Financial performance is an important indicator for holders and stakeholders to assess and make decisions for a company, one of which can be seen from the level of Return On Assets (ROA). The higher the ROA of a company, the better the company's performance in generating profits from its assets. The ROA condition of Indonesian Banking since 2016-2019 has increased which then fell in 2020. This study aims to determine how the influence of Intellectual Capital and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on conventional banking ROA either partially or simultaneously. The population of this study is the conventional banking companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2016-2020 period as many as 41 companies. The number of samples taken was 25 conventional banks which were selected through purposive sampling method. The research method used is panel data regression analysis. The results showed that Intellectual Capital and Corporate Social Responsibility simultaneously had a positive effect on conventional banking ROA. Partially VAHU and VACA have a significant effect on ROA, while STVA and CSR have no significant effect on ROA in conventional banking.


Atrial Fibrillationis a kind of arrhythmia which has the most incidence. Based on its Etiology, atrial fibrillationcould be divided in to two, valvular and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. This study was aimed toknow the correlation of atrial fibrillation incidence between valvular and nonvalvular with its left atrium diameter in Arifin Achmad Provinsi Riau's General Hospital. This study was analytical and done by cross sectional approach with 185 patient. The data were processing with computerize to univariate analysis and chi-square for bivarite analysis. From this study it can be concluded that the most occurrence of atrial fibrillation was non valvular atrial fibrillation which was 76,8% with the etiology mostly of hypertension which was 41,5%. Valvular atrial fibrillation was mostly caused by mitral stenosis which was 37,2% and there were no correlation between the diameter of left atrium to the occurrence of valvular and non valvular atrial fibrillation (p=0,273.)


Tea cream is a kind of turbid substance commonly existing in tea infusion and tea beverage upon cooling. Herein, a comparative study was conducted on the supernatant and cream from black tea infusion in terms of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and enzyme inhibitory activities, and chemical composition. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that the contents of protein, polyphenols, theaflavins, thearubigins, theabrownins, and caffeine in cream were significantly higher than those in the supernatant. The contents of Al, Ca, Cu, and Fe elements in cream were higher than those in the supernatant. However, higher levels of monosaccharides and free amino acids were detected in the supernatant compared with cream. The ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) based metabolomics analysis revealed that the main marker compounds between the supernatant and the cream were organic acids, phenolic acids, and flavan-3-ols and their oxidation products, flavonol glycosides and amino acids. The cream showed better antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, as well as α-amylase and α-glycosidase inhibitory activities than the supernatant, because it contained higher contents of polyphenols than the supernatant. The present study expanded the new vision towards the cream of black tea infusion.


BACKGROUND
The study was to look for effectiveness of vitamin D-3 in cutaneous warts in comparison with cryotherapy at dermatology department of Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi. It was a randomized control trial conducted at the Department of dermatology Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi. Ten months, June 2019 to May 2020.

Methods
A total of 50 patients of cutaneous warts diagnosed by consultant dermatologist were included in the study. Patients were randomized into groups by lottery method. Group A received the Intralesional vitamin D 3 while Group B received cryotherapy. Comparison was made in both the groups regarding the response as complete or partial or no resolution of the wart.

RESULTS
Out of 50 patients with cutaneous warts on any location of the body, 23 (46%) received intralesional vitamin D3 while 27 (54%) received cryotherapy as allocated treatment. Twenty-four (48%) patients were female while 26 (52%) were male. Planter warts 41 (82%) were the commonest type according to the site of warts followed by palmar 6 (12%). Application of chi-square test revealed that Vitamin D3 was statistically significantly related to complete resolution of warts as compared to cryotherapy (p-value<0.05).

Conclusion
Cutaneous warts were most commonly seen on the feet of the affected patients. They had a good response to both of the therapies but intralesional vitamin D3 emerged as more effective option of the two in terms of management of these cutaneous warts.


A subset S of vertices in a graph G is a global total dominating set, or just GTDS, if S is a total dominating set of both G and G. The global total domination number γgt(G) of G is the minimum cardinality of a GTDS of G. We present bounds for the global total domination number in graphs.


BACKGROUND: The endoscopic injection of dextranomer-hyaluronic acid has become a popular treatment for childhood vesicoureteral reflux. Treated children are predominantly girls, and many are now entering adulthood. It has been reported in children that the radiographic appearance of implants may lead to misdiagnoses and unnecessary, invasive diagnostic procedures. CASE: We report the case of a woman treated with dextranomer-hyaluronic acid for childhood vesicoureteral reflux misdiagnosed with a bladder tumor on transvaginal ultrasonography. Renal ultrasound examination and urinalysis results were normal. Invasive testing was avoided given the history and characteristic ultrasonographic appearance of retained implants. CONCLUSION: It is important for health care providers to be aware of the radiographic appearance of dextranomer-hyaluronic acid implants in adults and to elicit an appropriate past medical history to avoid misdiagnosis and invasive diagnostic procedures.


Using individual modernity as a measure of modernization and decision-making power to assess the status of the aged at the micro level, this study examines how modernity, family environment, and demographic characteristics affect the status of the aged in the extended family. Data are analyzed from a sample of 252 Korean elderly living with one of their married children. In contrast to findings at the societal level, this research indicates that individual modernity is associated with higher status of the aged. Individual modernity may become an important resource in negotiating for decision-making power with adult children.


BACKGROUND
Relapse happens frequently after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) in the patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph(+) ALL). Detection of the minimal residual disease (MRD) before and after allo-HCT is associated with higher relapse rate. Early administration of imatinib after allo-HCT may prevent recurrent Ph(+) ALL. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of imatinib in preventing hematological relapse when imatinib was administrated in the first 90 days after allo-HCT.

METHODS
Patients with Ph(+) ALL that underwent allo-HCT were enrolled in a prospective study. A TaqMan-based real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) technique was used to detect the MRD (bcr-abl transcript levels). Imatinib therapy was initiated prior to 90 days after allo-HCT if the patient's absolute neutrophil count (ANC) was above 1.0 × 10(9)/L (without granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration) and the platelet count was greater than 50.0 × 10(9)/L, or if the bcr-abl transcript levels were elevated in two consecutive tests, or if the bcr-abl transcript levels were ≥ 10(-2) after the initial engraftment. The initial daily dose of imatinib was 400 mg/d for adults and 260 mg/m(2) for children (younger than 17 years). Imatinib was administered for at least 1 month and the bcr-abl TaqMan results were negative for 3 consecutive tests, or complete molecular remission (CR(mol)) was sustained for at least 3 months.

RESULTS
From May 2005 to October 2008, 29 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom, 19 patients were male and 10 were female. The median age of the enrolled patients was 33 years (range 6 - 50 years). Imatinib therapy was started at a median time of 60 days (range 20 - 122 days) post HCT (only one patient started Imatinib therapy at 122nd day after HCT). Twenty-five adult patients could tolerate a dose of 300 - 400 mg/d of imatinib, and three children tolerated a dose of 260 mg×m(-2)×d(-1). Sixty-eight percent of the patients experienced various adverse events during imatinib therapy, hematological toxicity being the most common adverse event. The median duration of imatinib treatment was 3 months (range 7 days-18 months). During the median follow-up of 24 months (range 16.0 - 54.5 months), 3 out of 27 patients that could be evaluated for efficacy died from relapse. The 3-year probability of relapse for the evaluated patients was (11.3 ± 0.61)%. The relapse rates among the subgroup of positive and negative bcr-abl patients before allo-HCT were 13.6% and 0, respectively (P > 0.05). The relapse rates among the subgroups of bcr-abl positive and negative patients after allo-HCT were 20.0% and 5.9%, respectively (P > 0.05). The relapse rates among the patients in first complete remission (CR(1)) and second complete remission/non-remission (CR(2)/NR) before transplantation were 0 and 31.4%, respectively (P < 0.05). The 3-year probability of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) for the all enrolled patients were (75.3 ± 8.1)%. The 3-year probabilities for OS and DFS among the subgroup of patients in CR(1) and CR(2)/NR before transplantation were (87.7 ± 8.2)% and (54.6 ± 15.0)%, respectively (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Administration of imatinib at a dose of 300 - 400 mg/d in the first 90 days after allo-HCT is feasible in Ph(+) ALL patients. With this treatment, bcr-abl positive patients before or after transplantation do not have a higher relapse rate after allo-HCT compared with the bcr-abl negative patients. Because of lower relapse rate and better OS and DFS, we recommend that Ph(+) ALL patients receive allo-HCT in CR₁.


Integrated electronic techniques have been developed to the point where they can be applied to many types of military equipment. This paper discusses how these techniques are being used to increase the reliability and reduce the size and weight of three selected types of equipment used in military communications and radar systems. Redundancy is used in the first of these equipments, an ultrareliable UHF transceiver. The two additional equipments, a VLF/LF frequency synthesizer and a radar receiver, are greatly reduced in size and weight by the direct application of microcircuit techniques. The basic problems created by system size reduction are discussed, and the design and fabrication techniques used for the three equipments are described.


