In some languages, distributive markers/quantifiers can attach to the argument that is being distributed (the distributive share), as opposed to the restrictor of the sentence (the distributive key). Researchers agree that distributive share markers can also distribute over events (and not only individuals), but disagree as to what these markers are semantically – universal distributive quantifiers or event plurality (pluractional) markers. In this paper, we experimentally probe spatial event distribution. On a universal quantification account, exhaustive distribution over a spatial distributive key is enforced, while on the pluractional analysis there is no such requirement. We carried out two picture verification experiments to test exhaustivity requirements in intransitive sentences with distributive share markers from two typologically different languages: the Serbian marker po and the Korean marker -ssik. We found evidence for an exhaustivity requirement over pluralities of non-atomic individuals (groups), but not over designated spatial locations. We interpret these findings as evidence that the semantics of (spatial) event distribution with distributive share markers involves a (spatial) distributive key. Specifically, po/-ssik have a universal quantificational force (with a meaning akin to per (each)) establishing a distributive relation between individual events and elements of the spatial distributive key. Plural individuals made salient in the visual input can serve to divide up the spatial key into chunks of space that have to be exhausted.


Abstract This paper investigates how small entrepreneurial firms in two peripheral regions developed by entering the oil and gas industry. The paper draws on previous studies related to the establishment of strategic alliances and emerging clusters and contributes to these research streams by examining the disadvantages of peripheral localization and small firm size. We use a longitudinal case study based on primary data consisting of 54 in-depth interviews conducted between 2007 and 2012 to illustrate that when large-scale oil and gas projects enter a peripheral region, oil companies can moderate local firms' disadvantages related to peripheral localization by actively facilitating relationships with established national firms. By facilitating such relationships and maintaining an active moderating role, strategic alliances and emerging cluster structures can arise. A cross-case analysis illustrates that the oil company had a decisive role in one of the two cases in two dimensions: its role as intermediary between local firms and national firms and its role in fostering the development of an emerging cluster structure by stimulating the establishment of new firms through the oil and gas project. In the second case, the oil company was unable to facilitate regional development.


A series of experiments leading towards the field trial of an irradiated blood-derived vaccine against Babesia divergens, common cause of redwater in cattle in Europe, is described. Initially a number of isolates of B. divergens were made from the blood of sick animals in a variety of localities in the british Isles. These isolates were cryopreserved and then characterised by inoculation into groups of spenectomised Friesian calves, whose reactions were statistically analysed. Attempts were made to prepare a vaccine against B. divergens infection using diluted infected blood, but when these failed it was found that irradiation of infected blood within the range of 24 to 32 kilorads and its intravenous inoculation into calves produced the required immune response without pathogenic effects. An irradiated blood-derived vaccine produced by the irradiation of infected blood at 25 or 30 kilorads was used in a field trial in Ireland, and vaccinated calves were protected against a field challenge which caused redwater in 10 control cattle, six of which had severe reactions.


FcεRI is suspected to play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of atopic disorders such as atopic dermatitis. In search for genes differentially regulated by FcεRI on APCs, a differential cDNA bank of receptor-stimulated and unstimulated monocytes was established. By means of suppression subtractive hybridization, we identified kynurenine 3-monooxygenase and subsequently indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) to be overexpressed in FcεRI-activated monocytes. IDO is the rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of the essential amino acid tryptophan. We show that cross-linking of FcεRI on monocytes results in low tryptophan concentrations associated with impaired T cell stimulatory capacity. Importantly, T cell suppression could be prevented by the addition of tryptophan or inhibition of IDO. Moreover, stimulation of T cells by FcεRI-activated monocytes was increased compared with T cell stimulation by nonactivated monocytes if exogenous supply of tryptophan was available. We speculate that the expression of IDO by FcεRI+ APCs in vivo allows these cells to regulate T cell responses in atopic disorders by inhibiting or stimulating T cell proliferation, depending on the metabolic environment.


Transforming growth factor-β receptor (TGF-βR) signaling is important in regulating the proliferation and differentiation of CD4+ T cells, but how modulating the level of signaling can affect T cell fate remains unclear. We have created a mouse model of Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS), an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in genes encoding the TGF-βR, by targeting a missense mutation (M318R) to the endogenous murine Tgfbr1 locus. LDS patients exhibit an increased propensity for allergic disease, but no overt immunodeficiency or autoimmune disease. A higher percentage of CD4+ T cells in Tgfbr1M318R/+ mice exhibited a memory phenotype and produced enhanced levels of cytokines including IFN-γ, IL-13, IL-17, and IL-10 upon stimulation, but no autoimmunity was observed. In contrast, mice lacking TGF-βR2 specifically in T cells demonstrate exaggerated IFN-γ production and widespread autoinflammatory disease. While naïve CD4+ T cells from Tgfbr1M318R/+ mice were less likely to upregulate Foxp3 during in vitro culture with recombinant TGF-β, paradoxically, increased percentages and numbers of suppressive Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) were observed in vivo, which may indicate a role for increased proliferation or survival of thymically-derived Tregs. The effects of the Tgfbr1M318R/+on T cells appear to be cell intrinsic. We observed no differences in T cells derived from WT bone marrow used to reconstitute irradiated Tgfbr1M318R/+ or WT hosts, while Tgfbr1M318R/+ bone marrow co-transferred with WT bone marrow into WT hosts gave rise to more activated CD4+ T cells and a higher frequency of Foxp3+ cells. These data suggest that partially abrogated TGF-β signaling leads to unexpected effects on T cell development and function.


Twelve species of the genus Plectorhinchus have been recorded from Taiwanese waters. Although Plectorhinchus polytaenia (Bleeker, 1853) is known from Indo–West Pacific north to Philippines, it has not previously been reported from Taiwan. The main objective of this paper is to document the presence of this species in the waters of Taiwan. Three specimens (212.6–344.3 mm standard length) of P. polytaenia were collected from southern Taiwan in 2017. The morphology and fresh coloration of the collected specimens are herein described. The majority of the morphological characters agree well with previous descriptions of P. polytaenia: chin naked with 6 pores; total gill rakers 27–28; dorsal fin with 12–13 spines and 21–22 rays; scales ctenoid; lateral line scales 54–56; 8–11 black-edged white longitudinal stripes on body; fins, iris and upper lip yellow; tongue and gill rakers scarlet. Therefore, the specimens from southern Taiwan are identified as Plectorhinchus polytaenia. The presently described specimens represent the first record for Taiwan, as well as the northernmost record of this species.


The author has designed, developed and applied, employing a system dynamics approach, a new innovation system concept - the Creative Factory - in order to communicate innovation theory to the different actors in the system using a common perspective and to reveal the complexity of innovation systems. Furthermore, the model aims to create a dynamic framework that can be used to analyse and assess the innovation activity of a firm against best practice and to illustrate, through simulation, the short and long-term influences of managers' decisions or external factors on innovation outcomes and between the different factors in the system.
The concept has at its centre the firm's knowledge creation, the new product design and development process and the competencies that separate successes from failures. These core elements are affected by other business activities of the firm such as the corporate strategy, the risk taking policy and the organisational structure. Additionally, it is influenced by the National Innovation Environment within which the firm operates. The creative factory model has been used in this project as an assessment tool in three different firms. Then, action-scenarios are simulated, which demonstrate how to improve and control the innovation activity of these three firms. Additionally, the author designed scenarios in order to demonstrate the effects of external influences on the innovation activity of the firms.
Studying the results of the creative factory's simulation, the interconnection between the elements of an innovation system is illustrated. The need for capital investment in research in parallel with organisational improvements is shown to be a key factor for the success of the innovation process. The importance of the early stages of the new product design and development process in the overall performance of a firm is demonstrated. Finally, the influence of the national innovation environment on the innovation process and on the related business activities is identified.


Central sensitization (CS) and psychological factors are associated with pain intensity. However, it has remained unclear whether the effects of central sensitivity syndromes and cognitive ⁄ emotional factors differ depending on the severity of pain and the pain quality. Our purposes were to perform subgrouping based on central sensitivity syndromes and pain intensity, and to clarify the difference in central sensitization syndrome and pain intensity between subgroups. Fifty–nine patients with musculoskeletal pain were included in this cross– sectional study. Pain intensity and psychological problems were assessed with Central sensitization inventory (CSI–9), Short–Form McGill Pain Questionnaire 2 (SFMPQ2), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS–4). The cluster analysis with a ward method was used to divide patients into subgroups based on central sensitization syndrome and pain intensity. In addition, Kruskal–Wallis test, multiple comparison (Bonferroni method), and Fisher's exact test were performed to compare clinical outcomes between subgroups. The level of significance was set at 5%. The cluster analysis classified into three subgroups. One subgroup of patients (n=11) was characterized by high level of central sensitivity syndromes, pain intensity and psychological problems. A second subgroup (n=19) was characterized by low level of central sensitivity syndromes, moderate level of pain intensity, high level of psychological problems. The third subgroup (n=29) was characterized by low level of central sensitivity syndromes, pain intensity and psychological problems. That is, one subgroup was mainly affected with central sensitivity syndromes, and another subgroup was affected psychological factors. These results indicated the differences in pain mechanism among subgroups.


