Interface design and Experience were found to be a more significant factor of perceived ease of use than perceived usefulness.


We followed 12 patients who had been treated with the Ilizarov method for open proximal humeral fractures for more than 3 years. No wound infection occurred. Avascular necrosis and nonunion were each detected in 1 patient. According to Neer's criteria, the outcome was excellent or satisfactory in 8 patients.


Summary
Electron microscopic analyses have revealed that the bottom (B) component of cowpea mosaic virus alone induces cytopathic structures in cowpea mesophyll protoplasts, similar to those induced by the complete virus [i.e. B plus middle (M) components]. This indicates that the development of such structures is not linked to accumulation of virus particles but to virus RNA replication and expression. When purified B component was inoculated to primary cowpea leaves, symptoms were not produced and B component RNA was incapable of spreading to surrounding cells. The results are discussed in terms of limits to the independence of B component RNA and of possible functions for M component RNA-encoded proteins.


In vitro assays of platelet function and coagulation are typically performed in the presence of an anticoagulant. The divalent cation chelator sodium citrate is among the most common because its effect on coagulation is reversible upon reintroduction of divalent cations. Adding divalent cations into citrated blood by batch mixing leads to platelet activation and initiation of coagulation after several minutes, thus limiting the time blood can be used before spontaneously clotting. In this work, we describe a herringbone microfluidic mixer to continuously introduce divalent cations into citrated blood. The mixing ratio, defined as the ratio of the volumetric flow rates of citrated blood and recalcification buffer, can be adjusted by changing the relative inlet pressures of these two solutions. This feature is useful in whole blood assays in order to account for differences in hematocrit, and thus viscosity. The recalcification process in the herringbone mixer does not activate platelets. The advantage of this continuous mixing approach is demonstrated in microfluidic vascular injury model in which platelets and fibrin accumulate on a collagen-tissue factor surface under flow. Continuous recalcification with the herringbone mixer allowed for flow assay times of up to 30 min, more than three times longer than the time achieved by batch recalcification. This continuous mixer allows for measurements of thrombus formation, remodeling, and fibrinolysis in vitro over time scales that are relevant to these physiological processes.


We present a whole-plant concept for a genus of voltzialean conifers on the basis of compression/impression and permineralized material from the Triassic of Antarctica. The reconstruction of the individual organs is based on a combination of organic connections, structural correspondences, similarities in cuticles and epidermal morphologies, co-occurrence data, and ex situ palynology. The affiliated genera of organs include trunks, branches, and roots (Notophytum); strap-shaped leaves with parallel venation (Heidiphyllum compressions and permineralized Notophytum leaves); seed cones (Telemachus and Parasciadopitys); pollen cones (Switzianthus); and bisaccate pollen of Alisporites type. Structural similarities lead us to suggest that Parasciadopitys is the permineralized state of a Telemachus cone and should be treated as a junior synonym. Biotic interactions involving the reconstructed conifer genus include plant-insect interactions (oviposition by Odonata) and not less than five different types of plant-fungal interactions, including two distinct endomycorrhizal associations, two probable seed parasites, and epiphyllous fungi. A representative whole plant is reconstructed as a 10–15-m-tall, seasonally deciduous forest tree with a vertical, narrow-conical crown shape. We interpret these Telemachus trees as the dominant components of peat-forming conifer swamps, forest bogs, and immature bottomland vegetation in the Triassic high-latitude river basins of southern Gondwana. In architecture, growth habit, and many ecological characteristics, the Telemachus conifers appear to be comparable to extant larch (Larix). Owing to the large amount and often exquisite preservation of the material, this conceptual whole-plant genus represents one of the most completely reconstructed ancient conifer taxa to date.


People who like to read today need books that are instant, easy to sell anywhere, available anywhere, can be read anywhere and anytime, without fear of the book being lost, wet, or torn pages. The COVID-19 pandemic has also made people worry about reading printed books in libraries or bookstores. With the technology in the form of an ebook reader, both from applications and devices or gadgets, it can make it easier for people who like to read. The ebook reader industry is currently growing rapidly, so a study was conducted on the comparison of global business strategies from Amazon and Rakuten. Amazon owns the Amazon Kindle, and Rakuten owns the Rakuten Kobo in the ebook reader industry. Comparisons are made by analyzing the I/O Model and RBV. Later, lessons learned will be obtained regarding the strategy they use, so that later it will be a lesson for companies in Indonesia such as Gramedia Digital Nusantara. Data retrieval is done with secondary data, using a google search engine, and some related literature reviews from websites, newspapers, as well as articles and journals. No research discusses the comparison ebook reader industry.


Case summary A 12-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat was presented to our referral hospital with a chronic history of tenesmus and lumbosacral pain. A diagnosis of degenerative lumbosacral stenosis (DLSS) was made and a standard dorsal L7–S1 laminectomy was performed uneventfully, with complete recovery within 1 month. The cat was brought back 4 months later for investigation of lumbosacral pain after having suffered a minor traumatic event. Neurological examination identified a low tail carriage, weakness, exercise intolerance, left pelvic limb lameness and diminished withdrawal reflexes in both pelvic limbs with severe sacrocaudal pain. A traumatic facet fracture of the L7 articular processes and subsequent spondylolisthesis was diagnosed. A second surgery was performed to stabilise the region. The cat was normal on neurological examination 1 month later and no further clinical signs were noted. Relevance and novel information This is the first description of a fracture and spondylolisthesis as a possible postoperative complication after L7–S1 dorsal laminectomy in a cat. The case highlights the importance of postoperative changes in the supportive structures of the lumbosacral spine in cats after surgical treatment of DLSS.


It is a long held assumption that women have concealed ovulation, which means that men do not know when women's menstrual cycles are in their most fertile phase. Recent empirical results have provided evidence that ovulation may not be totally concealed from pair-bonded males, but the generality and the mechanisms of the finding demand further study. To examine the possible adaptive value of the phenomenon, it is necessary to study whether the ability to detect ovulation is confined to males. We studied these questions in an experiment in which male and female raters rated the sexual attractiveness and intensity of T-shirts' odors worn by 42 women using oral contraceptives (pill users) and by 39 women without oral contraceptives (nonusers). Males rated the sexual attractiveness of nonusers highest at midcycle. However, female raters showed only a nonsignificant trend for this relationship. Neither sex rated attractiveness of the odors of pill users according to their menstrual cycle. The results indicate that men can use olfactory cues to distinguish between ovulating and nonovulating women. Furthermore, the contrasting results between pill users and nonusers may indicate that oral contraceptives demolish the cyclic attractiveness of odors. Together, these findings give more basis for the study of the role of odors in human sexual behavior. Copyright 2004.