Genomic characterization of hematologic and solid cancers has revealed recurrent somatic mutations affecting genes encoding the RNA splicing factors SF3B1, U2AF1, SRSF2 and ZRSR2. Recent data reveal that these mutations confer an alteration of function inducing aberrant splicing and rendering spliceosome mutant cells preferentially sensitive to splicing modulation compared with wildtype (WT) cells. Here we describe a novel orally bioavailable small molecule SF3B1 modulator identified through a medicinal chemistry effort aimed at optimizing compounds for preferential lethality in spliceosome mutant cells. H3B-8800 potently binds to WT or mutant SF3b complexes and modulates splicing in in vitro biochemical splicing assays and cellular pharmacodynamic assays. The selectivity of H3B-8800 was confirmed by observing lack of activity in cells expressing SF3B1R1074H, the SF3B1 mutation previously shown to confer resistance to other splicing modulators. Although H3B-8800 binds both WT and mutant SF3B1, it results in preferential lethality of cancer cells expressing SF3B1K700E, SRSF2P95H, or U2AF1S34F mutations compared to WT cells. In animals xenografted with SF3B1K700E knock-in leukemia K562 cells or mice transplanted with Srsf2P95H/MLL-AF9 mouse AML cells, oral H3B-8800 treatment demonstrated splicing modulation and inhibited tumor growth, while no therapeutic impact was seen in WT controls. These data were also evident in patient-derived xenografts (PDX) from patients with CMML where H3B-8800 resulted in a substantial reduction of leukemic burden only in SRSF2-mutant but not in WT CMML PDX models. Additionally, due to the high frequency of U2AF1 mutations in non-small cell lung cancer, H3B-8800 was tested in U2AF1S34F-mutant H441 lung cancer cells. Similar to the results from leukemia models, H3B-8800 demonstrated preferential lethality of U2AF1-mutant cells in vitro and in in vivo orthotopic xenografts at well tolerated doses. RNA-seq of isogenic K562 cells treated with H3B-8800 revealed dose-dependent inhibition of splicing. Although global inhibition of RNA splicing was not observed; H3B-8800 treatment led to preferential intron retention of transcripts with shorter and more GC-rich regions compared to those unaffected by drug. Interestingly, H3B-8800-retained introns commonly disrupted the expression of spliceosomal genes, suggesting that the preferential effect of H3B-8800 on spliceosome mutant cells is due to the dependency of these cells on expression of WT spliceosomal genes. These data identify a novel therapeutic approach with selective lethality in leukemias and lung cancers bearing a spliceosome mutation. Despite the essential nature of splicing, cancer cells without a spliceosome mutation were less sensitive to H3B-8800 compared with potent eradication of mutant counterparts. H3B-8800 is currently undergoing clinical evaluation in patients with MDS, AML, and CMML. Citation Format: Silvia Buonamici, Akihide Yoshimi, Michael Thomas, Michael Seiler, Betty Chan, Benjamin Caleb, Fred Csibi, Rachel Darman, Peter Fekkes, Craig Karr, Gregg Keaney, Amy Kim, Virginia Klimek, Pavan Kumar, Kaiko Kunii, Stanley Chun-Wei Lee, Xiang Liu, Crystal MacKenzie, Carol Meeske, Yoshiharu Mizui, Eric Padron, Eunice Park, Ermira Pazolli, Sudeep Prajapati, Nathalie Rioux, Justin Taylor, John Wang, Markus Warmuth, Huilan Yao, Lihua Yu, Ping Zhu, Omar Abdel-Wahab, Peter Smith. H3B-8800, a novel orally available SF3b modulator, shows preclinical efficacy across spliceosome mutant cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1185. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1185


The objective of this article is to evaluate the maximum range of ambient backscattering communications (AmBC). FM radio signals operating at 100 MHz are selected as the ambient signal due to their large communication ranges. The FM radio signals operate in one of the lowest commercially available frequency bands that can be utilized for AmBC. Additionally, due to the extensive deployment of FM radio, this technology is readily available worldwide. Simulations are performed in a rural highway environment to analyse the suitability of FM radio as an ambient signal for backscattering communications. The FM transmitter and receiver antenna are located in approximately the same area representing a monostatic form of operation for backscattering communications. The sensors are located in more or less the line of sight (LOS) of the TX/RX antenna. The FM signal is reflected back from the sensor towards the receiver for detection. The ray-tracing technique and the radar equation are utilized to perform the simulations. Based on the ray-tracing simulations, a distance of 14.5 km was obtained between the TX/RX antenna and the sensor. The achievable distances utilising the radar equation depend significantly on the cross-section of the sensor and different sizes were utilised in the simulations.


The migration of rat liver epithelial cells induced by epidermal growth factor (EGF) was inhibited by cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cholera toxin, but not by cGMP, cAMP and cholera toxin also inhibited the expression of the EGF/transforming growth factor (TGF) alpha-inducible protein EIP-1 (Mr 47,000), but not that of other proteins induced by the growth factor. cAMP therefore specifically and selectively represses the EGF-induced expression of this protein, which by synthesis in the presence of tunicamycin and by enzymatic treatments was shown to be N-glycosylated and sialylated. The close correlation of the expression of EIP-1 with the growth factor-induced migration suggests that this glycoprotein is involved in the cellular translocation process. Modulation of cell migration and of EIP-1 expression through increased intracellular concentrations of cAMP indicate that factors operating through this signal system can modulate the phenotypic and gene expression changes mediated by the EGF-receptor. Identification of the ligand(s) that can cause the cAMP-mediated effects might be an important step towards understanding the regulation of liver cell migration in vivo.


One-pot reactions of [WCp2(H)2] and [WCp2(H)(SnMe3)] with "BuLi followed by an equivalent of GeMe2Cl2 afford mono(germyl) substituted tungstenocenes [WCp2(H)(GeMe2Cl)] (1) and [WCp2(SnMe3)(GeMe2Cl)] (7). Reactions of the products with tin halides in the presence NEt3 afford the mixed complexes [WCp2(SnR2X)(GeMe2Y)] (X, Y = Cl, Br, R = Me, Et), which were further converted to moderately stable compounds [WCp2(SnR2H)(GeMe2H)] (R = Me (10), Et (11)). A number of asymmetric mono(halo)-substituted germyl/stannyl tungstenocenes [WCp2(SnMe2X)(GeMe2H)] (X = Cl (12), Br (13)) and [WCp2(SnEt2Y)(GeMe2H)] (Y = Br (14), I (15)) were prepared by selective halogenation of the Sn-H bond in 10 and 11. X-Ray studies of [WCp2(H)(GeMe2Cl)] (1), [WCp2(SnEt2Br)(GeMe2Cl)] (4), and [WCp2(SnEt2Br)(GeMe2H)] (14) established classical structures of these compounds. X-Ray study of complex [WCp2(SnMeCl)(GeMe2Cl)] (3) revealed the presence of interligand Ge-Cl...Sn-Cl interactions in a highly Ge/Sn disordered structure. Analyses of molecular parameters of 1, 4, and 14 suggest the presence of a negative hyperconjugation between metal lone pairs and the sigma*-orbital of the E-X bond, which is stronger in bromo substituted complexes in comparison with chloro substituted ones.


This paper focuses on the profitability of demand-side management strategies developed for a single-dwelling mechanical ventilation plus radiant floor system. Energy savings and comfort indicators are quantified for a number of control options, including demand-controlled ventilation and temperature setbacks. The assessment is based on numerical energy simulations conducted in TRNSYS for the climate of Bolzano (Italy). To perform the simulations, numerical models of the energy system and the reference dwelling were developed. Based on the analysed climate and building, it was found that demand-side management strategies can have a significant impact on the energy consumption and time distribution of energy loads: demand control ventilation allows the achievement of consistent energy savings in the electrical consumption of the fans (up to 37 %), whereas the use of an adaptive dehumidification setpoint can lead to savings within the range of 10 % in summer electrical consumption. The use of non-occupancy temperature setbacks does not show a significant impact on the annual thermal demand, although the time pattern of the loads is considerably affected, with a cascade effect on the performance of the air-to-water heat pump. The use of the climatic curve parameters at the generator allows an improvement of the electrical performance of the heat pump, increasing the SCOP of more than 20 %.


Infectious diseases have caused widespread misery, and have wreaked havoc physically, mentally, economically, politically, and socially. Fortunately, in more recent years, scientists have developed vaccines. Vaccines are generally very safe, but cause side effects in a small percentage of cases. The United States Congress has passed two major pieces of legislation that provide sweeping tort immunity to vaccine manufacturers and others. In 1986 Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA) and in 2005 it passed the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP ACT). Both Acts were passed to encourage manufacturers to develop vaccines, particularly in times of public emergencies, in exchange for expansive liability protection. Both Acts established no-fault type compensation schemes to compensate those suffering injury or death from vaccines without having to resort to typical litigation. The author discusses both Acts in detail, in the context of the current Covid-19 crisis.


Eleven glucose-fermenting Mycoplasma strains were isolated from the respiratory and genital tracts of dogs. Biological and serological studies demonstrated that the group was different from the established canine Mycoplasma species and glucose-fermenting species of noncanine origin. It is concluded that this group of mycoplasmas should be classified as a new species, and the name Mycoplasma cynos is proposed. The type strain of M. cynos is H 831 (ATCC 27544; NCTC 10142).


The multisubunit proteasome complex is the principal mediator of nonlysosomal protein degradation. The proteasome subunit varies minimally between cells with the exception of LMP2, LMP7, and LMP10 subunits in rodent and human cells. LMP2 and LMP7 subunits are encoded by the human lymphocyte antigen region, and they optimize proteolytic mediated antigen presentation. The proteasome is also important for the function of transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). It is required for NF-kappaB subunits p50 and p52 generation and catalyzes degradation of phosphorylated IkappaBalpha. These proteasome-mediated reactions have now been shown to be defective in T2 cells, a human lymphocyte cell line that lacks both LMP2 and LMP7. Although T2 cells contain normal expression of p100 and p105, the abundance of p50 and p52 was greatly reduced. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) induced normal phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha but failed to induce degradation of phosphorylated IkappaBalpha. Both DNA binding assays and luciferase assays revealed that TNF-alpha-induced NF-kappaB activation is defective in T2 cells. Unlike parental cells, T2 cells were susceptible to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. These data indicate human leukocyte antigen-linked proteasome subunits are essential for NF-kappaB activation and protection of cells from TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis.


