Background: Male centenarians are generally under-rep-resented in centenarian studies. The United States Veteran cohort has the largest known male centenarians of any nation. Here we study Veteran centenarians' incidence of Heart Failure and its impact on survival. Methods and Results: retrospective longitudinal cohort study of elderly U.S. Veterans. Subjects are community – dwelling, born between 1910 and 1915, who survived to at least age 80. The study included 31,109 octogenarians, 52,419 nonagenarians, and 3,351 centenarians. Kaplan– Meier method was used to estimate the cumulative incidence of heart failure within age groups. Incidence rates were compared using log-rank test. Cox proportional-hazards model was used to estimate unadjusted hazard ratios. Veteran centenarians were 97.0% male, 88.0% white, and 31.8% wid-owed. 87.5% served in World War II, 63.9% had no service related disability. Significant differences in HF incidence rates were observed. By age 89, incidence of HF for octogenarians was 19.3%, v. 3.3% for nonagenarians and 0.4% for centenarians By age 99 incidence of HF for nonagenarians increased to 15.8% and 3.3% for centenarians. Differences in incidence rate remained significant across age groups (P =<.0001). The Hazard Ratio for heart failure incidence among octogenarians and nonagenarians compared with centenarians is HR 36.54 CI 95% (29.90- 44.66) and 5.37 CI 95% (4.42- 6.52), respectively. Conclusion: In a large cohort of predominantly male U.S. Veterans, compared with octogenarians and nonagenarians, centenarians had the lowest incidence of heart failure after age 80, demonstrating compression of morbidity and exten-sion of health- span in this unique group of survivors. The prevalence of chronic pain drastically increases with age. The objective of this study was to determine if transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could be a valid treatment option to relieve chronic musculoskeletal pain in elderly individuals. Twenty-four chronic pain patients were randomized to receive either anodal tDCS over the contralat-eral motor cortex (2 mA, 20 minutes; n = 12) or sham tDCS (n = 12) for 5 consecutive days. Pain logbooks were used to measure pain intensity on the days before, during and after treatment sessions, and the Margolis pain drawing and scor-ing system was used to assess the number of painful areas. Analysis of the pain logbooks revealed that real tDCS led to a reduction in pain (p ≤ 0.04), while sham tDCS did not produce any change. Patients from the real tDCS group also reported a decrease in the number of painful areas, while the patients in the sham tDCS group reported no change. Every patient who received real tDCS reported an alleviation of pain. These results suggest that anodal tDCS applied over the motor cortex can decrease pain, and that this effect persists for several days following treatment. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the analgesic effect of tDCS with a randomized, controlled trial in elderly individuals. The results can support the use of this technique in chronic pain patients aged 60 years and older. Future studies are nec-essary to determine whether these results can be replicated using a larger population. Circadian rhythmic(CR) disruption shows adverse effects like fatigue, nocturia, sleep-disturbance, and mood disorder which are common in elderly. We investigate the relationship between CR and water metabolism(WM) and


Erythropoiesis is triggered by hypoxia and is strictly regulated by hormones, growth factors, cytokines, and vitamins to ensure an adequate oxygen delivery to all body cells. Abnormalities in one or more of these factors may induce different kinds of anemia requiring different treatments. A key player in red blood cell production is erythropoietin. It is a glycoprotein hormone, mainly produced by the kidneys, that promotes erythroid progenitor cell survival and differentiation in the bone marrow and regulates iron metabolism. A deficit in erythropoietin synthesis is the main cause of the normochromic normocytic anemia frequently observed in patients with progressive chronic kidney disease. The present review summarizes the most recent findings about each step of the erythropoietic process, going from the renal oxygen sensing system to the cascade of events induced by erythropoietin through its own receptor in the bone marrow. The paper also describes the new class of drugs designed to stabilize the hypoxia‐inducible factor by inhibiting prolyl hydroxylase, with a discussion about their metabolism, disposition, efficacy, and safety. According to many trials, these drugs seem able to simulate tissue hypoxia and then stimulate erythropoiesis in patients affected by renal impairment. In conclusion, the in‐depth investigation of all events involved in erythropoiesis is crucial to understand anemia pathophysiology and to identify new therapeutic strategies, in an attempt to overcome the potential side effects of the commonly used erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents.


Direct visualization goniotomy was performed in 19 eyes of 14 patients with congenital glaucoma. The procedure was repeated in only 2 eyes. 16 eyes of 11 patients were followed up for an average 27 months. The success rate was 90.0% (9/10) in patients aged 3-8 months and 33.3% (2/6) in patients aged 2-9 years. Goniotomy was a safe procedure and the actual technique was discussed.


Anticipating the quantity of new associated or affirmed cases with novel coronavirus ailment 2019 (COVID-19) is critical in the counteraction and control of the COVID-19 flare-up. The new associated cases with COVID-19 information were gathered from 20 January 2020 to 21 July 2020. We filtered out the countries which are converging and used those for training the network. We utilized the SARIMAX, Linear regression model to anticipate new suspected COVID-19 cases for the countries which did not converge yet. We predict the curve of non-converged countries with the help of proposed Statistical SARIMAX model (SSM). We present new information investigation-based forecast results that can assist governments with planning their future activities and help clinical administrations to be more ready for what's to come. Our framework can foresee peak corona cases with an R-Squared value of 0.986 utilizing linear regression and fall of this pandemic at various levels for countries like India, US, and Brazil. We found that considering more countries for training degrades the prediction process as constraints vary from nation to nation. Thus, we expect that the outcomes referenced in this work will help individuals to better understand the possibilities of this pandemic.


Living in the era of globalization made the spread of the virus to affect the entire world's economy. The stock market plays a huge role in the well-going of the economy and for this reason the changes that have happened due the pandemic affected on everyone's lives.Stock market is a perfect investment for all because saving in the stock market is the safest way to produce returns over time that can surpass inflation and now it is being affected by the virus. It is a fact that the stock market and the economy are related together. Many industries have been badly hit by the virus but also some other companies have had major benefits and for this reason the financial market changed directly in an unexpected way. So the market itself reacts to these changes and also should continue to deal with problems that have existed in it before the virus. Many of the problems surfacing now are actually derived from the great crisis that happened in 2008. Recession might happen if the situation goes on for too long but there are facts that also throw this down.


This thesis aims to address a central question in cognitive science: how we reason about our own and others' cognition. Representing the self and others as distinct individuals is a fundamental epistemological feature of being human; the richness of these representations underlies our ability to tackle our own objectives and to understand the goals of others. Yet there is much debate about the metacognitive abilities of young children, in particular the extent to which children's estimations of their own and others' knowledge are accurate, whether children's beliefs about their own and others' cognition are influenced by the evidence they observe, and if these beliefs inform effective self-directed learning. I investigate these questions, examining metacognition and its relationship to learning in 3to 8-year-olds. Chapter 1 provides an overview of metacognition regarding the self and others. Chapter 2 considers whether young children expect others will learn rationally from evidence. We find that by age 4.5 years, children have a nuanced understanding of how evidence and prior beliefs interact to yield new knowledge. Chapter 3 investigates how children's exploration is influenced by representations of task difficulty, as indexed by the discriminability of alternative hypotheses. We show that there is a precise quantitative relationship between uncertainty and information seeking. Chapter 4 considers how preschoolers use social comparison information to calibrate their self-directed learning, demonstrating that when a task is within children's zone of proximal development, observing evidence that peers perform better increases one's own persistence. Chapter 5 asks how 3to 5-year-olds integrate representations of their own and others' abilities when allocating roles across contexts. This work demonstrates that children consider who is best suited for a task based on relative ability. Across all four chapters, the results of these studies demonstrate that children have a sophisticated understanding of their own and others' knowledge and skills. In addition, children use information about others to effectively direct their own learning and problem solving. I end by arguing that young children have a theory of individuals' characteristics, of which reasoning about the self is a special case. Taken together, these studies illustrate the importance of considering how reasoning about the self and about others are integrated and are fundamental to our human intelligence. Thesis Supervisor: Laura E. Schulz Title: Professor of Cognitive Science


Nowadays a large number of images are compressed in the JPEG format. In order to retrieve these images, firstly we should decompress these images, then extract feature vectors in the pixel domain. Some of the literature has proposed image retrieval methods directly in the DCT domain, which can reduce computation complication. In this article, we propose a novel method for image retrieval. We firstly reorder the DCT coefficients of the JPEG images in the multiresolution wavelet transform form; this can get a set of subbands. Secondly construct subband energy histograms of these subbands, then construct image keys by using Morton order, and lastly organize the image keys in the form of a variant of the B-tree data structure for image retrieval.


This guide has been created for year 11 English ATAR students studying Athol Fugard play, Master Harold and the Boys.


PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore the role of road transport in logistics operations, and to investigate and analyze how IKEA China does operate on road transport in logistics operations. Design/methodology/approachA single case study has been conducted at IKEA China, including semi-structured interviews and review of internal documents. Along with the case study, literature reviews have been conducted within the areas of efficient road transport in logistics operations. FindingsThe IKEA China case suggests that the logistics operations should have strong link to the efficient road transport in a manner optimized logistics operations can provide efficient road transport with less cost. Research limitations/implicationsThis thesis is limited to one representative company, and the authors just focus on a study of efficient road transport in logistics operations for narrowing down the thesis. So the solutions and proposals about efficient road transport might not be adopted by other companies or be applied to other parts of the supply chain. Additionally, a study of efficient road transport can be discussed, analyzed and studied from a lot of different perspectives, even much better in a holistic viewpoint. Here, the authors just choose a few primary perspectives as research objectives to support this study, which concerns the data and information collected from IKEA China. Finally, because of the limitation of time and personal knowledge, the data collected from IKEA China may neither abundant enough nor deep enough in a manner without exploiting and expanding into all the issues and challenges refers to efficient road transport in logistics operations. Practical implicationThis research provides suitable solutions for a company towards efficient road transport in logistics operations. Consequently, it will facilitate companies to achieve the purpose of efficient road transport by optimizing their logistics operations in a manner improve the outcomes of insouring/outsourcing, merge-in-transit, consolidation point and packaging. Originality/valueThis research combines five theoretical fields in terms of sourcing strategy, merge-in-transit, consolidation point, packaging as well as economics scale of trucking cost to contribute proposals to efficient road transport in logistics operations.


According to intensity distribution of the synchrotron radiation source focused by a toroidal mirror at the Beijing synchrotron radiation biological macromolecule station, theoretical modeling of the Beijing synchrotron radiation source is developed for capillary optics. Using this theoretical modeling, the influences of the configuration curve of the polycapillary X-ray lens on transmission efficiency and working distance are analyzed. The experimental results of the transmission efficiency and working distance at the biological macromolecule station are in good agreement with the theoretical results.


This study captures the presence of organized crime groups in the Italian territories and examines their relationship to firms that are in a condition of financial distress. At the end of the nineteenth century the first criminal groups emerged in the South of Italy as a response to the demand for private protection by local landlords. Using firm-level data and detailed information on organized crime activities, this paper tests the hypothesis that organized crime groups support financially distressed companies by supplying them with private protection in the form of access to credit. The results show a higher concentration of distressed firms in regions with a high presence of organized crime groups. The relationship is further tested by the introduction of a novel instrument that exploits unique data on episodes of family-related homicides that have been investigated since the 1990s.


ABSTRACT In a radical school choice reform in 1992, Sweden's education system was opened to private competition from independent for-profit and non-profit schools funded by vouchers. Competition was expected to produce higher-quality education at lower cost, in both independent and public schools. This two-pronged study first examines to what extent the consequences of this reform deviate from the predicted results. It demonstrates increasing discrepancies between absolute test results and grades, suggesting grade inflation. Secondly, the study investigates whether the school choice reform was institutionally secured against school competition based on phenomena that are unrelated with educational quality, such as grading. It reveals that the architects of the school choice reform overemphasized the potential positive implications of market reforms and, therefore, did not deem it necessary to establish appropriate rules and institutions for school competition. Instead, grading and curriculum reforms had unintended consequences such as grade inflation and similar forms of school competition in dimensions other than school quality. The analysis of how the objective of raising the quality in Sweden's schools through competition and choice was inadvertently undermined contains practical lessons for policymakers with regard to the use of privatization and co-production both in schools and in other fields.


Several hundred shale samples have been characterized by us with respect to mineralogic composition, chemical composition, and petrophysical properties. However, no study based on composition reveals the fabric or manner in which the components are put together to form the resultant rock. Classification by fabric elements, based on X-radiography and direct prints from thin sections, is practical and appears useful for interpretation of both depositional environments and reservoir properties of shale. Six lithotypes based on fabric elements are defined in Devonian shales of West Virginia: (1) sharply banded shale, (2) thinly laminated shale, (3) lenticularly laminated shale, (4) nonbanded shale, (5) siltstones, and (6) concretions. A gradational series exists from thinly laminated through lenticularly laminated to nonbedded. Thinly laminated and organic-rich lenticularly laminated shales appear the most favorable types for gas productivity because the laminated fabric permits the best lateral continuity of the low porosity (about 2%) present. The higher organic content of these lithotypes also probably acts as sites for significant sorption of gas, which is slowly released during production. No microfracture system appears to exist, and macroscopic fractures do not necessarily coincide with productive zones. Wells without natural fractures prove productive after stimulation, which suggests that outgassing of a favorable rock type is responsible for the bulk of productive gas in Devonian shale wells. Natural fracture porosity, while important in extending effective volume tapped by a given well, represents only a minor portion of reservoir storage volume. Thinly laminated shales are interpreted as being generally representative of shallow-marine deposits (dominantly shelf deposits) accumulating under anoxic conditions. Nonbanded and lenticularly laminated shales are deeper water accumulations deposited farther from shore. Sharply banded shales and some siltstones generally represent pulses of more rapid sedimentation in the prodelta environment. A single sample in itself is not diagnostic of depositional environment, but relative abundance of specific lithotypes in a given vertical section is useful for general environmental reconstruction. Better definition of the diagnostic worth of shale fabric-element lithotypes awaits results of more detailed fabric-element studies of modern fine-grained clastics and marine muds. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1585------------


The aim of this study was to compare two methods of cognitive stimulation for the cognitive functions. The first method used an usual approach, the second used leisure activities in order to assess their benefits on cognitive functions (speed of processing; working memory capacity and executive functions) and psychoaffective measures (memory span and self esteem). 67 participants over 60 years old took part in the experiment. They were divided into three groups: 1 group followed a program of conventional cognitive stimulation, 1 group a program of cognitive stimulation using leisure activities and 1 control group. The different measures have been evaluated before and after the training program. Results show that the cognitive stimulation program using leisure activities is as effective on memory span, updating and memory self-perception as the program using conventional cognitive stimulation, and more effective on self-esteem than the conventional program. There is no difference between the two stimulated groups and the control group on speed of processing. Neither of the two cognitive stimulation programs provides a benefit over shifting and inhibition. These results indicate that it seems to be possible to enhance working memory and to observe far transfer benefits over self-perception (self-esteem and memory self-perception) when using leisure activities as a tool for cognitive stimulation.


This paper reports on the uses of photography in some research into domestic crafts in Brazil. This research, which included fieldwork and curriculum development components, was carried out with the aim of investigating crafts five women practised in their homes in Santa Maria and celebrating them in art lessons in primary schools. Photography was used in the fieldwork part of the research to collect visual data about the women and their crafts and to develop a visual resource for use by art teachers. In the curriculum experiments it was used by school children to record aesthetic aspects of their homes. This paper reflects on and compares the different kinds of photographs taken by the researchers, the women and the children and some strengths and weaknesses of using photography as a data collection tool in art education research.


The investigation on the reducibility of Agbaja iron ore lumps were performed .The chemical compositions, morphology and structural analysis of the ore were examined. Various equipment such as Thermogravimetry (TG), Differential Thermal Analyzer (DTA), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Inverted Metallurgical Optical Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The reducibility experiments were performed where a muffle furnace was used as the heating device. The Agbaja iron ore lumps were taken inside six (6) stainless steel containers with diameter 60.75mm x 59.40mm inside diameter with mouths tightly closed by air tight covers having out let for exit gases. Metallurgical coking coal obtained from the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited was used as the reducing agent. The experiments were performed where the ore lumps were crushed to some sizes and heated in the furnace ranging from 800 ͦC to 1000 ͦC for heating periods with interval temperature was 40 ͦC. The temperature interval rate was put at 40 ͦC. The corresponding heating period was from 20 minutes to 120 minutes with interval time of 20 minutes .The highest corresponding values for each temperature and heating period was put in the following order. The heating temperature of 800 ͦC for 120 minutes had corresponding values of 21.3% of reduction, at 840 ͦC for 120 minutes heating period gave a corresponding value of 25.0% of reduction. The result obtained when the ore lump was heated at 880 ͦC for 120 minutes gave a corresponding value of 26.7% of reduction, at 920 ͦC for 120 minutes , the corresponding value was 27,1% of reduction. The other corresponding values when the ore samples were heated to 960 ͦC and 1000 ͦC for both 120 minutes gave 31.0% and 33.0% degree of reduction respectively. The reduced Agbaja iron ore lumps were further analyzed using the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and obtained the results as indicated in this orders. The values of Fe content for Agbaja iron ore lump at 800 ͦC for 120minutes was 40.7wt%, at 920 ͦC for 120 minutes, the Fe content value was 60.2wt% and at 1000 ͦC for 120 minutes, the Fe content was 56.2wt%..These results showed that the Agbaja iron ore reduced more at 800 ͦC for 120 minutes (40.7wt %) followed by 1000 ͦC for 120 minutes (56.2wt %) and the least reduced heating period and time was when the iron ore samples was heated at 920 ͦC for 120 minutes (60.2wt %).