At present, there are only a few studies on the application of coal gangue concrete to structural components. To study the moment-curvature relationship of steel fibre-reinforced coal gangue concrete beams, a simplified calculation method was proposed in this study. The equations were optimised based on current design codes, including theoretical calculations of flexural stiffness, crack width and spacing, cracking moment and ultimate moment. Calculated results were compared with experimental results to verify that the cracking moment and ultimate moment of the beams were slightly lower than those of natural concrete beams. However, the cracking moment, flexural stiffness and ductility of coal gangue concrete beams was increased by incorporating steel fibres. Increasing the rebar ratio also significantly improved the load-carrying capacity but reduced ductility. The calculated values for moment-curvature were close to the experimental values, proving the optimised calculations have a high accuracy and are applicable to predicting the bending behaviour of steel-fibre-reinforced coal gangue concrete beams. This paper provides a theoretical basis for subsequent related research.


This study aimed to investigate the independent and additive effects of counter - -resistance training (RT) and soy isoflavone supplement (ISO) on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover in postmenopausal women. This study used a placebo-controlled, double-blinded (soy), randomized two (ISO vs. placebo) x two (RT vs. no RT) design. Eighty sedentary postmenopausal women, aged 45-70 years, were randomly assigned to one of four groups (71 completed a 9-month intervention): RT+ISO (n=15); no RT+ISO (n=20); RT+placebo (n=18); no RT+placebo (n=18). Participants randomized to ISO received 100mg/ day/oral of soy isoflavone; and those to RT attended supervised counter-resistance training sessions at least twice a week. At baseline and 9-month, BMD was estimated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Serum levels of C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), osteocalcin, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were measured as bone turnover. ANOVA with time as the repeated measure and test t were used in the statistical analysis. After 9 months of intervention, neither ISO nor RT alone affected BMD at any site or levels of CTX, osteocalcin, and IGF-1 (p>0.05). ISO and RT had no additive effects on BMD and bone turnover. RT groups showed significantly increased muscle strength (+ 35.2%) (p=0.02). We found no additive effects of resistance training and soy isoflavone on bone mineral density or bone turnover in postmenopausal women after 9-months.


Coronal fractures of the anterior teeth are a common form of dental trauma that mainly affects children and adolescents. In recent past conservative and aesthetic reattachment of the fractured teeth has gained popularity. It also restores function, provides a positive psychological response, and is a relatively simple procedure. In this case presented below is a case of Ellis class III horizontal fracture in respect to 11. In order to do conservative treatment a combination of external enamel bevel and internal dentinal groove has been used to enhance the bonding between the fractured fragment and the remaining tooth. The treatment was found to be successful both functionally and aesthetically at the 12-month follow-up.


Simulating the most external plasma region of a tokamak, the scrape-off layer (SOL), is of crucial importance in the way toward a fusion reactor as heat load on the vessel wall, impurity generation, overall plasma confinement, all depend on the plasma dynamics in this region. In the last few years a numerical code, GBS, has been developed for solving the drift-reduced Braginskii equations (DRBE), which describe turbulence in the tokamak SOL. In the present work, we re-formulate the DRBE in a general form that enables to treat diverted configuration with X-point. We check their validity, as well as their numerical implementation in GBS, in the limited configuration.


In the present study, we formulated and characterized CMC/PVA/CuO bionanocomposites to evaluate their use in coating processed cheese. Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) were prepared and added to a mixed solution of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using compositions of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9% (w/v). The CMC/PVA/CuO bionanocomposites were prepared by a solution casting method and used for coating processed cheese. The fabricated bionanocomposite films and CuO-NPs were characterized by TEM, SEM, EDEX, XRD, DLS, and FT-IR analysis. Inclusion of CuO-NPs decreased the gas transmission rate (GTR) and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of the prepared film. Also, the bionanocomposite suspensions exhibited high but variable inhibitory effects against several pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The impact of coating of processed cheese surfaces with the prepared bionanocomposite films on microbiological, physicochemical, textural and sensory properties of the processed cheese were assessed during 6 months of cold storage. Coating cheese with film containing CuO-NPs eliminated mould growth on the cheese surface and decreased significantly (P < 0.05) the total bacterial count of the cheese. Furthermore, coating of cheese decreased the moisture losses and retarded the increase in the cheese hardness during storage. The highest acceptability at the end of the storage period was given for processed cheese coated with the bionanocomposite containing 0.9% CuO-NPs. Thus, the obtained CMC/PVA/CuO bionanocomposite films could be a promising candidate for cheese packaging applications.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Background: Machine learning has the potential to help researchers better understand and close the gap in HIV care delivery in large metropolitan regions such as Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA. Objectives: We aim to identify important risk factors associated with delayed linkage to care for HIV patients with novel machine learning models and identify high-risk regions of the delay. Methods: Deidentified 2013–2017 Mecklenburg County surveillance data in eHARS format were requested. Both univariate analyses and machine learning random forest model (developed in R 3.5.0) were applied to quantify associations between delayed linkage to care (>30 days after diagnosis) and various risk factors for individual HIV patients. We also aggregated linkage to care by zip codes to identify high-risk communities within the county. Results: Types of HIV-diagnosing facility significantly influenced time to linkage; first diagnosis in hospital was associated with the shortest time to linkage. HIV patients with lower CD4+ cell counts (<200/ml) were twice as likely to link to care within 30 days than those with higher CD4+ cell count. Random forest model achieved high accuracy (>80% without CD4+ cell count data and >95% with CD4+ cell count data) to predict risk of delay in linkage to care. In addition, we also identified top high-risk zip codes of delayed linkage. Conclusion: The findings helped public health teams identify high-risk communities of delayed HIV care continuum across Mecklenburg County. The methodology framework can be applied to other regions with HIV epidemic and challenge of delayed linkage to care.


As severe dropout in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) degrades data quality, current methods for network inference face increased uncertainty from such data. To examine how dropout influences directional dependency inference from scRNA-seq data, we thus studied four methods based on discrete data that are model-free without parametric model assumptions. They include two established methods: conditional entropy and Kruskal-Wallis test, and two recent methods: causal inference by stochastic complexity and function index. We also included three non-directional methods for a contrast. On simulated data, function index performed most favorably at varying dropout rates, sample sizes, and discrete levels. On an scRNA-seq dataset from developing mouse cerebella, function index and Kruskal-Wallis test performed favorably over other methods in detecting expression of developmental genes as a function of time. Overall among the four methods, function index is most resistant to dropout for both directional and dependency inference. The next best choice, Kruskal-Wallis test, carries a directional bias towards a uniformly distributed variable. We conclude that a method robust to marginal distributions with a sufficiently large sample size can reap benefits of single-cell over bulk RNA sequencing in understanding molecular mechanisms at the cellular resolution.