The processing of friable materials used in metallurgical industry for production of definite size classes requires operation of crushing machines, including single-roll machines. Parameters of crushing process are degree and efficiency of crushing. The crushing degree is estimated by the ratio of dimensions of the initial crushing and resulting pieces and depends on the size of gap between the roll and the fixed jaw. Crushing efficiency is determined by mass of material crushed by consumed electric energy unit, and depends mainly on strength of crushed material. In order to reduce energy consumption needed for crushing, a single-roll crusher was developed at Siberian State Industrial University with forced feeding of crushing piece into the fracture zone due to the locker located on the roll. Forces of technological resistance appearing during machine operation are the main initial values for machine drive power and structural elements strength testing, thus, the operation power analysis is an integral stage in the design of any machine, including a crushing one. In the present work, forces acting on a crushing piece from roll side and fixed jaw in vertical and horizontal planes are identified. Based on the results obtained, it was determined that internal compressive forces acting on piece of crushing material cause action of normal compressive stresses in a piece, as well as an internal torque effect, which causes shearing stresses action, i.e. a complex stress state is generated in a fractioned piece with simultaneous action of normal and shearing stresses, under which action a fractioning piece is destroyed. Thus reduction in energy consumption for crushing is achieved, with all other conditions being equal. It reduces energy consumption of a single-roll crusher with forced feeding of material into the crushing zone.


This paper reports alcohol decomposition on Pt nanoparticles. The catalytic degradation of 2-propanol into ethanol, methanol and finally water: 2-propanol → ethanol → methanol → water is observed during the photoreduction process of PtII leading to Pt nanoparticles. Formation of the intermediate products has been followed by UV-visible and IR spectroscopy. Quantum chemical results on the Pt13 particle show that alcohol degradation is possible, and that the mechanism involves the deposition of H, C and CH fragments on the particle's surface.


At the present time, the mortality during the first year following an acute myocardial infarction is in the order of 10%. It subsequently drops to 4 or 5% per year. In more than one half of cases, the death of a postinfarct patient is sudden, with the major cause being ventricular fibrillation. These patients are also threatened by another risk: recurrent infarction. For Kannel, its incidence is 13% in men and 40% in women within 5 years of the first infarct. Its mortality is higher than that of the first infarct. Beta-blockers and calcium blockers reduce the myocardial oxygen consumption by a variety of mechanisms: beta-blockers block the beta-adrenergic receptors and calcium blockers inhibit the entry of calcium into the myocardial cells. Apart from their action on the process of excitation-contraction of myocardial fibres, the calcium blockers have also an action on the coronary vessels where they suppress or prevent spasm, and on peripheral arteries, where they cause vasodilatation thereby reducing the left ventricular afterload. The anti-ischaemic activity of these molecules is demonstrated by the reduction or elimination of angina, by the improved cardiac performance during stress test and by myocardial isotopic scans. The beta-blockers have other beneficial effects, in particular, antiarrhythmic and antiplatelet aggregation related to the neutralisation of catecholamines. Their antihypertensive action is also useful in coronary patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Cancer is a systemic disease. In order to fully understand it, we must take a holistic view on how cancer interacts with its host. The brain monitors and responds to natural and aberrant signals arriving from the periphery, particularly those of metabolic or immune origin. As has been well described, a hallmark of cancer is marked disruption of metabolic and inflammatory processes. Depending on the salience and timing of these inputs, the brain responds via neural and humoral routes to alter whole-body physiology. These responses have consequences for tumor growth and metastasis, directly influencing patient quality of life and subsequent mortality. Additionally, environmental inputs such as light, diet, and stress, can promote inappropriate neural activity that benefits cancer. Here, I discuss evidence for brain-tumor interactions, with special emphasis on subcortical neuromodulator neural populations, and potential ways of harnessing this cross-talk as a novel approach for cancer treatment.


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Traditional approaches for managing software-programmable memories (SPMs) do not support sharing of distributed on-chip memory resources, and consequently miss the opportunity to better utilize those memory resources. Managing on-chip memory resources in many-core embedded systems (MES) with distributed SPMs requires runtime support to share memory resources between various threads with different memory demands running concurrently. Runtime SPM managers cannot rely on prior knowledge about the dynamically changing mix of threads that will execute, and therefore should be designed in a way that enable SPM allocations for any unpredictable mix of threads contending for on-chip memory space. This paper proposes SPM-vSharE : an operating-system-level solution, along with hardware support, to virtualize and ultimately share SPM resources across a many-core embedded system in order to reduce the average memory latency. We present a number of simple allocation policies to improve performance and energy. Experimental results show that sharing SPMs could reduce the average execution time of the workload up to 19.5% and reduce the dynamic energy consumed in the memory subsystem up to 14%.


Peatlands at high latitudes have accumulated >400 Pg carbon (C) because saturated soil and cold temperatures suppress C decomposition. This substantial amount of C in Arctic and Boreal peatlands is potentially subject to increased decomposition if the water table (WT) decreases due to climate change, including permafrost thaw‐related drying. Here, we optimize a version of the Organizing Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic Ecosystems model (ORCHIDEE‐PCH4) using site‐specific observations to investigate changes in CO2 and CH4 fluxes as well as C stock responses to an experimentally manipulated decrease of WT at six northern peatlands. The unmanipulated control peatlands, with the WT <20 cm on average (seasonal max up to 45 cm) below the surface, currently act as C sinks in most years (58 ± 34 g C m−2 year−1; including 6 ± 7 g C–CH4 m−2 year−1 emission). We found, however, that lowering the WT by 10 cm reduced the CO2 sink by 13 ± 15 g C m−2 year−1 and decreased CH4 emission by 4 ± 4 g CH4 m−2 year−1, thus accumulating less C over 100 years (0.2 ± 0.2 kg C m−2). Yet, the reduced emission of CH4, which has a larger greenhouse warming potential, resulted in a net decrease in greenhouse gas balance by 310 ± 360 g CO2‐eq m−2 year−1. Peatlands with the initial WT close to the soil surface were more vulnerable to C loss: Non‐permafrost peatlands lost >2 kg C m−2 over 100 years when WT is lowered by 50 cm, while permafrost peatlands temporally switched from C sinks to sources. These results highlight that reductions in C storage capacity in response to drying of northern peatlands are offset in part by reduced CH4 emissions, thus slightly reducing the positive carbon climate feedbacks of peatlands under a warmer and drier future climate scenario.


Objective: To evaluate the evidence of rehabilitation outcomes after the surgical repair of a hip fracture in older people with cognitive impairment. Design: Systematic review. Methods: Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register), ProQuest Dissertations, and Theses Database and bibliographies of extracted publications in the English language between 1990 and June 2007. Search terms included: dementia/Alzheimer disease/cognitive impairment, hip fracture, rehabilitation, outcome assessment/treatment outcome. Two independent reviewers undertook screening and methodological quality assessment, using the Downs and Black rating scale, of the extracted articles. Only studies evaluating rehabilitation outcomes with data analysis specific for cognitive status were evaluated. Sackett's levels of evidence were used to summarize the main findings. Findings: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Methodological quality of the studies ranged from fair to poor. The generalizability of study findings was limited by multiple rehabilitation settings in the acute and subacute phase postsurgery, multiple methods with varying thresholds for determining cognitive impairment and multiple functional outcome scales. Conclusion: There is some evidence that older adults with cognitive impairment who receive intensive inpatient rehabilitation after surgical repair of a hip fracture may be able to gain comparable benefit in physical function as cognitively intact patients. There is not enough information to guide recommendations of specific physical therapy interventions to optimize outcomes in this patient population. Further work is needed.


Hydrophobic ion-pairing (HIP) complexation technique has been displayed to modify the physicochemical properties, solubility, oral absorption, bioavailability, and the lipophilicity of an ionic drug in the lipid phase. This could affect a higher permeation through biological membranes. HIP complexation was considered through the formation of a neutral molecule by electrostatic interaction of ionizable groups of drugs with oppositely charged functional groups of a complex-forming agent. Subsequently, this ion-pair may encapsulate into many delivery systems. The objective of this manuscript was to study the effectiveness of ion-pair complextion and cover the update application of this strategy through several routes of administration such as ocular, oral, pulmonary, transdermal, and parenteral.


Bubbling gases from the mud volcanoes of Trinidad and gases associated with oil in deeper reservoirs were sampled and analyzed to understand their possible relationships. Numerous geochemical analyses were performed on the gas samples. The chemical concentrations of organic compounds, CO2, and noble gases (from He to Xe) were measured, and isotopic signatures (13C from C1 to C5, CO2, and noble gases) were also determined. In the southern part of the island, our data show a typical thermogenic origin for the gases from oil reservoirs. However, the gases from the mud volcanoes, all located in the Southern Range of Trinidad, exhibit intermediate values between thermogenic and bacterial signatures. The hypothesis of simple mixing between these two end members can be discarded because of an incompatible 13C for the bacterial end member (ranging from 52 to 33 ).We thus conclude that most hydrocarbon gases found in the mud volcanoes are purely thermogenic gases. The isotopic 13C of CO2 versus CO2/C1 elemental ratios from the oil reservoir gases and the mud volcano gases follow a global trend. We therefore conclude that all gases come from the same source. This is corroborated by the isotopic composition of the hydrocarbons and of CO2 and by the radiogenic fraction of the associated noble gases. However, mud volcano gases show an extreme dryness, which cannot be directly related to gas generation but instead to postgenetic processes. A process of migration involving local process of dissolution and diffusion in water and preferential adsorption of the larger organic molecules onto the solid mud particles should be involved. Finally, mud volcano gases have never been trapped but are permanently expelled to the atmosphere and thus have a lower time of residence than oil reservoir gases as indicated by noble gas data.