In this article we develop the theoretical properties of the propensity function, which is a generalization of the propensity score of Rosenbaum and Rubin. Methods based on the propensity score have long been used for causal inference in observational studies; they are easy to use and can effectively reduce the bias caused by nonrandom treatment assignment. Although treatment regimes need not be binary in practice, the propensity score methods are generally confined to binary treatment scenarios. Two possible exceptions have been suggested for ordinal and categorical treatments. In this article we develop theory and methods that encompass all of these techniques and widen their applicability by allowing for arbitrary treatment regimes. We illustrate our propensity function methods by applying them to two datasets; we estimate the effect of smoking on medical expenditure and the effect of schooling on wages. We also conduct simulation studies to investigate the performance of our methods.


We present a model addressing the possible electrification of Martian dust storms based on the effective electrical charging of an individual dust grain. An upper charge bound on a grain can be determined based on the grain capacitance in the low-pressure Martian atmosphere. It is assumed that treiboelectric and inductive processes, like that presumed operating in terrestrial dust storms, can electrify the grain to significant levels. A collection of such grains charged in a dust cloud of many tens of kilometers in size can yield a substantial electric field moment. Given various grain charge and dust storm sizes, the electric moment will be determined along with estimates of electrical discharge and emitted radio power based upon known models. We also suggest the possibility that remote detection of discharge-related VLF emission propagating in the surface/ionosphere waveguide can be used to determine subsurface conductivity.


Antiperovskites or inverse perovskites are inorganic compounds with a perovskite structure but with cations replaced by anions and vice versa. It is shown that there exists a number of minerals whose structures can be regarded as based upon antiperovskite units composed of face-and corner-sharing octahedra. The structures of sulphohalite, galeite, schairerite, kogarkoite, nacaphite, arctite, polyphite, hatrurite and related compounds are considered. The 3C, 2H, 5H, 7H, 9R and 15R antiperovskite polytypes are described. In some cases, antiperovskite modules are intercalated with intermediate ions and complexes.


The extended dual polarity property has been used to optimize Kronecker as well as quaternary fixed-polarity Reed-Muller (FPRM) expressions. In this paper, extension of this method to calculate FPRM polynomial expansions over GF(5) is presented. The new algorithm takes the truth vector of a 5-valued function as its input and proceeds to generate all of the function's FPRM spectral coefficient vectors one by one in a certain sequence. The experimental results for this algorithm are compared with other methods and it was found that it is more efficient than other methods for some functions. The presented algorithm requires low memory storage.


The problem of domestic violence in developing countries started surfacing in the last decade. However lack of data from these countries still curtails a full understanding of the issues and the magnitude and potential impacts it has on the life of women affected by domestic violence. Although the existence of domestic violence is well recognized in Ethiopia from anecdotal social and legal reports no systematic reports were made until recently. (excerpt)


Urban living labs (ULLs) offer opportunities to foster sustainability in cities. They are sites to design, test and learn from innovation in real time. A key element in the operation and success of ULLs is user involvement. Users are often viewed as co-creators who shape ULL outcomes by contributing with their knowledge and experi ence. The transformative potential of ULLs for sustainability is often interconnected with user participation. Despite its importance, user involvement in ULLs remains a practical challenge that is also understudied. In this article, we examine how ULLs engage in a participatory methodology that facilitates co-creation with users, and discuss the link between user involvement and the transformative potential of ULLs. While co-creation is a cornerstone of the ULL concept, we also show that a combination of different user participation levels in different stages of the ULL life cycle has a potential to enhance the outcomes and transformative potential of ULLs. User involvement plays a positive role in realising the transformative potential of ULLs for sustainability, but governance structure, leadership and power distribution are also important factors for ULLs to become transformative. (Less)


We demonstrate liquid-liquid phase separation involving both coacervation and coil-to-globule phase transition of a thermoresponsive polymer. By focusing a near-infrared laser beam into an aqueous solution of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), a single phase-separated polymer microdroplet can be formed and stably trapped at the focal point. Such droplet formation is induced by a local elevation in temperature (induced by a photothermal effect) and an optical force. The technique allows us to selectively analyze a single polymer droplet trapped at the focal point. In this study, we applied this technique to poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide) (PDEA) in water and generated a double-layered PDEA droplet. Such an inhomogeneous and complex microstructure has not been previously observed both in steady-state heating of a PDEA solution and in the PNIPAM system. Moreover, we used micro-Raman spectroscopy to clarify that PDEA underwent dehydration due to a coil-to-globule phase transition. Despite this, the polymer concentration (Cpoly) of the trapped PDEA droplet was very low and was around 30 wt %. Cpoly depended on the molecular weight of PDEA and the laser power that regulates the temperature elevation. These results strongly indicate that PDEA undergoes coacervation in addition to a coil-to-globule phase transition. This study will help provide us with a fundamental understanding of the phase separation mechanisms of thermoresponsive polymers.


Background Determining risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality and evaluating their influence are important for effectively reducing corresponding mortality. However, few research findings have estimated the relationship between atrial fibrillation (AF) and CVD-related mortality among hypertension individuals. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of AF in a hypertension population and determine the relationship between AF and CVD-related mortality. Methods Using a multistage, stratified, and cluster random sampling method, the prospective cohort study with a median follow-up of 3.51 years enrolled 10,678 hypertensive participants at baseline. The prevalence, awareness, and anticoagulation data of AF in this focal population were carefully assessed. Stepwise logistic regression and Cox regression analysis were respectively performed to evaluate the determinants of AF and the association between AF and CVD-related mortality. Results The overall prevalence of AF was 1.3% (95% CI, 1.1%−1.6%) in the hypertensive population, and it was higher in men than in women (1.8% vs. 1.0%, respectively; p=0.001). The awareness of AF was 53.1%, and the rate of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy was only 4.2%, although all AF participants should have required according to the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. The determinants of AF included elder, male, and history of coronary heart disease in the hypertensive population. Besides, compared with individuals without AF, the risk of CVD-related mortality significantly increased in the hypertensive population with AF (HR 3.37, 95% CI 2.10–5.40). Conclusion Our results indicated a huge burden of AF and underuse of OAC therapy for them in a community-based hypertensive population. Considering that most of the risk factors of AF were unmodifiable in hypertensive individuals, as well as its high risk of mortality, long-term interventions including AF education, timely screening, and widespread use of OACs should be emphasized in the focal populations.


The purpose of the present research is to enable verification of occupant protection performance, including neck injury, under full-width frontal crash test conditions, using a THOR 5F dummy during the primary phase of automobile development. A THOR 5F neck injury would be considered as important as that of a Hybrid III dummy. To achieve this purpose, a two-dimensional degenerated model was formulated by combining a neck element with a four-rigid-body model consisting of a head, upper body, sternum, and lower body. It was observed that the obtained results were similar to those of the finite element method.


Standard electric micromotors as well as accessory handpieces and right-angle handpieces were subjected to technical tests. Turbines with and without traction power (bearing power) were also studied. The rotational speed could be regulated on one turbine. Normal to high rotational speeds were obtained with electric micromotors when used in conjunction with the transferance attachment. The motors functioned well in terms of the linearity of rotational speed. The study of the rotational speed, regulation of rotational speed, and traction power of the turbines showed that the rotational speed and the possibility of so-called contact grinding of the turbine is equal to that of micromotors. In terms of grinding trauma to the pulp and gingiva, the indications shifted in favor of the turbine.


It is quite clear that the new quantum perspective indicates that all sentient beings carry a small part of the infinite awareness-consciousness which lies within the heart of reality. This also means that, as John Wheeler in the twentieth century and Buddhist philosophers for at least the last two thousand years have suggested, sentient beings are the agents through which the epiontic ground of the process of reality creates the dualistic world of experience. In fact it seems as if we live in an Epiontic Universe within which the perceptions and activities of all sentient beings determine how, within the limits of the available potentialities, the universe actually manifests. Furthermore human beings, because of their greater sphere of free-will are primarily responsible for the fate and nature of the universe on all levels of manifestation. And, as Stapp, Wheeler, Zurek and others indicate, the intentions and perceptions of sentient beings have a universal impact upon the quantum ground, vanishingly tiny though it may be for any particular individual being. This impact of the intentionality and perceptual activities of sentient beings upon deep levels of the quantum Mindnature universe is such that, as Wheeler and others have clearly indicated, the actual fabric of the appearance of the material world is produced, over vast time scales, by the quantum epiontic mechanism.


Children's literature can enhance readers' understandings of themselves and others in an increasingly diverse world. This article examines the need for inclusion and discussion of diverse literature in the classroom. Specifically, the authors describe a partnership between fifth graders and preservice teachers to digitally discuss the book, A Long Walk to Water (Park, 2010) using a student-friendly blog. Both groups broadened their worldview and the need for social justice through the reading and blogging about the selected literature. The authors share classroom implications and extensions to advocate for social action. Projects such as the one described in this article remind teachers and children that common bonds of humanity can build empathy, unite us all, and inspire us to take action for social justice.