Seventy pregnant female mice were divided equally into control and three treatment groups D1; D2; D3 represent the three stages of pregnancy, each treated group subdivided equally into two group (TD; OD). Animals of treatment groups (TD1, TD2, TD3) and (OD1, OD2, OD3) were given daily by oral route a therapeutic dose (2 mg/kg BW) and ten fold dose (20 mg/kg BW) of oseltamivir phosphate respectively for the period of trimester study (stage 1, 2 and 3) respectively. The prenatal developmental effect showed significant increase in number of dead and resorbed fetuses with significant decrease in gestation period, gestation index and fertility index, the postnatal effects showed significant decrease in viability index, lactating index and weight gains of suckling pups. The cytogenetic effect showed significant increase in mitotic index of both dosed male and female mice of stage one at both doses of oseltamivir, While the cytogenetic effect on pups showed significant increase of mitotic index at over dose with significant decrease at therapeutic dose.


Increased belowground carbon (C) transfer by plant roots at elevated CO2 may change properties of the microbial community in the rhizosphere. Previous investigations that focused on total soil organic C or total microbial C showed contrasting results: small increase, small decrease or no changes. We evaluated the effect of 5 years of elevated CO2 (550 ppm) on four extracellular enzymes: β‐glucosidase, chitinase, phosphatase, and sulfatase. We expected microorganisms to be differently localized in aggregates of various sizes and, therefore analyzed microbial biomass (Cmic by SIR) and enzyme activities in three aggregate‐size classes: large macro‐ (> 2 mm), small macro‐ (0.25–2 mm), and microaggregates (< 0.25 mm). To estimate the potential enzyme production, we activated microorganisms by substrate (glucose and nutrients) amendment. Although Ctotal and Cmic as well as the activities of β‐glucosidase, phosphatase, and sulfatase were unaffected in bulk soil and in aggregate‐size classes by elevated CO2, significant changes were observed in potential enzyme production after substrate amendment. After adding glucose, enzyme activities under elevated CO2 were 1.2–1.9‐fold higher than under ambient CO2. This indicates the increased activity of microorganisms, which leads to accelerated C turnover in soil under elevated CO2. Significantly higher chitinase activity in bulk soil and in large macroaggregates under elevated CO2 revealed an increased contribution of fungi to turnover processes. At the same time, less chitinase activity in microaggregates underlined microaggregate stability and the difficulties for fungal hyphae penetrating them. We conclude that quantitative and qualitative changes of C input by plants into the soil at elevated CO2 affect microbial community functioning, but not its total content. Future studies should therefore focus more on the changes of functions and activities, but less on the pools.


Myxosporea (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) are common fish parasites with complex life cycles that involve annelid hosts. Two economically important salmonid-infecting myxosporeans from rivers of the northwestern United States, Ceratonova shasta (Noble, 1950) and Parvicapsula minibicornis Kent et al., 1997, have life cycles that require a freshwater annelid host, identified previously as Manayunkia speciosa Leidy, 1859. This species was described originally from Pennsylvania, with subsequent records from New Jersey, the Great Lakes and west coast river basins. Despite apparent widespread distributions of both suitable fish hosts and the nominal annelid host, both parasites are restricted to river basins in the northwestern US and have never been recorded from the Great Lakes or the eastern US. In this study, we sampled 94 infected and uninfected annelids from two northwestern US rivers to confirm the identity of the host. We found these new specimens had mitochondrial COI sequences with no more than 4.5% distance from each other, but with at least 11% divergence from M. speciosa sampled from near the type locality (New Jersey) and Lake Superior. We did not recover any M. speciosa from either west coast river. The annelid from the Klamath and Willamette rivers showed marked sexual dimorphism that has not been reported in any Manayunkia described to date, though it is apparent that this had been missed in M. speciosa. Accordingly, we describe a new taxon, Manayunkia occidentalis sp. nov., and show that it can host both C. shasta and P. minibicornis. We suspect that previous records of Manayunkia from Pacific Northwest watersheds are likely to be M. occidentalis sp. nov. and not M. speciosa. Sampling of Manayunkia from additional localities is underway to test if the novel Manayunkia species is the only freshwater fabriciid annelid present across the Pacific Northwest.


Abstract: The use of media in learning is one way in teaching the abstract concept  of biology material. Media functions, especially Audio Visual, among others, make abstract material be concrete. Audio Visual media is quite popular is the video. The advantage of learning with video is to present representations of images and sounds of an idea or event to learners in class. This study was conducted with the aim to find out the application of learning videos to motivation and learning outcomes in terms of student learning styles consisting of audio, visual and kinestetik class XI SMA MIPA. This research is a quasi experiment with research design using Factorial Design 2x3. The study design concerned the possibility of moderating variables affecting treatment (independent variables) on outcomes (dependent variables). This research was conducted at SMA Islam Athirah 1 Makassar. The data in this study using data of student learning outcomes, student learning motivation data obtained from questionnaires, and student learning style data using the instrument in the form of questionnaires. Data were analyzed in descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with anacova test analysis. The results obtained a significant value of  0,000 <0,05 which means H0 rejected and H1 accepted. This shows that there is influence of learning video to motivation and result of student learning of audio, visual and kinesthetic class XI MIPA SMA Islam Athirah 1 Makassar on Material Regulation System. Keywords: media, video, audio visual, learning style, motivation, learning outcomes, abstract concept.


The major miracle of the Qur"an would reside in its ability to be virtuous, valid and worthwhile for all humans living at all times and everywhere. Here, I propose three major processes which would provide the basis for this dynamism peculiar to the Qur"an. A detailed example of one of these processes related to the scientific signs is presented. It starts from a verse that can represent a metaphor whereby DNA is designated Salsal (Arabic word refers to the swelling-expanding clay minerals). I have supported this metaphor showing that DNA and swelling-expanding clay minerals have really evident features in common. Moreover I have demonstrated the marvelous analogy that, coupled to this metaphor, permits to test its suitability by specifying that some DNA forms are similar to some potteries. Hence, according to my interpretation, this verse represents a wonderful painting that, elevated to an unusual pinnacle of creation, outlines information at the highest degree of scientific accuracy wearing a dress of superb Arabic rhetorical modes that only the light of knowledge and wisdom can penetrate it. The different research stages on this verse and other related ones show that the dynamic processes in question is not merely a dynamic progressive revelation of scientific signs during successive modern epochs, but also, if deeply analyzed, a dynamic grounding constructive for the scientific research. The present modern reading provides original interpretations based, among other things, on the making and the application of a modern approach that would permit to reach a rigorous academic level in the interpretation of the Qur"an text in general, and the allegorical verses related to scientific subjects in particular. In conclusion, the present research will advance our understanding on the dynamism of the Qur"an that should be shaped and implemented by re-reading Qur"an at all times and everywhere and trying continually to correct previous erroneous interpretations due mainly to a personal and socio-cultural-political influence and/or a limited scientific knowledge of the exegetes at a given epoch. Keywords : Qur"an and science, Qur"an exegesis, Qur"an dynamism, Rereading the Qur"an, Thematic interpretation, Metaphor, Marriage organizations, DNA, Clay minerals, Montmorillonite, Features in common, Origin of life, RNA World, Potteries.