We propose semantics for the manipulation of sample values and metadata for scientific data. Our approach uses domain knowledge from an ontology; computational knowledge about dimensions, units, coordinate systems, etc; and cultural and linguistic norms. It recombines annotated values with specialized operators. This semantics does several types of dynamic error checking and results in "selfdocumented computation".


The Amazon Botanical Museum — Museu Botânico do Amazonas — opened in 1883 and closed in 1890. Despite its brief life, the Museum was the first scientific institution in the Amazon Province of Brazil. Directed by the Brazilian botanist Joao Barbosa Rodrigues, the Museum aimed to be a modern institution similar to natural history museums in Europe and the United States. In addition to taxonomic studies of botanical and ethnographic collections collected in the Amazon region, the Museum also intended to develop studies in applied botany in medicine and industry. This article explores some aspects of the history of the Botanical Museum and examines the importance of Barbosa Rodrigues' individual agency in the Museum's organization and studies of the Brazilian Amazon. It also demonstrates that the Museum was fundamental to improving Barbosa Rodrigues' career as a botanist and ethnographer in the context of emerging Brazilian scientific communities of the period.


This paper examines a mixed data sampling (MIDAS) approach to accounting research. MIDAS regression models parsimoniously incorporate variation embedded in existing economic data that are observed at much higher frequencies than accounting data. The additional source of data variation creates an opportunity to address new and important questions in accounting research. We develop and outline four new MIDAS models within the general framework that are simple to estimate and capture economic properties that are relevant to accounting research. We demonstrate the efficacy of our models with empirical applications to the January effect and to earnings response coefficients, which together illustrate the potential to expand the boundaries of accounting research by getting more out of high-frequency data.


In the United States, there are almost 4 million smokers older than 65. Yet, older smokers often receive suboptimal care. Inaccurate information and myths about older smokers may have become ingrained in the attitudes and beliefs of both older smokers and health care providers. In this article, prominent myths about older smokers will be explored and refuted. The realities include the following: Smoking tobacco has no benefit; it does not improve cognition or mood; smoking cessation, even among older, frail adults, produces significant benefits in terms of health and quality of life; and using filtered cigarettes or reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day does not reduce harm. Gerontological nurses are at the forefront of treating tobacco use among older smokers. They should assess the smoking status of all older adults at every contact, treat smokers with pharmacotherapy and counseling, follow up with patients, and stay informed.


The fact that emerged from the teaching of reading comprehension at MAN Tambakberas Jombang, was the low ability of the students in comprehending the texts. Their achievement was still under the minimum standard of learning success. To cope with the problem, the researcher applied Concept Mapping Strategy as one of the strategies in teaching reading through a study entitled "Improving the Reading Comprehension Ability of the Eleventh Grade Studnts of MAN Tambakberas Jombang through Concept Mapping Strategy. The objective of the study is intended to improve the reading comprehension ability of the eleventh grade students at MAN Tambakberas Jombang through Concept Mapping Strategy. This study is classroom action research with a collaborative design. In conducting the study, the researcher became a practitioner while the collaborator was the observer. The procedure of the research consisted of four major steps: i.e planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. The subject of the study was the students of the eleventh grade of IPS 3 of MAN Tambakberas Jombang comprising of 45 students in the 2008/2009 academic year. This study was conducted in three cycles, each of which consisted of two meetings. The first meeting covered the pre-reading and whilst-reading activities while the second meeting covered the post-reading activity and reading comprehension tests. For data collection, three instruments were used namely: observation checklist, field notes, and tests. The findings of the study show that there are some activities that had to be followed in teaching reading comprehension through Concept Mapping Strategy: In the pre-reading activity , the teacher: (1) explains the objective of the lesson, (2) stimulates the students' prior knowledge by carrying out brainstorming activities, (3) records the information gained in the form of a concept map as a model for the students to make their own version based on the text. In the whilst-reading activity , after handing out the worksheets and explaining the instruction in the worksheet, the teacher: (1) assists the students in finding the Indonesian equivalent of unfamiliar words in the text. The teacher may allow them use the dictionary,(2) asks them to read the text silently, (3) helps them find the main and supporting ideas, and also the thesis, arguments, and recommendations of a hortatory exposition text. They should write in the form of phrases (key concept), (4) monitors the group discussion, (5) guides the students in making concept mapping based on the text. In the post-reading activity , the teacher: (1) asks the students to report and complete the concept map on the blackboard, (2) after asking the students to get back to their own seat and preparing everything for the test, the teacher administers the test to measure the students' comprehension of the text discussed. The students take the test individually without help from other students or from the teacher. Since the implementation of Concept Mapping Strategy covers many activities and takes a lot of time, the teacher needs provide enough time and manage the time allotment well.  The findings of the study also show that the use of appropriate model of Concept Mapping Strategy can improve the students' reading comprehension ability. The improvement is indicated by the increase of the students' mean scores in reading which fulfill the minimum standard of learning success, that is, 52.33 in the preliminary test, 66.11in test 1, 70.33 in test 2, and 76.11 in test 3. Related to the percentage of number of the students who were successful in the tests, it shows there are merely 20% in the preliminary test, 51.11% at Cycle 1, 57.78% at Cycle 2, and 84.44% at Cycle 3. Besides, the findings indicate that Concept Mapping Strategy makes the students get involved actively in teaching and learning process. The improvement on the students' participation is 57.69% at Cycle 1, 73.08% at Cycle 2, and 86.54% at Cycle 3. Based on the findings of the study, it is suggested that English teachers who have similar problems implement Concept Mapping Strategy as one of the alternatives for improving students' reading comprehension ability. Furthermore, future researchers are suggested that they conduct a similar study with different setting, subject, and use other text types. Besides, it is also suggested that future researchers apply more than two meetings in each Cycle in the implementation of the strategy.


Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients encounter an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality compared with healthy individuals, most likely due to the presence of severe atherosclerosis and accelerated vascular calcification. Vascular calcification is an active, regulated process resulting from an imbalance between losses in inhibitory factors and gains in inducing factors present in cells and the blood circulation. However, exactly which inhibitory and inducing factors are involved remains unknown. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a nuclear receptor present in over 30 different tissues. Several VDR activators (VDRAs), including paricalcitol and calcitriol, are currently available for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with CKD. Recent clinical observations demonstrate that VDRA therapy provides survival benefits for CKD patients in the order of paricalcitol > calcitriol > no VDRA therapy, independent of serum parathyroid hormone, phosphorus and calcium levels. The survival benefit of VDRAs seems contradictory to the perception that VDRAs, due to their potential impact of increasing serum phosphorus and calcium, may cause calcification in vessels. A review of the current literature shows that inconsistent data exist regarding the role of VDRAs in vascular calcification. A possible explanation is that the VDR may be involved in regulating several different pathways as an endocrine, paracrine and/or autocrine factor, and different VDRAs may have differential effects on the endocrine versus the paracrine/autocrine aspect.


Atopy is defined as the production of specific IgE in response to exposure to common environmental allergens, such as house dust mite, grass, and cat. Being atopic is strongly associated with allergic disease such as asthma, hay fever, and eczema, but not everyone with atopy develops clinical manifestations of allergy and not everyone with a clinical syndrome compatible with allergic disease can be shown to be atopic when tested for specific IgE to a wide range of environmental allergens. This is particularly so for asthma.

Age standardised asthma mortality, England and Wales, 1969-94 (both sexes, 15-64 years)

Changes in prevalence of asthma and wheeze, according to surveys conducted 1956-93 worldwide

Asthma is arguably the most serious of the allergic diseases in that it is disabling (causing more than 100 000 hospital admissions each year in England and Wales) and occasionally fatal. In 1995, 137 people aged under 45 died as a result of asthma. Although concern has been expressed that death certificates may overestimate or underestimate asthma mortality depending on diagnostic fashion, significant misclassification with other forms of chronic obstructive lung disease in this age group is unlikely. In the early 1960s asthma mortality increased dramatically in many countries. The increase was attributed to the excessive use of non-selective β agonists, which were subsequently withdrawn from the market. More recent increases in asthma mortality reported from Britain, France, and the United States may be related to increased prevalence or severity of asthma or inadequate health care. Evidence for the latter comes from audits and confidential inquiries that show inadequate treatment of asthma in the months leading up to death and during the fatal attack and the observation of higher mortality in populations recognised as often receiving poor health care (socioeconomically deprived people in Britain; black people in the United States). …


Saturated fatty acids are abundant organic compounds in oceans and sea sprays. Their photochemical reactions induced by solar radiation have recently been found as an abiotic source of volatile organic compounds, which serve as precursors of secondary organic aerosols. However, photoabsorption of wavelengths longer than 250 nanometers in liquid saturated fatty acids remains unexplained, despite being first reported in 1931. Here, we demonstrate that the previously reported absorption of wavelengths longer than 250 nanometers by liquid nonanoic acid [CH3(CH2)7COOH)] originates from traces of impurities (0.1% at most) intrinsically contained in nonanoic acid reagents. Absorption cross sections of nonanoic acid newly obtained here indicate that the upper limit of its photolysis rate is three to five orders of magnitude smaller than those for atmospherically relevant carbonyl compounds.


This study proposes and evaluates a framework in examining the effects of destination image and environmental beliefs on the willingness to pay (WTP) for green hotels. Additionally, the study finds that the role of customer attitude to green hotels has an important role in the proposed framework. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with 317 valid responses. CFA and SEM were employed to analyze data through SPSS AMOS 20.0 software. The findings show that destination image has the largest direct impact on attitude to green hotels while environmental beliefs have the largest direct effect on WTP premium for green hotels. Moreover, attitude to green hotels plays a mediating role between destination image and the WTP and between environmental beliefs and the WTP.