A phase I clinical study was conducted to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose (RD) of the standard treatment of 5-fluorouracil/l-leucovorin (5-FU/LV) with bevacizumab, in combination with radiation therapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. Eligible patients had previously untreated stage T3 or T4 locally advanced rectal cancer. Patients received radiotherapy to the pelvis, at a total dose of 45 Gy in 25 fractions. During radiotherapy, patients received three courses of a simplified LV and 5-FU regimen (sLV5FU2), in combination with bevacizumab. Bevacizumab was infused at a fixed dose of 5 mg/kg on Days 1, 15 and 29. The sLV5FU2 regimen consisted of 200 mg/m2 of LV administered by continuous intravenous (i.v.) infusion over 2 h, followed by 400 mg/m2 of 5-FU administered by i.v. bolus injection, delivered at an initial loading dose of 2,000 mg/m2 over 46 h. The dose was gradually increased to determine the MTD and RD of this regimen. Of the patients enrolled in the study, two developed Grade 3 diarrhea and one developed Grade 3 neutropenia. Since dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) occurred in two out of the six patients, 5-FU at a dose of 2,000 mg/m2 over 46 h was determined as the MTD and designated as the RD, taking into consideration the toxicities in matched patients who received standard preoperative chemoradiotherapy with sLV5FU2 during the same period. The combination of 5-FU, LV, bevacizumab and radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer was found to be tolerable, with encouraging response rates. Further investigation is required in a phase II setting.


Elizabeth Gillespie McRae's Mothers of Massive Resistance tells the story of the grassroots resistance to racial equality undertaken by white women between 1920 and 1970. This book shows how massive resistance was, first and foremost, a grassroots movement driven by white women. McRae illustrates how, in defending and shaping white supremacy white women 'formed the foundation of a broader political platform informed by the Cold War, communism, housing policies, federal aid to education, tax reform and calls for limited government' (p. 3-4). Mothers of Massive Resistance captures the depth and complexity of massive resistance, and in doing so, illuminates the links between women's roles in support of white supremacy and in the development of national conservative organisations.


Background Waiting time for physician attention is considered emergency care–sensitive, but still many emergency departments (EDs) attend their patients outside of the standard recommended. Objectives The objective of this research is to make a contribution for managing continuous improvement in EDs based on providing fast feedback using a new normalized variable named vulnerability. Methods This research has analyzed the levels of census, efficiency and vulnerability with which an ED works. The data set contains information regarding 53,175 individuals attended in an ED in Chile during 2013. A regression model was conducted to explain vulnerability. In order to carry out the analysis census, efficiency and vulnerability variables were calculated for each patient attended. The model has explained 63% of vulnerability. Results 40% of ED patients were attended after the wait time recommended by ESI and with efficiency levels lower than 40%. According to our results, efficiency, census, diagnostic track and months explain vulnerability. Conclusions This study allows us to manage EDs by using a new variable named vulnerability. Vulnerability provides fast feedback for healthcare professionals in order to develop a continuous improvement policy. This could increase professional commitment for continuous improvement and therefore decrease morbidity and mortality in any ED.


Clinical history A 15 year old girl presented with a six month history of increasing pain and stiffness in her left hip. The pain was worse after exercise and she walked with a limp. On examination there was apparent shortening of the left lower limb with a ten degree fixed flexion deformity. Passive and active movements of the left hip were reduced in all directions and a positive Trendelenburg's sign was elicited. The full blood count, plasma viscosity, serum electrolytes, plasma proteins and urinalysis were all normal. Radiographs of the left hip were obtained and reported as normal (fig 1). Conventional radiographs and MRI of the hip were obtained soon after admission (figs 1 and 2).


Geography is a combinatorial game in which two players take turns moving a token along edges of a directed graph and deleting the vertex they came from. We study Kotzig's Nim, a special case of Geography where the vertices are labeled and moves correspond to additions by fixed amounts. We prove a conjecture by Fraenkel that Kotzig's Nim is eventually periodic in the size of the graph. We also expand upon work by Fox and Geissler, who classified the computational complexity of determining the winner of various Geography variants given a graph. In particular, we show NP-hardness for undirected partizan Geography with free deletion on bipartite graphs and directed partizan Geography with free deletion on acyclic graphs.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the weed community in green sugarcane field reform with three tillage managements and oilseed crops in succession. The experiment was conducted during the 2007/08 season on a sugarcane area harvested without prior burning in the last five cuts. Treatments were arranged in a split-plot design with four replications. Whole plots were conventional-till, minimum-till and no-till cropping systems and the subplots were fallow or crop rotation with peanut, soybean or sunflower. After 180 days of sugarcane harvest, weeds have been identified, the number of weeds.m -2 was counted and biomass of weeds above ground were taken. All data were subjected to analysis of variance using a split-plot model and the means were compared by Tukey's test at 5% probability. The phytosociological indices were calculated. No-till system in the reform of green sugarcane significantly reduces the number and biomass of weeds. The use of soybean and peanuts in rotation with sugarcane in field reform was beneficial to controlling the weed population and suppressing weed species difficult to control as Cyperus rotundus and Commelina bengalensis.


The ultraviolet (UV) domain, in particular shortwards of Lyα, provides unique information to unravel the physical parameters of Central Stars of Planetary Nebulae (CSPNe) and the paths for this elusive final stage of stellar evolution, thanks to a wealth of diagnostic transitions from ionic species not observable at other wavelengths. Intermediate mass stars are the major providers of important elements like C and N. Understanding how they shed most of their initial mass is critical for understanding the chemical enrichment of the ISM. Mass-loss diagnostic lines abound at UV wavelengths, and when the CSPN reaches the hottest Teff before turning on the WD-cooling sequence, and the wind fades, the last wind lines to disappear are found in the far-UV, as well as diagnostic lines for elements such as Ne. This domain also offers a host of H2 transitions, tracing the circum-stellar material expelled in previous phases. UV images and spectra of PNe add critical constraints to their ionization structure and to some abundances. Finally, the recent GALEX sky surveys in two UV bands afforded the first unbiased census of hot white dwarfs (WD) and post-AGB objects in the Milky Way, significantly expanding known catalogs and providing statistical constraints to the initial-final mass relation.


Research on opinion spreading has received more and more attention in recent years. This paper focus on make a summary of opinion evolution researches, we first review some classical opinion models, and then introduce the existing result of improvement models from the aspect of opinion space, model parameter, social network and so on. The current study's limitation and further research are also prospected at the end. By in-depth understand the opinion spreading mechanism so as to guide and control the public opinions, which is very useful and meaningful.


One of the major challenges for Clash of the Titans was to develop a highly sophisticated feather system used on several flying characters in over a hundred shots. The system had to reliably provide photo-realistic results over a large range of detail levels from characters in the background to those passing just in front of the camera. The feather system was tightly integrated with MPC's existing pipeline and allowed for a large amount of artistic freedom and control efficiently, while requiring almost no technical background to use.


Alzheimer disease is a neurological disorder that is characterized by the presence of fibrils and oligomers composed of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide. In models of Alzheimer disease, overexpression of molecular chaperones, specifically heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), suppresses phenotypes related to Aβ aggregation. These observations led to the hypothesis that chaperones might interact with Aβ and block self-association. However, although biochemical evidence to support this model has been collected in other neurodegenerative systems, the interaction between chaperones and Aβ has not been similarly explored. Here, we examine the effects of Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 on Aβ aggregation in vitro. We found that recombinant Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 block Aβ self-assembly and that these chaperones are effective at substoichiometric concentrations (∼1:50). The anti-aggregation activity of Hsp70 can be inhibited by a nonhydrolyzable nucleotide analog and encouraged by pharmacological stimulation of its ATPase activity. Finally, we were interested in discerning what type of amyloid structures can be acted upon by these chaperones. To address this question, we added Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 to pre-formed oligomers and fibrils. Based on thioflavin T reactivity, the combination of Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 caused structural changes in oligomers but had little effect on fibrils. These results suggest that if these chaperones are present in the same cellular compartment in which Aβ is produced, Hsp70/40 and Hsp90 may suppress the early stages of self-assembly. Thus, these results are consistent with a model in which pharmacological activation of chaperones might have a favorable therapeutic effect on Alzheimer disease.


The changes to the Copyright and Rights in Performances (Disability) Regulations 2014 have been the most significant changes to copyright disability exceptions for twelve years. The legislative changes bring long-awaited updates to this area of copyright law, but practical encumbrances such as reporting, TPM restrictions, and cross-border exchange of files threaten to undermine the positives. This article examines the changes and their practical applications, comparing what the law allowed previously to what it now permits, and how this intersects with licensing schemes such as the CLA Licence. It looks at the responsibilities of rightsholders and of 'authorised bodies' who can adapt works for users with disabilities. Finally, this article will summarise current international legislative issues such as the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the efficacy of intrameatal application of low dosage alprostadil (PGE1) cream (300 mcg) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED).

METHODS
A total of 43 ED patients were selected in the study based on the inclusion criteria. All of the patients signed informed consent forms and entered a 4-week open-label clinical study. A dosage of 300 mg PGE1 in 75 mg cream was applied intrameatally.

RESULTS
The results showed that the primary efficacy (IIEF Q3 + Q4) reached 70.73% after application of the cream. The successful intercourse rate was 86.41%. Based on the GAQ (global assessment Question); 73.17% of the patients were satisfied with their sexual life. At the same time, all of the secondary criteria supported the primary efficacy results. Two patients withdrew during the study period. Six patients (14.63%) had urethral pain or penile redness, which were mostly mild and transient.

CONCLUSIONS
With intrameatal low dosage (300 mcg PGE1) of the PGE1 cream can achieve an equivalent efficacy as that with the full dosage.


Releasing balloons seems harmless. However, remains of balloons, especially valves and ribbons are becoming a common and persistent type of marine litter found on beaches. Following Dutch Queens day 2007, large numbers of Dutch balloons were found in Normandy, France. Animals may become entangled in ribbons or ingest the materials. Even though balloon rubber quickly disintegrates, remains are found in 1-2% of stomachs of Northern Fulmars beached in the North Sea area. Children?s contests, releasing balloons with name tags, are not the real problem, especially if no plastic valves and short, degradable ribbons are used. However, the vast majority of balloons released is meant for company advertising and provide just a very short moment of joy followed by a nuisance in the marine environment. environmentally friendly companies may want to reconsider such activities in future.