The Pfaiffer chromatography is a qualitative analysis technique that can be used in soils, composts and biofertilizers, being able to quickly observe the relationship between microorganisms, organic matter and minerals, as elements that compose them. For the agricultural producer, it is important to know the conditions of the soil or supplies that he uses to obtain better results in his crops. The objective of the work was to perform Pfaiffer chromatography to analyze the soils of productive systems and compare some qualitative characteristics. The soil samples were taken at random from different plots, the first one with conventional agronomic management, the next one from a land with temporary production and the last one from an organic production system, were analyzed by Pfaiffer chromatography separately. The chromatograms were interpreted, being able to observe that the three types of soil provide the characteristics of the farming system to which they belong.


bject-oriented (OO) design as a software programming technique has been around almost 40 years, although it has become prominent in military and government systems development in only the last few years. Its use has grown from just a programming trick to a complete approach to analyzing and solving complex problems. As with any technology, OO design has not always been applied successfully. Literature is full of misapplied OO techniques as well as impractical recommendations. The authors have seen both good and bad OO programming in large military systems. This article will try to enumerate the most common pitfalls and offer practices that have been shown to work. The practices recommended in this article are motivated by the desire to use OO technology to its best effect. OO techniques provide the opportunity to capture the logic of a complex domain or problem environment in a structure that reflects or is congruent with interrelationships among actual domain elements. This structure encapsulates the impact of volatile requirements and design decisions, and provides a natural mapping from requirements to design. Consequently, the design is flexible, facilitating system integration and repeated adjustments or enhancements to the implementation during initial development and subsequent maintenance. Therefore, these attributes of congruence and flexibility reduce system life-cycle costs and are worth striving for rather than settling for any design that can be made to work. Practices the authors have used to help struggling OO projects include the following: • System-wide software architecture. • Layered software architecture with domain layer. • Goal-directed black box use cases. • Spiral design. • Architecture and code iterations. • Spare modeling. • Experienced OO guides. These practices have been widely recommended by many OO experts. The authors' experience is that they are just as valid for complex system development within government acquisition programs. The authors have incorporated many of these recommendations into a prescriptive methodology [1]. The following sections describe these practices in more detail. However, to keep this article within an acceptable length, it is assumed the reader is familiar with typical development practices that are referenced during the discussion. One of the most effective means of preserving congruence between the domain and the design is to use OO techniques to decompose the software across the entire system. Working from a software perspective with such a broad scope yields a unified, system-wide, software architecture, expressing domain concepts with semantic consistency throughout the software. …


Predictive attenuation relationships have been developed for peak ground acceleration and spectral coordinates based on observed and simulated records for East Central Iran. First, the predictive relationships are derived based on observed records. The observed data set, which was considered, includes a total of 258 records from 109 earthquakes with a magnitude range of 5.0–7.4 on rock site. Then a suite of ground motions has been simulated for a range of magnitude and distances based on the stochastic finite fault ground‐motion model. The theoretical–empirical attenuation relationship, which has been developed for the horizontal component of peak ground acceleration and spectral acceleration, is applicable to earthquakes of M w 5.0–7.4 at a distance up to 100 km.

Online Material Earthquake catalog.


Patients with athetoid cerebral palsy may develop cervical myelopathy owing to repetitive involuntary motion. In these patients, MRI evaluation is required; involuntary motion is problematic, and general anaesthesia and immobilisation may be necessary. However, MRI studies requiring muscle relaxation and general anesthesia in adults are rare. A 65-year-old man with a history of athetoid cerebral palsy required an MRI of the cervical spine under general anaesthesia. General anaesthesia was administered with 5 mg of midazolam and 50 mg of rocuronium in a room adjacent to the MRI room. The airway was secured using an i-gel airway, and the patient was ventilated using a Jackson-Rees circuit. As the only MRI-compatible monitoring method available at our institution was SpO2 monitoring, blood pressure was monitored by palpation of the dorsal pedal artery, and ventilation was monitored visually by an anaesthesiologist in the MRI room. The MRI was uneventful. After scanning, the patient awoke promptly and was returned to the ward. An MRI scan under general anaesthesia requires monitoring of the patient, securing of the airway and ventilation, and careful selection of suitable anaesthetic agents. Although MRI scans requiring general anaesthesia are rare, anaesthesiologists should be prepared for this eventuality.


Lovelace Healthcare Systems in Albuquerque, New Mexico has developed a comprehensive approach to managing the care of seizure disorder patients through a larger project called Episodes of Care (EOC). The Seizure Disorder EOC was created to design tools and initiatives to make that care more efficient, more appropriate, and more effective by integrating primary care, specialty care, and all other aspects of a seizure disorder patient's management. Creation and methods of the EOC project are discussed, as well as implementation issues and clinical outcome and process indicators. Advice for other organizations planning similar disease management programs is outlined.


Background: Neuroblastoma is the most common extra-cranial tumor in children. Little is known about the etiology of neuroblastoma. The early age at onset and the embryonic nature suggest a role for perinatal exposures. In this work, we analyzed whether childhood neuroblastoma was associated with specific perinatal characteristics and environmental exposures around pregnancy. We assessed the following birth-related characteristics: gestational age, birth-weight and fetal growth, and the presence of congenital malformations. The maternal reproductive history before the index pregnancy and maternal intake of folic acid or vitamins/minerals before or during pregnancy was also assessed. With regards to environmental exposures related to parental habits, we focused on maternal use of household pesticides during pregnancy, parental smoking and maternal alcohol consumption. Methods: We conducted a pooled analysis of two French national-based case-control studies. The mothers of 357 neuroblastoma case and 1,783 control children younger than 6 years, frequency-matched by age and gender, completed a telephone interview that focused on sociodemographic and perinatal characteristics, childhood environment and parental lifestyle. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), including matching variables, study of origin and potential confounders. A meta-analysis of our findings with those of previous studies was also conducted with regards to maternal smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. We used random effects, precision-based weighting to calculate the summary OR including our results. Results: The first part of the thesis focused on perinatal characteristics. We observed that being born either small (OR 1.4 [95% CI 1.0-2.0]) or large (OR 1.5 [95% CI 1.1–2.2]) for gestational age and, among children younger than 18 months, having congenital malformations (OR 3.6 [95% CI 1.3–8.9]), were significantly associated with neuroblastoma. Inverse associations were observed with breastfeeding (OR 0.7 [95% CI 0.5–1.0]) and maternal use of any supplements containing folic acid, vitamins or minerals (OR 0.5 [95% CI 0.3–0.9]) during the preconception period. The second part of the thesis showed that maternal use of any type of household pesticide during pregnancy was associated with neuroblastoma (OR 1.5 [95% CI 1.2–1.9]). The most commonly used type of pesticides were insecticides and there was a positive association with their use alone (OR 1.4 [95% CI 1.1–1.9]) or with other pesticides (OR 2.0 [95% CI 1.1–3.4]). In the third part, our analyses showed that maternal smoking during pregnancy was slightly more often reported for the cases (24.1%) than for the controls (19.7%) (OR 1.3 [95% CI 0.9–1.7]; Paternal smoking in the year before child's birth was not associated with neuroblastoma as independent exposure (OR 1.1 [95%CI 0.9–1.4] but the association was stronger when both parents reported having smoked during pregnancy (OR 1.5 [95% CI 1.1–2.1]. Finally, in a meta-analysis of maternal smoking and neuroblastoma the summary OR from meta-analysis was 1.1 [95% CI 1.0–1.3]. Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis of a defective embryogenesis in neuroblastoma since fetal growth anomalies and congenital malformations were associated with an increased risk of neuroblastoma. This work also adds to the evidence of an association between neuroblastoma and some exposures during pregnancy, such as maternal use of household pesticides and maternal smoking, which are additional reasons why to advise pregnant women to limit these exposures in this period. Further investigations are needed to clarify the role of folic acid supplementation and breastfeeding, given their potential importance in neuroblastoma prevention.