Professional and scientific activity regarding the "History of Spain in America" during the Franco dictatorship were both carried out in oblivion of the existence of a colonial past understood as a process of domination that determined the effective appropriation of the material culture of former Spanish colonies in the Americas and their subsequent preservation and exhibition in the mother country's most important museums. This article analyzes how the Museum of America (1941) crystalized a sense of mutual belonging between Latin America and Spain, with which historians and anthropologists would dialogue for a long time, providing concrete evidence of its existence through the exhibition of material objects originating in a supposedly "harmonious mixture" of "natives" and "Spaniards," but which ignores the conflictive dimension of the inter-ethnic relations established between them.


The rapid industrial growth did regrettably create new problems, especially in a heavy amount of lead (Pb) waste. This may cause intoxication, that give rise to health problems specifically in the nervous system. EGb is believed to have neuroprotective effects. Despite lots of studies, the mechanism of action of EGb on repairing brain cell damage due to exposure to Pb remains unclear. The effect of EGb on neuron proteins related to apoptosis and neuronal cell death due to Pb intoxication remains unknown. To determine the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on the expression of HSP 90, VEGF and BDNF on Rattus novergicus exposed to Pb. This study was experimental by means of randomized experimental post study design. The study population used was male rats, aged 4-5 months, weighing 140-150 grams. The sample of this study was healthy male rats fulfilling the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, that was divided into 4 groups. The variables in this study were independent variables, dependent variables, and controlled variables. After the data were obtained and analyzed, a statistical analysis was performed. Based on the acquired data, the HSP 90 levels among groups differed significantly (p=.004), so did the VEGF (p=.030). Likewise, a significant difference among treatment groups was also recorded on the expression of BDNF (p=.004). EGb can reduce HSP 90 expression in rats exposed to lead. EGb can increase VEGF expression in rats exposed to lead. EGb can increase BDNF expression in rats exposed to lead. Experimental article (J Int Dent Med Res 2020; 13(1): 17-22)


Numerous industrial operations involve zeolite adsorbents: separation of aromatics, separation of high-octane branched alkanes, and purification of fuels from sulphur-bearing compounds, among others. A limiting step in searching for appropriate zeolites to improve these processes is the poor capacity of classical thermodynamic models to predict adsorption behavior, thus requiring the exploration of many unsuccessful possibilities by experimental means before significant improvements are found. In order to provide a general answer to this problem, molecular simulation methods have been developed to address a large array of systems. Various types of statistical bias (configurational bias and reservoir bias) have been associated with parallel tempering to provide efficient sampling of all possible configurations, including when cation mobility is considered together with molecular adsorption. Both nonpolar and electrostatic contributions to energy have been considered. These features are available in a single Monte Carlo software, named GIBBS, which may consider either linear, branched, cyclic or more complex flexible molecules. A special effort has also been devoted to the development of a multipurpose force field to evaluate guest-host interactions. The contribution of these methods is illustrated by several examples in which their results are confronted with available experimental data. The first example pertains to the understanding of cation location in faujasites and its interplay with the adsorption of water. The second example pertains to the adsorption of alkanes in faujasites, where the account of polarization energy allows a good transferability of guesthost potential. Lastly, we consider the competitive adsorption of traces of alkanethiols with the other components of a multicomponent natural gas in high-pressure conditions. Although these Monte Carlo methods still merit numerous improvements, they are already providing a very significant contribution to the general understanding of competitive adsorption and to the design of better processes.


Prof. Phelps is a scholar and a critic, an author of note and a teacher of geniusHe is the son of Dr. S. Dryden Phelps and stands in the forefront of modern teachers of English literature. The present book is rich with knowledge of human nature in the world of men and of letters. He has freshness and delicate humor as he handles the figures of the long ago as they pass before us in the pages of the Bible. 'I'he book is simply delightful and is a tonic to anyone who loves God and man. A. T. ROBERTSON.


How to deal with speech recognition errors and out-ofvocabulary (OOV) words, which are referred to as false negative errors, are common challenges in spoken document processing. To deal with them in spoken content retrieval (SCR), the SCR method that incorporated spoken term detection (STD) as the pre-process stage (referred to as STD-SCR) has been proposed. However, the STD-SCR tends to increase false positive errors in compensation for reducing false negative errors. In this work, we propose robust retrieval models for false positive errors by using word co-occurrences. The words that co-occur in a given query are semantically related, so that they are likely to co-occur also in the document to be retrieved. On the other hand, if a word in a given query appears alone in a document, it is more like a false positive. We incorporate this idea into two retrieval models commonly used in the literature, i.e. the vector space model and the query likelihood model. Our experimental result showed our proposed extensions on the retrieval models successfully improved the retrieval performance not only for the STD-SCR but also for the conventional SCR method.


It is proposed that halo current magnitude during vertical disruptions can be significantly affected by a number of strongly interacting processes, involving the generation of neutrals, their ionization and recombination, open-surface parallel losses, Ohmic heating due to the large back-emfs, the generation of impurities, and mixed-circuit effects. To investigate the balance of such processes we present and interpret results from one-dimensional multi-fluid transport simulations. The simulations show that, as expected, core plasma current is mainly lost due to the reduction of the core cross-sectional area rather than the thermal quench, and that large values of the safety factor tend to produce low poloidal halo current. In addition, it is seen that increasing the resistance of the external halo path suppresses halo current, as do impurities, naturally released from the divertor during the termination event. High values of the safety factor insulate the halo plasma from parallel transport effects, increasing electrical conductance and toroidal halo current. For mega ampere spherical tokamak device parameters, values of the poloidal halo current are of the order of 15% of the original plasma current.


A workshop was held at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, August 16--18, 1994 on the topic of risk assessment on medical devices that use radioactive isotopes. Its purpose was to review past efforts to develop a risk assessment methodology to evaluate these devices, and to develop a program plan and a scoping document for future methodology development. This report contains a summary of that workshop. Participants included experts in the fields of radiation oncology, medical physics, risk assessment, human-error analysis, and human factors. Staff from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) associated with the regulation of medical uses of radioactive materials and with research into risk-assessment methods participated in the workshop. The workshop participants concurred in NRC`s intended use of risk assessment as an important technology in the development of regulations for the medical use of radioactive material and encouraged the NRC to proceed rapidly with a pilot study. Specific recommendations are included in the executive summary and the body of this report. An appendix contains the 8 papers presented at the conference: NRC proposed policy statement on the use of probabilistic risk assessment methods in nuclear regulatory activities; NRC proposed agency-wide implementation plan for probabilistic risk assessment; Risk evaluationmore » of high dose rate remote afterloading brachytherapy at a large research/teaching institution; The pros and cons of using human reliability analysis techniques to analyze misadministration events; Review of medical misadministration event summaries and comparison of human error modeling; Preliminary examples of the development of error influences and effects diagrams to analyze medical misadministration events; Brachytherapy risk assessment program plan; and Principles of brachytherapy quality assurance.« less


OBJECTIVE
The albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) has been demonstrated to be associated with survival outcomes in various tumor types. However, the prognostic value of AGR in patients with metastatic renal carcinoma (mRCC) remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of AGR values in predicting overall survival (OS) of patients with mRCC treated with targeted therapy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A total of 163 patients with mRCC treated with targeted therapy between 2008 and 2019 were enrolled. The AGR value was measured as AGR: albumin/(total protein-albumin). The Kaplan-Meier method with long-rank testing and Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the correlation of AGR with OS.

RESULTS
The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the optimal cut-off value of AGR in predicting OS was 1.11 with a sensitivity of 37.25% and specificity of 85.25% (area under curve, 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54-0.69; p=0.005). OS was significantly higher in patients with AGR>1.11 than in those with AGR≤1.11 (36.2 vs. 12.4 months; p<0.001). After adjustment for the number of covariates, multivariate Cox regression analysis identified a high AGR as an independent indicator of better OS (hazard ratio, 0.476; 95% CI, 0.304-0.745; p=0.001).

CONCLUSION
Our results suggested that AGR value, which is an easily obtainable and cost-effective marker in routine biochemistry testing, could function as an independent predictor of OS in patients with mRCC treated with targeted therapy.


Liquid crystalline polymers in nematic solvents are studied theoretically. Three different scenarios are discussed: (i) confined polymers; (ii) grafted polymers and (iii) double brushes. The competition between nematic distortion, chain elasticity, excluded volume and nematic anchoring enables these systems to exhibit a number of remarkable properties. Notably, they can undergo tilting and anchoring transitions and show a quasi-piezoelectric effect. These phenomena may have applications in the design of liquid crystal displays and in making smart electro-optic, mechano-optic and electromechanic materials.


Abstract The domestic cattle (Bos taurus) has been a good animal model for embryo biotechnologies, such as in vitro fertilization and nuclear transfer. However, animals produced from these technologies often suffer from large-calf syndrome, suggesting fetal growth disregulation. The product of the insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) gene is one of the most important fetal mitogens known to date. A detailed analysis of age-, tissue-, and allele-specific expression of IGF2 has not been performed in the bovine mainly because the majority of the bovine sequence has been unavailable. In the present study, we obtained virtually the entire sequence of the bovine IGF2 cDNA, identified expressed single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in both exons 3 and 10, and determined the age-, tissue-, and promoter-specific expression of bovine IGF2 in fetal, calf, and adult tissues. We found that, similar to the human and mouse, bovine IGF2 is subjected to extensive transcriptional regulation through multiple promoters, alternative splicing and polyadenylation, as well as genetic imprinting. However, major differences were found in the regulation of the bovine IGF2 in nearly all aspects of age-, tissue-, promoter-, and allele-specific expression of IGF2, and the promoter-specific loss of imprinting from every other species studied, including cattle's close relatives, the sheep and the pig. The data presented here are of important reference value to cattle produced from embryo biotechnologies.