The effect of edge structures in graphene sheets has been well investigated theoretically but most experimental demonstrations of the functionalization have been for the bulk structures because of only a few reports on chemical methods to modify the edges selectively. We herein report a chemical method using the Lemieux-von Rudloff reagent that selectively oxidizes only the edges of graphene sheets. The selective oxidation at the edges of the graphene sheet was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman mapping measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The TGA result of the oxidized graphite with different particle sizes showed a slight weight loss at approximately 350 degrees C (2.29% for the middle particles (35 microm)), which indicates thermal decomposition of the oxidized edge part. The Raman mapping measurement in the inner part of graphene sheets didn't detect any defects or translational symmetry breaking after the oxidation. The XPS data clearly showed that the total carbon atom content present as C--O, C==O, and O--C==C increased from 4.65 to 6.18% by the oxidation. Using the obtained edge-oxidized graphene as a starting material, various functionalizations of the edge structure are expected in the future.


A novel approach for creating an RF MEMS switch in the form of a microstrip-to-microstrip liquid-metal transition is presented. A slug of non-toxic liquid metal that controllably fills a through-wafer via is the key component of the switch. The large contact area between this slug and the solid microstrip lines renders this design an excellent candidate for high-power switching and particularly for hot-switching applications. With the slug inside the via the switch presents a measured insertion loss of 0.24 and 1.1 dB up to 5 and 10 GHz respectively. When the slug is removed from the via the switch isolation is measured to be more than 20 dB up to 7 GHz. The fabrication technology and critical trade-offs between RF and microfluidic performances are discussed in the paper. The slug movement is controlled by an external micropump. The recent advances in microfluidics have resulted in a large variety of practical micropumps that may be monolithically integrated with such switching designs.


Swarm Intelligence algorithms have been extensively applied to solve optimization problems. However, in some domains even well-established techniques such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) may not present the necessary ability to generate diversity during the process of the swarm convergence. Indeed, this is the major difficulty to use PSO to tackle dynamic problems. Many efforts to overcome this weakness have been made. One of them is through the hybridization of the PSO with other algorithms. For example, the Volitive PSO is a hybrid algorithm that presents as good performance on dynamic problems by applying a very interesting feature, the collective volitive operator, which was extracted from the Fish School Search algorithm and embedded into PSO. In this paper, the authors investigated further hybridizations in line with the Volitive PSO approach. This time they used the Heterogeneous PSO instead of the PSO, and named this novel approach Volitive HPSO. In the paper, the authors investigate the influence of the collective volitive operator (of FSS) in the HPSO. The results show that this operator significantly improves HPSO performance when compared to the non-hybrid approaches of PSO and its variations in dynamic environments.


Back ground

The dietary intake of fruits and vegetables by adolescents is influenced by self-efficacy, attitude and knowledge.This study was designed to understand the role of school gardens in influencing the frequency, attitudes, knowledge and self-efficacy of late in-school adolescents on their dietary intake of fruits and vegetables.Methods

The study followed a cross-sectional study design employing quantitative research methods. The target population comprised of late adolescents 18-25 years attending the two-selected secondary school; one with gardening activities and another not. Self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Quantitative data was analyzed by t-test , Mann Whitney U test, Pearson Rank Correlation and odds ratio.Results

Generally, there were low fruit (8 & 9) and vegetable (6 & 7) servings per week among the unexposed and the exposed groups respectively as compared to the USDA recommendation (14 and 11) servings per week for fruits and vegetables respectively. However, students exposed to gardening had slightly higher scores of fruits and vegetable frequency as compared to those not exposed (OR=1.0370). Students believed they consumed more fruits than vegetables with the exposed group consuming more fruits (p<0.0001) and vegetables (p<0.0001) than the control group. The students knew more nutritional value for fruit intake than for vegetable intake with the exposed group having higher knowledge scores than the control (OR=1.32). The students in the exposed group were more confident in consuming fruits and vegetables rather than a snack (p=0.008), ice cream (p=0.004), three times a day (p<0.0001) compared to the control group.Conclusion

Overall, there was low fruit and vegetable intake by the study subjects. However, fruits were consumed more than the vegetables with the exposed group posting slightly higher weekly intake of fruits and vegetables than the control group. The students knew the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables attaching more importance on the fruits than vegetables with exposed group having better knowledge than the control. Although students in both groups were confident in consuming fruits and vegetables, the exposed group was more confident than the unexposed.


The aim of this study was to investigate the use of swept frequency eddy current testing to measure each layer's thickness in a layered structure. Theoretical inference showed the impedance signal is an integrand of shape function and generalized reflection function. Analytical study indicated that the wavelength to maximize the shape function is an indicator of a probe's thickness measurement ability. Comprehensive investigation revealed the reflection coefficient of a layered structure could be considered a modification of that of a half space. The amount of modification is a logarithmic linear function of plate thickness and thus a characteristic feature for thickness estimation. The frequency response of a double-layered structure depends, in addition to layer-wise thickness and properties, significantly on the relation of the conductivities of the two layers. In order to evaluate two closely attached layers, we introduced a novel variable, the derivative of impedance with respect to log scaled angular frequency. Spectral analysis on impedance or the frequency derivative related quantities, such as extrema of the real or imaginary parts of the variable, suggested it is possible to determine the top layer's thickness using characteristic features taken from high frequency signals, whereas the lower layer's thickness using characteristic features taken from lower frequency signals afterwards. The characteristic quantities derived from spectral analysis are conductivity independent, implying of conductivity independent measurement. The analytical findings were experimentally verified, suggested that it is possible to determine layers' thicknesses by spectral analysis of swept frequency eddy current testing signals.


We present a fast and simple protocol for purification of mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA, and RNA from small amounts of tomato leaves. This method uses a high ionic strength medium to isolate mitochondria and extract mitochondrial DNA and RNA from a single preparation and is easily adaptable to other plant species. Mitochondria was confirmed by MitoTracker. The mitochondrial DNA was not contaminated by plastid DNA, was successfully used for PCR. Similarly, the isolated mitochondrial RNA was not contaminated only slightly contaminated (leaves) by plastid RNA. RNA prepared according to our method was acceptable for RT-PCR analysis


Modern digital computing systems are primarily limited in how densely information may be recorded on the magnetic storage elements by the manner in which the information is retrieved (detected) from these storage facilities. Current systems store information at a density around 1000 bits per inch (bit/in); system elements, other than the detection process, could easily handle densities in excess of 3000 bit/in. This paper describes the signal present at the output of the read-write head and suggests two systems by which detection at high bit densities may be accomplished. The error rate associated with each system is given and the results are applied to a computer system using a magnetic disk file as the storage element. It is demonstrated that these detection procedures can meet the widely accepted standard of one error in one billion bits at reasonable signal-to-noise ratios.


OBJECTIVEDiathermy is contraindicated in patients with implanted deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes. As the clinical applications for diathermy and the number of patients with DBS implants continue to grow, the opportunity for diathermy-induced complications in the population with DBS electrodes increases. We report a case of reversible neurological deficit in a patient who underwent diathermy 4 years after implantation of bilateral DBS leads. CLINICAL PRESENTATIONA 58-year-old man with well-controlled symptoms of Parkinson's disease after the placement of bilateral DBS systems went to his primary care physician for the treatment of recurrent neck pain. A course of diathermy was prescribed, and after the second treatment, the patient developed double-vision and severe right-sided motor contractions. These symptoms resolved when he turned off the implanted pulse generators. INTERVENTIONThe implanted pulse generators were turned back on after several days, but the symptoms recurred within 48 hours. The voltages were therefore decreased, resulting in resolution of symptoms but suboptimal control of the Parkinson's disease. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain showed a small amount of edema surrounding the contacts of the left-sided lead. A follow-up magnetic resonance imaging scan 4 weeks later disclosed interval reduction in the edema, and the patient was able to tolerate increased voltage without symptom recurrence. CONCLUSIONThis is the first reported case of reversible injury from diathermy in a patient with DBS implants. Neurosurgeons must continue to emphasize to their patients and to other practitioners treating this population that diathermy is contraindicated for those with DBS implants.


We show that a spin-$5/2$ field can be consistently coupled to gravitation without cosmological constant in five-dimensional spacetimes. The fermionic gauge "hypersymmetry" requires the presence of a finite number of additional fields, including a couple of $U(1)$ fields, a spinorial two-form, the dual of the graviton (of mixed $(2,1)$ Young symmetry) and a spin-$3$ field. The gravitational sector of the action is described by the purely quadratic Gauss-Bonnet term, so that the field equations for the metric are of second order. The local gauge symmetries of the full action principle close without the need of auxiliary fields. The field content corresponds to the components of a connection for an extension of the "hyper-Poincar\'e" algebra, which apart from the Poincar\'e and spin-$3/2$ generators, includes a generator of spin $2$ and a $U(1)$ central extension. It is also shown that this algebra admits an invariant trilinear form, which allows to formulate hypergravity as a gauge theory described by a Chern-Simons action in five dimensions.


This paper address the problem of voltage regulation in power distribution networks with deep penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) without any explicit communication between the buses in the network. We cast the problem as an optimization problem with the objective of minimizing the distance between the bus voltage magnitudes and some reference voltage profile. We present an iterative algorithm where each bus updates the reactive power injection provided by their DER. The update at a bus only depends on the voltage magnitude at that bus, and for this reason, we call the algorithm a local control algorithm. We provide sufficient conditions that guarantee the convergence of the algorithm and these conditions can be checked a priori for a set of feasible power injections. We also provide necessary conditions establishing that longer and more heavily loaded networks are inherently more difficult to control. We illustrate the operation of the algorithm through case studies involving 8-,34- and 123-bus test distribution systems.


