During the past nearly 30 years the epochs of democratisation and globalisation became intertwined with the South African society, determining its spirit of the age. The democratisation of South African since 1994 has its own history of radical rather than evolutionary transformative measures which brought about constructive changes to the political and social fibre of a secularised South Africa. In conjunction, globalisation as dominant worldview became evident in the transposition of South Africa into a secular, liberal, capitalistic, pluralistic society. Over this period the Afrikaans-speaking churches of reformed tradition were not immune to these influences, channelled via their members' experiences of and responses to their changing social and economic setup. These churches have since also changed. Their influence on society and social matters has dwindled. The contexts of their congregations changed. Their traditional collective forms of institutionalised religion are changing due to the influence of a plurality of different personal, religious beliefs and practices. These developments challenge these churches to rethink their denominational identities and consider the way in which they approach society and what they can contribute to the ecumenical church.


Several homogeneous, ordered or disordered, Si(111) surfaces namely 1*1-H, 7*7-H, square root 3-Ga, square root 3-Ag and oxygen disordered, have been prepared in ultra-high vacuum and their photoemission yield spectra have been measured in the threshold photon energy range (4-7 eV). As expected along surfaces where the surface state contribution is very small, the spectra obey a power law of the form (h nu -Ei)alpha , Ei being the ionization energy; alpha is found to depend strongly on the surface geometry, being two on nearly non-scattering surfaces (the hydrogenated ones) and reaching 7/2 in a highly scattering case (oxygenated surface) in agreement with theoretical predictions. This leads to an accurate determination of Ei. The validity of this treatment is discussed for surfaces in which the surface state contribution is important.


The driving role of technology in building a sustainable and resilient future has been long acknowledged. As one of the most resilient industries, the hospitality sector is the focus of this research, particularlythe hotel lodging industry in the Bucharest metropolitan area (Romania's capital city) as it relates to passenger traffic at two important international transportation hubs: the international airport and railway station. The site selection, or selection of an appropriate location for lodging, is astrategic choice. The distinction between success and failure is also determined by other external factors as well as internal company factors. There is a wealth of literature on business location, and the main approaches are highlighted in the section onliterature reviews. Future research will need to address the issue of business location in relation to transportation hubs that can attract potential customers. There are two specific questions to reach the research objective: to find out if the traffic from the transit terminals influences the number of accommodation facilities and if there is a specific pattern for choosing the location of tourist accommodation facilities (hotels) in the studied area. The investigation methodology consists of both secondary sources and primary research, respectively: national statistics as well as international databases such as Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, extensively use the geographic information system (GIS) database and software tools (QGIS 3.22 and Google Earth Pro 126.96.36.19973). The intent is to find whether there is a relationship between the two databases studied. It can be concluded that the number of tourist accommodation facilities and its locations are related to the main passenger traffic flows from/to the Bucharest "Henry Coanda" International Airport OTP and Bucharest North Railway station. The results, which are presented in both tabular and dynamic graphical formats, are beneficial for scholars and mostly for practitioners and businesspeople. Besides, the findings from this study is valuable for policymakers and strategists at a macroeconomic level, as well as for tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs and managers. The implications are highlighted, and recommendations are presented in this paper.


Back-propagation neural network model (BPNN) is an intelligent computational model based on stylebook learning. This model is different from traditional adaptability symbolic logic reasoning method based on knowledge and rules. At the same time, BPNN model has shortcoming such as: slowly convergence speed and partial minimum. During the process of adaptability evaluation, the factors were diverse, complicated and uncertain, so an effectual model should adopt the technique of data mining method and fuzzy logical technology. In this paper, the author ameliorated the backpropagation of BPNN and applied fuzzy logical theory for dynamic inference of fuzzy rules. Authors also give detail description on training and experiment process of the novel model.


The work in this paper addresses all-optical routers for TDM optical networks. The core of the optical routers is the demultiplexer. In this paper all-optical router is analyzed and simulated. It is based on a TDM demultiplexer employing Nonlinear Optical Loop Mirror (NOLM). Expressions are derived for the transmission and reflection coefficients for the loop mirror employed in the demultiplexer. The effect of various system impairments, on the performance of the demultiplexer, such normal mode loss, control power, and losses, are addressed in details. Simulation results were carried out using MATLAB 6.5 software. The results indicate clearly that the demultiplexer should be designed precisely to achieve the required router performance.


RNA oligonucleotides capable of inducing controlled immunostimulation combined with specific oncogene silencing via an RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism provide synergistic inhibition of cancer cell growth. With this concept, we previously designed a potent immunostimulatory long double stranded RNA, referred to as liRNA, capable of executing RNAi mediated specific target gene silencing. In this study, we developed a highly effective liRNA based targeted delivery system to apply in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. A stable nanocomplex was fabricated by complexing multimerized liRNA structures with cross-linked branched poly(ethylene imine) (bPEI) via electrostatic interactions. We show clear evidence that the cross-linked bPEI was quite effective in enhancing the cellular uptake of liRNA on U87MG cells. Moreover, the liRNA-PEI nanocomplex provided strong RNAi mediated target gene silencing compared to that of the conventional siRNA-PEI complex. Further, the bPEI modification strategy with specific ligand attachment assisted the uptake of the liRNA-PEI complex on the mouse brain endothelial cell line (b.End3). Such delivery systems combining the beneficial elements of targeted delivery, controlled immunostimulation, and RNAi mediated target silencing have immense potential in anticancer therapy.


Channelling funds to charity by Islamic banks has become a popular approach to de-recognise non-Shariah income derived from non-Shariah compliant transactions. Unlike conventional banks, this distinctive feature occurs within Islamic banking environments due to nonconformance with Shariah (Islamic law), which is a basic principle of the Islamic banking system. For instance, the first stand-alone Islamic bank established in Malaysia has reported in its 2011 audited annual report that an amount of MYR181,791.91 was received from nonShariah compliant transactions. Thus, this research aims to study the issues and occurrences of non-Shariah compliant transactions in Islamic banks and to identify resolutions, particularly in Malaysia, by highlighting four main areas. These are: incidents of non-Shariah compliance, Shariah and corporate governance, a legal and regulatory framework, and financial disclosure.
The research focuses on a mixed method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to identify gaps and the lacuna in dealing with non-Shariah income. Due to the limited access of internal reporting of non-Shariah compliant transactions within Islamic banks and the central bank of Malaysia, self-administered questionnaires were generated and filled in by Shariah officers of Islamic banks as primary data. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with members of Shariah Advisory Council (SAC) of the central bank of Malaysia to understand and explore their perceptions and views on non-Shariah compliant issues. Furthermore, content analysis of audited annual report of Islamic banks was used to extract statutory information regarding financial disclosures, specifically on non-Shariah compliant transactions for specific accounting periods.
The findings in the study have discovered that there are shortcomings in existing practises of dealing with non-Shariah compliant transactions and income. Based on the empirical analysis, the study constructively proposes a comprehensive model and policy recommendations to enhance and further overcome the existing shortcomings in the main areas mentioned above


Tactical behavior could be affected by changes in small-sided game (SSG) formats. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of different pitch lengths during 7-a-side SSGs played by young football players. Fourteen male soccer players in each age group (13 and 14 years old, U13 and U14 teams) were divided in two teams of seven players who played four SSGs of 7 minutes, interspersed with 4 minutes of passive recovery. The only modification to the SSG format was pitch length: 60 m (SSG60), 50 m (SSG50), 40 m (SSG40), and 30 m (SSG30), while the width of the field was kept constant at 40 m. The variables used to characterize collective behavior were grouped in a) intra-team variables, namely, team length (L), team width (W), effective area of team play or convex hull (CH), and stretch index (SI); and b) inter-team variables, namely distance between centroids (DC), length of both teams (L2), width of both teams (W2), convex hull of both teams (CH2), and stretch index of both teams (SI2). Our results revealed different intra and inter-team behaviors according to SSG format and player age. L, CH, SI, DC, L2, CH2, and SI2 all increased with increasing pitch length, while W and W2 showed only minimal changes. The differences were greater in the U13 group, suggesting that younger players were more likely to vary their collective behavior in response to changes to pitch length, inter-task, particularly in the longer pitches (SSG50 and SSG60). Conversely, using the analysis of the entropy, greater unpredictability of tactical behavior was observed in the U14 group, intra-task, compared with the U13 group. Overall, the findings suggest that responses to task constraints, such as modifications to pitch length and accordingly relative area of play, are dependent on age (experience, skill) and this is something coaches should consider when designing SSGs to develop team tactics.


A detailed reexamination of a key Wenlock–Ludlow transition section in the Valle syncline region, Spain, and the incorportation of data from a coeval section in the Barrancos area, Portugal, both within the Ossa Morena Zone, reveal seven biostratigraphic units. These are Monograptus belophorus? and Cyrtograptus lundgreni−Monograptus testis biozones, representing the upper Sheinwoodian and the preextinction, lower Homerian faunas, respectively; the Pristiograptus dubius "parvus" – Gothograptus "nassa" Concurrent Range Biozone, Colonograptus? praedeubeli – Colonograptus? deubeli Biozone, and Colonograptus? ludensis Biozone, representing the upper Homerian postextinction faunas; and the Ludlow Neodiversograptus nilssoni and Saetograptus fritschi linearis biozones. The extinction beds between the lower Homerian lundgreni−testis Biozone and the lowest upper Homerian dubius "parvus"−"nassa" Interval Biozone make up a several centimetre thick, soft, orange-weathered, almost barren, volcanic? bed.