This paper extends the market-based task assignment algorithm to handle the networks with limited connectivity. The original algorithm was proposed to allocate tasks which cannot be executed by a single agent, but fully connected network is assumed. After analyzing the existing approaches for task allocation in limited networks, a new communications protocol is proposed which preserve key features of the original algorithm. The data required for task allocation algorithm is relayed via bridge agents. By adopting relaying operation, the proposed strategy allocates tasks regardless of the network topology. Convergence property is also preserved. Numerical simulation is performed to verify the feasibility of the proposed strategy considering the communication load.


Robots are used in various types of applications in manufacturing, ranging from assembly to machine tending. Changes in production lines are becoming more common, either due to product changes, requiring changing manufacturing processes, as well as faults, caused by wear and tear of the robots. In such cases it is crucial that the robot system can adapt to the new circumstances. Recently the concept of Digital Twins (DTs) has gained a large amount of interest in both academia and industry. The idea of a DT is to have a digital copy of a physical system, where both systems exchange information which can be used to adapt the system to unforeseen changes in itself or its environment. This enables a DT to perform self-adaptation when problems arise during operation. However, development of a DT, whether for existing or future robots, is cumbersome. We therefore propose a development of modular DTs and outline our methodology for creating DTs for robot systems, their shortcomings and open challenges. Such a modular DT can be utilised to safely explore the potential adaptations of the physical system and its performance in changing environmental conditions.


Approximately 800,000 leukaemia and lymphoma cases are diagnosed worldwide each year; with incidence spanning the extremes of both age and economic development. Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive B-cell lymphoid tumour, prevalent in pre-industrialised countries, with the primary sufferers aged between 4 and 7. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common adult leukaemia in the Western World; typically presenting with a leukaemic population of CD5+ B cells in patients over 60 years of age. CLL is a heterogeneous disease with a variable clinical course which presents challenges in prognosis and treatment. A more comprehensive understanding of CLL and B-cell cancer biology and the identification of disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets has the potential to improve clinical outcomes.Murine models offer a controlled and accessible means of studying B-cell cancers. Transgenic mice have been developed which use the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene enhancer (Eμ) to impose B-cell specific proto-oncogene expression. Eμ-myc and Eμ-TCL1 mice model aspects of BL and CLL, respectively.To achieve non-biased, quantitative proteomics profiling of B-cell cancers, this investigation has utilised isobaric labelling, two-dimensional liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The proteomes of whole cell lysates of human and mouse B-cell cancers were quantitated against non-cancer B-cell controls to determine global cancer-specific protein expression. A parallel analysis of pre-terminal and terminal mouse plasma was conducted using sub-proteome enrichment and size exclusion chromatography to identify potential disease biomarkers. A method was developed which more effectively utilises quantitative isobariclabelled data to conclude differences in protein expression.Proteomic characterisation quantitated 7391 proteins (FDR <1%) for Eμ-myc and EμTCL1 B-cell tumours relative to pre-tumour and WT controls, identifying over 2000 differentially expressed proteins, amongst which were anticipated findings such as myc and TCL1. Common and tumour-specific regulation of pathways, potential targets of inhibition and cell surface proteins were characterised; most notably of which was the interleukin 5 receptor in Eμ-TCL1 tumours. Treatment with interleukin 5 induced proliferation and survival of Eμ-TCL1 tumour cells, validating this novel finding. This constitutes one of the most comprehensive characterisations of B-cell cancers to date.2095 proteins were profiled in Eμ-myc and Eμ-TCL1 plasma identifying tumour lysis products as the major signature in terminal tumours. Additionally signatures of protein secretion, shedding and immune response were present in a tumour-specific manner. An early, pre-terminal signature of tumour development was also identified in the Eμ-TCL1 model.Profiling of CLL samples quantified 5956 proteins across 14 samples with findings agreeing with expected differential expression in CLL, relative to healthy B cells; the most comprehensive proteomics characterisation of CLL to date. The results suggested novel targets of immunotherapy and inhibitors, especially in the context of B-cell receptor signalling. Novel biology such as global spliceosome upregulation was also uncovered. CLL subtype-specific differences were identified, however, the strongest signature was that of a subtype-independent pattern of protein expression.This investigation has provided unparalleled characterisations of B-cell neoplasms suggesting novel biological mechanisms and therapeutic targets, particularly in CLL. This supports the further characterisation of B-cell cancers, and other cancers, by the presented methodologies.


The work considers the types of thinking and levels of their formation, based on a two-factor classification of educational tasks. Examples of pattern tasks and algorithm tasks are given. It was hypothesized that a transition to the next level of education implies a step in the predominance of the type of thinking (in the proposed typology). The main methods of testing the hypothesis will be the development of systems of tasks-markers to identify the type of thinking and the level of its formation; a comparative analysis of types of thinking formation and the success of training, its effectiveness; classification of educational mathematical problems for the formation of the program of the future engineer.


Gender relations affect economic processes, especially macroeconomic patterns and accumulation trajectories, so capitalism relies on gender construction of societies to further its expansion. For example, changes in women's involvement in paid and unpaid work impacts the extent to which the unpaid care economy subsidises the formal economy. Failure to recognise this leads to misleading estimates of aggregate labour productivity and its change over time. Similarly, ignoring the gender distribution of crossborder migration can lead to wrong expectations about the patterns of remittance flows during business cycles in the receiving country.


Adaptive changes in enzyme expression and cell proliferation occur in the small intestine of the suckling rat at the beginning of the 3rd postnatal week. This physiological adaptation can be modulated by factors including diet or glucocorticoids. We have previously described an intestinal growth-stimulating fraction derived from the remnant small bowel after resection and found that enteral nutrition is critical for its detection. In view of the similarity between the changes in cell proliferation that occur between 15 and 22 days postnatally and those immediately after resection, we sought to determine whether the small intestinal mucosa of the neonatal rat also contains a similar growth-stimulating fraction. Our results show that extracts of the proximal intestine prepared from 15-day-old rats do contain the growth-stimulating fraction. The activity was not detectable in maternal milk nor in the intestinal extract from 8-day-old rats. When the suckling rats were deprived of solid food, the activity was not detectable in the 15-day-old group. Gel filtration of the acidic extract on a G-25 Sephadex column revealed that the active component is made up of two molecular weight species (approximately 4,500 and 1,500 daltons) similar to that described in the proximal intestine of the postresectional model. These findings suggest that dietary factors may play a role in modulating the proliferative changes that occur at the time of weaning by way of the growth-stimulating fraction.


This study aims to analyse the effectiveness of the chemical equilibrium module based on guided discovery learning on the learning outcomes of students. The study design uses a randomized control-group pretest-posttest design with quasi-experimental type. The population consisted of grade XI students of SMAN 1 Tigo Nagari in the 2019 till 2020 school year and samples were taken using simple random sampling technique. The research instrument was in the form of multiple choice tests, the data were analysed by n-gain test and hypothesis testing by t test. Based on the analysis of the data obtained n-gain experimental class is higher than the control class with a medium category and the hypothesis test obtained sig (2-tailed) less than 0,05. Analysis of these data concludes the hypothesis is accepted in other words the use of a chemical equilibrium module based on guided discovery learning is effective in improving student learning outcomes in class XI of SMAN 1 Tigo Nagari.


Vertex functions are a crucial ingredient of several forefront many-body algorithms in condensed matter physics. However, the full treatment of their frequency and momentum dependence severely restricts numerical calculations. A significant advancement requires an efficient treatment of the high-frequency asymptotic behavior of the vertex functions. In this work, we first provide a detailed diagrammatic analysis of the high-frequency structures and their physical interpretation. Based on these insights, we propose a parametrization scheme, which captures the whole high-frequency domain for arbitrary values of the Coulomb interaction and electronic density, and we discuss the details of its algorithmic implementation in many-body solvers based on parquet equations as well as functional renormalization group schemes. Finally, we assess its validity by comparing our results for a single impurity Anderson model with exact diagonalization calculations. The proposed parametrization is pivotal for the algorithmic development of all quantum many-body methods based on vertex functions arising from both local and nonlocal static microscopic interactions as well as effective dynamic interactions which uniformly approach a static value for large frequencies. In this way, our present technique can substantially improve vertex-based diagrammatic approaches including spatial correlations beyond dynamical mean-field theory.


Despite their relatively long and successful course in the history of Greek private television, reality shows are generally cast under negative light. Given their engagement with topics pertaining more strictly to the private domain, TV realities have at different times been criticised as vulgar, superficial, and 'low' quality products (Deery, 2015; Hill, 2005; Lumby, 2003; Weber, 2014). Inspired by the feminist research tradition's interest in audience studies and queer critical approaches to affect and minor aesthetic categories (Reid, 2022), this article explores how five queer women make sense of the Greek version of the popular reality show, The Bachelor (ALPHA, 2021-2022). Drawing on Sara Ahmed's theory of (dis)orientation (2006), the article highlights the female viewers' sense of empowerment, escapist fantasy, (dis)pleasures and frustrations as they relate with the text. Through disidentification (Muñoz, 1999), namely, these instances during which queer women viewers identify partially, conditionally and contingently—with dominant identities, discourses and ideologies endemic within the reality show, the paper unravels the complex dynamic of media consumption as well as guilty pleasure's association with criticality and skepticism, tethered to the viewers' taste, life experiences, and values.