The main differences between original and generic drugs as well as registration criteria for generics are described. Possible reasons of discrepancy in bioequivalence and therapeutic equivalence of original and generic drugs are reviewed. The examples of such a discrepancy as a result of comparative clinical trails (enalapril maleate) are discussed. Approaches to planning of comparative trails on drug therapeutic equivalence are presented


The contamination likely could be a propelled blend of destructive components with additional effects on people by and large, foreseeing contamination fixation inclination for rising life quality. With the rapid improvement of urbanization, social and natural issues turned out to be additional serious in contamination for every creating nation around the globe. contamination comprises of a blend of particulate and volatilized species (for example NO2, CO, O3 and SO2), that have each occasion and persistent consequences for wellbeing of human, fundamentally for youthful and more seasoned. AI is that the most very much preferred strategies, where design huge scale improvement equation a model on huge information is prepared with effectiveness. Applying the methods of AI in air quality forecast, the past inquires about square measure limited to certain years information and train ordinary direct or non-straight relapse model to foresee the convergence of contamination intermittently. AI calculations end up cutting edge in view of time and system multifaceted nature. to beat the downsides in existing framework, we've a tendency to propose a profound convolution neural system (DCNN)- based methodology, that comprises of a spacial change half and a profound conveyed combination organize. Considering air contaminations' spacial relationships, the past half proselytes the spacial nullity quality information into a uniform contribution to reproduce the waste issue sources to foresee the air quality file. we will in general square measure prepared to evaluate the execution of the frameworks with respect to precision for dissecting every single property in Air Databases.


The notion of a semivaluation has been introduced in [Sch98]. Aside from providing a novel concept generalizing valuations on lattices to the context of semilattices, semivaluations shed new light on the notion of a "partial metric" well known from theoretical computer science (e.g. [Mat94], [Mat95], [O'N97], [BS97] and [BSh97]).

As discussed in [Sch98], the characterization of partial metrics in terms of semivaluations is non-trivial and involves the solution of an open problem of the Survey Paper "Non-symmetric Topology" (Problem 7 of [Kun93]) for the class of quasi-uniform semilattices.

We recall from [Sch98] that the traditional domain theoretic examples, including the well known class of totally bounded Scott domains (e.g. [Smy91]), all correspond to semivaluation spaces. As such it is possible to study Quantitative Domain Theory (e.g. [FSW96]) in this simplified context, similar to the study of metric lattices (uniform lattices) in the more basic context of valuation spaces (cf. [Bir84] and also [Web91]). Hence the notion of a semivaluation is of sufficient interest to merit an independent study.

The main purpose of this short note is to provide a basic introduction to the notion of a semivaluation independent of the domain theoretic considerations of [Sch98] and to discuss a recently obtained characterization of valuations in terms of semivaluations.


Abstract Background The anterior insular cortex (AIC), a prominent salience network node, integrates interoceptive information and emotional states into decision making. While AIC activation during delay discounting (DD) in alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been previously reported, the associations between AIC activation, impulsive choice, alcohol consumption, and connectivity remain unknown. We therefore tested AIC brain responses during DD in heavy drinkers and their association with DD performance, alcohol drinking, and task‐based connectivity. Methods Twenty‐nine heavy drinkers (12 females; mean (SD) age=31.5 ± 6.1 years; mean (SD)=40.8 ± 23.4 drinks/week) completed a DD task during functional MRI. Regions activated during DD decision making were tested for correlation with DD behavior and alcohol drinking. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) models assessed the task‐dependent functional connectivity (FC) of activation during choice. Results Delay discounting choice activated bilateral anterior insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and left precentral gyrus. Right dorsal (d) AIC activation during choice negatively correlated withdiscounting of delayed rewards and alcohol consumption. PPI analysis revealed FC of the right dAIC to both the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices—key nodes in the midline default mode network. Conclusions Greater dAIC involvement in intertemporal choice may confer more adaptive behavior (lower impulsivity and alcohol consumption). Moreover, salience network processes governing discounting may require midline default mode (precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex) recruitment. These findings supporta key adaptive role for right dAIC in decision making involving future rewards and risky drinking.


Direct and long-range '"C--'H coupling constants are presented for the enone moieties of cyclopent-2enone, cyclohex-2-enone and their protonated derivatives. A correlation is given between the experimental values and the results of quantum chemical calculations (CND0/2, INDO). The existing calculations are modified in order to improve the relationship between the calculated and experimental results.


This article focuses on the "social failure" of the relocation of the residents from informal historical settlements—military dependents' villages (juancun)—to high-rise blocks in Taiwan. How does the relocation impact the community and restructure social relationships? I argue social failure is the product of new regulative regimes deriving from the new governance of the high-rise, rather than of the built form of the complexes in itself. New home technologies such as intercoms, elevators, and electronic keys contribute to arguments over safety and convenience, while new regulations, implemented by new forms of authority, including condominium meetings and building administrators, foster the disappearance of household informal economies. Finally, the high-rise dictates new aesthetic norms, which prevent established practices and routines, while promoting what I call aesthetic of assimilation.


Ordo et Sanctitas: The Franciscan Spiritual Journey in Theology and Hagiography offers articles on Franciscan hagiographical texts; medieval theology and the Bonaventurian theological tradition; and the retrieval of the Franciscan tradition in a contemporary context.


Escherichia coli extracts activate cell‐free protein synthesis systems by providing the catalysts for translation and other supporting reactions. Recent results suggest that high‐density fermentations can be used to provide the source cells, but the subsequent cell extract preparation procedure requires multiple centrifugation and dialysis steps as well as an expensive runoff reaction. In the work reported here, the extract preparation protocol duration was reduced by nearly 50% by significantly shortening several steps. In addition, by optimizing the runoff incubation, overall reagent costs were reduced by 70%. Nonetheless, extracts produced from the shorter, less expensive procedure were equally active. Crucial steps were further examined to indicate minimal ribosome loss during the standard 30 000g centrifugations. Furthermore, sucrose density centrifugation analysis indicated that although an incubation step significantly activates the extract, ribosome/polysome dissociation is not required. These insights suggest that consistent cell extract can be produced more quickly and with considerably less expense for large‐scale cell‐free protein production, especially when combined with high‐density fermentation protocols.


The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis that particularly hit employment globally. Due to the economic crisis, many small businesses attempted to minimise their expenses by either closing or downsizing. During such organisational situations, the employees face negative workplace attitudes that lead to knowledge hiding and affect team performance. This study examines negative attitudes and their effect on team performance. Further, this study examines the mediating effect of knowledge hiding and moderating the role of servant leadership. Through a multi-time data collection approach, the authors obtained 363 responses from the education sector in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. PROCESS Hayes model 1 and 4 were used for mediation and moderation analysis. Results show that job insecurity, cynicism, and role stress are significant forces behind knowledge-hiding behaviour. Furthermore, the knowledge hiding behaviour adversely affects task performance. Servant leadership shows a buffering effect on knowledge hiding behaviour caused by negative workplace attitudes. This is one of the first studies in the South Asian environment to examine the association between employees' negative attitudes and task performance using knowledge hiding as a mediator and servant leadership as a moderator in the COVID-19 scenario. Lastly, the paper concludes with a consideration of its theoretical, practical implication and future direction.


We evaluate single-capture cross sections in collisions of H+ or Li+ ions with H2 (D2, DT, T2) molecules in a range of impact energies of 50 eV amu-1-6.25 keV amu-1. We present the first theoretical treatment for Li+ projectiles, we extend the energy range of previous treatments for H+ and we test the accuracy of simplified approaches, such as the Franck-Condon approximation and a new angle-averaging procedure. For H+ + H2, a significant enhancement of the capture cross section is predicted when the H2 target is initially in its first excited vibrational state.


3,4-Dihydro-2-pyridones [3,4-Dihydropyridin-2(1H)-ones] 6 were evaluated with respect to their use as alkene components in stereoselective Paternò-Büchi reactions. The parent compound 6a was shown to be a versatile synthetic building block that reacted with various photoexcited aromatic carbonyl compounds (benzaldehyde, benzophenone, acetophenone, methyl phenylglyoxylate, 3-pivaloyloxybenzaldehyde) with high regio- and diastereo-selectivity (51-63% yield). The products can be subjected to hydrogenolysis, opening a new and efficient route for the synthesis of 2-arylmethyl-3-piperidinols. As examples, the oxetanes 7a and 8a were hydrogenolytically cleaved and yielded the products 12 (88%) and 13 (93%). The ability of compound 6a to bind to a chiral lactam host through two hydrogen bonds was used favorably to differentiate the enantiotopic faces of its double bond. In the photocycloaddition to the chiral aldehyde 15, which was conducted at -10 degrees C in toluene, a high facial diastereoselectivity (>90% de. 56% yield) was recorded. The stereoselectivity results from a 1:1 association of dihydropyridone 6a to the aldehyde. The 4-substituted dihydropyridones 6b-6d (R = methyl, isopropyl, phenyl) were found to be less suited for potential use in photochemistry. The yields and facial diastereoselectivities recorded in their photocycloaddition to benzophenone remained low.