Brucella inopinata strain BO1 and B. sp. strain BO2 isolated from human patients, respectively, are genetically different from classical Brucella species. We isolated bacteria of the genus Brucella from two species of wild-caught tropical frogs kept in the facilities in Japan: White's tree frog, which inhabits Oceania, and Denny's tree frog, which inhabits Southeast Asia. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA and recA gene sequences and multilocus sequence analysis showed that two isolates of Brucella spp. showed significant similarity to BO1, BO2, and the isolates from other wild-caught frogs. These results suggest that a variety of frog species are susceptible to a novel clade of Brucella bacteria, including B. inopinata.


Smith-Fineman-Myers syndrome is considered an X-linked mental retardation (XLMR) syndrome. Three families have been reported to date. However, none presented a typical pattern of X-linked inheritance. Here we reported on 5 males with Smith-Fineman-Myers syndrome with similar phenotypic expression as in those cases reported previously; they were distributed in 4 sibships of one large maternal kindred. This finding adds strong support to the hypothesis of the Smith-Fineman-Myers syndrome being a rare XLMR syndrome.


This study analyzes the effects of the KTX driver's person-environment(job, organization, Coworker) fit on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention. It, additionally, examines the mediating effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment between person-environment fit and turnover intention. Consequence of the analysis indicates that person-environment fit has mostly meaningful influences on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention. But person-job fit makes a meaningless impact on job satisfaction, and person-coworker fit also makes a meaningless impact on job satisfaction and turnover intention. The mediating effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment is mostly effective, but the mediating effect of job satisfaction does not affect the relation between personorganization fit and turnover intention. In conclusion, this study implies that, in order to grasp KTX driver's turnover intention and to protect actual turnover, it is important to enhance job satisfaction and organizational commitment as well as to improve overall person-environment fit.


Objective. To investigate the role and possible mechanism of α-Klotho in the calcification and the osteogenic transition of cultured VSMCs. Methods. VSMCs were cultured in vitro and divided into 5 groups, each using a different medium: (1) control; (2) β-GP; (3) β-GP + Klotho; (4) β-GP + LiCl; (5) β-GP + Klotho + LiCl. Calcium deposits were visualized using Alizarin Red S staining. The calcium concentrations were determined by the o-cresolphthalein complexone method. BMP2, Runx2 and β-catenin levels were estimated by western blotting, and the level of α-SMA was determined by using immunofluorescence at day 12. Results. β-GP induced an increase in the expression of BMP2, Runx2, and β-catenin. The calcium content increased, and the expression of α-SMA decreased. Alizarin Red S staining was positive under the high phosphorus conditions. BMP2, Runx2, and β-catenin levels and the calcium content decreased when the cells were cultured with rmKlotho; however, the levels of each were upregulated after treatment with the LiCl. Conclusions. Klotho can ameliorate the calcification and osteogenic transition of VSMCs induced by β-GP. The mechanism of Klotho in preventing calcification in VSMCs may be partially mediated by the inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.


Background. Ankle fractures are some of the most common injuries seen in the emergency department. Malunited ankle fractures are uncommon. Patients with malunion frequently present with multiple complaints. Radiographs often show abnormalities in anatomical alignment. Aim. To evaluate the anatomical alignment on radiographic imaging in patients with malunited ankle fractures. Secondary aims were to evaluate patient satisfaction after reconstruction and to investigate the relationships between radiological alignment and functional outcome. Methods. All consecutive patients (n = 25) treated for a fibula malunion between January 1, 2002, and September 1, 2017, were included. The primary outcome was anatomical alignment of the ankle mortise. The talocrural angle (TCA), talar tilt (TT), and medial clear space (MCS) were used to investigate to what extent revision surgery had improved alignment. The patient-related outcome measure consisted of the Olerud and Molander Ankle Score (OMAS). To assess quality of life (QoL) the EQ-5D-5L was used. Results. The median TCA was 78.4° before revision and 79.25° after revision; P = .297. The median TT was 2.95° before revision and 0.70° after; P < .001. The MCS before revision was 5.2 mm and 3.17 mm after; P < .000). The OMAS had a median of 67.5 points. Analysis of the QoL questionnaires yielded a score of 0.84 points. Conclusion. Anatomical alignment improves significantly after revision surgery of malunited ankles. Measurements of the TCA appeared less useful in determining the anatomical alignment. In our series, 60% of patients reported good to excellent results. The QoL scores of our patient were comparable to those in the healthy population in the Netherlands. Levels of Evidence: Level IV: Case series


Background: There are individual differences in the diameter of the great saphenous vein (GSV) in both normal and non-functional limbs and it is possible to identify these differences using color Doppler ultrasonography. Objectives: To assess the association between segmental GSV aplasia and the presence of varicose veins and/or GSV insufficiency in lower limbs using color Doppler ultrasonography, in patients with chronic venous disease (CVD). Methods: A total of 1,408 patients with complaints compatible with CVD of lower limbs were examined using color Doppler ultrasonography. The age range of the sample was from 17 to 85 and 1,286 of the patients were female. People with clinical classifications (CEAP) ranging from C0 to C4 were included. On the basis of clinical examination, the sample was subdivided as follows: group A patients had varicose veins and group B patients were free from varicose veins. Color Doppler ultrasonography was used to determine whether there was GSV aplasia, by analysis of its route into the saphenous compartment, and the presence of varicose veins in different sites. Statistical analysis was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact tests followed by an analysis of residuals in tables, with a 5% significance level. Results: In group A, there were 479 (83.9%) patients with GSV insufficiency, 169 (38.2%) with aplasia and 71 (80.7%) with both insufficiency and aplasia. In group B, there were 92 (16.1%) patients with GSV insufficiency, 273 (61.8%) with aplasia and 17 (19.3%) with both insufficiency and aplasia. Conclusion: Segmental GSV aplasia was more common in lower limbs with no varicose veins and/or insufficiency, but there was a higher incidence of patients with both aplasia and insufficiency in the group with varicose veins.


Perforation of the appendix through the anterior abdominal wall is a rare complication of a frequent disorder. We report on a 37-year old patient presenting with purulent secretion from the right lower abdomen. The CT scan of the abdomen revealed a perityphlitic abscess with perforation of the anterior abdominal wall. The patient underwent laparotomy with appendectomy and subsequent revision of the abdominal wall. Appendicocutaneous fistula due to perforation through the abdominal wall is a rarity. In analogy to empyema necessitatis, which would require the pleural empyema to penetrate the thoracic wall, the entity was denoted appendicitis necessitatis.


At the interior of the contemporary urban discussion, subjects like city growth, and policies or strategies to deal with it, appear. Usually, densification of existent urban structures has raised as an alternative solution. However, the analysis of the methods and the specific urban conditions of each case, it means, the cities real condition, has been absent of the projects. Then, it emerges a disconnection between the theoretical discourse and the real tendencies. The present thesis undertook simultaneously a view to theoretic discourse and a constructed reality for the Bogota case. Its results look forward to call the attention about the big inequities hidden by the figures, about how questionable results to insist in a discussion of expansion or densification, without involving both complexity and indicators.


Love and hate are the two most violent, turbulent emotions, known to mankind. Although at first it seems that the two emotions are poles apart, after careful analyzation many outstanding similarities can be found. The lengths to which each of these emotions have at times moved individuals is astounding. Both love and hate have prodded people into doing wild unpredictable things, often with dire and tragic results. These two emotions are extremes in sensation. Love is the culmination of all feeling centering around devotion and affection, and hate is the culmination of all feeling centering around dislike and repulsion. Where hate is usually violent, love is gentle, but each is a true emotional experience. These emotions are often the favorite subjects of dramatists, authors, and poets, because each can be expounded into an intricate and delicate pattern. Each has many channels and paths into which the literary mind may delve for inspiration and solace. During one's lifetime one often meets sorrow, unhappiness, conflict, and a number of things which appear to be insurmountable barriers. It is during a period -.


Efficient numerical tools coupled with high-performance computers, have become a key element of the design process in the fields of energy supply and transportation. However flow phenomena that occur in complex systems such as gas turbines and aircrafts are still not understood mainly because of the models that are needed. In fact, most computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions as found today in industry focus on a reduced or simplified version of the real system (such as a periodic sector) and are usually solved with a steady- state assumption. This paper shows how to overcome such barriers and how such a new challenge can be addressed by developing flow solvers running on high-end computing platforms, using thousands of computing cores. Parallel strategies used by modern flow solvers are discussed with particular emphases on mesh-partitioning, load balancing and communication. Two examples are used to illustrate these concepts: a multi-block structured code and an unstructured code. Parallel computing strategies used with both flow solvers are detailed and compared. This comparison indicates that mesh-partitioning and load balancing are more straightforward with unstructured grids than with multi-block structured meshes. However, the mesh-partitioning stage can be challenging for unstructured grids, mainly due to memory limitations of the newly developed massively parallel architectures. Finally, detailed investigations show that the impact of mesh-partitioning on the numerical CFD solutions, due to rounding errors and block splitting, may be of importance and should be accurately addressed before qualifying massively parallel CFD tools for a routine industrial use.


We analyze Hubble Space Telescope observations of six globular clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud from program GO-14164 in Cycle 23. These are the deepest available observations of the LMC globular cluster population; their uniformity facilitates a precise comparison with globular clusters in the Milky Way. Measuring the magnitude of the main sequence turnoff point relative to template Galactic globular clusters allows the relative ages of the clusters to be determined with a mean precision of 8.4%, and down to 6% for individual objects. We find that the mean age of our LMC cluster ensemble is identical to the mean age of the oldest metal-poor clusters in the Milky Way halo to 0.2 $\pm$ 0.4 Gyr. This provides the most sensitive test to date of the synchronicity of the earliest epoch of globular cluster formation in two independent galaxies. Horizontal branch magnitudes and subdwarf fitting to the main sequence allow us to determine distance estimates for each cluster, and examine their geometric distribution in the LMC. Using two different methods, we find an average distance to the LMC of 18.52 $\pm$ 0.05.