"THE IMMUNIZATION program in the United States is an extraordinary success story," says Alan R. Hinman, MD, director of the Center for Prevention Services. "As a result of widespread use of vaccine in childhood, we are now at record or near-record low levels for most of the vaccine-preventable diseases." Making sure that record stands is the main task of this center, one of the larger ones at the CDC, with nearly 1000 employees and $400 million per year for prevention programs. More than half the center's employees work outside Atlanta, assigned as public health advisors to state and local health departments. Carrying out research and surveillance of disease patterns across the country helps the center to develop interventions. Through technical and financial assistance, the center helps states and cities to implement the interventions and to coordinate their activities. The center also evaluates the impact of these programs. "Success in immunization requires an adequate information base," says Walter A. Orenstein, MD, director of the


Obesity and an enhanced insulin response to oral glucose tolerance test are associated with therapy resistance in hypertension. In order to explore this association further we studied the insulin sensitivity of subjects with essential hypertension resistant to triple drug therapy (RH), with the euglycemic insulin clamp technique. Well controlled hypertensives, matched for age, gender and body mass index (BMI) served as controls. Male subjects (7 RH and 7 controls) were further investigated by biopsies of Musculus Vastus lateralis since structural conditions in skeletal muscles might have a role in the above association. Irrespective of pre-study drug therapy, therapy-resistant hypertensives had a lower insulin sensitivity index than controls (p < 0.05). In spite of the BMI-match waist/hip ratio (WHR) in the RH males tended to be higher (p < 0.07). Insulin clearance tended to be lower in RH subjects (p = 0.09). BMI correlated with a reduced muscular capillary density (r = -0.77, p < 0.01). The average cross-sectional muscle fibre area was larger in RH subjects (p < 0.05). The mean muscle fibre area correlated with basal serum insulin (r = 0.63; p < 0.05). Rarefaction of the muscular capillary bed appears to be related to obesity. Larger muscle fibres might be an effect of the growth factor properties of insulin and could possibly correspond to hypertrophy of smooth muscle in the resistance vessels. This factor might contribute to the association of hyperinsulinemia and hypertension and attenuate the response to antihypertensive therapy.


w This paper discusses two opposing trends defining the current nuclear order: the renewed salience of nuclear weapons and nuclear abolitionism. Whereas nuclear weapon states and their allies have put increasing value on nuclear deterrence in recent years, several non-nucleararmed states and civil society highlight the urgency of nuclear disarmament. The latter trend culminated in 2017 with the negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which seeks to promote disarmament by strengthening the global stigma on nuclear weapons. Most nuclear weapon states have rejected this approach and have identified the treaty itself as a threat. This paper argues that focus should shift from disagreements over the TPNW to the shared goal of reducing nuclear threats. The most urgent issue facing the NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) is the lack of progress on the implementation of its disarmament pillar, which puts the onus on nuclear weapon states to start tackling the security-related obstacles to disarmament. No. 2018/5 September 2018 SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security


Abstract Late hearing results in 627 ears (574 patients) operated on radically for chronic otitis media are presented. Clinically, the ears were followed-up annually for 5–14 years. The results are correlated with the severity of histopathological changes in the tympanic cavity and in the mastoid air-cell system and also with the management of the tympanic mucosa and ossicular chain at operation. The mean post-operative air-bone gap was significatly better in ears with mild histopathological changes than in ears with sever histopathological changes in the middle ear (17.0 db./33.1 db.; p<0.001) or mastoid (29.0 db./34.2 db.; p<0.01) at operation. The difference in hearing results in favour of the former group was more significant in ears in which the tympanic mucosa had been saved at operation (p<0.01/p<0.001) than in ears in which the mucosa had been removed (p<0.05).


A new variation on the established procedure to evaluate three-phase structure invariants through quadrupole relationships is described. This method differs from earlier algebraic formulations in that the cosine-invariant estimates are based on a conditional observed frequency distribution of magnitude of E magnitudes for the quadrupole, rather than on the values of the magnitudes themselves. Successful applications of this method to a number of structures that ranged in size from 84 to 317 independent non-hydrogen light atoms are given.


The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the determinants that affect private schoolteachers' job satisfaction. This study was conducted at three private schools of Surunga in Kanakai Municipality. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire and unstructured interviews of private schools' teachers. The findings of the study revealed that some participant teachers in Surunga perceived teaching as their ideal profession but most of them were engaged in the teaching profession because of the prevalence of private schools in their neighborhoods and lack of employment alternatives. Also, teachers report dissatisfaction about delays in salary payment and most of the teachers are also dissatisfied with available job benefits and security in their chosen profession. The findings suggest that school administrators need to address these important issues, especially regarding equitable payment, on-time salary payment, improved workplace conditions, job security, fair reward system to enhance job satisfaction amongst their employees and increase their physical and mental attachment to the workplace.


To determine the lysis spectrum of Yersinia enterocolitica bacteriophage phiYe-F10 and to analyze the relationship between the lysis ability of phiYe-F10 and the virulence gene of Yersinia enterocolitica. To observe the lysis ability of the phage phiYe-F10 to the different Yersinia strains with the double-layer technique. The strains used in this study including 213 of Yersinia enterocolitica and 36 of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and 1 of Yersinia pestis. The virulence genes of these Yersinia enterocolitica (attachment invasion locus (ail) and enterotoxin (ystA, ystB) and yersinia adhesin A (yadA), virulence factor (virF), specific gene for lipopolysaccharide O-side chain of serotype O : 3 (rfbc) were all detected. Among the 213 Yersinia enterocolitica, 84 strains were O : 3 serotype (78 strains with rfbc gene), 10 were serotype O : 5, 13 were serotype O : 8, 34 were serotype O : 9 and 72 were other serotypes. Of these, 77 were typical pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica harboring with virulence plasmid (ail+, ystA+, ystB-, yadA+, virF+), and 15 were pathogenic bacterial strains deficiency virulence plasmid (ail+, ystA+, ystB-, yadA-, virF-) and the rest 121 were non pathogenic genotype strains. PhiYe-F10 lysed the 71 serotype O : 3 Yersinia enterocolitica strains which were all carried with rfbc+, including 52 pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica, 19 nonpathogenic Y. enterocolitica. The phiYe-F10 can not lysed serotype O : 5, O : 9 and other serotype Y. enterocolitica, the lysis rate of serotype O : 3 was as high as 84.5%. The phiYe-F10 can not lysed Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis. Yersinia phage phiYe-F10 is highly specific for serotype O : 3 Yersinia enterocolitic at 25 degrees C, which showed a typical narrow lysis spectrum. Phage phiYe-F10 can lysed much more pathogenic Y. enterocolitica than nonpathogenic Y. enterocolitica.


Society has historically viewed suicide with hostility and fear. For centuries this hostility was reflected in the English civil law, which condemned suicide as homicide, and in the Church's position towards suicide victims, which historically considered suicide to be a mortal sin. Under the current canon law, set out in Canon B 38, it is the duty of the minister to bury all parishioners, those who die in the parish, or those entered on the electoral roll of the parish according to the rites of the Church of England, except for (among others) those who 'being of sound mind have laid violent hands upon themselves'. This canon has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years as society's attitudes towards suicide have become more tolerant. As a result, General Synod recently voted that this canon should be amended. This article explores the development of the law relating to suicide victims in order to understand the Church's current position. It then considers the shortcomings of the current canon law and reviews the position adopted by the Roman Catholic and Methodist churches. Finally, it examines the proposals for changing Canon B 38.


A new biquadratic universal filter configuration realizing second-order low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass filters using a single current conveyor is proposed. Using this configuration high-pass, low-pass and band-pass filters can be realized with little modifications. The circuit employs a second-generation current conveyor (CCII+), and only four passive components. Since the current conveyor is a high performance active element, the circuit proposed is suitable for wide band applications. The derived filters can be easily cascaded and use reduced number of passive components compared to previously reported counterparts. To illustrate the design possibilities provided by the introduced circuit, current mode multifunction filters are constructed and tested.


The food industry generate large amount of wastes or by-products annually around the world from a variety of sources. In that food wastes or by-products are an excellent source of nutraceuticals, bioactives, inherently functional and possess many components that are good for human health. Food wastes or by-products convert to the functional food ingredients it is the healthy trends in the food industry. The waste management is one of the major parts of food industries. The large volume of the low cost by-product gives economical advantage of its potentially valuable components and environmental benefits. Therefore, the recovery of by-products to health beneficial product and economic benefit to labour, stakeholder and country. As people become increasingly aware of the relation between diet and good health. Consumer attitude towards health foods is promising development and the scope of functional foods is growing in the world markets. Consumers believe that foods are taken directly effects on their health as a good or as a bad. Today foods are not only used to satisfy our hunger but also to provide essential nutrients for humans and these nutrients having the health benefits, protecting and controlling from the diseases. The market for the functional foods has seen a tremendous demand in the recent years. This review article enlists various food industries by products that are being commercially used in functional food ingredients for human consumption.


Chemically, it might be predicted from its structural formula that ethylnorsuprarenin would resemble epinephrine very closely in its pharmacological actions. The abrupt fall of blood pressure which it produces, like nitrites, rather than a sharp rise, might be taken as proof that it was not similar to epinephrine as to mechanism of action. However, a more thorough analysis of the various factors entering into the maintenance of the arterial pressure, would show that ethylnorsuprarenin was very similar to epinephrine in most respects. Actually, it was found to stimulate the same sympathetic vasomotor augmentors as epinephrine, as shown by repeated injections, and responses after ergotization, sympathetic degeneration, etc., and also the same vasodilator mechanisms as shown by atropine and physostigmine. Moreover, the actions on the various excised vessels and on various intact organs were very similar. The chief difference from epinephrine is that ethylnorsuprarenin has much more of a sympathetic vasodilator action, from a quantitative standpoint, and that this action, under normal circumstances, makes the compound predominantly depressor for the arterial blood pressure, at least according to the methods used thus far. It is believed that central and reflex venous reactions should be studied with this drug for sake of completeness and further possible explanation of the circulatory actions.