Research data are often released upon journal publication to enable result verification and reproducibility. For that reason, research dissemination infrastructures typically support diverse datasets coming from numerous disciplines, from tabular data and program code to audio-visual files. Metadata, or data about data, is critical to making research outputs adequately documented and FAIR. Aiming to contribute to the discussions on the development of metadata for research outputs, I conducted an exploratory analysis to determine how research datasets cluster based on what researchers organically deposit together. I use the content of over 40,000 datasets from the Harvard Dataverse research data repository as my sample for the cluster analysis. I find that the majority of the clusters are formed by single-type datasets, while in the rest of the sample, no meaningful clusters can be identified. For the result interpretation, I use the metadata standard employed by DataCite, a leading organization for documenting a scholarly record, and map existing resource types to my results. About 65% of the sample can be described with a single-type metadata (such as Dataset, Software or Report), while the rest would require aggregate metadata types. Though DataCite supports an aggregate type such as a Collection, I argue that a significant number of datasets, in particular those containing both data and code files (about 20% of the sample) would be more accurately described as a Replication resource metadata type. Such resource type would be particularly useful in facilitating research reproducibility.


Cleavage fracture behaviors were investigated in Ni-Mo-Cr steels with mixed microstructure of lower bainite and martensite. As the size of carbide decreased, the cleavage fracture strength increased, which was independent of the sizes of grain and packet. The measured cleavage fracture strengths were in good agree-ment with cleavage fracture strengths calculated by Petch model rather than by modified Griffith model in microstructures with fine carbides, the size of which were small below a few hundred nanometer.


This paper proposes a new technique to enable Natural Language Understanding (NLU) systems to handle user queries beyond their original semantic schemas defined by intents and slots. Knowledge graph and search query logs are used to extend NLU system's coverage by transferring intents from other domains to a given domain. The transferred intents as well as existing intents are then applied to a set of new slots that they are not trained with. The knowledge graph and search click logs are used to determine whether the new slots (i.e. entities) or their attributes in the graph can be used together with transfered intents without re-training the underlying NLU models with the expanded (i.e. with new intents and slots) schema. Experimental results show that the proposed technique can in fact be used in extending NLU system's domain coverage in fulfilling the user's request.


In BALB/c mice immunized with plasma cell tumors incubated in sodium iodoacetate, antibodies against plasma cell tumors were detected by the indirect fluorescent antibody test. Fluorescence indices were determined in individual sera of animals bled at different intervals. After completion of immunizing injections, the time of appearance, level, and duration of antibodies depended on the number of injections. Cross-reactions and cross-absorption of antisera with several transplant lines of plasma cell tumor detected antibodies against individual tumor antigens and antibodies against antigen common to several plasma cell tumors. A relationship between antibody level, as detected by the fluorescence index, and resistance of animals to tumor graft could not be established.


The sound velocity of paraffin wax and its attenuation were measured in the solid phase and the liquid phase near the melting point, using the pulse transmission method. An interior transducer-type cell was used for the measurement. The experiment was in the temperature range from 10°C to 80°C, and the frequency of sound waves was 1 MHz. The melting point of the specimen was 44–46°C. In the melting process, a large absorption of ultrasonic waves was observed. During the solidification process, the sound velocity and the attenuation gradually changed with elapsed time. Noticeable changes in sound velocity and attenuation occur in the solid with a microscopical quantity of liquid melt.


In this report, Si5Ge5 alloy and Si/Ge composite quantum dots (CQDs) layers were grown on Si substrates. Seebeck coefficient (S) of Si and Ge wafers, as well as these two samples, were patterned and measured from 60 to 180 °C in [110] and [010] directions. For Si, Ge, and Si5Ge5, the S of each is a constant in this temperature range. However, the S of the CQDs at 60–80 °C is anomalous and much higher than the others. The behavior of the voltage difference is linear to the temperature difference even as large as 50 °C, except for CQDs at 60–80 °C. This result indicates that a narrow distribution of carriers energy with a sharp change in density of state near Fermi-level and selective carrier scattering in the miniband at Si/Ge interface make the discrepancy of charge transport enhanced. The CQDs can be a good candidate for temperature sensing and thermoelectric applications due to their high S and low thermal conductivity near room temperature.


A monodisperse Pt/ceria hybrid with controlled nanoporous structure was fabricated with the aid of poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) microspheres as a hard template. Functional groups on the polymer microspheres interacted with Pt species and then cerium precursors were impregnated into the microsphere pores through a sol–gel method. Porous ceria microspheres embedded with uniform and fine Pt nanoparticles formed after removal of the polymer templates by calcination. The hierarchical Pt/ceria hybrid possesses catalytic activity, excellent stability and ease of recyclability. For example, a highly efficient catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) with sodium borohydride was accomplished. This facile and general synthetic method could be extended to other novel metal/oxide hybrid combinations.


We systematically searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from the inception to March 31, 2017, identified relevant trials about efficacy of high-does Atorvastatin for patients with percutaneous coronary intervention. Twelve studies with the number of 2801 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with control group, high-does Atorvastatin significantly reduced the risk of myocardial infarction in patients with percutaneous coronary intervention (Relative risk =0.62, 95% confidence interval: 0.49-0.78), with low level of heterogeneity (I2=22.6%, P=0.228). Nine studies with 2248 patients reported the adverse cardiovascular events. A fixed-effect model was applied. Compared with control group, patients with high-does Atorvastatin taken, the risk of adverse cardiovascular events was degraded by 65% (Relative risk, RR=0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50-0.84), which was confirmed by trial sequential analysis as the cumulative Z curve entered the futility area. The subgroup analyses found that decreased risks of myocardial infarction among trails (RR=0.64, 95%CI: 0.50-0.83, RR=0.55, 95%CI: 0.34-0.88). Egger and Begg's test found no publication bias (t=-1.670, P=0.129; Z=1.560, P=0.119). The use of high-dose Atorvastatin could reduce the risk of myocardial infraction and cardiovascular adverse events in patients with percutaneous coronary intervention. High-dose Atorvastatin was recommended as an adjunct to aid percutaneous coronary intervention.