Oral fluid (OF) drug testing has been implemented in several countries including the UK for the screening and confirmatory analysis of drugs of abuse (Wille et al. 2009, Chu et al. 2012, Vindenes et al. 2012, UK Goverment 2014). OF testing offers advantages of being non-invasive, less infectious, less likely of being adulterated and simplified collection of samples compared to other matrices such as blood. However, there are still some concerns about the interpretation of the results from OF drug testing related to variation in the concentration of drugs and/or metabolites in OF in comparison with blood. The considerably higher concentrations of some drugs in OF than their respective concentrations in blood could be explained by the release of drugs from oral drug depots into OF (Huestis and Cone 2004). The work described in this thesis aimed at enhancing the existing knowledge on the release of cocaine and cocaine related compounds from oral drug depots into OF and evaluating alternative techniques for the detection of drugs in OF and biological tissues. To accomplish this, the kinetics of release of cocaine and cocaine derivatives were investigated using an in-vivo and an in-vitro model. The in-vivo study evaluated the release of cocaine and derivatives from drug depots into OF by measuring the concentration of these analytes in collected OF samples from human participants that ingested or swirled a cup of coca tea. The in-vitro model evaluated the release using an adapted test system for studying the transport of drugs across biological membranes, Franz diffusion cells, applied on porcine oral tissue and synthetic oral fluid. Classical and alternative techniques such as liquid chromatography and Raman spectroscopy were evaluated for the analysis of cocaine and cocaine derivatives in OF and porcine oral tissue. The research offered new insights into the present knowledge on the release of cocaine and derivatives from drug depots into OF and presented an alternative non-invasive technique for analysing cocaine in OF and tissues. The findings of the research have also contributed to the interpretation of results from OF drug testing. The in-vivo release of drugs from drug depots showed differences in release profiles and windows of detection for cocaine, BZE, EME and AEME following the consumption of coca tea. Windows of detection varied between analytes and indicated that the concentration of drugs in OF was the contribution of the release of drugs from drug depots and the systemic circulation. The in-vitro release of drugs indicated that analytes were released into OF at different rates depending on the physicochemical characteristics of the molecules. Alternative techniques for analysing cocaine in biological matrices included the use of Raman microscopy which could detect cocaine at nanogram levels. The present research is beneficial to regulatory agencies in regard to the analysis of cocaine, the windows of detection, the false positives obtained following ingestion of coca tea and alternative techniques for on-side OF drug testing.


Photorefractive simple and double phase-conjugate mirrors very often exhibit strong instabilities in their reflectivities. One of their possible origins can be the competition between phase conjugation and its generating process, photorefractive beam fanning. However, by suitably choosing the incident beam widths and directions, we suppressed this competition and replaced it by the enhancement of each process by the other. This technique allows to obtain a double phase-conjugate mirror in BaTiO{sub 3} that establishes itself in seconds for beam intensities on the order of the tenth of a milliwatt. The reflectivities reached are on the order of 30% and stable within 3% for hours.


Two new A2Mg2TeB2O10 (A = Pb, Ba) compounds have been synthesized by the high temperature solution method. A2Mg2TeB2O10 (A = Pb, Ba) crystallize in the same space group Cmca and feature a 3D [B2TeMg2O10]4- framework structure. A2Mg2TeB2O10 (A = Pb, Ba) can be regarded as the cosubstitution of Na2RE2TeB2O10 (RE = Y, Dy-Lu), which crystallize in a different space group, P21/c. The discussion on the structure transformation from A2Mg2TeB2O10 (A = Pb, Ba) to Na2RE2TeB2O10 (RE = Y, Dy-Lu) indicates that the cosubstitution of two cations with different valence states can change the dimension of cation groups in the crystal structure, which can further alter the arrangements of the anion groups. Furthermore, the band gap and birefringence have been changed after the cosubstitution. The influences of the cosubstitution on the band gap and birefringence have been discussed through first-principles calculations and structure comparison. In addition, the IR spectra and TG-DSC curves of title compounds were studied.


Wetting is a multiscale process that can be controlled simultaneously by complex flow patterns on the macroscale and contact line phenomena at the Ångstrom scale. While resolving the latter scale is often circumvented by usage of boundary conditions, there are molecular wetting phenomena in which this approach is infeasible. The focus of this study is to use molecular dynamics simulations to examine two of these phenomena: superspreading, the ultra-rapid wetting of aqueous solutions facilitated by trisiloxane surfactants, and molecular precursors, the development of films of molecular thickness that precede droplets. Molecular simulation resolves the atomistic scale and provides information that is inaccessible from experiment. A challenge in the context of wetting, however, is that dispersion interactions are typically considered short-ranged in molecular simulations, whereas they have long-ranged effects in wetting. To capture these interactions in wetting simulations, the particle-particle particle-mesh algorithm, a long-range solver that is well-established for Coulomb interactions, is extended to dispersion. It is shown that the correct use of this algorithm leads to accurate and efficient simulations. Despite intensive studies on superspreading in the last 20 years, the underlying molecular mechanisms of the process are not understood. That the process is sensitive to various parameters in experiment, and also that previous attempts to model this phenomenon using molecular dynamics simulations failed, motivated the development of a force field dedicated to superspreading. Application in large-scale spreading simulations provides a smooth contact line transition at superspreading conditions. It is shown that this observation offers plausible explanations for experimental findings and a coherent description of the superspreading mechanism. While the dynamics and mass transport mechanisms of molecular precursors are well understood, conditions that lead to precursor formation or different types of precursors are subject to debate. Large-scale spreading simulations, new analysis methods, and excessive free energy computations shed light on these issues and resolve the conflict about the role of the spreading coefficient for precursor formation.


In this paper we use the design of an innovative on-board vision system for a small commercial minirobotto demonstrate the application of a demand compliant design (DeCoDe) method. Vision systems are amongst the most complex sensor systems both in nature and in engineering and thus provide an excellent arena for testing design methods. A review of current design methods for mechatronic systems shows that there are no methods that support or require a complete description of the product system. The DeCoDe method is a step towards overcoming this deflciencty. The minirobot robot design is carried from the generic vision system level down to first refinement for a minirobot vision system for visual navigation.


Around 28% of the total forest area in India has been brought under Joint Forest Management (JFM) and rest 72% remains virtually open access to local communities. In such a scenario, communities actively participating in JFM are also engaged in degrading de facto open access forests to meet their basic livelihood necessities. This reveals that, the poverty induced forest degradation still continues in JFM regime. This paper theoretically and empirically explains the factors that determine the individual indulgence in forest degradation. Based on a survey of 140 households in three forest fringe villages of Chandaka Wildlife Division of Orissa Sate in India, the study shows that lack of education, landlessness and low environmental awareness significantly influence the individual involvement in forest degradation. The implementation of JFM merely transfers the dependence of local community from one patch to another. It shows that unless the source of livelihood is secured, forest degradation by rural poor households would persist. In order to halt this depressing scenario, it calls for raising the individual opportunity cost through employment generation, skill formation and land allocation to the landless.


ABSTRACT Disposal of waste results from industrial activities can cause pollution if not managed properly. Perkampungan Industri Kecil (PIK) is an area of the metal casting industry that produces metal waste containing hazardous and toxic materials. Industrial environmental management is needed to prevent pollution of waste that can have an impact on the environment. In the environmental management industry in PIK apply the policy principles of Good Corporate Governance (GCG) so that the management can be known how much adherence to the rules. This study uses a mixture(mixing)between qualitative and quantitative research using data observation, interviews, documentation, and a questionnaire to explain in detail the real situation. In this study, informants taken include the Environment Agency Tegal regency and PT LUT Son Solder as the manager of PIK as well as in-depth interviews to the public, while the questionnaire given to the metalworkers using techniques Proportional purposive sampling is to apply specific criteria in accordance with the research purposes. The application of corporate governance principles is done using the five principles of transparency, accountability, responsibility, independence and fairness. This implementation is done according to Law No. 23 of 2997 on Environmental Management. Based on research conducted showed that GCG principles have been applied in the management of the environment and the level of compliance with environmental management through GCG is abiding by a percentage of 86.8%. As well as many obstacles in the form of limited human resources in implementation. The recommendations given in this study were (1) the importance of socialization legislation governing industrial and environmental management; (2) simulation of the craftsman regarding cleaner production in metal processing activities at PIK; (3) imposing sanctions on the one who has not executed correctly K3; (4) the application of the principles of good corporate governance to all stakeholders, including metalworkers. Keywords: Principles of Good Corporate Governance, Environmental Management Industry, Industrial Area, B3


This paper reports recent findings from a project which investigates the mathematics subject knowledge of prospective elementary school teachers in the UK, and how this relates to classroom teaching performance. The project was initiated in 1997 in the context of UK government policy to introduce subject content knowledge as an explicit dimension of the 'standards' for the award of Qualified Teacher Status in England. The methodology combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. We review here some findings about topics that trainees find difficult and explore early indications that the extent and security of their subject matter knowledge is related to their teaching competence.


Involvement of the central nervous system in osteosarcoma is uncommond. These neoplasms are most often located at the metaphyses of tubular bones and rarely in flat bones of vertebra, ribs, pelvis, facial bones, or skull. Tumors of the latter bones may obviously spread into the cerebrum. Osteosarcomas primarily metastasize hematogenously to the lungs. Bone, lymph node, or brain metastases are mostly seen following or concomitantly with pulmonary metastatic disease. However, there are single cases of primary osteosarcoma of the brain parenchyma without bone association or tumor manifestation at other locations. Three illustrative cases highlight the diversity of the clinical presentation of cerebral osteosarcoma: a 22-year-old man with multiple brain metastases following late pulmonary relapse of an osteosarcoma of the tibia, a 31-year-old woman with an osteosarcoma of the left anterior cranial fossa arising from the skull base, and a 78-year-old man presenting with primary osteogenic sarcoma of theleft frontal cerebral hemisphere. According to the current literature, 10-15% of all osteosarcoma patients experiencing relapse may beat risk for central nervous system metastases. To the authors' best knowledge, there are 11 cases of primary intracerebral or meningeal osteogenic sarcoma, including this case report, without any skeletal attachment.