Background In Behçet's syndrome (BS) patients with symptomatic pulmonary artery involvement (PAI) varying and multiple pulmonary parenchymal and cardiac lesions can be seen in thorax CT examinations (1). These lesions are pulmonary nodules of ≥ 1 cm (85 %), cavities (47 %), ground-glass opacities (45 %), mild pleural (45 %) and pericardial effusions (21 %), mediastinal lymphadenopathies (21 %) and intracardiac filling defects (28 %). Objectives Whether these pulmonary and cardiac abnormalities are exclusively observed in symptomatic BS with PAI or in vascular involvement without PAI have not been adequately studied. We now report the frequency of such lesions among BS patients with vascular disease but no PAI along with BS patients with no vascular disease at all. Methods Consecutive BS patients seen in the outpatient clinic between December 2011 and November 2012 were studied. Those with a disease duration of > 5 years were excluded. Contrasted thorax CT scans were obtained in BS patients with vascular disease along with BS patients with no vascular disease at all. Only patients with no prior history relevant with PAI or those with no pulmonary symptoms such as hemoptysis, cough, chest pain and dyspnea were studied. CT scans were analyzed formally using a checklist by a radiologist who was blinded to the clinical diagnoses of the patients. Results We studied 49 (43 M/ 6 F) BS patients with vascular involvement and 35 (32 M/3 F) BS patients with no vascular involvement. Lower extremity deep or superficial vein thrombosis was present in all 49 patients with vascular involvement. The mean age (32 ± 7 years vs 33 ± 8 year, respectively) and disease duration (4 ± 3 years vs 3 ± 2 years, respectively) among patients with and without vascular involvement were similar. None of the patients had pulmonary artery aneurysms or thrombosis. Similarly, cavities, pleural or pericardial effusions, and intracardiac filling defects were not observed in any of the scans. The most common parenchymal lesions were nodules of < 1 cm, which were present in 61 % and 37 % patients with and without vascular involvement, respectively, (P = 0.029). Nodules of ≥ 1 cm were only present in 4 patients with vascular disease (8 %) and none of those with no vascular disease. Ground-glass opacities were present in 2 and 3 patients with and without vascular involvement, respectively. The frequency of pulmonary and cardiac lesions in the current study was much less when compared to that found in PAI. Conclusions Pulmonary parenchymal and cardiac lesions were rarely observed in BS patients with no pulmonary artery involvement. Although small pulmonary nodules (<1 cm) seemed to be more frequent among patients with vascular disease compared to those without, their significance remains to be further studied. References Seyahi E et al. Pulmonary artery involvement and associated lung disease in Behçet disease: a series of 47 patients. Medicine (Baltimore). 2012;91:35-48. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


STKE
Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) undergoes posttranslational processing to yield a bunch of physiologically active peptides. In the hypothalamus, POMC is a precursor to the melanocortins (α-MSH, β-MSH, and γ-MSH). Humans and mice lacking functional POMC or MC4R (melanocortin-4 receptor, which is activated by α- and β-MSH) become obese; because rodents cannot synthesize β-MSH, this effect has been attributed to α-MSH. Biebermann et al. find that a severely obese child has a mutant form of β-MSH in which a cysteine has been substituted for a tyrosine, a mutation also present in obese family members. Restriction enzyme analysis of 722 obese and 1270 non-obese children and adolescents uncovered the mutation in 2 obese individuals and none of the controls. Lee et al. discovered the same β-MSH variant in 5 of 538 unrelated severely obese children and 1 of 300 non-obese adults and found that the mutation segregated with obesity in family members. Both groups observe that the mutant form showed substantially reduced binding to human MC4R and conclude that, unlike in rodents, β-MSH is important in regulating energy balance and body weight in humans. — EMA

Cell Metab. 3 , 141; 135 (2006).


Background and objective: Individuals with precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) experience impaired quality of life (QoL). A disease-specific outcome measure, the Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review (CAMPHOR) is validated in English. We translated the instrument and validated it for German-speaking population. Methods: A multi-step procedure including bilingual translation process, lay panel assessment, cognitive debriefing interviews, validation and evaluation was performed. It included 107 patients with precapillary PH (60 females; age 60+15 years) from centres in Austria, Germany and Switzerland Results:  The translation process was straightforward. The field-test interview participants found the questionnaires relevant, comprehensible and easy to complete. Psychometric analyses showed that the German adaptations were successful. High test-retest coefficients for the scales after controlling for change in respondent9s QoL (FC: 0.92 to 0.96; EC: 0.85 to 0.99) indicated a high degree of reliability. The CAMPHOR scales had good internal consistency (Cronbach9s alpha coefficients .90 to .92 and .88 to .92, respectively). Also the three CAMPHOR scales (symptoms, activity limitations and quality of life) had excellent test-retest reliability (r=.90-0.91, P .90). Predicted correlations with the NYHA class, the 6-minute walking distance and the Nottingham Health Profile provided evidence of an excellent construct and group validity of the CAMPHOR scales. Conclusions:  We have shown the CAMPHOR to be valid and reliable in the German population and recommend its use in clinical practice.


This paper presents the design and thermal characterization of a 15 × 22 mm2 LTCC module dedicated to the packaging of the elements of a miniature atomic clock. This module acts as a carrier for the components of the clock as well as temperature controller; this is particularly attractive since each component of the atomic clock requires precise and well defined working temperatures. For the thermal characterization of the designed module, various thermal simulations have been performed, by finite-element modelling using the software ANSYS; in each simulation a different experimental heating configuration was hypothesized, in order to determine the power required for achieving the desired temperature in the ideal case (module in perfect vacuum with no losses rather than conduction towards the external "cold" zone, through two small bridges) , and also for estimating the thermal losses that convection introduces into the system. The simulations were then experimentally validated by realizing and characterizing the different configurations, yielding results that were consistent with the simulations. The best experimental configuration was found, in which the heating performance was fairly close to the ideal one. The results show that LTCC is a very attractive technology for atomic clock packaging also in terms of dissipated power, provided the system is efficiently insulated.


We want to explore the expressive power of visual languages that can be recognized in real time with off-the-shelf components. Real time constraints imply that we are only able to detect and track color blobs in the image. We test two basic applications: remote control of a mobile robot and gesture based music synthesis. The former requires accuracy in movements, and on the contrary, creativity is important in the latter.


logistic regression and multivariable negative binomial regression modeling then tested the relation between sex and head injury incidence and severity while controlling for contact, setting, and competition level. RESULTS: Between 2004 and 2009, the sex-specific rate of soccer-related head injuries was 0.87 per 1000 AEs in women and 0.71 per 1000 AEs in men (RR = 1.23, 95% CI = [1.08, 1.41]). The rate of head injuries due to player-to-player contact was comparable between women and men (RR=0.95, 95% CI=[0.81, 1.11]); however, the rate of injury due to contact with apparatus was nearly 2 1⁄2 -fold higher (RR=2.46, 95% CI = [1.76, 3.44]) and the rate due to contact with a playing surface was over two-fold higher (RR=2.29, 95% CI = [1.34, 3.91]) in women than in men. We also observed a significant joint effect between sex and contact in our regression models, with a particularly notable antagonistic interaction observed while modeling head injuries. CONCLUSION: Among female players, head contact with a ball, a goal post, or the playing surface may be especially deleterious compared with head contact with another player.


This essay explores the paradigm shift in linguistics taking place in the Soviet Union in 1950. Marrism was then the current paradigm which was based on a peculiar interpretation of marxism in lingustics. Unable to explain the new problems of Stalins postwar nationalistic turn it was subject to open discussion in Pravda. Using the theories of Thomas Kuhn the essay deals with the discussion taking place in Pravda, the authors being mostly linguists although Stalin himself participated. The analysis showed that the shift itself was double, a political and unnatural one coming from Stalin, and a natural one from the scientific community. Although Stalin made the ultimate decision regarding the continuing linguistic policy, the scientific community was still able to control some of the development regarding the policies of their research. (Less)


Strategy and other complex issues research results, through case study become concrete solutions, extend experience and knowledge, and add strength to hypothesis already known through previous research. Case studies emphasize detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions and their relationships. Scientists use the case study research method across a variety of disciplines. In this article we give the overview of the case study scientific method and the importance of its use in the industrial enterprises strategy formulation process.


In October 1958, John McCarthy published one in a series of reports about his then ongoing effort for designing a new programming language that would be especially suited for achieving artificial intelligence. That report was the first one to use the name LISP for this new programming language. 50 years later, Lisp is still in use. We would like to celebrate Lisp's 50 th birthday. OOPSLA 2008 is an excellent venue for such a celebration, because object-oriented programming benefitted heavily from Lisp ideas and because OOPSLA 2008 takes place in October, exactly 50 years after the name Lisp has been used publicly for the first time. We will have talks by John McCarthy himself, and numerous other influential Lispers from the past five decades. We will also take a look at the next 50 years of Lisp.