Interconnection networks are an important and well-studied topic in parallel computing and architecture, but a homogeneous and general method for defining and classifying the topologies and behaviors of interconnection networks is lacking. Topologies are usually specified informally by picture or more formally by permutations of wire enumerations. This paper presents an improved method for specifying multistage networks via permutations, along with two styles of formal functional specification of the entire network, using both a standardmultistage organization and a generalized fat tree organization. This method is applied to two specific indirect multistage switch networks: the baseline and the butterfly. The functional specification emphasizes the similarities between the networks, and also captures the functionality provided by general-purpose network nodes.


Karyometric and DNA content analyses were simultaneously performed on 32 cases of stage III invasive ductal breast cancer using an image analysis system. From the karyometric analysis, the nuclear areas (NAs; microns 2) were (mean +/- SD) 36.27 +/- 9.40 in five-year survivors (n 17) and 57.14 +/- 13.26 in non-survivors (n 15). The nuclear shape factors (NSFs; NSF = 4 pi X NA/NP2; NP, nuclear perimeter) were 0.756 +/- 0.037 in survivors and 0.716 +/- 0.040 in non-survivors. The NA was significantly larger (P less than 0.01) and the NSF significantly lower (P less than 0.01) in non-survivors than in survivors. From the DNA content analysis, the DNA content values (c; see Measurements section) were +/- 2.59 +/- 0.70 in survivors and 3.72 +/- 1.08 in non-survivors. The percentages of aneuploid cells over 4c were 7.10 +/- 9.89 in survivors and 23.07 +/- 20.19 in non-survivors. The DNA content and the percentage of aneuploid cells over 4c were significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in non-survivors than in survivors. This method may be valuable for estimating the prognosis of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.


We investigated the interaction of a laser ablation plasma with a longitudinal magnetic field, intending to create a directional moving plasma for laser ion source. To study the plasma dynamics, time-of-flight measurements of ion flux were made as a function of laser intensity and the magnetic field. The results indicate that the ion current density in the forward direction is strongly affected by a moderate (∼0.2 T) magnetic field. Results also indicate that the longitudinal magnetic field can control the ion flux as well as degree of ionization of the moving plasma by reducing the transverse expansion and setting on the recombination process during the interaction.


Phonetic variation is pervasive. Variation could be 'hidden' (Ohala 1989) or apparent; it could be stable or unstable, resulting in sound change. As such, phonetic variation is a pre-condition for sound change (Ohala 1989). When phonetic variation results in a change in the inventory, phonological theory has to explain how new phonemes or allophones emerge and, in consequence, it has to explore the limits of phonetic variation and determine whether a change has occurred in isolation or in bundles. However, in order to expand our knowledge on the mechanisms of sound variation and change, and, in particular, to deepen our understanding of how phonetic variation may result in change, it is necessary to focus on a specific phenomenon occurring in a given variety. Thus, I will analyze here two on-going changes in Argentine Spanish, namely loss of assibilation in rhotics and assibilation in palatals, illustrated in (1):


3D building modeling from airborne Lidar without model regularization may cause positional errors or topological inconsistency in building models. regularization of 3D building models, on the other hand, restricts the types of models which can be reconstructed. To resolve these issues, this paper modelled 3D buildings from airborne Lidar by building model regularization which considers more various types of buildings. Building points are first segmented into roof planes by clustering in feature space and segmentation in object space. Then, 3D building models are reconstructed by consecutive adjustment of planes, lines, and points to satisfy parallelism, symmetry, and consistency between model components. The experimental results demonstrated that the method could make more various types of 3d building models with regularity. The effects of regularization on the positional accuracies of models were also analyzed quantitatively.


Quality evaluation and classification is very important for crop market price determination. A lot of methods have been applied in the field of quality classification including principal component analysis (PCA) and artificial neural network (ANN) etc. The use of ANN has been shown to be a cost-effective technique. But their training is featured with some drawbacks such as small sample effect, black box effect and prone to overfitting. This paper proposes a novel hybrid approach of kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) with support vector machine (SVM) for developing the accuracy of quality classification. The tobacco quality data is evaluated in the experiment. Traditional PCA-SVM, SVM and ANN are investigated as comparison basis. The experimental results show that the proposed approach can achieve better performance in crop quality classification.


Background Autoreactive B lymphocytes are thought to play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). B cell depletion therapy by rituximab (RTX) has shown that targeting the humoral immune response can result in clinical improvement. Unfortunately, repopulation of B cells leads to disease relapse. Hence, analysis of the B cell/plasma cell compartment in synovium (ST) in patients undergoing RTX therapy might help to identify autoreactive cells responsible for disease persistence and relapse. Objectives To compare the B cell/plasma cell repertoire in ST at baseline, 4 weeks and 16 weeks after RTX treatment using a newly developed next-generation sequencing protocol. Methods Nine RA patients were included and treated with two intravenous infusions of 1000 mg RTX without additional methylprednisolone. At baseline, all patients fulfilled ACR criteria for RA, were ACPA+ and had a Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) >3.2. At week 24, all patients demonstrated moderate EULAR responses. mRNA was isolated from consecutive samples and full-repertoire analysis of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain was performed with primers for all V(ariable)-genes. All amplified products encoded the CDR3, a unique sequence that defines a unique clone. The number of sequences reflects the amount of immunoglobulins produced by that clone and can be used as a measure for 'dominance' of that particular clone. The samples were analysed using a GS-FLX/454 and custom bioinformatics algorithms (>10 000 sequences/sample). Clones with a frequency of >0.5% were arbitrarily considered as dominant clones. Results Clones were detected in equal numbers at baseline and 4 weeks after RTX. However, after 16 weeks there was a significant decrease in the number of non-dominant clones compared to baseline (mean −47.7%, p=0.03). In line, the number of dominant clones significantly increased compared to baseline (mean +55.3%, p=0.04). In five patients 17.9% of the dominant clones at baseline was detectable after 16 weeks (mean, SD 8.0%), half of these were dominant at both time points (mean 8.8%, SD 4.6%). In the remaining four patients dominant clones at baseline were not retrieved 16 weeks after RTX. Interestingly, the latter group showed a better response to treatment as determined by a decrease in DAS28 score (r2=0.51, p=0.03). Conclusion Our observations suggest a disruption of dominant clones and a repopulation of distinctly different clones 16 weeks after rituximab. The persistence of dominant clones was associated with decreased treatment response. Further study of persisting dominant clones, especially during disease relapse, might help to identify and characterise disease-associated B cells and/or plasma cells.


Systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases predispose to premature birth, accelerated atherosclerosis, and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD). While glucocorticoids (GCs) are used in various rheumatic diseases, and the associations between GC excess and increased prevalence of CVD complications are well established, the mechanisms underlying GCs' role in atheroma development are unclear. We conducted an observational study to address GC therapy's effect on arterial stiffness using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) in patients with rheumatic diseases. Twenty-eight patients with rheumatic disease received initial GC therapy with prednisolone at doses ranging from 20 to 60 mg/d. CAVI was examined at baseline and 3 and 6 months after GC therapy. Changes in CAVI and inflammatory parameters were evaluated. GC therapy increased the mean CAVI after 3 months but decreased it to pretreatment levels after 6 months. The mean CAVI substantially decreased with GC treatment in patients <65 years but increased in patients ≥65 years. Alterations in CAVI during the 6-month GC treatment negatively correlated with the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) at baseline. Conversely, no correlation was observed between alterations in CAVI values and conventional inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate). Multivariate analysis of factors related to changes in CAVI highlighted young age, high prednisolone dosage, and LMR at baseline. GC temporarily exacerbates but eventually improves arterial stiffness in rheumatic diseases. Particularly in young patients, GC may improve arterial stiffness by reducing inflammation. Therefore, the LMR before GC therapy in rheumatic diseases may be a potential predictor of arterial stiffness.


The leakage rate is an essential parameter for the risk assessment and failure analysis of natural gas pipelines. The leakage rate of a natural gas pipeline should be calculated quickly and accurately to minimize consequences. First, in this study, models to estimate the leakage rate of natural gas pipelines are reclassified, and the theoretical range of application for each model is also analysed. Second, the impact of the leakage on the flow rate upstream of the leak point is considered, and the method of successive approximation is used to realize this feedback effect of flow rate change. Then, a modified hole-pipe model is developed to calculate the natural gas leakage rate in this paper. Compared with the leakage rate calculated by the hole-pipe model, the leakage rate calculated by the modified hole-pipe model is smaller and closer to the actual leakage rate due to the consideration of the feedback effect of the flow rate change. Finally, the leakage rate curves of the hole-pipe model and the modified hole-pipe model under different d/D conditions are obtained through simulation. The simulation results show that the modified hole-pipe model is able to calculate the leakage rate of any leak aperture, such as the hole-pipe model, and also at a higher accuracy level than the hole-pipe model.


Online movie review platforms are providing crowdsourced feedback for the film industry and the general public, while spoiler reviews greatly compromise user experience. Although preliminary research efforts were made to automatically identify spoilers, they merely focus on the review content itself, while robust spoiler detection requires putting the review into the context of facts and knowledge regarding movies, user behavior on film review platforms, and more. In light of these challenges, we first curate a large-scale network-based spoiler detection dataset LCS and a comprehensive and up-to-date movie knowledge base UKM. We then propose MVSD, a novel Multi-View Spoiler Detection framework that takes into account the external knowledge about movies and user activities on movie review platforms. Specifically, MVSD constructs three interconnecting heterogeneous information networks to model diverse data sources and their multi-view attributes, while we design and employ a novel heterogeneous graph neural network architecture for spoiler detection as node-level classification. Extensive experiments demonstrate that MVSD advances the state-of-the-art on two spoiler detection datasets, while the introduction of external knowledge and user interactions help ground robust spoiler detection. Our data and code are available at https://github.com/Arthur-Heng/Spoiler-Detection


Introduction It has been reported the efficacy of adapted physical activity (APA) in exercise capacity improvement.1 Nevertheless, there is still no consensus on training modalities and intensities to be prescribed in patients affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the study was to assess the effects of two 16 weeks APA training programs (endurance vs endurance+strength) on respiratory parameters (FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%) and exercise capacity (V'O2 peak) immediately after APA training program (first follow up: FU1) and after six months (second follow up: FU2) Methods Sixty five COPD patients were randomly assigned to endurance training (ET) or to endurance + strength training (EST). All Patients underwent 3 sessions per week. For ET, as upper intensity training limits were considered 40–50% heart rate reserve; for EST training limits were considered 40–50% heart rate reserve and 50% 1RM.2 Before training programs, at FU1 and at FU2, all patients underwent: clinical assessment, respiratory functionality tests, maximal cardiopulmonary test. Repeated measures ANOVA was adopted to assess parameters' variations. Statistical significance was set for p < 0.05. Results Thirty-five patients (14M/21F; age 71 ± 9 y; FEV1 61 ± 14% of predicted) completed the ET program; 30 patients (18M/12F; age 74 ± 6 y; FEV1 59 ± 18% of predicted) completed the EST program. In both ET and EST, respiratory parameters did not change. ET FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC% values at FU1 were 76 ± 14, 61 ± 16, 64 ± 12 respectively; at FU2 76 ± 16, 59 ± 16,61 ± 12. For EST FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC% values at FU1 were 79 ± 14, 59 ± 16, 58 ± 13 respectively; at FU2 83 ± 12, 64 ± 16,60 ± 13. In ET V'O2 peak showed significant variations: 17.7 ± 3.1, 18.8 ± 3.4, 16.3 ± 3.3, before training, at FU1 and at FU2 respectively (p < 0.0001). In EST: 19.1 ± 4.9, 20.3 ± 5.9, 18.2 ± 5.5, before training, at FU1 and at FU2 respectively (p < 0.008). Conclusion Both ET and EST produced a significant improvement in exercise capacity (V'O2peak) at FU1. Unfortunately, both ET and EST worsened at FU2 vs FU1. However FU2 data were better than at baseline. References Vogiatzis I. Eur Respir J. 2002 Jul;20:12–9 ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. (2006) 7th Edition


There is much information available about the Chinese health-care system, but the value of this short book is the large amount of specific information about one teaching hospital associated with a provincial medical college. It is surprising that the authors, a sociologist and a physician, were able to collect such a volume of detailed information during their five-month experience of living and working in the Second Attached Hospital of Hubei Provincial Medical College in Wuhan. This book gives an accurate account of the hospital environment and the routine practice of medicine on an infectious disease ward. The description of the intense curiosity of the patients and their general lack of privacy provides the reader with an intimate view of daily ward life. It is also interesting to read of problems in the Chinese hospital that are common to institutions in the United States. The discussion of authority relationships in the