Background NF2 is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by development of bilateral vestibular schwannomas and other benign tumors in central nervous system. Loss of the NF2 gene product, Merlin, leads to aberrant Schwann cell proliferation, motility, and survival, but the mechanisms by which this tumor suppressor functions remain unclear. One well-defined target of Merlin is the group I family of p21-activated kinases, which are allosterically inhibited by Merlin and which, when activated, stimulate cell cycle progression, motility, and increased survival. Here, we examine the effect of Pak inhibition on cells with diminished Merlin function. Methodology/Principal Findings Using a specific peptide inhibitor of group I Paks, we show that loss of Pak activity restores normal cell movement in cells lacking Merlin function. In addition, xenografts of such cells form fewer and smaller tumors than do cells without Pak inhibition. However, in tumors, loss of Pak activity does not reduce Erk or Akt activity, two signaling proteins that are thought to mediate Pak function in growth factor pathways. Conclusions/Significance These results suggest that Pak functions in novel signaling pathways in NF2, and may serve as a useful therapeutic target in this disease.


In many temperate streams, biological uptake of N acts to attenuate the transport of excess N from allochthonous anthropogenic imports. Relatively few studies have determined how this N uptake relates to the magnitude of physical vs biological N storage in the stream corridor, especially for intermittent systems where allochthonous N imports are often low and N transport may only occur during brief periods of streamflow. Glacial meltwater streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica provide an excellent setting to quantify autochthonous N-cycling and storage processes supported by abundant algal mats and well-connected hyporheic zones. We combined historic point-scale sediment and periphyton sample datasets with remote sensing-based modeling of periphyton coverage to estimate how much N was stored in periphyton biomass and the hyporheic zone of a 5-km long McMurdo Dry Valley stream corridor (>100,000 m2). We contextualized these N storage calculations by estimating the magnitude of annual N imports to and exports from the stream corridor based on >2 decades of streamflow and surface water data, source glacier ice cores and meltwater data, and past studies of local aeolian deposition and biological N fixation rates. We found that in this highly oligotrophic system, stream corridor-scale N storage was ∼1000× that of total annual N import or export fluxes. More than 90% of this temporarily stored N was autochthonous organic matter in the shallow (<10 cm) hyporheic zone, which acts as a reservoir that sustains N availability in the water column. Despite its location in a polar desert devoid of higher-order vegetation, area-normalized N storage (∼40 g N/m2) was greater than that reported for streams at lower latitudes (∼1–22 g N/m2). We also demonstrated that NH4+ sorption to stream sediment may be an important physicochemical N storage mechanism that responds to short-term fluctuations in streamflow and governs the mobility of inorganic N. Altogether, this research illustrates the importance of quantifying N storage within stream corridors when evaluating the significance of internal cycling and physical retention processes that modulate N availability.


Demonstrating the importance of the gut microbiota in human health and well-being represents a major transformational task in both medical and nutritional research. Owing to the high-throughput -omics methodologies, the complexity, evolution with age, and individual nature of the gut microflora have been more thoroughly investigated. The balance between this complex community of gut bacteria, food nutrients, and intestinal genomic and physiological milieu is increasingly recognized as a major contributor to human health and disease. This article discusses the "gutome," that is, nutritional systems biology of gut microbiome and host-microbiome interactions. We examine the novel ways in which the study of the human gutome, and nutrigenomics more generally, can have translational and transformational impacts in 21st century practice of biomedicine. We describe the clinical context in which experimental methodologies, as well as data-driven and process-driven approaches are being utilized in nutrigenomics and microbiome research. We underscore the pivotal importance of the gutome as a common platform for sharing data in the emerging field of the integrated metagenomics of gut pathophysiology. This vision needs to be articulated in a manner that recognizes both the omics biotechnology nuances and the ways in which nutrigenomics science can effectively inform population health and public policy, and vice versa.


Introduction: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) has become the preferred initial revascularization strategy in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study aims to find out the clinical profile and in-hospital outcomes of initial 100 patients undergoing PPCI in a newly established cath laboratory at Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center, Kathmandu, Nepal. Methodology: This is an observational study including initial 100 cases treated with PPCI at Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center starting from September 2012. All patients with STEMI arriving at the hospital within recommended period were included in the study. Data on safety and outcome were obtained and analyzed from records of the emergency room, cath laboratory, coronary care unit, and discharge records. Results: The mean age of the study population was 52.5 ± 13.5 years. Of the total patients, 41% presented with anterior wall MI, 51% presented with inferior wall MI, and 5% had true posterior MI. Single-vessel disease was seen in 59%. Left anterior descending artery was the most common culprit vessel (43%). Mean window period and door-to-balloon time were 8 ± 3.15 h and 59 ± 11.25 min, respectively. Drug-eluting stents were deployed in 82% of the cases. In our study, in-hospital mortality was 3%. Conclusion: PPCI can be an initial strategy to treat STEMI even at a newly established cardiac center if it is performed by a dedicated team with an experienced operator within recommended period.


Among different payment mechanisms for health care, there is one mechanism that provides an incentive for health output: performance-based financing (PBF). By financing desired outputs the interests of the health care provider can be aligned with interests of policy makers. For low and
middle-income countries this mechanism can be an opportunity to increase policy effectiveness. Most importantly, PBF may contribute to reach the millennium development goals (MDGs) by aligning interests. Second, problems in the supply of health care to the population can be overcome: health care staff becomes eager to treat more people and provide better care when financing them
on output. Indeed, PBF is rapidly gaining popularity in the low and middle-income countries. Rwanda has been
the first low-income country where PBF has been introduced nationwide. The introduced PBF program was an addition to existing health care financing. With the PBF program health centers receive bonuses for improving quantity and quality of care, based on various indicators. After nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) performed small trials in 2002-2005, the government has introduced PBF countrywide in 2006-2008.
To enable research, the countrywide implementation of PBF was divided in two phases. In half of the (non-trial) regions PBF has been implemented in 2006 (phase 1), in the other half PBF has been introduced in 2007-2008 (phase 2). Thus, together with the trial regions (phase 0), there are three implementation phases. With the phase-wise introduction, the research of Basinga et al., (2011) has
demonstrated effectiveness of PBF in Rwanda, mainly in terms of increased delivery of health care for pregnant women. The majority of studies to PBF focus on the effectiveness of PBF. Studies to the working mechanisms
of PBF are very limited. Hence, it is unknown which of the many possible working mechanisms result in the effects of PBF. Even while studies to the working mechanisms are important for assessing longterm effectiveness, potential pitfalls of PBF and prediction of effectiveness for other countries. In this research the relation of entrepreneurship of the health centers with PBF is assessed. Likely, there is an interaction between the two. One, PBF may affect the degree of entrepreneurship and
two, the entrepreneurship may contribute to the effectiveness of PBF. First, the effect of PBF on the
entrepreneurialism of health centers is evaluated. For this, the emergence of strategies to increase
and improve the provided health care is studied. Second, the importance of the entrepreneurialism as working mechanism of PBF is assessed. It is studied how these strategies diffuse over Rwanda and what are important characteristics to influence this diffusion. The quicker the diffusion, the more likely the entrepreneurialism is important for PBF. To study the diffusion of strategies, geographical aspects of the diffusion of innovation framework are applied. Roughly there are two modes of spatial diffusion, which together can describe most
spatial diffusion patterns. These are hierarchical diffusion and contagious diffusion. The hierarchical
diffusion is first the spread between actors high in hierarchy and from there to actors lower in hierarchy. With contagious diffusion this hierarchy plays no role, it spreads like an oil stain. The framework of diffusion of innovation is also used to assess the characteristics that may influence the diffusion and adoption of the strategies. Four main components which play a role in the adoption
of strategies can be distinguished. First, there are attributes of the strategy itself. Characteristics of
the adopter are the second component. Third are the communication channels which are used for dissemination and valuation of the strategy. The last component is the context in which the diffusion process has a place.
The research performed as explained in the next sections aims to answer what role entrepreneurialism can have in a PBF system. Moreover, important elements in diffusion and
adoption will be determined. With this, more clarity on possible long-term effects of PBF can be given, both for Rwanda as for other countries.


Clinical acute lung rejection (AR) occurs in lung allografts usually within 50 days after transplantation. While perivascular infiltrates characterize AR, with moderate-to-severe acute rejection small airway injury occurs. We investigated the significance of small airway injury in AR and its relationship to the development of bronchiolitis obliterans (OB) in 11 recipients of combined heart-lung or double-lung allografts. In general, the intensity and persistence of early acute rejection episodes associated with injury to bronchioles correlated with the development of histologic bronchiolitis obliterans. Early AR may "prime" lymphocytes for subsequent respiratory epithelial injury and airway fibrosis late in the postoperative period.


This study, using a large, nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized disabled older persons, found that urban residents were much more likely than rural residents to receive formal assistance in every ADL and IADL considered. Rural residents were more likely to receive informal assistance and to receive two-thirds more person days of informal assistance per week. No residence differences in unmet need for care were identified.


We report a new case of intestinal duplication in a child of two years old with acute abdomen. At the laparotomy was found to be due to tubular duplication ascending colon. A resection duplication joined a tract of normal colon where are was performed, with termino-terminal anastomosis. The postoperative course was excellent.


Computational finance is an important application area for high-performance computing today. Large computational resources are used for a variety of operations related to securities and asset portfolios. For online operations, the focus has been both on reducing latency and improving the quality of the algorithms. This focus on latency has forced a predominance of univariate analysis simply from a feasibility perspective. In this paper, we demonstrate that current supercomputers, and in particular the blue gene family of supercomputers, enables the move to online multivariate analysis of entire markets. We use a simple but representative example of multivariate analysis, namely the computation of the correlation matrix, to explore that space. We show how the computation can be parallelized and run as an online real-time operation at the scale of thousands of securities and millions of events per second.