Lightweight flexible structures e.g. for large deployable space systems often consist of truss structures. The truss elements are connected by joints. Microslip and macroslip in the joint contact surfaces are the dominating dissipation mechanisms as compared to material damping and environmental damping if no additional damping measures are applied. So far only control of operational modes by actuators in the truss element is realized. The present paper aims to control the nonlinear transfer behaviour of joints by adapting the contact pressure. This is achieved by piezoelectric elements in bolted connections. Active joint description by ODE with internal variables backed by experimental data is implemented in the hybrid multibody system (MBS) of the assembled truss structure. The structural response is decomposed in large rigid body motion and superimposed small elastic deformations. The equations of motion are linearized by a perturbation technique based on the splitting of low frequency and high frequency modal contents. The flexibility of the MBS is treated by superposition of structural modes calculated by FEM in the sense of a Ritz approximation. Simulation of free as well as forced vibrations of the structure with active joints in a closed control loop underline the gain of damping performance compared to the associated passive system.


The development of new routes for therapeutic delivery such as controlled or sustained delivery systems, is time and cost consuming. This is because it is necessary to perform multiple in vitro dissolution studies to investigate the release profiles of all the formulations in the early stages of development. This thesis aims to investigate the potential use of rheology as a pre-screening tool to aid formulation development by reducing the number of in vitro studies that need to be performed. The hypothesis being that rheology could be used to assess the homogeneity and processability of a formulation, with the expectation that a homogeneous formulation would exhibit consistent release profiles on a batch-to-batch basis.
Recent advances in pharmaceutical research have identified supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as a potential green solvent alternative for the production of microparticles that promote the sustained release of APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) from a polymer matrix. Mild conditions are necessary to preserve the integrity of the API and carbon dioxide (CO2) is well documented to be able to reduce the viscosity of polymers at low temperatures. In order to quantify this, a robust and reliable rheology method was established to measure the polymer melt viscosity in the presence of CO2. First, the viscosity of the single polymers: polycaprolactone (PCL112) and poly(D,L-lactide) (PLA11), in their molten states was measured at ambient pressure and in the presence of CO2. For simplicity these measurements were made at elevated temperature (80-90 °C), where the samples were already molten at ambient pressure. However, this method was not suitable for formulations containing thermosensitive APIs, such as proteins or peptides, because they degrade at temperatures above physiological conditions (> 40 °C). Therefore, the method was adapted for use at lower temperatures by exposing the polymers to 140 bar of CO2 at 40 °C, without preheating.
Although CO2 is known to reduce the viscosity of polymers it has been shown that the polymer melt viscosity remains relatively high, hindering the incorporation and even distribution of the drug. Additives such as plasticisers can be used to optimise the viscosity and processing parameters of a pharmaceutical formulation. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been employed extensively as a polymeric plasticiser for Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and as an excipient in pharmaceutical formulations. It was thought that by combining both the plasticising effects of CO2 and PEG it would be possible to further reduce the viscosity of PLA. This was not the case; however, a reduction in the time taken for the samples to reach their saturation viscosity was observed. The effect of the mode of PEG incorporation was also investigated, where PEG as a blended excipient was compared to PEG as a covalently linked entity in a block copolymer. The plasticising effect was found to have similar efficiency regardless of the incorporation method.
Finally, a series of formulations containing a model protein drug, bovine serum albumin (BSA) encased in a polymer matrix were produced using a CO2 mixing procedure. The influence of the composition of the polymer matrix was investigated and a mix of PD,LLA and PLGA was found to be the most suitable. The effect of BSA content, BSA particle size and polymer ratio on the rheological properties and the release profiles was evaluated. A content assay and micro Raman spectroscopy were performed to assess the API content and the homogeneity of the formulations. It was expected that a formulation that can be readily processed will have a homogenous distribution of API and would exhibit consistent release profiles on a batch-to-batch basis. An in vitro dissolution study was performed on the formulations and the results were compared to the rheological data. It was found that if the rheology of a formulation could be measured and analysed and the viscosity was sufficiently low, then this formulation should exhibit consistent release profiles across different batches.
Overall, this thesis aims to determine whether high pressure rheology can be used as an aid for formulation development. The data show that it is possible to measure the viscosity of complex formulations in a robust and reliable manner. These preliminary data suggest there is a general correlation between the rheological properties of a formulation and the consistency of its in vitro release.


I test whether economic incentives impact peer effects in public-good settings. I study how a visible and subsidized contribution to a public good (installing solar panels) affects peer contributions to the same good that are neither subsidized nor visible (electing green power). Exploiting spatial variation in the feasibility of installing solar panels, I find that on average panels increase voluntary purchases of green power by neighbors. However, when subsidies to solar are high, solar panels reduce peer contributions. The results support the hypothesis that signals drive peer responses to visible public-good contributions and that economic incentives alter those signals.


Recent second/foreign language (L2) research has witnessed the application of sociocultural tenets to L2 classrooms. This study aimed to probe whether Iranian L2 learners' engagement in ZPD-activated collaborative dialogue, or 'languaging', mediates their learning process and, specifically, their appropriate use of metadiscourse to address content, organisation and audience issues in writing. English-as-a-foreign-language-writing classes at two universities were assigned to four different instructional conditions, namely, ZPD-activated collaborative, ZPD-free collaborative, fine-tuned L2-input provision and prevalent teacher-fronted approaches. The data comprised metadiscourse-oriented writing test scores, weekly writings and audio-recorded in-class collaborative dialogues of the ZPD groups. The results demonstrated the ZPD-activated collaborative writing approach significantly facilitated the learners' appropriate use of metadiscourse. Complementary interpretative analysis of the ZPD participants' metadiscourse-related episodes showed that the initially-other-regulated (undistributed) writing tasks became progressively reciprocal with less-skilled peers displaying microgenetic use of L2 metadiscourse resources and dynamically assuming more participatory roles in regulating the writing tasks. The findings suggest engagement in ZPD-activated 'languaging' is crucial to shaping opportunities for L2 learners' microgenetic learning and to their longer term cognitive development. In sum, the application of sociocultural tenets and notions has shown to be highly fruitful in explaining the social genesis of L2 development as a higher order psychological functioning.


Approximately 20% of cancer patients (including lung, melanoma, breast, renal, and colorectal cancer patients) develop brain metastases. Current systemic therapies often show limited efficacy for brain metastasis treatment and support palliative care only.

 In this preclinical study, short-term cultured primary cancer cells from brain metastasis patients were molecularly characterized using next-generation sequencing and functionally evaluated using high-throughput in vitro drug screening to identify pharmacological treatment sensitivities.

 Next-generation sequencing identified matched genetic alterations between brain metastasis tissues and corresponding patient-derived cultured cancer cells. Mutant allele frequencies indicated that short-term cultures of cancer cells reflect the existence of distinct subpopulations of cancer cells within brain metastases. This indicates that our short-term cultured primary brain metastasis cells are suitable models for recapitulating heterogeneity in the sensitivity of tumor cells to anti-cancer drugs. Employing our in-house high-throughput in vitro drug screening platform, we additionally screened primary cultures from the brain metastasis patients for response to 267 anticancer compounds, and integrated the molecular and high-throughput drug screening data sets.

 Our preclinical study thus provides proof-of-concept for combining molecular profiling with in vitro drug screening for improved prediction of therapeutic vulnerabilities in brain metastasis patients. This approach could advance the use of patient-derived cancer cells in clinical practice and might eventually facilitate decision-making for personalized drug treatment.


Steady water infiltration in homogeneous soils is governed by the Richards equation. This equation can be studied more conveniently by transforming to a type of Helmholtz equation. In this study, a dual-reciprocity boundary element method (DRBEM) is employed to solve the Helmholtz equation numerically. Using the solutions obtained, numerical values of the suction potential are then computed. The proposed method is tested on problems involving infiltration from different types of periodic channels in a homogeneous soil. Moreover, the method is also examined using infiltration from periodic trapezoidal channels in three different types of homogeneous soil. 2010 Mathematics subject classification: 76M15.


Background: Unplanned pregnancy is major public health concern. Globally unintended pregnancies account for about 40% of all pregnancies annually. The problem is more in developed countries in which nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended. In Tanzania over 20 women die each day due to the complication of unplanned pregnancy and childbirth which contribute to high maternal mortality rate. Though EC can prevent unplanned pregnancies by nearly 95% to 99% but the practice is still very low in Africa as well as in Tanzania despite some of the study shown that there is moderate knowledge. Therefore, the current study aiming of assessing knowledge, practice and barrier or challenges which face female university students in using EC. Method: A cross-sectional study design was conducted among 365 female students at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCO), Mwenge Catholic University (MWECAU) and Moshi cooperative University (MOCU) in Kilimanjaro region. A simple random sampling technique was used to select study participants. Self-administered questionnaires were used during data collection. Results: About (65.7%) of the female university students had ever heard of EC and more than half of them had knowledge on when to use EC (54.4%), where to obtain (58.7%) and time for EC to be taken (41.5%). Moreover about 75.6% of female university students in this study reported never use emergency contraceptives (EC) while 24.4% reported having ever used emergency contraceptive and among 24.4% EC users reported that 90.2% use EC pills method. On the other hand, common barriers toward EC use reported by female university students were fear of side effects, personal barrier, and religion opposition 39.4%, 31.9% and 12.8% respectively.Conclusions: This study found that majority 65.7% of female university students had ever heard of emergence contraceptive (EC) in their lives. Practice of EC is still very low among female students where by only 24.4% reported having ever used emergency contraceptive. Fear of side effect and personal barrier were mostly reported as the common barrier by the female student towards EC usage 39.4%, 31.9% respectively. Thus, there is an urgent need to educate the female university students about EC.