Methods: Spontaneous recanalization of coronary thrombi are identified with OCT based on histopathological features and are included in a multicentre French facilities: LOTUS ROOT French Registry. Results: Overall, 34 recanalized thrombi were identified with OCT in 33 patients (23 males, average age 58±11 years). Based on symptoms, 22/33 patients (67%) were diagnosed with angina and/or dyspnea; and among the 11 patients who were asymptomatic, 9 reveal positives for a challenging test. We identified three major morphological characteristics of coronary lesions: braided, pseudodissected, or misty. Quantitative angiographic measurements showed stenosis from 11 to 100% (median 45%), whereas the OCT evaluated the reduction of the lumen surface from 20 to 92% (median 68%). The Oct imaging diagnosed a lotus root-like structure with multiple intraluminal channels, 3 to 12 channels with different sizes, divided by thin septa communicating with each other with high signal intensity and low signal attenuation, consistent with intraluminal thrombus recanalization. The OCT analysis allowed us to manage the therapeutic strategy of stenting in 91% cases after measuring the length and diameters of lesions. The 21 months follow-up was positive for 91% of the patients. Conclusion: This is the biggest cohort of patients studied so far with intraluminal thrombus recanalization. The OCT is a method of choice for diagnosis and provides new insights into the phenotypic features of lesions. Thus, the OCT imaging allows a better management of therapeutic strategies of lesions that cause angina and/or silent myocardial ischemia with an accurate prognosis.


The location of the Escherichia coli K-12 genes determining or regulating glutamate transport, and the location of the gene determining glutamate decarboxylase synthesis, were established by conjugation. The ability to grow on glutamate as the sole source of carbon and energy was used to select for glutamate transport recombinants. Two genes determining the ability to grow on glutamate as the sole source of carbon and energy were mapped. One (gltC) is located near mtl (mannitol), and the other (gltH) appears to be located between the gal (galactose) and trp (tryptophan) loci. The glutamate decarboxylase gene (gad) is strongly linked to gltC. The gltC+ recombinants grow on glutamate much faster and accumulate this amino acid to a greater extent than do the gltH+ recombinants. The gltH+ gene functioned only in one female strain (P678), whereas the gltC gene functioned in all the female strains tested (P678, C600, W1).


ABSTRACT Agency has received much attention in recent historical institutionalist theorizing of change processes, but remains largely disconnected from questions about mechanisms that stabilize institutions. To help fill this lacuna, the paper presents bricolage as one key mechanism through which actors stabilize an institutional setup. It suggests that institutions may be defended by keeping intact the institutional logic on which the incumbent coalition is based, but rearrange the salience of the ideational and institutional elements that make up the existing institutional setup. The empirical relevance of the argument is supported through a case analysis of a 1980-reform that could have changed the face of German corporatism, but never was, namely the policy of collective equity funds (Tariffonds). Through process tracing, we explain the fate of the reform with the effectiveness of a last-minute intervention based on a bricolage of the extant institutional logic.


We construct rational elliptic surfaces of index two by explicitly constructing their associated Halphen pencils in the projective plane P. For each of the types of singular fibers that occur we construct at least one example having that type of fiber and in fact, for some, we construct all possible examples. We establish a precise dictionary between the fibers in a rational elliptic surface and the corresponding plane curves and, in particular, we study the singularities of the curves appearing in a Halphen pencil.


Positive ions formed by spark discharges and via reactions following the discharge in SF6 in the pressure range 13-67 kPa have been detected and identified using high-pressure quadrupole mass spectrometry. Results are presented for ions produced in 'unpurified' SF6, 'purified' SF6 and binary mixtures of 'purified' SF6 with N2 and O2. Without reduction of air and water impurities to the parts per million level the major ions detected at P>or approximately=40 kPa were N2O2F+, H2SOF2+, N2F4+, S2NF4+, S2NOF4+, S2NO2F4+, and S2NF8+. These were identified through additions of N2, O2, D2O, and the measurement of sulphur isotope ratios. After extensive purification of SF6, the predominant ions at these pressures were S2F7+ and SF3+. The effect of impurities is discussed in light of work performed by others which shows that the long-lived neutral products depend strongly on impurities.


This paper presents the experimental progress of laser-focused Cr atomic deposition and the experimental condition. The result is an accurate array of lines with a periodicity of 212.8±0.2 nm and mean full-width at half maximum as approximately 95 nm. Surface growth in laser-focused Cr atomic deposition is modeled and studied by kinetic Monte Carlo simulation including two events: the one is that atom trajectories in laser standing wave are simulated with the semiclassical equations of motion to obtain the deposition position; the other is that adatom diffuses by considering two major diffusion processes, namely, terrace diffusion and step-edge descending. Comparing with experimental results (Anderson W R, Bradley C C, McClelland J J and Celotta R J 1999 Phys. Rev. A 59 2476), it finds that the simulated trend of dependence on feature width is in agreement with the power of standing wave, the other two simulated trends are the same in the initial stage. These results demonstrate that some surface diffusion processes play important role in feature width broadening. Numerical result also shows that high incoming beam flux of atoms deposited redounds to decrease the distance between adatoms which can diffuse to minimize the feature width and enhance the contrast.


Reviewing consumers' motivations to attend performances in a continuously evolving social and technological context is essential because live concerts generate an important and growing share of revenues for the music industry. Evolving fans' preferences and technological innovations constantly alter the way music is distributed and consumed. In a marketing 3.0 era, what consumers do with music is becoming more significant than simply owning or listening to a song. These changes are not only blurring the lines between production and consumption (i.e., co-creation), but also distorting the concept of live attendance altogether. Although mediated performances typically lack presence and authenticity, recent advances in immersive technologies, such as spherical videos and virtual reality goggles, could represent a new form of experiencing live music.


Age-related eye diseases, in many cases are not sudden but tend to develop slowly as a person ages. Of the many age-related eye diseases, there are four major ones that are recognized and that can be detected and treated if a comprehensive eye examination is performed. These four age-related eye diseases are Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, Glaucoma and Diabetic Retinopathy are expected to dramatically increases if left untreated can cause serious vision loss and blindness. Populations are most at risk for developing eye disease is unaware of the factors that make them susceptible. However there are certain common preventive measures like taking Healthy Diet, avoiding Smoking and managing Health conditions.


Primary productivity in Babine Lake, British Columbia, as measured by the C1a in situ method in 1966 was slightly lower in the North Arm (outlet) and Morrison Arm (an inlet) than in the main lake region. An unusually high rate of photosynthesis at one part of the main lake in September may have been related to the decomposition of salmon carcasses in a nearby stream. Morrison Lake, a major tributary, was much lower in rate of photosynthesis, 1H, alkalinity, compensation depth, and total dissolved solids than any part of Babine I-ake. The rate of carbon fixation of Babine Lake was much less on a per unit area basis than those reported by other workers for the majority of 24 sockeye salmon lakes in southwestern Alaska but was similar to most per unit volume of the euphotic layer. Much of this difference is attributable to a shallower euphotic zone in Babine Lake. Ranked with the 24 Alaskan lakes, Babine was first in alkalinity, third in TDS, and flfth in pH. The productivity measurements suggest that the carrying capacity for sockeye salmon per unit of nursery area of the main lake region is at least as great as that of the North Arnr.