Spin transfer in asymmetric Co/Cu/Co bilayer magnetic nanopillars junctions has been studied at low temperature as a function of free-layer thickness. The phase diagram for current-induced magnetic excitations has been determined for magnetic fields up to 7.5 T applied perpendicular to the junction surface and free-layers thicknesses from 2 to 5 nm. The junction magnetoresistance is independent of thickness. The critical current for magnetic excitations decreases linearly with decreasing free-layer thickness, but extrapolates to a finite critical current in the limit of zero thickness. The limiting current is in quantitative agreement with that expected due to a spin-pumping contribution to the magnetization damping. It may also be indicative of a decrease in the spin-transfer torque efficiency in ultrathin magnetic layers.


In this paper, we review the principle of various synchrotron radiation sources and their characteristics. Spectral characteristics, the angular distribution, the polarization, and the frequency integrated power of the bending-magnet radiation is discussed. Undulator radiation topics include the undulator harmonics, the spectrum at a given angle, the angular distribution at a given frequency, the effect due to the electron beam distribution, the angle-integrated power, and the polarization. In addition to the mathematical analysis, we emphasize physical understanding based on the properties of the apparent trajectories. The wiggler as a limiting case of an undulator for a large orbit excursion. We establish the conditions under which a wiggler may be regarded as a sequence of bending magnets. A general discussion of the properties of synchrotron at finite, how it propagates through optical medium, how it forms interference patterns, etc., is given. (AIP)


Title Development of Novel Carboxylation Reactions Using Gaseous Carbon Dioxide : α-Amino Acid Synthesis via αAmino Metal Species [an abstract of dissertation and a summary of dissertation review] Author(s) 陳, 建揚 Citation 北海道大学. 博士(薬科学) 甲第11420号 Issue Date 2014-03-25 Doc URL http://hdl.handle.net/2115/55808 Rights(URL) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.1/jp/ Type theses (doctoral abstract and summary of review) Additional Information There are other files related to this item in HUSCAP. Check the above URL. File Information Chen_Jianyang_abstract.pdf (論文内容の要旨)


Magnetic Feedback Experiments on the m/n = 2/1 Tearing Mode in the HBT-EP Tokamak David Lawrence Nadle This thesis reports the results of feedback experiments on the m/n = 2/1 tearing mode in HBT-EP. The feedback algorithm is implemented in a digital-signal processing (DSP) computer with an output sampling rate of 100 kHz. The algorithm produces control signals by adjusting the gain and phase of a quadrature measurement of the 2/1 mode. Two highpower amplifiers drive a two-phase set of saddle coils with small toroidal extent (12° per phase) to produce a rotating resonant control perturbation. A normalized model of nonlinear 2/1 mode behavior is described and used to compare simulated mode dynamics to experimental data. A frequency-dependent stabilization of the mode amplitude is included in the model and observed experimentally. Two magnetic and two optical quadrature mode detection methods are compared. A novel technique using four poloidal Mirnov probes located near the plasma surface is the best performer. The fields produced by the highlylocalized saddle coil set and the strength of its resonance with the 2/1 mode are determined with a 2D numerical model. The phase instability, an exponential growth of a feedback phase error away from negative feedback, is investigated and measured unstable periods show excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. The feedback system can slowly attenuate saturated 2/1 modes, but cannot prevent the growth of unsaturated modes. The phase instability decreases phase accuracy as gain increases, limiting feedback performance.


Penile cysts are uncommon lesions. In general, they are asymptomatic and do not interfere with sexual function. Most of them are present since birth, but usually they are only detectable in adolescence or adulthood. We report a clinical rare case of a newborns of 4 days of birth with a 3.5 cm diameter nodule on the prepuce (dorsal face), which appeared of birth. The cyst was excised by circumcision and a histopathologic study was performed. Histopathologic examination revealed a mucoid cyst by ectopic urethral mucoid of penis skins. No recurrence was observed at a 6 months follow-up after of surgery.


Field evidence in the Koryak Mountains‐ Lake Mainitz region of far eastern Russia supports three Pleistocene glacial advances. The early Wisconsinan and pre-Wisconsinan glaciations are represented by broad lobate moraines extending as much as 30 km north of the Koryak Mountains. Field evidence demonstrates that the terminal, lateral, and medial moraines, as well as meltwater channels, dead ice topography, kettles, and outwash plains mark the extent of ice during the last glacial maximum (LGM), during which glaciers reached no more than 20 km beyond their present limits. Those emanating from the southern Koryak Mountains may have reached the Bering Sea. Numerical and relative dating techniques support these results and test the theoretical models of the LGM in western Beringia. Erratics on moraines and glaciofluvial terraces, common to all valleys at 13‐13.8 m above river level, yield 36 Cl exposure ages ranging from 10.08 to 25.78 ka. The Koryak Mountains‐Lake Mainitz record of glaciation is spatially and temporally consistent with the glaciation pattern across central Beringia found in other terrestrial and marine records. Glacier growth in the Koryak Mountains was sustained by possible increased summer sea surface temperatures and precipitation in the northwest Pacific region. Evidence from the northern Koryak Mountains (lat 64°N, long 177°E) indicates that the extent of ice in western Beringia was limited to mountain and valley glaciers during the LGM. This fieldbased research contradicts M.G. Grosswald's theoretical Beringian ice sheet hypothesis.


Propagation of an acoustic wave in a soft medium permeated with air bubbles is theoretically investigated by using a self-consistent approach. The soft medium is assumed to be viscoelastic to estimate the effect of acoustic absorption on the acoustic localization in such a medium. The oscillation phases of bubbles are examined by employing a phase diagram method. A collective oscillation of the bubbles is observed once the acoustic localization occurs, which is known as a phenomenon of 'phase transition', and such a phenomenon persists as we manually increase the viscosity factor of the soft medium. Therefore it is proven that the phenomenon of phase transition may serve as a unique criterion to effectively identify acoustic localization in a bubbly soft medium even in the presence of viscosity, and the directions of the phase vectors help to determine the extent of localization. This is of practical significance for experimental research studying the acoustic localization in such a medium, for which the presence of viscosity generally causes great ambiguity in distinguishing the effects of localization and acoustic absorption.


Plankton (ichthyo, zoo and phyto) communities were studied in the temperate shallow waters of the Port of Bar, one of the main cargo ports on the south-eastern Adriatic coast. Sampling was undertaken in February, April, June and October 2015 at 12 stations using the BALMAS Port Baseline Survey protocol. The research was conducted to determine the presence of invasive and potentially toxic plankton species in the port.The most dominant species of ichthyoplankton were eggs and larvae of families Engraulidae, Bothidae and Sparidae with a dominance of Engraulis encrasicolus, Arnoglossus laterna and Diplodus annularis. In addition to ichthyoplankton, sampling of phyto and zooplankton was performed to estimate the abundance and diversity of species.The most numerous zooplankton species throughout investigated period were Penilia avirostris, Euterpina acutifrons, Oithona nana, Acartia clausi, Centropages kroyeri, Paracalanus parvus, Oncaeidae and larvae of Bivalvia. One very unusual occurrence was the spawning of parrotfish Sparisoma cretense (Linnaeus, 1758), a species with Atlantic origin and tropical affinities, whose presence throughout the Mediterranean has shown an increasing trend over the last decade. The most dominant species of phytoplankton were the diatoms Chaetoceros affinis and Chaetoceros spp., Asterionellopsis glacialis, Pseudo-nitzschia spp., Thalassionema nitzschioides, and dinoflagellates Gymnodinium spp. and Prorocentrum triestinum. The potentially toxic species from genus Pseudo- nitzschia reached an abundance of 104 cells L-1. Toxic dinoflagellates Prorocentrum cordatum and P. micans reached values of 103 cells L-1.Although there were no HAOP species found during the survey, presence of several potentially toxic and toxic phytoplankton species whose impact is not sufficiently known indicates the necessity of introduction of regular monitoring activities and definition of preventive protection measures.


This paper describes the design and performance of a self-matched, transmission line pulse generator, which is capable of producing a single, high-voltage, output pulse with no subsequent reflections, regardless of the value of the load impedance. The operation of the pulse generator is loosely based on that of the self-matched, single-pulse generator described by Ishii and Yamada (1985 Rev. Sci. Instrum. 56 2116-18), but involves an improved charging and inter-component connection scheme which increases the overall efficiency of the generator and maintains a good pulse profile. The generator incorporates a number of individual transmission line modules, each constructed from lengths of URM67 coaxial cable with a transit time of 25 ns. Five modules were connected in parallel to achieve an output impedance of . The device is suitable for applications which require a single high-voltage and high-current pulse with a fast risetime.


Words shift in meaning for many reasons, including cultural factors like new technologies and regular linguistic processes like subjectification. Understanding the evolution of language and culture requires disentangling these underlying causes. Here we show how two different distributional measures can be used to detect two different types of semantic change. The first measure, which has been used in many previous works, analyzes global shifts in a word's distributional semantics; it is sensitive to changes due to regular processes of linguistic drift, such as the semantic generalization of promise ("I promise." "It promised to be exciting."). The second measure, which we develop here, focuses on local changes to a word's nearest semantic neighbors; it is more sensitive to cultural shifts, such as the change in the meaning of cell ("prison cell" "cell phone"). Comparing measurements made by these two methods allows researchers to determine whether changes are more cultural or linguistic in nature, a distinction that is essential for work in the digital humanities and historical linguistics.