The Design for the Environment (DfE) Program works in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders to reduce risk to people and the environment by preventing pollution. DfE focuses on industries that combine the potential for chemical risk reduction with a strong motivation to make lasting, positive changes. DfE convenes partners, including industry representatives and environmental groups, to develop goals and guide the work of the partnership. Partnerships evaluate the human health and environmental considerations, performance, and cost of traditional and alternative technologies, materials, and processes. As incentives for participation and driving change, DfE offers unique technical tools, methodologies, and expertise.


American Electric Power's (AEP) Static Var System (SVS) was placed in service at the Beaver Creek Station in eastern Kentucky in November 1980 and has since maintained an excellent record of operation. The purpose of this SVS installation was to provide both steady-state and dynamic voltage control on the 138 kV transmission system. This paper describes the application and operating experience of this unique installation, which is comprised of two thyristor controlled reactors (TCR) and two thyristor switched capacitors (TSC) with an overall dynamic range of ±125 MVAR. These components are connected to the 138 kV transmission system via a 125 MVA, 138/ 8.3 kV transformer. The +125 MVAR upper limit has been extended to +325 MVAR by installing four 50 MVAR, 138 kV capacitor banks which, in effect, function as a steady-state voltage control to optimize the SVS dynamic range.


BACKGROUND
How patients choose between alternative treatments for kidney failure is poorly understood. Recent studies of chronic kidney disease report that clinical outcomes, such as life expectancy, are rarely reflected in a patient's decision for type of treatment compared with nonclinical outcomes, such as time on dialysis therapy, convenience, or impact on the family.

METHODS
A qualitative analysis using thematic synthesis of patient views about renal replacement therapy (RRT) was undertaken. As part of a national study of patients and renal health care providers, we interviewed 95 Australian dialysis and transplant patients to explore how they perceive these alternative treatments.

RESULTS
52 patients were on satellite hemodialysis therapy, 8 patients were on incenter hemodialysis therapy, 8 patients were on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis therapy, 5 patients were on automated peritoneal dialysis therapy, 4 patients were on home hemodialysis therapy, and 18 patients had a functioning transplant at the time of interview. Freedom, convenience, self-care, effectiveness, and simplicity were commonly cited positive characteristics, whereas confinement, risk, family burden, pain, and time commitment were negative characteristics associated with RRTs. Characteristics were not specific to dialysis modalities, and some (eg, self-care) were seen as both positive and negative. A limitation of the study was that only 17 of 77 (22%) dialysis patients interviewed were on a home-based therapy.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients preferred RRTs that enhanced their freedom and autonomy and were convenient, effective, and simple. Treatments that minimized confinement and risk also were viewed positively. Our analysis suggests that patients might choose between therapies based on their perception regarding which therapy most embodies particular characteristics that minimize impact on their lifestyle. Presentation of information regarding RRTs should focus on these characteristics and the potential impact of alternative treatments on the patients and how they wish to lead their lives.


In high performance computing field, Volunteer computing model (VCM) is playing an important role. Current volunteer computing systems are essentially center-based, which may lead to some scalability and accessibility problems. In this paper, a new cooperative server group based Volunteer Computing Platform called P2HP, which overwhelms the disadvantages of VCM, is presented. P2HP supports different kind of parallel applications with several task relation graphs. P2HP is open, ease of use, scalable, fault tolerance and platform independent. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of this platform, a serial of experiments were done. The results obtained from performance analysis show that certain kinds of parallel application can benefit a lot from P2HP.


A semitransparent shape memory polymer (SMP):silver nanowire (AgNW) composite is demonstrated to be capable of low-temperature actuation, thus making it attractive for wearable electronics applications that require intimate contact with the human body. We demonstrate that the SMP:AgNW composite has tunable electrical and optical transparency through variation of the AgNW loading and that the AgNW loading did not significantly change the mechanical behavior of the SMP. The SMP composite is also capable of electrical actuation through Joule heating, where applying a 4 V bias across the AgNWs resulted in full shape recovery. The SMP was found to have high strain sensitivity at both small (<1%) and large (over 10%) applied strain. The SMP could sense strains as low as 0.6% with a gauge factor of 8.2. The SMP composite was then utilized as a touch sensor, able to sense and differentiate tapping and pressing. Finally, the composite was applied as a wearable ring that was thermally actuated to conformably fit onto a finger as a touch sensor. The ring sensor was able to sense finger tapping, pressing, and bending with high signal-to-noise ratios. These results demonstrate that SMP:AgNW composites are a promising design approach for application in wearable electronics.


Buildings are the basic carrier of social production and human life; roads are the links that interconnect social networks. Building and road information has important application value in the frontier fields of regional coordinated development, disaster prevention, auto-driving, etc. Mapping buildings and roads from very high-resolution (VHR) remote sensing images have become a hot research topic. However, the existing methods often ignore the strong spatial correlation between roads and buildings and extract them in isolation. To fully utilize the complementary advantages between buildings and roads, we propose a building-road collaborative extraction method based on multi-task and cross-scale feature interaction to improve the accuracy of both tasks in a complementary way. A multi-task interaction module is proposed to interact information across tasks and preserve the unique information of each task, which tackle the seesaw phenomenon in multitask learning. By considering the variation in appearance and structure between buildings and roads, a cross-scale interaction module is designed to automatically learn the optimal reception field for different tasks. Compared with many existing methods that train each task individually, the proposed collaborative extraction method can utilize the complementary advantages between buildings and roads by the proposed inter-task and inter-scale feature interactions, and automatically select the optimal reception field for different tasks. Experiments on a wide range of urban and rural scenarios show that the proposed algorithm can achieve building-road extraction with outstanding performance and efficiency.


The export of heterologous proteins in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli is often inefficient. Frequently observed problems are: 1) accumulation of the precursor form of the exported protein in the cytoplasm or in the membrane; 2), inefficient or incorrect processing of the precursor; 3), inefficient release of the processed protein from the cell-envelope; and 4), proteolytic degradation of the exported protein. Several distinct steps in the export of proteins, involving properties of both the exported protein and the cellular protein export apparatus, can be conceived to account for these problems. The main purpose of the investigations described in this Thesis was to determine whether the processing of precursors of, in particular heterologous, exported proteins by signal peptidase I (SPasc I) might be a rate-limiting step in protein export. ... Zie: Summary and general discussion


Despite full immunisation, poliomyelitis may still occur, though it is comparatively rare. Margoffin et al' found, however, that 25 of the 497 patients clinically classified as suffering from paralytic poliomyelitis excreted various types of Coxsackie viruses. (A9 in three, B2 in six, Bl in one, B4 in eight, B5 in six, and B4 combined with B5 in one case) and that, with exception of two patients in this subgroup -in whom the evidence was equivocal-serological and other inquiries were against a polio infection. The findings in this early survey were extended shortly afterwards by Lenette et al,2 who added Echo type 9 and mumps viruses as potential causes of paralytic manifestations. More recently Sells et alP have stated that "with the virtual elimination of poliomyelitis, the central nervous syndromes associated with Coxsackie and Echo viruses have attracted increasing attention." They listed Coxsackie A 1-11, 14, 16-18, B types 1-6, and at least 24 of the recognised Echo viruses as having been implicated. Their review supported the conclusion of previous investigations that neurological sequelae of these non-polio enteroviral infections become less damaging with increasing age, the immature brain being principally vulnerable. Paralysis of the palate in the patient described is likely to have been caused by a Coxsackie A9 infection, the source of which may have been river water, which was much depleted by a severe drought. The excellent spontaneous recovery which took place in this boy is in keeping with the good prognosis expected at his age.