Background:Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) requires a close "partnership" between a conscious patient and the patient's caregivers. Specific perceptions of NIV stakeholders and their impact have been poorly described to date. The objectives of this study were to compare the perceptions of NIV by intensive care unit (ICU) physicians, nurses, patients, and their relatives and to explore factors associated with caregivers' willingness to administer NIV and patients' and relatives' anxiety in relation to NIV. Methods:This is a prospective, multicenter questionnaire-based study. Results:Three hundred and eleven ICU physicians, 752 nurses, 396 patients, and 145 relatives from 32 ICUs answered the questionnaire. Nurses generally reported more negative feelings and more frequent regrets about providing NIV (median score, 3; interquartile range, [1 to 5] vs. 1 [1 to 5]; P < 0.0001) compared to ICU physicians. Sixty-four percent of ICU physicians and only 32% of nurses reported a high level of willingness to administer NIV, which was independently associated with NIV case-volume and workload. A high NIV session–related level of anxiety was observed in 37% of patients and 45% of relatives. "Dyspnea during NIV," "long NIV session," and "the need to have someone at the bedside" were identified as independent risk factors of high anxiety in patients. Conclusions:Lack of willingness of caregivers to administer NIV and a high level of anxiety of patients and relatives in relation to NIV are frequent in the ICU. Most factors associated with low willingness to administer NIV by nurses or anxiety in patients and relatives may be amenable to change. Interventional studies are now warranted to evaluate how to reduce these risk factors and therefore contribute to better management of a potentially traumatic experience. (Anesthesiology 2016; 124:1347-59)


This paper proposes a new interpretive stance for interpreting artistic works and performances that is relevant to artificial intelligence research but also has broader implications. Termed the expressive stance, this stance makes intelligible a critical distinction between present-day machine art and human art, but allows for the possibility that future machine art could find a place alongside our own. The expressive stance is elaborated as a response to Daniel Dennett's notion of the intentional stance, which is critically examined with respect to his specialized concept of rationality. The paper also shows that temporal scale implicitly serves to select between different modes of explanation in prominent theories of intentionality. It also considers the implications of the phenomenological background for systems that produce art.


Photodegradation of organic compounds in water The application of photocatalytic processes for the decontamination treatment of polluted water has inspired very extensive studies. Titanium dioxide with its large band gap energy and appropriate redox potential was found as one of the most promising semiconductors for the photodegradation of pollutants in the water as well as in gas phase. The titania-silica aerogels obtained by a simple co-hydrolysis method was applied in the photodegradation of the model organic compound. Different ageing times and heat treatment temperatures were found to influence both the activity and the textural properties of the photocatalysts. The obtained aerogels are efficient photodegradation catalysts of methylene blue and allow a removal up to 98 and 78% of the model pollutant from 20 and 500 ppm solutions, respectively.


The studies on [4 + 2] cycloaddition of 4-halo derivatives of 6,6-dimethoxycyclohexa-2,4-dienones known as orthoquinone monoketals/masked o-benzoquinones are described. The 4-fluoro, 4-chloro- and 4-iodo-masked o-benzoquinones were stable enough for their isolation and characterization. These conjugated dienones cycloadded with several electron-deficient and electron-rich dienophiles in a highly regio- and stereo-selective manner to afford the corresponding halo bicyclo[2.2.2]octenone derivatives in high to excellent chemical yields. The halo masked o-benzoquinones did not undergo dimerization under the reaction conditions. To evaluate the observed selectivities of these Diels-Alder reactions, we have performed quantum mechanical calculations for the reactions between halo masked o-benzoquinones and methyl vinyl ketone and ethyl vinyl ether at the B3LYP/6-31G** theory level. The differences in HOMO and LUMO energy gaps suggest that these reactions can be classified as inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reactions. The calculated transition state energies and global electronic indexes supported the experimentally observed selectivities of the reaction in many cases.


Objective. To assess the occurrence of various vascular aging phenotypes among young people, depending on the level of blood pressure (BP) and in relation to risk factors (RF) and the presence of connective tissue dysplasia (CTD). Design and methods. In total, 250 young people (88 boys and 162 girls) aged from 18 to 25 years old were examined at the University Health Center. All the subjects were divided into tercile groups based on cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), determined by the VaSera-1500 (Fucuda Denshia, Japan). According to the latest expert recommendations the third tercile group corresponds to early vascular aging or EVA syndrome. The first tercile group corresponds to favorable vascular aging. We have analyzed the representation of various vascular phenotypes in individuals with elevated and normal BP, as well as the main RF and external signs of CTD in each of CAVI-tercile group. Data processing was performed using the software package "Statistica 10.0" (StatSoft Inc., USA). Results. Among young people with office hypertension and high normal BP, the EVA phenotype and phenotypes of normal and favorable vascular aging are equally distributed. In persons with office normal and elevated BP, vascular stiffness correlates with weight, body mass index and waist circumference (with the increase in arterial rigidity these indicators decrease). CTD is registered among subjects with severe vascular remodeling both in boys and girls. Conclusions. Our data indicate the feasibility of angiology screening for identification of vascular aging phenotypes as a part of preventive measures among young people, regardless of the level of initial office BP. This strategy strategy will contribute to a more differentiated identification of risk groups and more individualized preventive interventions based on vascular aging phenotypes.


A non-redundant, three-stage, 27-level inverter using "H" converters, is analysed for machine drive applications. The main advantage of this converter is the optimisation of levels with a minimum number of semiconductors. However, the system needs six bi-directional and isolated power supplies, and three more unidirectional if the machine is not using regenerative braking. In this paper these nine power supplies are reduced to only four, all of them unidirectional, with three strategies: 1) the utilization of independent and isolated windings for each phase of the motor, 2) the utilization of independent input transformers, and 3), the most important of them, the application of special PWM strategies to keep positive average power at the medium power converters, and zero average power at the low power converters. The generation of this PWM and control of this multi-converter, is being implemented using DSP controllers, which give flexibility to the system


In this paper, a control method is proposed for minor-loop failure in a multi-loop control system. If a minor-loop fails, because of a problem with the sensor, the character of the whole system changes greatly and becomes unstable. For this situation the proposed method changes to a new compensator using an equivalent transfer function (ETF) after the minor-loop failure. The equivalent transfer function is designed so that it does not change the transfer function of the whole system before and after the minor-loop failure. Using this method, the stability of the control system in the minor-loop failure is guaranteed.


The formation of trans fatty acids in chicken legs during frying in unhydrogenated and hydrogenated soybean oil was studied. Frying was conducted at 160°C, 180°C and 200°C for 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75 min, with the various cis and trans fatty acids being analyzed in unhydrogenated and hydrogenated soybean oil, as well as chicken leg meat and chicken leg skin, using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry technique. Results showed that the amounts of most fatty acids decreased along with increasing frying temperature and frying time when fried in unhydrogenated or hydrogenated soybean oil. No trans fatty acids were formed in chicken leg meat fried in unhydrogenated or hydrogenated soybean oil. Instead, the formation of trans fatty acids was observed in chicken leg skin fried in hydrogenated soybean oil, probably because of oil absorption. A maximum level of trans fatty acids occurred 15 min after frying and then declined thereafter.


Long-term monitoring of ECG signals is receiving much attention, still being an open issue how to deal with this massive source of information. In particular, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) indices have been widely used to characterize the state of the autonomous regulation of the heart from 24-hour Holter monitoring, but there is few knowledge on the long-term evolution of HRV indices. A data set of 7-day Holter recordings in 12 Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) patients was assembled. For its analysis, an automatic rhythmometric procedure was designed, allowing to characterize the ultradian and the infradian components, with possible inclusion of near-periodic fluctuations. A bootstrap hypothesis test allows us to systematically adjust the model architecture for each patient. The temporal evolution of relevant time-domain (AVNN, SDNN, NN50), frequency-domain (LF, HF, HFn, LF/HF), and nonlinear (¿1, SampEn) HRV indices, was analyzed. Larger relative deviations from the daily average pattern were more clearly observed in nonlinear indices and in NN50. Infradian subharmonic was mostly present in NN50, AVNN, ¿1, and SampEn. Long-term monitoring of HRV conveys new relevant rhythmometric information that can be analyzed with the proposed automatic procedure.


Summary This study was undertaken to determine the incidence of unidagnosed apical disease in acute unilateral sinusitis and to evaluate the role of Orthopantomograms (OPGs). Our results, with an incidence of 10 per cent, are in agreement with the findings of Formby (1960) and we conclude that OPGs are not justified in the routine investigation of acute sinusities.


Extracting keyphrases that summarize the main points of a document is a fundamental task in natural language processing. Supervised approaches to keyphrase extraction(KPE) are largely developed based on the assumption that the training data is fully annotated. However, due to the difficulty of keyphrase annotating, KPE models severely suffer from incomplete annotated problem in many scenarios. To this end, we propose a more robust training method that learns to mitigate the misguidance brought by unlabeled keyphrases. We introduce negative sampling to adjust training loss, and conduct experiments under different scenarios. Empirical studies on synthetic datasets and open domain dataset show that our model is robust to incomplete annotated problem and surpasses prior baselines. Extensive experiments on five scientific domain datasets of different scales demonstrate that our model is competitive with the state-of-the-art method.


ALSTOM has thrown a challenge problem related to the control of MIMO gasifier which is a nonlinear system. Quite a few researchers have tried different methods for control tuning and found that critical process transients such as pressure and temperature of syngas during specified load changes are not within the desired limits. This is mainly attributed to a very high order of the gasifier system. Due to this, efforts have been made to represent gasifier higher order models as a simplified lower order models. This paper focuses on identifying a reduced order transfer function models for gasifier with minimum IAE and ISE error criterion using Genetic Algorithm. The lower order transfer functions obtained using Genetic Algorithm is found to be superior to those obtained using RGA loop pairing and Algebraic method proposed respectively by Haryanto and Sivakumar et.al.