Objectives: To study the surgical aspects and performance outcome of cochlear implantation in children with malformed inner ears. Study Design: Clinical and audiometric evaluation in 13 patients. Methods: Patient data concerning surgery, postoperative follow-up, and pre- and postimplantation audiometry were obtained from the cochlear implant center's database and evaluated. A review of the literature has been included. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: The patients had a variety of inner ear malformations and profound hearing loss. One patient with recurrent meningitis had a severe cochlear malformation (common cavity). Results: Major complications did not occur. In one patient with an abnormal position of the cochlea and concurring middle ear disease, it was difficult to find the scala tympani during surgery. A cerebrospinal fluid gusher was encountered in two patients and an aberrant facial nerve in another, which did not lead to any complications. The patients with mild cochlear malformation such as an incomplete partition demonstrated a good performance in speech perception tests. Even the child with the common cavity deformity had some open-set speech perception 1 year after implantation. Conclusions: Viewing the patients from this study and patients from a review of the literature concerning cochlear implantation in children with malformed inner ears including severe cochlear malformations, the occurrence of an aberrant facial nerve was 17%, which increases to 27% if one reviews the surgical findings in children with severe malformed cochleae such as a common cavity or a severe cochlear hypoplasia. In the latter patients, results in speech perception vary. Although the result of cochlear implantation may be promising, as in our patient with a common cavity, during preoperative counseling the child's parents must be informed that the result is uncertain.


The pressure of role transition on new nurse registrants has affected recruitment and retention, which, along with an ageing workforce, has resulted in a global shortage of nurses that is now reaching crisis point. This article examines and discusses what can be done to attract and prepare the future workforce in the community, focusing on helping students to make the transition to registered practice that begins during their final consolidation of practice placement. There is currently limited evidence on the effectiveness of how community placement teams prepare finalist students for registered practice and this could be seen as an opportunity lost given the urgent need to recruit more registered nurses to work in primary care. Recommendations for enhancing this crucial stage of the student journey are made, and a case for the need to know more from students about how they experience their final practice placement when allocated to a community setting is presented.


Biofeedback is the process of gaining greater awareness of many physiological functions primarily using instruments that provide information on the activity of those same systems, with a goal of being able to manipulate them at will. In this work, the analysis of efficiency of biofeedback therapy in treatment of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is carried out. This analysis was fulfilled by studying the dynamics of clinical, laboratory and psychological (level of subjective control) indices and their comparison in patients of main and control groups before and after the treatment. During the course of combined therapy alongside biofeedback therapy, an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, and improved functional capabilities were noticed in the patients. Thus, the additional use of biofeedback mechanism in complex treatment of RA patients promote increased efficiency of medical and rehabilitation process and improvement of level of self-control in the patients.


A new human malignant melanoma cell line, designated DEOC-1, was established from the heel lesion of a 59-year-old man. This cell line has grown well for 84 months. The monolayer, cultured cells are polygonal in shape, appear to be spindle-shaped cells or multipolar cells, and have a tendency to pile up without contact inhibition. The cells are aneuploid, and the modal chromosomal number is in the hyper-triploid range. The cells were transplanted into the subcutis of SCID mice and produced tumors resembling the original tumor. The DEOC-1 cells (1 × 106/5 mL) produced 5-S-cysteinyldopa (5-S-CD). The cells were not sensitive in vitro to any anticancer drug currently used for the treatment of malignant melanoma. Increases in both the protein and the transcriptional levels (mRNA) of multidrug resistance-related genes (multidrug resistance gene 1, multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 and lung resistance-related protein) were observed in DEOC-1 cells. The DEOC-1 cells are well characterized and are a very useful material for basic research of malignant melanoma.


In the campaign finance debate, the only proposed measure that enjoys broad support is a requirement that all candidates disclose their contributors' identities. However, such disclosure would probably do little to deter quid pro quo corruption; instances of donation-induced "influence" (i.e., "face time") that could be proven under such a regime are legal, and voters have taken little interest in them historically, while vote-buying and other illegal actions would not be proven by the disclosures. A better approach may be a regime of contributor anonymity in which donors must funnel their contributions to campaigns through blind trusts. Such a regime would deprive the candidate of a vital piece of knowledge that enables corruption: the knowledge that a supposed donor actually fulfilled his promise to contribute a large amount of money. What is more, such a regime would be less restrictive on donors' free speech rights and their "right to spend."


We show that sapphire can be superpolished in direct contact with a tin lap by using colloidal silica in water as the polishing liquid. The residual roughness is <0.05 nm rms. No damage to the layer remains. The typical polishing time is 15-30 min. The flatness is determined by prepolishing mainly. Curved surfaces can also be polished by using this method. The least roughness was observed when removal rates were low, i.e., ~ 10 nm/min, which corresponds to approximately half of an atomic layer per second.


The most common cause of hepatic fibrosis is currently chronic HCV infection, the characteristic feature of which is hepatic steatosis. Hepatic steatosis leads to an increase in lipid peroxidation in hepatocytes, which in turn activates hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). HSCs are also regarded as the primary target cells for inflammatory stimuli, and produce extracellular matrix components. It should be noted that transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is a potent fibrogenic cytokine produced by Kupffer cells and HSCs. There are several approaches to inhibit TGF-beta; use of decorin, soluble receptors, and gene therapy approaches. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a hepatotrophic factor for liver regeneration and seems to suppress hepatic fibrogenesis in animals. HOE 77, Safironil, and S 4682 are inhibitors of prolyl 4-hydroxylase, which is essential for thecollagen formation. Although HOE 77, Safironil, and S 4682 seem to work by inhibiting HSC activation, further studies will be required before their clinical application. alpha-Tocopherol, retinyl palmitate, and silybinin reduce lipid peroxidation and attenuate HSC activation in experimental models. Retinyl palmitate is the main storage type for retinoids in HSCs. Silymarin is extracted from milk thistle, the principle component of which is the silybinin. Unfortunately, they have had mixed effects in human liver diseases. A Japanese herbal medicine Sho-saiko-to functions as a potent antifibrosuppressant via the inhibition of oxidative stress in hepatocytes and HSCs. Its active components are baicalin and baicalein of flavonoids with chemical structures very similar to silybinin. Understanding the basic mechanisms underlying the HCV-mediated fibrogenesis provides valuable information on the search for effective antifibrogenic therapies.


Aim: Our aim in this study was evaluate the effects of flow regulation for irrigation on the macroinvertebrate assemblages in a semiarid river. Methods : We sampled two reaches in Dulce River, one of the selected reaches was placed upstream the diversion dam Los Quiroga and the other downstream in the assessment of the fluvial discontinuity. We assess the differences among reaches and stations, environmental variables, invertebrate density, richness and Shannon-Wiener index applying non-parametric analyses of variance Kruskal Wallis. The similarity percentage analysis (SIMPER) was used to identify which species contributed to the dissimilarities on macroinvertebrate assemblages structure. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was performed with the total set of samples to explore macroinvertebrate distribution in reaches and associations of the assemblages with habitat variables. Results :  The density, richness and Shannon index values did not show differences between the reaches upstream and downstream of derivation dam. Beta diversity (Whittaker) was 0.72 among upstream sites, 0.56 among dowstream sites and higher species turnover (0.73) was obtained between both reaches. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis explained 43.15% of the variance differentiating upstream sites explained by higher values of organic matter of bottom sediments and discharge, high density of Nais communis, Bothrioneurum americanum, Pelomus, Stephensoniana trivandrana, Pristina menoni, P. jenkinae, P.longidentata,  P. americana, Dero obtusa , Endotribelos, Heleobia and Turbellaria. The downstream stations  were associated to coarser substratum and higher density of Lopescladius, Polypedilum, Cricotopus, Thienamaniella, Cryptochironomus, Baetidae, Nematoda and Corbicula fluminea . Conclusions : The low-flow disturbance had effects on the composition on the benthic invertebrate assemblages, but also attributes (such as density and richness) showed a lower variability probably because of taxa replacement.


We test the implications of ambiguity aversion in a principal-agent problem with multiple agents. When output distributions are uncertain, models of ambiguity aversion suggest that tournaments may become more attractive than independent wage contracts, in contrast to the case where output distributions are known. We do so by presenting agents with a choice between tournaments and independent contracts, which are designed in a way that under uncertainty about output distribution (that is, under ambiguity), ambiguity averse agents should typically prefer tournaments, while ambiguity neutral agents prefer independent contracts, independent of their degree of risk aversion. This is the case, because the tournament removes all ambiguity about the equilibrium wages. We compare the share of participants who choose the tournament under ambiguity with the share of participants choosing the tournament in a control treatment, where output distributions are know. As the theory predicts, we find indeed that under ambiguity the share of agents who choose the tournaments is higher than in the case of known output distributions.


In the uplink of orthogonal frequency division multiple-access (OFDMA) systems, before the data detection could be carried out, the carrier frequency offset (CFO) must be estimated and compensated to eliminate the inter-carrier interference (ICI) and multi-user interference (MUI), that is to restore the orthogonality among subcarriers. This paper proposed a novel pilot aided joint carrier frequency offset estimation and compensation algorithm for the uplink of OFDMA systems. By exploiting the pilot symbols, which are inserted for the purpose of channel estimation, the algorithm realizes band efficient, joint CFO estimation and compensation without using channel information. This algorithm provides more accurate estimation since the data symbols and pilot symbols are in the same block, this is particularly important in a fast time varying environment. The computational complexity is greatly reduced by avoiding too much matrix inverse calculation. Simulation results demonstrate that the algorithm could achieve the Cramer-Rao Bound (CRB) with a few iterations at moderate SNR.


A Danish pre-industrial farming system is reconstructed and compared to its modern industrialized farming system equivalent to evaluate agricultural performance in a sustainability perspective. The investigated Danish farm system and its contributing elements have undergone significant transformations. The intensity of contemporary agriculture shows that high productivity levels have been achieved by increasing the input of energy using modern machinery. At the same time, the energy efficiency (calculations based on energetic indicators) diminishes over time as the degree of dependence on fossil fuels increases. The results from this study show significant changes in the farming system, specifically inputs from agricultural land use, livestock, and energy systems. From being highly circular, the system changed to being a clear linear farming system with highly increased productivity but less efficient at the same time, questioning the relationship between productivity and efficiency and resource utilization in modern farming systems. Through utilizing an agroecological historical approach by comparing system performance over time, the results offer opportunities to explore how agricultural farming systems evolve over time and help to describe the complexity of the system level in a sustainability perspective.