B39 Background The breast glandular epithelium is composed of lobules that undergo age-related involution that increases as women age and has been associated with lowered breast cancer risk. Mammographic density (MD) is an established risk factor for breast cancer that has been shown to decrease with age. This study examined the association of age-related lobular involution with mammographic breast density. Materials and Methods The study sample was selected from approximately 20,000 healthy women who were enrolled in a screening cohort at the Mayo Clinic (Mayo Mammography Health Study) from 2003 to 2006 and had a benign breast biopsy (BBD) within 2 years of the enrollment mammogram. A quantitative measure of mammographic density, percent density (PD) was estimated on the enrollment mammogram, in addition to its components dense and nondense area (NDA). All biopsies were reviewed by a breast pathologist for the type of benign breast disease (BBD) as well as lobular involution status. Involution was defined as the proportion of terminal ductal lobular units (TDLUs) in the background tissue on biopsy that showed at least 50% decrease in size and number of acini from normal lobules and was subjectively assessed as: No- 0% involution, Partial- 1 to 74%, or Complete- >75% involution. Mean density was estimated for the 3 categories of involution using generalized linear models and square root transformation. Confounders were assessed including age, parity, body mass index (BMI), type of BBD, menopausal status, age at first birth and family history Results A total of 317 women from the MMHS had BBD within 2 years of enrollment. Mean age at BBD diagnosis in this sample was 55 years. Age- and BMI- adjusted analyses suggested an inverse association of involution and percent density with adjusted mean PD values of 23.3 (95%CI [17.2, 30.3]) for no involution, 21.9 (95%CI [20.0, 23.9]) for partial involution, and 17.8 (95% CI [14.7, 21.3]) for complete involution (p for trend 0.05). This trend was driven primarily by the positive association of involution with nondense area with adjusted mean NDA values of 103.1cm2 (95% CI [86.1, 121.7]) for no involution, 104.9 cm2 (95% CI [99.4, 110.7]) for partial involution, and 126.2 cm2 (95% CI [115.0, 137.9]) for complete involution (p for trend 0.004). Discussion Our findings suggest that MD is inversely associated with involution of breast tissues, providing a plausible mechanism through which MD influences breast cancer risk. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):B39.


Excess trust in antibiotic therapy, as well as omission in paracenthesis in treating acute otitis media, are the main factors to account for the development of a new problem in the middle ear: secretory otitis media; that is, presence of liquid, usually of mucoid type, in the tympanic cavity, which constitutes the most common cause of hearing loss in children. The eustachian tube obstruction, being an important mechanical obstructive factor in this pathologic type problem, as well as recent evidence from studies, showing that the mucosa of the middle ear, suffering repeated infections, undergoes metaplasic changes, to a glandular epithelium that maintains the presence of liquid in the cavity. Stress is placed on symptoms and signs in infants and in older children as well as on the medical and surgical therapy of this entity.


Caffeine, theophylline, and aminophylline are important methyl-substituted xanthines and are widely used in clinics. In this work, the thermodynamic characteristics of the three drugs were studied by adiabatic calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The low temperature molar heat capacities of caffeine (in the β crystal form), theophylline and aminophylline were measured by heating the system from 80 to 370 K using an adiabatic calorimeter. The results indicate that the molar heat capacity of aminophylline is the largest while that of theophylline is the smallest. The experimental molar heat capacities of the three drugs were fitted to a polynomial of Cp,m vs the reduced temperature (t) by means of the least fitting square method from 80 to 370 K. Their molar heat capacities at 298.15 K were calculated to be 226.49 J·K-1·mol-1 (for caffeine), 218.13 J·K-1·mol-1 (for theophylline), and 554.78 J·K-·1mol-1 (for aminophylline) using the polynomial Cp,m-t. Thermodynamic parameters (such as enthalpies and entropies relative to 298.15 K) were calculated for these drugs based on the polynomial Cp,m-t. The results of thermal analysis show that the order of thermal stability for these drugs is aminophylline caffeine theophylline. The temperatures, enthalpies and entropies of the phase transitions for caffeine and theophylline were obtained by DSC. The stabilities of the molecular structures for caffeine and theophylline were calculated by a first-principles calculation based on density functional theory. The results imply that the stability of the caffeine molecule is lower than that of theophylline and this is in good agreement with the experimental results.


This paper attempts to address the prevailing development issues and challenges derived from the land use changes in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. An effort has been made to firstly identify and discuss in brief about the history of physical and spatial development and land use changes occurred in Cameron Highlands. An extensive review of relevant literature and using the geospatial inputs from analyzing satellite images of the areas from different period of time will be explicitly presented. We developed an object-oriented method for mapping and monitoring the changes of land-use-land-cover (LULC) in a complex environment. Temporal satellite images (2001-2014) are intensively used to produce a series of LULC maps. All high resolution images were intelligently classified into six land use types namely primary forest, secondary forest, agricultural areas, bare soil, urban/settlement and water bodies. The preliminary result showed the forested area significantly decreases, whereas agriculture and urbanization zones are dramatically increasing and causing a number of disasters in the area. This collaborative research has identified the need and requirement of accurate LULC information and possibly monitored their changes. With issues of deforestation and expansion of urban and plantation areas into the environmental sensitive areas (ESA) of Cameron Highlands, there are great concern among local stakeholders on micro-climate changes and disaster-related events that induced by human activities in highland areas such as mud flood and landslides. This study recommended that land use changes influenced by human activities should be continuously monitored using advanced and modern geospatial technology. A geo-smart spatial planning can be a complimentary tool for solving excessive land use issues and subsequently reducing disaster risks. A spatiotemporal analysis can be extended to support the spatial planning process and enforcement at local level. Establishment of special area planning at every sub-districts of Cameron Highlands could also be an achievable target as to regulate land use changes towards sustainable development at grassroots level.


Do groups exhibit more or less inequality aversion than individuals? Although the previous literature has shown that in many environments individuals in groups make more selfish decisions than when deciding in isolation, we find that individuals express more inequality aversion when making initial proposals in a group decision-making environment compared to an individual decision-making environment. This may be driven by a change in the reference group and by beliefs about the prevailing norm in the group, but we exclude that it is driven by a loss of anonymity. By investigating how groups aggregate individual preferences under a unanimity rule, we show that the members with median social preferences lead the group decisions and a higher inequality aversion compared to the median slows down the convergence process. Overall, final decisions in groups reveal the same level of inequality aversion than individual decisions.


Between the 1970s and the 2000s, Costa Rica became established as the world's leading ecotourism destination. This article argues that although Costa Rica benefited from biodiversity and a pleasant climate, the country's preeminence in ecotourism requires more than a natural resource endowment explanation. While previous literature has emphasized the efforts of the government and nongovernment organizations, this article demonstrates the critical role of small entrepreneurs in the co-creation of the industry. Making extensive use of oral history, the article explores the role of tour companies in drawing affluent Western ecotourists to the country, and of the creators of ecolodges and other forms of accommodation in providing them with somewhere to stay. Clustering created positive externalities, drawing new entrepreneurs into the industry who could also learn from knowledge spillovers. There were downsides to the new industry. The creation of the national image of a natural paradise enabled many businesses which were not environmentally sustainable to free ride on the green image.


BACKGROUND
There is significant need for optometric care in long-term care facilities which can be expected to increase in the next decade.

METHODS
The previous ophthalmic and medical literature was reviewed and the practical aspects of providing eye care in a nursing home were analyzed.

RESULTS
Comprehensive nursing home care requires the integration of portable ophthalmic equipment, a modification of standard testing procedures, clear and concise documentation, and close communication with other health care providers on the nursing home clinical staff.

CONCLUSION
Optometrists must consider the incorporation of nursing home care into their clinical practice, while recognizing the unique aspects of providing eye care within a long-term care facility.


We briefly review, at a level appropriate for graduate students and non-specialists, the field of quasar absorption lines (QALs). Emphasis is on the intervening absorbers. We present the anatomy of a quasar spectrum due to various classes of intervening absorption systems, and a brief historical review of each absorber class (Lyman-alpha forest and Lyman limit systems, and metal-line and damped Lyman-alpha absorbers). We also provide several heuristic examples on how the physical properties of both the intergalactic medium and the gaseous environments associated with earlier epoch galaxies can be inferred from QALs. The evolution of these environments from z=4 are discussed.


Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor treatments can augment the anti-tumor effects of retinoids in renal cancer cells. We studied the effects of the HDAC inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and 13-cis retinoic acid (cRA) on two human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) lines. Cells were cultured in the presence of each drug for six days to determine the responses to monotherapy and to combination therapy. The proliferation of SKRC06 was inhibited with cRA treatment; SKRC39 was not. However, both RCC lines were sensitive to growth inhibition by dibutyryl cyclic AMP, with or without 13-cis RA. SAHA alone also reduced cell proliferation in both cell lines. To identify the alterations in gene expression that correlate with the responsiveness to treatment, gene microarray analyses were performed. Several retinoid-regulated genes exhibited much higher mRNA levels in SKRC06 than in SKRC39, even in the absence of drugs; these included crabp2, rar, and cyp26A1. Combination treatment of cells with both SAHA and cRA induced several transcripts with known anti-cancer/immunomodulatory effects, including dhrs9, gata3, il1, phlda1, txk and vhl. Immunostaining confirmed the decreased expression of gata3 in human RCC specimens compared to normal kidney. Together, our results show that treatment of RCC with cRA and/or SAHA increases the expression of several genes and gene families that result in reduced cell proliferation.