Such a combination of actions is unique, as far as well known compounds are concerned, although it is probable that some closely related amines of this series may act similarly. The combination of peripheral vascular relaxation and cardiac stimulation which the ethylnorsuprarenin produces, may be of some clinical value in cases of cardiac failure, either acute or chronic, where epinephrine is of dubious value because it so markedly increases the load of peripheral resistance. Administration of ethylnorsuprarenin to humans has yet to be made, so, at present, it is not possible to do more than point to the theoretically possible uses of this compound.


BOOK REVIEWS The critical apparatus also includes a select bibliography of important works dealing with the tales and an index and glossary of the proper names occurring in the Mabinogi. Ford has performed the service of compiling an index which allows the reader to find a particular personage from among the myriad of names found in the tales, greatly facilitating the scholarly study of these tales. This work will undoubtedly furnish an invaluable contribution to the field of medieval literature. The translations are of equal use to both the general reader and the more specialized student of Middle Welsh or of folklore and mythol ogy. As Ford points out, this volume is not meant to replace Jones and Jones' Mabinogion, which contains traslations of five tales not included in the present collection, but The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales will certainly provide a useful, and much-needed, adjunct to the earlier work. 1. The other recent translation, The Mabinogion (Penguin, 1976), by Jeffrey Gantz, is not intended as a literal rendition of the Welsh texts, and contains a liberality of spelling and diction which would render difficult its use by a serious student of the tales. James Doan University of California, Los Angeles Donald R. Howard. The Idea of the Canterbury Tales. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: Univ. of California Press, 1976. Pp. 403. Illustrations. Hardcover, Donald Howard's book, The Idea of the Canterbury Tales, both intrigues and maddens. It intrigues because of the many fascinating subjects the author brings under discussion. It maddens for the same reason. Howard seems to have the same propensity for curiositas, or wandering by the way, that afflicts the Canterbury pilgrims. We get courses in medieval theories of memory, in rose-window design, in real pilgrimages to Canterbury, in manuscript initials, in book-making, and much, much more. No matter; it's all interesting, even if the question How did we get here? keeps nudging itself into one's consciousness as one reads. With such richesses of subjects, I can only mention a few that seemed most promising to me. Howard contends that the poem is unfinished but complete (quoting Northrop Frye), that Chaucer never meant to write 120 tales and that he never envisioned a return trip after the poem had taken shape in his mind. The pilgrimage is a one-way journey, starting in the morning and drawing to a close as the sun goes down, thus suggesting a parallel with the human life-cycle. Chau cer wrote a beginning, an ending, and some middle fragments, which Howard groups into tales of civil, domestic, and private conduct. It follows from this theory


Aspects of the bionomics of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) were studied from June to November 2005 in three foci of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, where the agent Leishmania tropica (Wright) (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) is transmitted by Phlebotomus sergenti Parrot. Syria has been designated by the World Health Organization as one of four countries in the Old World where cutaneous leishmaniasis is hyperendemic, but little is known about the biology of local vector populations. Standard collections by sticky traps showed two peaks in density, in June and late August. In total, 1840 sandflies were caught, comprising five species: Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) (68.0%); P. sergenti (25.4%); Sergentomyia minuta (Rondani) (6.4%); Phlebotomus tobbi Adler & Theodor (0.1%), and Phlebotomus mascittii canaaniticus Adler & Theodor (0.1%). Similar numbers of P. sergenti were caught indoors (246 specimens) and outdoors (222), whereas P. papatasi was significantly more abundant indoors (1096 specimens) than outdoors (156) (χ2 = 241, P < 0.01). In total, 212 blood‐fed females were tested for host blood determination, of which 176 (83.0%) reacted with anti‐species reagent. Results from 20 P. sergenti suggest that this species is an opportunistic feeder, imbibing human, ovine, avian, bovine and feline blood, although more bloodmeals were taken from humans and cattle than expected in relation to the relative proportions of potential hosts present (the forage ratio, FR). The bionomics of P. sergenti are discussed in relation to the inefficacy of control campaigns based on indoor spraying with residual insecticides that have been implemented by the Syrian Ministry of Health to control the epidemics of ACL in the Aleppo Governorate.


The existing continual learning methods are mainly focused on fully-supervised scenarios and are still not able to take advantage of unlabeled data available in the environment. Some recent works tried to investigate semi-supervised continual learning (SSCL) settings in which the unlabeled data are available, but it is only from the same distribution as the labeled data. This assumption is still not general enough for real-world applications and restricts the utilization of unsupervised data. In this work, we introduce Open-Set Semi-Supervised Continual Learning (OSSCL) , a more realistic semi-supervised continual learning setting in which out-of-distribution (OoD) unlabeled samples in the environment are assumed to coexist with the in-distribution ones. Under this configuration, we present a model with two distinct parts: (i) the reference network captures general-purpose and task-agnostic knowledge in the environment by using a broad spectrum of unlabeled samples, (ii) the learner network is designed to learn task-specific representations by exploiting supervised samples. The reference model both provides a pivotal representation space and also segregates unlabeled data to exploit them more efficiently. By performing a diverse range of experiments, we show the superior performance of our model compared with other competitors and prove the effectiveness of each component of the proposed model.


A scheme is suggested for obtaining linear temperature-to-time period conversion using series-parallel resistors with a thermistor. The circuitry presented for realizing the proposed converters possesses the advantage of easily adjustable sensitivity. An experimental temperature-to-time converter constructed for a standard thermistor provides an accuracy better than 0.1 K over the range 35-95 degrees C.


Each service provider company is now competing to provide the best service to every customer. As one example that is in PT BNI Life Insurance. PT BNI Life Insurance is one of the subsidiaries of Bank BNI engaged in Life Insurance. In order to provide the best service each employee is required to be able to do interpersonal communication well to customers. This is of particular concern in the customer complaint handling Unit, where the unit faces daily complaints from customers. Customers faced by customer complaint handling units have different characters. Given the different character of customer skill in interpersonal communication, customer complaint handling unit is highly considered and must be run effectively and in harmony with what is understood by the customer. The methodology used is qualitative with postpositivist paradigm. The concept used in this research is the concept of interpersonal communication, customer relationship management, service, and customers. The findings of this research, interpersonal communication conducted by customer complaint handling unit at PT BNI Life Insurance is effective because it has implemented five quality attitudes considered, namely openness, empathy, supportive attitude, positive attitude, and equality.


Helium atom scattering (HAS) is the most important tool for surface science investigations. The analysis of helium scattering off a solid surface allows for a detailed analysis of its structural and dynamical properties. In this work we show how the dynamics of electron distributions at a metal surface can be investigated by HAS in the adiabatic approximation. First we examine the anticorrugating effect, namely the property of the He–surface potential of those metal systems in which the classical turning points of He beams are farther away from the surface layer at the bridge than at top sites. Anticorrugation for the system He/Cu(111) is examined in detail by a density functional theory (DFT) calculation and compared with the corrugating behaviour of He/Al(111). To explain such an effect the charge polarization of the system is crucial. Second we consider theoretically a surprising restricted diffusion result in the normal direction for Na adatoms on Cu(001) at coverages larger than 0.04 ML, obtained by measurements with spin polarized 3He beams. From DFT calculations for this system a model for the description of the He–surface interaction based on the effective medium theory, which accounts for the observed phenomenon, is discussed. We show that the surface charge distribution probed by HAS is altered by the local concentration of the diffusing adatoms which is fluctuating with time and producing variations in the apparent height of the adatom measured by HAS. Our calculations demonstrate that such electronic dynamical rearrangements can be probed by the 3He spin echo technique, which could be extended to other studies of surface electronic properties.


There is increasing interest in the global water-energy-food (WEF) system and potential future system trajectories under global change, especially considering growing concerns over resource exploitation and sustainability. Previous studies investigating different aspects of this system have a number of shortcomings including not analysing all nexus sectors and/or not accounting for possible feedback between sectors, meaning it is difficult to identify system-wide tradeoffs, and makes comparison difficult. A global analysis of the WEF system linked to changes in potential gross domestic product (GDP) growth is presented, integrating the four sectors (water-energy-foodGDP) into a coherent analysis and modelling framework. GDP was included as previous related work demonstrates a link between GDP and each WEF sector. A system dynamics modelling approach quantifies previously qualitative descriptions of the global WEF-GDP system, while a Monte-Carlo sampling approach is adopted to characterise variability in resource use and growth at the global level. Correlative and causal analysis show links of varying strength between sectors. For example, the GDP-electricity consumption sectors are strongly correlated while food production and electricity consumption are weakly correlated. Causal analysis reveals that 'correlation does not imply causation'. There are noticeable asymmetries in causality between certain sectors. Historical WEF-GDP values are well recreated with the exception of electricity production/consumption. Future scenarios were assessed using seven GDP growth estimates to 2100. Water withdrawals in 2100 and food production in 2050 are close to other literature estimations arrived at using very different means. Results suggest that humanity risks exceeding the 'safe operating space' for water withdrawal. Reducing water withdrawal while maintaining or increasing food production is critical, and should be decoupled from economic growth. Electricity production/consumption is also expected to grow, with the strength of growth linked to GDP pathways. Climate impacts of the production and consumption will depend greatly on the fuel source for the generation of power. This work provides a quantitative modelling framework to previously qualitative descriptions of the WEF-GDP system, offering a platform on which to build.