Determining whether convergent novelties share a common genetic basis is vital to understanding the extent to which evolution is predictable. The convergent evolution of innovative anal fin pigmentation patterns in cichlid fishes is an ideal model for studying this question. Here, we focused on two patterns: 1) egg-spots, circular pigmentation patterns with different numbers, sizes and positions; and 2) the blotch, irregular pattern with no variation among species. How these two novelties originate and evolve remains unclear. Based on a thorough comparative transcriptomic and genomic analysis, we observed a common genetic basis with high evolutionary rates and similar expression levels between egg-spots and the blotch. But the associations of common genes with transcription factors and signalling pathways in the core gene network, as well as the integration of advantageous genes were observed specifically for egg-spots. Focusing on the whole transcriptomic level instead of limited numbers of candidate genes can explain the opposite conclusion between our study and the one from Santos et al. (2016), which suggested that no common genetic basis is shared between the blotch and egg-spots. Here, we propose that the re-use of the common genetic basis indicates important conservative functions (e.g., toolkit genes) for the origin of these convergent novel phenotypes, whereas independently evolved associations of common genes with transcription factors and signalling pathways (intrinsic factor) can free the evolution of egg-spots, and together with the integration of advantageous genes (extrinsic factor) can provide a clue to link egg-spots as a key innovation to the adaptive radiation in cichlid fishes. This hypothesis will further illuminate the mechanism of the origin and evolution of novelties in a broad sense.


This work examines the relative importance of diffusion and the electrical time constant of the working electrode on the response time of amperometric gas sensors. The response curve of an electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor to a 200 ppm CO test gas was measured as a function of the added resistance that is in series with the working electrode to increase the time constant. It has been found that the response time increases with additional resistance. The experimental behavior was compared to the values predicted on the basis of Fick's second law of diffusion and to the values expected on the basis of the electrical properties of the sensor. The behavior of the sensor was explained using an equivalent electrical circuit, describing the time constants of the working electrode. Values obtained from this model were further compared to experimental values obtained from electrochemical impedance spectra. It has been found that the response time of the sensors depends on both the rate of diffusion and the electrical time constants of the working electrode.


Service Workers (SWs) are a powerful feature at the core of Progressive Web Apps, namely web applications that can continue to function when the user's device is offline and that have access to device sensors and capabilities previously accessible only by native applications. During the past few years, researchers have found a number of ways in which SWs may be abused to achieve different malicious purposes. For instance, SWs may be abused to build a web-based botnet, launch DDoS attacks, or perform cryptomining; they may be hijacked to create persistent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks; they may be leveraged in the context of side-channel attacks to compromise users' privacy; or they may be abused for phishing or social engineering attacks using web push notifications-based malvertising. In this paper, we reproduce and analyze known attack vectors related to SWs and explore new abuse paths that have not previously been considered. We systematize the attacks into different categories, and then analyze whether, how, and estimate when these attacks have been published and mitigated by different browser vendors. Then, we discuss a number of open SW security problems that are currently unmitigated, and propose SW behavior monitoring approaches and new browser policies that we believe should be implemented by browsers to further improve SW security. Furthermore, we implement a proof-of-concept version of several policies in the Chromium code base, and also measure the behavior of SWs used by highly popular web applications with respect to these new policies. Our measurements show that it should be feasible to implement and enforce stricter SW security policies without a significant impact on most legitimate production SWs.


: This study empirically examines the ripple effect of demand shocks on upstream suppliers in global value chains (GVCs). Specifically, we investigate how changes in US imports from China alter China's imports of intermediate inputs in machinery industries from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. To address the simultaneity bias in this input-output linkage, we use the Trump tariffs in an episode of the US–China trade war as an instrument for US import demand from China. The analysis of China's monthly imports from the three supplier economies during 2018-2019 finds evidence of negative tariff spillover via GVCs: the decrease in China's output exports to the US caused by the Trump tariffs reduced China's input imports from supplier economies. Also, this adverse ripple effect was the most significant in Taiwan, where multinational enterprises use China as an export platform, amplifying the adverse demand shock.


Sex differences in adult behaviour are often interpreted as consequences of sexual selection and/or different reproductive roles in males and females. Sex-specific juvenile behaviour, however, has received less attention. Adult brown trout males are more aggressive than females during spawning and juvenile aggression may be genetically correlated with adult aggression in fish. We therefore tested the prediction that immature brown trout males are more aggressive and bolder than immature females. Because previous work has suggested that precocious maturation increases dominance in salmonids, we included precocious males in the study to test the prediction that early sexual maturation increase male aggression and boldness. Aggression and dominance relations were estimated in dyadic contests, whereas boldness was measured as a response to simulated predation risk using a model heron. Independent of maturity state, males initiated more than twice as many agonistic interactions as females in intersexual contests. However, males were not significantly more likely to win these contests than females. The response to a first predator attack did not differ between sex categories, but males reacted less to a second predator attack than females. Sexual maturity did not affect the antipredator response in males. Since there is no evidence from field studies that stream-living immature male and female salmonids differ in growth rate, it appears unlikely that the sex differences demonstrated are behavioural consequences of sex-specific investment in growth. It seems more likely that sex-specific behaviour arises as a correlated response to sexually selected gene actions promoting differential behaviour in adult males and females during reproduction. Alternatively, sex differences may develop gradually during juvenile life, because a gradual developmental program should be less costly than a sudden behavioural change at the onset of sexual maturity.


John Adriani produced the first edition of The Pharmacology of Anesthetic Drugs in 1940. This is now the fifth edition and the 15th printing. These statistics attest to the popularity of this text, but may also point to the penchant of the American medical student and physician for books in outline forms. The fourth edition was printed in 1960, and the rapid advances in this past decade have necessitated considerable changes in the text. It has been brought up to date completely with the maintenance of the old style of presentation. For the quick review of the pharmacology of a specific drug, there is no source quite like it. There are four chapters on general pharmacology of anesthetic drugs, nine chapters on the various classes of anesthetic drugs with specific examples within each, and a final chapter on clinical usage. There is an excellent glossary of terms which would


The recent White Paper on Irish Aid made coherence one of the guiding principles of Ireland 's development cooperation policy (Government of Ireland, 2006). Agriculture is at the heart of much of the debate about possible incoherence between trade and development policy. This paper presents the policy recommendations made to the Advisory Board for Irish Aid arising from a research project it supported to examine the impact which the EU's Common Agricultural Policy has on developing countries, and the impact which CAP reform would have on global poverty, and which was undertaken by a team based at the IIIS, Trinity College Dublin. Concluding the Doha Round with an ambitious reduction in agricultural trade barriers should remain the priority objective from a policy coherence perspective . However, the research recognised that Ireland 's partner countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are not likely to benefit, if at all, from further reductions in OECD country agricultural trade barriers, largely because of their preferential access to these markets. We recommend that Irish Aid should increase its efforts to strengthen the supply-side capacity of these countries to take advantage of existing market opportunities, through increased assistance for agricultural and rural development and as well as trade-related assistance. The paper also discusses how a framework for policy coherence might be established within Irish public administration.


Several diseases of the nipple and areola have a specific dermatological presentation. They may be classified into five main categories including dysembryoplasias, mastalgia, inflammatory dermatoses, hyperkeratoses and neoplasms.


The Pecs I, Pecs II and Serratus Plane blocks are superficial thoracic wall blocks which through blockade of the pectoral, intercostal, thoracodorsal and long thoracic nerves can be used to provide analgesia for breast surgery and other procedures/surgery involving the anterior chest wall. The innervation of the breast is supplied mainly by the anterior branches of the 4th, 5th and 6th intercostal nerves which arise from the thoracic spinal nerves (T4-6). the apex of the axilla is supplied by the intercostobrachialis nerve; this is a cutaneous branch of the second intercostal nerve (T2). the pectoral major and minor muscles are innervated by the lateral pectoral nerve (C5-7) and medial pectoral nerve (C8-T1). Terminal branches of the supraclavicular nerves (C3-4) innervate the upper part of the breast and this should be taken into account when the surgical procedure involves this area, because Pecs blocks will not block the supraclavicular nerve. Breast surgery however, is rarely performed at this level. The long thoracic nerve (C5-7) supplies the serratus anterior muscle. the thoracodorsal nerve (C6-8) supplies latissimus dorsi and this is relevant for more extensive procedures. The lateral cutaneous branches of the thoracic intercostal nerves (T2 – T9) together with the long thoracic and the thoracodorsal nerves can be found in a compartment space between serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi between the posterior and mid axillary lines. Local anaesthetic is placed between the muscles of the thoracic wall, using ultrasound guidance.