The crux of this paper was to have a pedagogical insight in the teaching of Public Administration in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria. It is a credo that the supra discipline Public Administration hold the sway for anchoring the policy and programmes of both federal, States and local government. It is in this breath, that curriculum planners included Public Administration as a course of study, either as elective or full discipline in our universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the nation. The rai-son d'etre for the latter sentence is based on the premise that Public Administration will provide the leeway for capacity building of graduates of the discipline, to enable them acquire both physical and intellectual skills (cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains) in order to be useful to the nation. For effective teaching of public administration, ingredients of pedagogical insights must be involved, utilized or adopted by lecturers/teachers, handling various courses in Public Administration. It is in this breath, that public administration can effective provide the much desired linkages between tertiary institution, development and growth of the Nigeria economy. Consequently, this paper defined the concept of Public Administration. The paper is explicated with the aid of the system theory. It discussed the variegate strategies of teaching Public Administration. The attributes of Public Administration were orchestrated. Finally, the authors concluded that lecturers/teachers of Public Administration must adopt and utilize pedagogical insights in the process of teaching of the course. It is the desiderata for graduates of Public Administration to effectively acquire the skills necessary for them to contribute their quota to Nigeria development and growth.


Echoes from patches of fish fluctuate significantly from ping to ping as the sonar beam is swept across the patches. The fluctuations can be strongly non-Rayleigh because 1) there can be a small number of targets in the beam at a time, 2) the distribution of fish can be inhomogeneous, or "patchy", and 3) the echoes are weighted by the non-uniform response of the sonar beam. We have previously identified two distributions to describe the statistical behavior of non-Rayleigh echoes from fish - the K-distribution for patches of multiple unresolved fish and a power law distribution for individual resolved fish. The Redistribution has been shown in previous studies (Abraham and Lyons, IEEE J. Ocean. Eng. 27: 800-813, 2002) to describe the statistics of targets with a Gamma distribution of echo amplitude. The power law distribution is based on the method proposed by Ehrenberg et al. for circular aperture transceivers (J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 69: 955-962, 1981). In this paper, we provide a more general physical interpretation to the R-distribution and develop a generalized power-law distribution to include beampattern effect. In addition, we compare the data collected in the 2-10 kHz range with Atlantic herring with the model predictions for two types of groupings of echoes - within patches and across patches. The Rullback-Leibler (RL) distances between the observed and theoretically predicted distributions showed that for echoes within patches, Rayleigh distribution can reasonably describe the fish echoes amplitude while for echoes across patches, the echo amplitude can be characterized by either the R-distribution or a mixed distribution that involves the power law distribution of sonar beam, depending on whether the echoes can be resolved.


It is argued that since statistical mechanics has developed in two ways, the dynamical approach of Boltzmann and the equilibrium approach of Gibbs, both should be valuable in rubber elasticity. It is shown that this is indeed the case, and the generality of these approaches allows one to study the problem in greater depth than hitherto. In particular, damping terms in the elastic behaviour of rubber can be calculated, and also the effect of entanglements and excluded volume on the equation of state. It is noticeable that although the calculated equations of state are quite complex, they do not fit into a simple pattern of invariants. The future for these developments is briefly discussed.


This paper is concerned with a computational solution for normal optical flow estimation using space-variant image sampling. The article describes one solution for the problem based on log-polar images, including the algorithm implementation on digital signal processing hardware. The log-polar structure achieves high data compressing rates by maintaining a high resolution area?the fovea?and a space-variant resolution?the retinal periphery. This sampling scheme enables the implementation of selective processing, characteristic of attentive vision. The solution was developed to be used with an active vision system to pursue moving objects, assuming that the cameras could also move. Some properties of the log-poplar structure are also described and the main results of the implementation are presented.


AbstractImage intensity in magnetic resonance (MR) images in the presence of noise obeys Rician distribution. The signal-dependent Rician noise makes accurate image segmentation a challenging task. Although existing fuzzy c-means (FCM) variants with local filters improve the segmentation performance, they are less effective for reducing the negative effect from Rician noise, and the repeatedly applied filter increases their computational intensiveness. To address this issue, we propose a novel image segmentation method which dynamically incorporates wavelet-based noise detector and filter in the FCM membership function. The modified algorithm is designed to exploit both frequency and spatial information in the images and minimizes clustering errors caused by Rician noise. Furthermore, efficiency of the proposed method can be enhanced by the strategy of applying filter only when noise is detected. The experimental results of segmentation on synthetic and brain MR images, demonstrate the computational effic...


As an archipelago, Indonesia is rich in cultures that exist and grow in its unique regions. It could be influenced by people's habits, thoughts, acts, and geographical characteristics, creating certain values, rec-ognized as local wisdom. Gresik, a small city at the edge of East Java northern coast, has distinctive features; one of them is its traditional snack: Pudak. Traditional snacks are typical because they can be found only in specific regions. As a traditional snack, Pudak has a unique package made of natural material, that is ope. As a cultural product, Pudak and its packaging have interesting local values. This research shows that the making process, packaging materials, and packaging process of Pudak which are the local wisdom and the identity of Gresik. This identity is important because in this globalization era, many people do not know or even care about the cultural meaning of traditional snacks.


Our aim was to evaluate the role of maternal nutritional habits during the period of gestation and of children subsequent diet in the etiology of pediatric brain tumors. All cases of incident nervous system tumors under age 18, diagnosed between 1984 and 1993 (n = 300) in Israel were identified. Two matched population controls per case were selected (n = 574). Personal interviews, using a semi‐quantified three‐step food frequency questionnaire, were performed. Univariate analysis showed that increased child consumption of vegetable fat [p trend 0.01; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–3.2], carbohydrates (p trend 0.05; CI 1.0–5.9), and vitamin E (p trend 0.05; CI 1.0–3.3), were significantly associated with brain tumor risk. No associations were found with nitrate, nitrite or vitamin C. A significant positive association with potassium consumption (p trend 0.01; CI 1.1–3.7) was noted during gestation. Results of multivariate analysis showed that the only persisting associations were with vegetable fat (OR = 1.36; CI 1.06–1.73) in the child diet and potassium intake during gestation (OR = 1.44; CI 1.04–1.99). In conclusion, nutritional associations with pediatric brain tumor etiology, remain unsubstantiated. Int. J. Cancer 86:139–143, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.