Abstract This paper examines Nietzsche's relation to the therapeutic philosophical tradition paradigmatically represented by the Hellenistic schools. On the one hand, given his project of rehabilitating Western culture and his understanding of the philosopher as a "physician of culture", Nietzsche seems also to hold a therapeutic understanding of philosophy; on the other hand, he is extremely critical of any (philosophical, moral or religious) attempt to heal mankind. This paper does not aim to solve this tension but rather characterizes Nietzsche's endeavor in this respect as a therapy of therapy. Through analysis of a) the basic features of the Hellenistic conception of philosophy, b) Nietzsche's development of the analogy of the "philosophical physician", c) his diagnosis of culture, and d) his criticism of previous therapists, I show that Nietzsche can be formally included in this tradition of thought, even if this inclusion has implications for the tradition itself. As I suggest, given the self-referentiality of Nietzsche's therapy, his inclusion in this tradition might in fact simultaneously entail its own self-suppression.


Background Urogenital infections by Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) are the most prevalent sexually-transmitted bacterial diseases in women. Cost effective screening of women for C. trachomatis infection in developing countries is highly desirable for reducing morbidity and complications like pelvic inflammatory diseases, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Results of noninvasive urine samples tests for C. trachomatis are nearly identical to samples collected directly from the cervix or urethra. The present study used the pooled urine samples to decrease the cost of screening for C. trachomatis . Methods First void urine samples were collected from 1000 asymptomatic pregnant women having gestational age less than 24 weeks attending the Antenatal Clinics at PGIMER, Chandigarh during July 2009 to June 2012. The pooled urine samples (5x pooled processed specimen) were tested for presence of C. trachomatis by Amplicor CT PCR kit (Roche Diagnostic) and positive results were further tested separately on each urine sample. Direct fluroscent antibody test (DFA) assay was used on urine specimen which were positive by PCR to confirm the positive results. Results Overall C. trachomatis infection tested by both PCR and DFA was present in 1.6% (16/1000) of asymptomatic pregnant women. A total of 200 pools of urine samples were tested and 20 pools were positive for C. trachomatis . When these pools were tested individually, 20 (10%) samples were positive for CT (In one pool, 2 samples were positive and one pool was false positive). Four samples were negative by DFA. Pooling of urine samples saved 70% of reagent costs in our study. Conclusions The study shows C. trachomatis infection was present in 1.6% of pregnant women which indicates low prevalence of infection in northern India. Pooling of urine samples saved labour, cost (70% reduction) and time in screening large number of samples in resource-limited settings. Disclosure of interest statement None (No conflict of interest). The study was funded by Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi. No pharmaceutical grants were received in the development of this study.


Recent observational studies of intermediate- and high-mass star-forming regions at submillimeter and infrared wavelengths are reviewed, and chemical diagnostics of the different physical components associated with young stellar objects are summarized. Procedures for determining the temperature, density and abundance profiles in the envelopes are outlined. A detailed study of a set of infrared-bright massive young stars reveals systematic increases in the gas/solid ratios, the abundances of evaporated molecules, and the fraction of heated ices with increasing temperature. Since these diverse phenomena involve a range of temperatures from < 100 K to 1000 K, the enhanced temperatures must be communicated to both the inner and outer parts of the envelopes. This `global heating' plausibly results from the gradual dispersion of the envelopes with time. Similarities and differences with low-mass YSOs are discussed. The availability of accurate physical models will allow chemical models of ice evaporation followed by `hot core' chemistry to be tested in detail.


Thirty male sheep were treated with varying doses of endobronchial elastase. Urinary excretion of elastin peptides was then measured by desmosine radioimmunoassay and compared with pre-enzyme values. Mean linear intercepts were measured in treated and untreated lobes 4 wk later, and in addition, lung perfusion, ventilation, and volume were measured before enzyme treatment and 4 wk later using radionuclide-imaging techniques. Most of the elevation in urinary desmosine excretion occurred in the first 48 h after elastase administration. The increase in desmosine excretion was positively correlated with: enzyme dose (r = 0.74, p less than 0.01), increase in mean linear intercept (r = 0.61, p less than 0.05), decrease in lung perfusion (r = 0.77, p less than 0.01), and decrease in ventilation (r = 0.58, p less than 0.05). These results demonstrate that the urinary desmosine radioimmunoassay is a reliable index of pulmonary elastin breakdown and of several resultant anatomic and physiologic stigmata of pulmonary emphysema.


The processing of leaf litter in streams plays a key role in the cycling of energy in aquatic ecosystems. It has been suggested that the invasion of the riparian zone by exotic species such as European willow (Salix babylonica), may affect stream macroinvertebrate communities through the timing of leaf fall, litter quality and litter breakdown rates. This study investigated the effects of European blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), a highly invasive weed of the riparian zone, on macroinvertebrate assemblages in two urban streams, Bannister Creek and Bull Creek, on the Swan Coastal Plain.

The impact of riparian vegetation on macroinvertebrates was investigated using two methods; (A) sweep net samples were collected over two seasons to determine differences in macroinvertebrate assemblages between stream reaches with blackberry or native vegetation in the adjacent riparian zone. (B) breakdown rates and colonisation of blackberry and eucalypt (Eucalyptus rudis) were used to assess preferences of macroinvertebrates for either blackberry or eucalypt as a food source. Furthermore, the relative abundance of the freshwater crayfish Cherax quinquecarinatus at sites with blackberry and native vegetation was quantified and laboratory feeding experiments were conducted to determine preferences of C. quinquecarinatus for either blackberry or eucalypt leaves.

No significant differences were found in macroinvertebrate assemblages between reaches with either blackberry or native riparian vegetation at both Bannister Creek and Bull Creek. However, there was a trend for lower species richness at the sites with blackberry in the riparian zone. The richness of taxa colonising leaf bags containing blackberry and eucalypt leaves was not significantly different at either stream. However, the results indicated a paucity of shredder fauna at Bannister Creek suggesting macroinvertebrates were playing a minor role in leaf litter breakdown.

At Bull Creek, the relative abundance of the fresh water crayfish C. quinquecarinatus, an important shredder, was significantly higher in the blackberry site. The high abundance of C. quinquecarinatus at two of the sites resulted in significantly higher rates of blackberry leaf breakdown. Furthermore, C. quinquecarinatus exhibited a preference for blackberry leaf litter in laboratory experiments. These results suggest that this species plays a significant role in the processing of blackberry leaf litter at Bull Creek.

The removal of blackberry is often a major goal of stream restoration projects, however, this study suggests that in some situations blackberry may contribute significantly to energy cycling in stream ecosystems and its removal should be undertaken with caution.


Agile methodologies have become one of the most applied methods in the software development industry. However, agile methodologies face some challenges such as less documentation and wasting time considering changes. This review presents how the previous studies attempted to cover issues of agile methodologies and the modifications in the performance of agile methodologies. The paper also highlights unresolved issues to get the attention of developers, researchers


Hyper-activated LRRK2 is linked to Parkinson's disease susceptibility and progression. Quantitative measures of LRRK2 inhibition, especially in the brain, may be critical in the clinical development of successful LRRK2-targeting therapeutics. In this study, three different brain-penetrant and selective LRRK2 small-molecule kinase inhibitors (PFE-360, MLi2, and RA283) were orally administered to groups of cynomolgus macaques at different doses. Biofluid markers with proposed pharmacodynamic properties for assessing LRRK2 inhibition were measured from samples of blood, urine, and cerebral-spinal fluid (CSF). LRRK2 kinase inhibition led to consistent reduced pS935-LRRK2 and pRab10 proteins in blood mononuclear cells, reduced exosome LRRK2 protein and di-docosahexaenoyl (22:6) bis (monoacylglycerol) phosphate in urine, and reduced exosome LRRK2 and autophosphorylated pS1292-LRRK2 protein in CSF. Incomplete LRRK2 kinase inhibition reduced LRRK2 protein secretion in exosomes whereas high drug exposures may reduce both exosome and tissue levels of LRRK2 protein. These orthogonal markers for LRRK2 inhibition in urine and CSF can be used in combination with blood markers to non-invasively monitor the potency of LRRK2-targeting therapeutics in the brain and periphery.


The impact of a PWM DC-DC boost converter parameters on its open-loop dynamic performance is studied. The parameters considered are: the load resistance R, the filter capacitor ESR r/sub C/, and the inductor ESR r. The principle of energy conservation approach is used to take into account parasitic resistances of the transistor and diode in the inductor ESR. The parameter impact has been evaluated by using a small-signal circuit model composed of current-controlled current sources. Bode plots of the control-to-output transfer function are given using R, r/sub C/, and r as parameters. Plots of poles and zeros are given as functions of these three resistances. These plots clearly show how the dynamic performance of the boost converter is affected by these parameters.


Electronic Control Unit is an electronic system which controls different engine parameters for optimized performance. In SI engine, ECU controls the Injector opening timing and spark timing at different engine speed and load. Many ECU functionalities like Idle control, Cold start control, AFR control, Altitude correction etc. are explained in this paper which are helpful/main control strategies while designing an ECU. Also multiple fuel injection techniques are also discussed with their advantages and disadvantages. Multiple sensors are used for accurate fuel injection at different set points of engine operation. For achieving better accuracy of air and fuel ratio than carburetors, ECU estimates the opening time of fuel injector through different control algorithms. This paper includes the survey of different functional methodologies that are being used to reduce the pollutants.