Objective To investigate the clinical application value in the diagnosis and scaling of Parkinson's disease (PD) with ~ 99 Tc~m -TRODAT-1 SPECT dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging. Methods Fifty-eight PD patients (Hoehn Yahr scale Ⅰ-Ⅳ, UPDRS score 9-108) and 13 volunteers were recruited. The radiation ratios of striatum and its subregions, including the putamen and caudate nucleus, over the cerebellum were calculated by semi-quantity region of interest(ROI) technique. The function differentiation of striatum and putamen or caudate nucleus, between the healthy volunteers and different scaled PD patients were compared, the DAT value between contralateral and ipsilateral to symptoms or more affected limbs was compared as well. The relationship between the radiation ratios of striatum/cerebellum and UPDRS score was analyzed. Results The DAT level of PD patients scaled Ⅰ-Ⅳ was more lower than that of the healthy volunteers. There exited negative correlation between the radiation ratio and the UPDRS score; the DAT levels of striatum contralateral to the affected limb were lower than those of ipsilateral of PD patients scaled Ⅰ-2.5. For patients scaled Ⅲ-Ⅳ, neither difference was seen between the two sides, nor difference between the two scales. For patients scaled Ⅰ-2.5, the DAT function of putamen and caudate nucleus were both lower than that of healthy volunteers, there also exited difference between putamen and caudate nucleus, more loss of DAT function was seen in the putamen nucleus. For patients scaled Ⅲ-Ⅳ, both putamen and caudate nucleus function decreased obviously, while no difference between the two nucleus. Conclusion ~ 99 Tc~m -TRODAT-1 SPECT brain imaging is helpful for the early diagnosis and scaling of PD. The radiation ratio of striatum/cerebellum can be used as a semi-quantitative standard for the diagnosis and severity evaluation of PD, it is also a valuable complement to the monitoring of PD in addition to Hoehn Yahr scale and UPDRS score.


The transformation that Basque society has suffered and the emergence of the new technologies of communication have transformed the logic, the way, the spaces, the tools and the cultural references to analyze, understand and develop the national identity. The objective of this article is to identify and analyze those elements and for this aim it is going to be exposed a research made in 2011 to answer how youth build Basque identity by Facebook. During this research in addition to answer the influence that online social networks have in social practices and in the construction of the national identity, the sense of community and the question required for the sociological analysis of the Basque identity will be questioned.


The instability of the threshold voltage in SiC power DMOSFETs due to gate-bias stress and ON-state stress is a potential reliability issue, although the effects can be mitigated if the threshold voltage is set with enough positive margin so that no increase in OFF-state leakage occurs. In this case, the primary effect will be to increase the ON-state resistance by about five percent, which should be tolerable for power converter applications. Subthreshold-slope analysis of slower parameter-analyzer results reveal similar instabilities to those of fast I-V measurements.


We derive expressions for the far-zone correlation of intensity fluctuations (the Hanbury Brown-Twiss effect) that occurs in electromagnetic beams that are generated by quasi-homogeneous sources. Such sources often have a radiant intensity pattern that is rotationally symmetric, irrespective of the source shape. We demonstrate how from the far-zone correlation of intensity fluctuations the spectral density distribution across the source plane may be reconstructed.


Abstract Defining effective strategies for combating crops insect pests requires to be well knowledgeable about their ecology and prevalence. This study identified on the one hand the major insect pests of biological cotton crops in the phytosanitary zones of Benin and one the other hand determined their seasonal evolution and evaluated their weight according to the cotton development stage. The density of insect pests and their damages were evaluated in cotton farms. A Correspondence Analysis was used to describe the relationship between insect pests and cotton phytosanitary zones (zone 1, zone 2, zone 3). The seasonal evolution of the identified insect pests was assessed using simple time series trend. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the density of insect pests between cotton development stages. The results showed that Helicoverpa armigera and Diparopsis watersi were the major insect pests of the zone 1. Those major in the zone 2 were Bemisia tabaci, Dysdercus volkeri, HaritaloA¯des derogata and Aphis gossypii and those major of the zone 3 were Thaumatotibia leucotreta, Pectinophora gossypiella, Polyphagotarsonemus latus and Earias spp. Following cotton development stage, the prevalence (% of cotton stalks attacked) of H. derogata in the phytosanitary zone 2 varied from 2.70 ± 0.67% during the vegetative stage to 0.6 ± 0.06% during the fruitification stage. The prevalence of H. derogata decreased significantly during the fruitification stage. The prevalence of P. gossypiella varied from 1.90±0.36 during the vegetative stage to 0.40±0.24 during the fruitification stage. The prevalence of P. latus varied from 4.33±0.76% during the vegetative stage to 1.17±0.52% during the fruitification stage in the cultivation zone 3. The number of P. gossypiella and the prevalence of P. latus significantly decreased from the vegetative stage to that of fruitification. Our results could be meaningful while developing effective fighting strategies against insect pests


The environments have created an abundance of residual plants from all life sectors, which is not optimal for bioethanol. Therefore, this research developed microbial technology that yielded sugar and fermentation testing. The research aimed to discover the delignification process and compare the consuming sugar by Saccharomyces cerevisiae between the chemical saccharification and accelerated bio-agent of fungal consortium in the engineered media. The innovation of the bioethanol process was conducted using raw materials from biomass. Based on this study, some preliminary hypotheses were made: (i) arranging fungal substrate which consists of residual sugar, molasses, and enriched residual papaya fruits could provide distinguishable growth of cell mass; (ii) the substrate concentration of 2.5% and 7.5% in the growth medium using enriched residual papaya fruits, respectively, as a medium, could be distinguished using delignification. A benchmark was used to compare the chemical and bio-agent saccharification. The consortium that grew and produced cell mass by times factor in molasses has fulfilled the element needed compared to the natural organic substances from the papaya fruit. The higher concentration of delignification material substrate yielded higher growth-saccharification and the average of 10.45 ± 0.21 % Brix was obtained by the fungal consortium in the broth medium, although the acceleration growth is insignificant. Nonetheless, Saccharomyces cerevisiae had successfully fermented saccharification yield sugar from the delignification of plants residual


Have you looked for the latest developments in AIDS research, the results of clinical trials of an experimental drug, a critical review of vascular imaging techniques, or case reports of a rare syndrome? These and similar questions routinely prompt practitioners to consult the clinical journal literature. Journals are also essential tools for keeping up in a specialty, but we hear the frequent lament that there are too many journals. The 2960 journals indexed by the National Library of Medicine for Index Medicus and MEDLINE represent only a fraction of the world's biomedical literature. With scores of new journals being started each year, keeping up is a formidable task. See also p 158. Not only have the number and specialization of journals increased, but subscription prices have risen rapidly in recent years. Unfortunately, the budgets of neither libraries nor individuals have kept pace. With more journals to choose from and with


Hacking might occupy a special position-that gray area between the darkness and the light-because it touches not only on ethical issues but also on the very nature of computing itself. Beyond the topics under discussion, all of which concerned how to exploit the flaws of commercial software, the conference strayed from its more conventional cousins in the exhibits room. The hacking community, for good or ill, is generally not perceived as inventors puttering in their workshops, individuals who accomplish their ends by working on the edge of society. Hackers do expose software vulnerabilities, but in doing so, they can put the public at risk. They have made vendors account for their actions, but they have also extorted unwarranted concessions from firms. They indeed serve as regulators, but as regulators they are accountable to no one but themselves.


The European Community's Indirect Action Research Programme on the Safety of Thermal Water Reactors had as main obj ectives to execute useful fundamental research, complementary and confirmatory to on-going work in national programmes, and to improve collaboration and exchange of inform ation between laboratories in the Member States. The Seminar was aimed to report on work performed during the last five years and to identify useful further research areas with a tentative assessment of the state of the art for future work in certain issues of LWR-safety. The results obtained in 33 research projects executed in different national laboratories of the European Community were presented, evaluated and discussed, together with a number of invited papers on topics related to the research programme. Topics covered mainly within 3 distinct research areas or sub-programmes: Research Area A: The loss of coolant accident (LOCA) and the func tioning and performance of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS). Fundamental work on thermalhydraulics and heat transfer during refill and reflood of an uncovered core after a LOCA. Research Area B: The protection of nuclear power plants against external gas cloud explosions. Study of the impact on plant structure and systems of external explosions of dense combustible gas clouds due to accidental releases of hydro carbons in the vicinity of the plant. Research Area C: The release and distribution of radioactive fission products in the atmosphere following a reactor accident."


Based on the study of bibliographical sources, research carried out in Cuba and abroad, as well as the modern approaches applied to the maintenance systems, the selection of systems to use on the maintenance and repair of complex agricultural machines is recommended.


Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) contribute to the resistance of Gram-negative bacteria to carbapenems, last-resort antibiotics at hospital, and MBL inhibitors are urgently needed to preserve these important antibacterial drugs. Here, we describe a series of 1,2,4-triazole-3-thione-based inhibitors displaying an α-amino acid substituent, which amine was mono- or disubstituted by (hetero)aryl groups. Compounds disubstituted by certain nitrogen-containing heterocycles showed submicromolar activities against VIM-type enzymes and strong NDM-1 inhibition (Ki = 10-30 nM). Equilibrium dialysis, native mass spectrometry, isothermal calorimetry (ITC), and X-ray crystallography showed that the compounds inhibited both VIM-2 and NDM-1 at least partially by stripping the catalytic zinc ions. These inhibitors also displayed a very potent synergistic activity with meropenem (16- to 1000-fold minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) reduction) against VIM-type- and NDM-1-producing ultraresistant clinical isolates, including Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, selected compounds exhibited no or moderate toxicity toward HeLa cells, favorable absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) properties, and no or modest inhibition of several mammalian metalloenzymes.


Abstract Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute viral hepatitis in Southeast Asia. Several studies have suggested that antibody persistence after HEV infection may be transient, possibly increasing the risk of reinfection and contributing to the frequency of outbreaks in HEV-endemic regions. The specific conditions under which antibodies to HEV are lost, or "seroreversion" occurs, are poorly understood. Here, 100 participants from population-based studies in rural Bangladesh were revisited in 2015, 10 years after a documented HEV infection, to examine long-term antibody persistence. Twenty percent (95% confidence interval: 12.0, 28.0) of the participants no longer had detectable antibodies at follow-up, suggesting that antibodies generally persist for at least a decade after infection in rural Bangladesh. Persons who were seronegative at follow-up were generally younger at infection than those who remained positive (14.4 years vs. 33.6 years; P < 0.0001). This age-dependent antibody loss could partially explain cross-sectional seroprevalence data from Southeast Asia, where children have reportedly low antibody prevalence. The results of this study provide new insight into the immunological persistence of HEV infection in a micronutrient-deficient rural population of South Asia, highlighting the importance of age at infection in the ability to produce long-lasting antibodies against HEV.


Abstract The Poznań Conurbation is a place where the suburbanisation process is appearing. The spatial transformation of suburban areas indicates that the application of research-based solutions, which in theory are supposed to reduce unfavourable trends, in practice appears to be a complicated task. Problems that remain unresolved for many years, as well as mistakes that often cancel efforts to solve these problems, are the obvious confirmation of that thesis. An important factor, which affects the poor spatial situation in suburban areas, is the lack of central urban planning indices. Although each municipality that is part of the Poznań Conurbation has its own up-to-date statutory land use policy study and other documents defining the local spatial planning policy, their records frequently contain solutions that are not beneficial to the public interest or sustainable development. Problems that are mentioned in producing them, as well as the unachieved aspirations and needs of space users, contribute to increased criticism of complex urban structures, while the strong position of developers in suburban areas raises the question as to whether the area of land dedicated to new buildings, especially residential ones is not too excessive when compared with current needs. This paper presents the results of research that concerns the relationship between the depopulation of Poznań and the increase of the built-up area in the neighbouring village of Skórzewo, which is a place of massive development of residential buildings and rapidly developing enterprises. The aim of this research is to introduce a tool for a more precise prediction of future spatial development in suburban areas.


Background: Nausea and vomiting are frequent after general anesthesia ,the most important causes of morbidity after anesthesia and surgery are postoperative nausea and vomiting. Methods: A comparative analysis of published articles was done to determine the relative efficacy and safety of ondansetron, droperidol, metoclopramide, dexamethasone, and intravenous crystalloid fluid for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. I performed a literature search of English references using both the MEDLINE database and a manual search. Double-blinded, randomized, controlled trials comparing the effect of these agents in reduction or prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Results: A total of 60 studies were identified, of which 6 were excluded for methodological concerns. For each comparison of drugs, ondansetron (P < 0.001), droperidol (P < 0.001) were more effective than metoclopramide in preventing vomiting. We conclude that ondansetron and droperidol are more effective than metoclopramide in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting. The incidence of vomiting was reduced in the intravenous administration of crystalloid 30 mg/kg in healthy adults (P = 0.001) and for dexamethasone is (P < 0.03).


There is a great deal of rhetoric surrounding the notion of a standard type of nurse. With claims of the globalisation of the nursing profession along with many other professions in the late twentieth century we risk oversimplifying the possibility of an actualisation of the "standard nurse". The following article looks briefly at the conditions and issues that confront a group of nurses working in a Rome intensive care unit. It argues that many of the difficulties they face as nurses arise from the incompatibility of the notion of a standard type of global nurse with their workplace conditions, professional support mechanism and various cultural and management based notions chich strongly influence their held identity.


Rating scales for environmental noise are varied in their calculation procedure. Among them WECPNL (weighted equivalent continuous perceived noise level) is the rating scale for aircraft noise currently being used in domestic and applied only for aircraft noise. However $L_{dn}$ calculated from $L_{eq}$ $L_{eq}$ is used as a rating scale for not only aircraft noise but also environmental noise. Besides, it is easy to calculate and internationally preferred. It is, therefore, not adequate for the evaluation of residents' exposure. Moreover it is very difficult to measure the aircraft noise by WECPNL due to the complicated calculating procedures if automatic measuring system is not used. Accordingly. this study aims to propose alternative evaluation procedure for the aircraft noise. To achieve this purpose, the data measured by automatic measuring system were gathered and calculated with three evaluation procedures : WECPNL $L_{eq}$ and $L_{dn}$, and the results calculated from different methods were compared and analyzed.


The potential of methanolic extracts of six green leafy vegetables, viz. Punica granatum, Ipomoea batatas L., Beta vulgaris, Daucus carota, Amaranthus paniculatus and
Peucedanum graveolens, as a natural antioxidant was assessed. Two experimental models, namely 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity and iron
(III) reducing capacity,were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity (AOA) of green leafy vegetables. The stability of extracts to pH (4, 7 and 9) and temperature (100C) was investigated.All the extracts showed varying degrees of antioxidant efficacy in a
dose-dependent manner. P. granatum had high glutathione and polyphenols, and D. carota had higher ascorbic acid and b-carotene. The AOA of D. carota leaves,
A. paniculatus and P. graveolens almost remained the same at pH 7 and 9. The extracts of D. carota leaves, A. paniculatus and P. graveolens showed increasing AOA
after heat treatment. P. granatum was more heat stable than other extracts.


A green composite with good mechanical properties and acceptable biodegradability was developed using wood flour and soybean protein that was modified by thermal-caustic degradation and chemical crosslinking with glyoxal and polyisocyanate (PMDI). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM) in combination with the traditional evaluations were employed to investigate the structure, morphology, and properties of the crosslinked soybean protein and the crosslinking-modified wood/soybean protein composites to understand the effects of the crosslinker species on the mechanical properties, water resistance, and microbial biodegradation of soybean protein-wood flour composites. The results indicated that the chemical crosslinking modification could improve the mechanical properties and water resistance but decrease the biodegradability of the wood/protein composite to a certain extent. Both glyoxal and PMDI alone as crosslinkers could not perfectly modify the soybean protein because of the high reactivity of PMDI and low crosslinking reactivity of glyoxal. The incorporation of glyoxal with PMDI could result in the desired crosslinking efficiency and good interfacial adhesion by compromising the advantages and disadvantages of glyoxal or PMDI alone as crosslinkers, which balanced the performances of the wood flour/soybean protein composite. The preferable combination crosslinker was composed of 50 wt % glyoxal and 50 wt % PMDI. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41387.


MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. *Elementary School Students; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; *Metacognition; *Prior Learning; Protocol Analysis; Reading Comprehension; *Reading Processes; *Reading Strategies; Recall (Psychology); Reciprocal Teaching; Schemata (Cognition) A study examined how elementary school children spontaneously construct meaning when reading informational text. In particular, the study explored: what kinds of knowledge they draw on and how they use it to help them understand what they read; and how does what they do influence what they recall. Twenty-nine 6th graders from two elementary schools in Nashville, Tennessee, were taught to think aloud as they tried to understand novel information. Subjects' thinking processes were observed as the children read non-narrative informational texts on science and nutrition on a computer screen. These texts were 21-27 sentences in length. Analysis of data showed that children did not take a passive approach to reading. Instead, they drew on prior knowledge and experience to construct a coherent representation of the text information, although a coherent representation did not necessarily mean an accurate one. Children also used other activities to make sense of new information. Some of these activities were: monitoring, integrating across texts, and paraphrasing or rephrasing content. Further research into the nature of students' representations and the relationship of these representations to recall reports is needed. (The experimental texts are appended.) (JW) ***********************************i *****If***17********************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************* Making Sense of Text 1 U S DIEARTNENT Of EDUCATION Ofee e or Educalonal RSM,Ch and Improvement EUUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) )4411.3 GeoCufnenl has been reproduced as cenvad horn the Daman or orgarrh/ation dhgrnehno .1 ! Minor Changes have bean made 10 .prove 0 reoroduchon Points of rife or Gomorra staled in 11,4 docu rnenl do not noasarily rprsent oftc.ai OEM oosd.on or poky Children's Use of Prior Knowledge and Experience in Making Sense of Informational Text Nathalie Cote, Susan R. Goldman, Leilani Gjellstad, Julie Keeton, and Carolyn Millican Vanderbilt University Address for correspondence: Nathalie Cote Box 45 Peabody Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN email@example.com Ir.


Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) enables very high performance radar processing but comes at a high price of computational requirements and can reach up to hundreds of TFLOPS. This makes it difficult to implement for limited spaces with low power consumption. This thesis investigates the possibility to implement STAP in an FPGA with focus on the detection algorithm known as Kelly's Generalised Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT). One of the main goals of the implementation was scalability and parallelism since the technology of the present time is not power efficient enough. A solution that is scalable and can utilize parallelization is possible to distribute over a larger device when the technology is present. Another goal was the comparison of fixed and floating point number representation in terms of performance and power. The final design was implemented on a Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGA for both single precision floating point and 32 bit fixed point number representation. Three different design solutions were implemented. The final design resulted in a performance of 23.2 GFLOPS/W for the floating point design, 34.3 GFIOPS/W for the fixed point implementation using IP cores and 39.3 GFIOPS/W for the pipelined solution. Existing performance results from NVIDIA GTX 260 GPU the performance is 5.1 GFLOPS/W and for the FPGA co-processor Anemone the number is 19.2 GFLOPS/W. The solution is scalable and the conclusion is that it is likely that an FPGA solution would be suitable for STAP when the technology exist. However, the support for floating point in the tools need further development to be competitive with the fixed point implementations.


A new instrument for spot profile analysis of reflection high‐energy electron diffraction (SPA‐RHEED) has been developed. The system works either in the conventional mode with a fluorescent screen or in the new high‐resolution mode with a channeltron for the registration of the diffraction pattern. The unique properties (a transfer width of 0.2 μm, perfect linearity, high dynamic range, insensitivity to ambient light, low beam current, and energy filtering better than 4 eV) are described in detail. The results show that SPA‐RHEED offers new additional applications such as quantitative spot profile analysis for the determination of the surface morphology and lattice constant measurements with an accuracy better than 0.001.