In this research an advanced variable structure
adaptive Multiple Sub-Filters (MSF) based algorithm for single channel Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) is pro-posed and analyzed. This work suggests a new and im-proved direction to find the optimum tap-length of adaptive filter employed for AEC. The structure adaptation, sup- ported by a tap-length based weight update approach helps the designed echo canceller to maintain a trade-off be- tween the Mean Square Error (MSE) and time taken to attain the steady state MSE. The work done in this paper focuses on replacing the fixed length sub-filters in existing MSF based AEC algorithms which brings refinements in terms of convergence, steady state error and tracking over the single long filter, different error and common error algorithms. A dynamic structure selective coefficient up- date approach to reduce the structural and computational cost of adaptive design is discussed in context with the
proposed algorithm. Simulated results reveal a compara- tive performance analysis over proposed variable structure multiple sub-filters designs and existing fixed tap-length sub-filters based acoustic echo cancellers.


The so-called EURO data set is the largest set ever assembled, consisting of fracture toughness results obtained in the ductile-to-brittle transition region. It was the outcome of a large project, sponsored by the European Union, which involved ten European laboratories in the second half of the 1990s. Several post-project investigations have identified one of the blocks from which specimens were extracted (block SX9) as macroscopically inhomogeneous and significantly tougher than the remaining blocks. In this paper, the variability of block SX9 has been investigated using the conventional master curve (MC) methodology and some recent MC extensions, namely, the SINTAP (structural integrity assessment procedure) lower tail, the single point estimation, the bi-modal MC, and the multi-modal MC. The basic MC method is intended for macroscopically homogeneous ferritic steels only, and the alternative approaches have been developed for the investigation of inhomogeneous materials. Therefore, these methods can be used to study the behavior of block SX9 within the EURO data set. It has been found that the bi-modal and multi-modal MC approaches are quite effective in detecting the "anomaly" represented by block SX9 but only when analyses are performed on data sets of comparable size.


This paper explores the contested and racialised nature of Englishness as a national identity. Based on qualitative interviews of white mothers in London, the paper examines the different ways in which the interviewees positioned themselves in relation to concepts of Englishness. National identity involves ways of being, a sense of place and belonging. It is produced through forms of myth-making and narrative production which depend on particular constructions of time and space. This paper examines how nation-ness is imagined and lived by the interviewees. It asks how constructions of Englishness related to constructions of the self and how imaginings of belonging involved imagining of otherness. It also describes how, for some of the interviewees, the domestic, particularly in notions of cleanliness and dirt, as well as food and consumption, was a key metaphor for explaining their relationship to national identity.


In this paper, we propose a complete 2.5D and 3D human face acquisition framework based on a stereo sensor coupled with a structured lighting source. We aim to develop an accurate and low-cost solution dedicated to the 3D model-based face recognition techniques (FRT). In our approach, we first calibrate the stereo sensor in order to extract its optical characteristics and geometrical parameters (the offline phase). Second, epipolar geometry coupled with a projection of special structured light on a face (the online capture phase), improves the resolution of the stereo matching problem, by transforming it into a one-dimensional search problem and a sub-pixel features matching. Next, we apply our adapted and optimized dynamic programming algorithm to pairs of features which are already located in each scanline. Finally, 3D information is found by computing the intersection of optical rays coming from the pair of matched features. The final face model is produced by a pipeline of four steps: (a) Spline-based interpolation, (b) Partial models' alignment then integration, (c) Mesh generation, and (d) Texture mapping. Furthermore, this paper presents an approach which evaluates the reconstruction techniques. We consider a scan from a laser scanner as "ground truth", then we compute spatial deviation between it and the homologue reconstructed model, based on the well-known Iterative Closest Point matching algorithm.


A detailed analysis of respiratory signals in normal breathing and defensive respiratory reflexes was performed to obtain maximum information that can be used for modelling of respiratory processes. Physiological interpretation of the problem is difficult and requires further measurements to achieve convincing conclusions. We suggest therefore that the search for appropriate methodological backgrounds should contribute to further clarification of the problems concerned with reciprocal linkage of the respiratory signals. Appropriate attention must be paid to investigations aimed at explaining the regulatory mechanisms of breathing.


Both Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and divorce are very prevalent in western societies, and they may occur together. AD/HD is generally viewed as a neurobiological disorder, which has led to a commonly held belief that social-environmental factors play little role in the symptom profile of children diagnosed with the disorder. This study investigated the association between parental divorce, remarriage, multiple transitions, the quality of relationships with family members and the psychological well-being of children and adolescents with AD/HD. First, differences in children's AD/HD symptom profiles in relation to parents' divorce status (single/multiple divorce) and family composition (single parent/stepfamily) were examined. Second, the association between the quality of children's relationships with each family member and parents' marital status (divorced/non-divorced) and family composition was investigated. In addition, age, gender and AD/HD subtype differences were assessed. Third, the association between the quality of children's interactions with family members and children's AD/HD symptom profile was explored. No significant differences in children's behavioural profiles were found in terms of parents' divorce status. Living in stepfamilies was associated with greater AD/HD severity and social malfunctioning. Disruptive parent–child and sibling relationships were found to be related to children's age, gender, AD/HD subtype and parents' marital status. Further, poor interactions with family members correlated with children's AD/HD severity and psychological well-being. In summary, divorce, remarriage and the quality of relationships with family members are important correlates of the symptom profile of children with AD/HD, and this emphasises the need for special treatment modules for these families.


The idea of episodic memory implies the existence of a process that segments experience into episodes so that they can be stored in memory. It is therefore surprising that the link between event segmentation and the organization of experiences into episodes in memory has not been addressed. We found that after participants read narratives containing temporal event boundaries at varying locations in the narrative, their long-term associative memory for information across event boundaries was lower than their memory for information within an event. This suggests that event segmentation during encoding resulted in segmentation of those same events in memory. Further, functional imaging data revealed that, across participants, brain activity consistent with the ongoing integration of information within events correlated with this pattern of mnemonic segmentation. These data are the first to address the mechanisms that support the organization of experiences into episodes in long-term memory.


The present study demonstrates that two different forms of the intracellular cholesterol esterification enzyme acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) are present in the nonhuman primate hepatocyte; one is similar to that originally cloned from human genomic DNA, here termed ACAT1, while a second gene product, termed ACAT2, is reported here. The primate ACAT2 gene product was cloned from an African green monkey liver cDNA library. Sequence analysis of an isolated, full-length clone of ACAT2 cDNA identified an open reading frame encoding a 526-amino acid protein with essentially no sequence similarity to the ACAT1 cDNA over the N-terminal 101 amino acids but with 57% identity predicted over the remaining 425 amino acids. Transfection of the cloned ACAT2 cDNA into two different mammalian cell types resulted in the production of abundant ACAT activity which was sensitive to ACAT inhibitors. Northern blot analysis showed that the ACAT2 mRNA was expressed primarily in liver and intestine in monkeys. In contrast, ACAT1 mRNA was expressed in almost all tissues examined. Topologic predictions from the amino acid sequence of ACAT2 indicates that it has seven trans-membrane domains in a configuration that places the putative active site of the enzyme in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. This orientation of ACAT2 in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, in addition to its expression only in liver and intestine, suggests that this enzyme may have as a primary function, the secretion of cholesteryl esters into apoB-containing lipoproteins.


It is shown that in Minkowski space the Maxwell equations outside a given timelike curve z( tau ) can be reduced to one equation for one complex spin-weighted scalar function, which together with charge wholly determines the electromagnetic field. This result is used to construct distributional multiple fields, which form a basis of the space of retarded fields of currents concentrated on z( tau ). The usual multipole expansion is discussed.


Irrigated rice fields are an important source of atmospheric methane. In order to improve our understanding of the controlling processes, we measured in situ CH4 emission and CH4 oxidation in an Italian rice field in 1998 and 1999, and studied CH4 production in soil and root samples. The CH4 emission rates were correlated with diurnal temperature variations and showed pronounced seasonal and interannual variations. The contribution of CH4 oxidation to total CH4 flux, determined by specific inhibition with difluoromethane, decreased from 40% at the beginning to zero at the end of the season. The stable carbon isotopic composition of the emitted CH4 also decreased. The CH4‐oxidizing bacteria probably became limited by nitrogen as indicated by the seasonal decrease of NH4+. Thus, CH4 oxidation had little effect on CH4 emission. Methane production on rice roots was relatively constant over the season. Methane production in soil slowly increased after flooding and was highest in the middle of the season. Pore water concentrations of CH4 showed a similar seasonal pattern. In 1999, CH4 production increased later in the season and reached lower rates than in 1998. An additional drainage in 1999 resulted in higher ferric iron concentrations, higher soil redox potentials and lower acetate concentrations. As a result, acetate‐utilizing methanogens were probably out‐competed by iron‐reducers so that a larger percentage of [2–14C]acetate was converted to 14CO2 instead of 14CH4. The residual CH4 production was relatively low and was mainly due to H2/CO2‐dependent methanogenesis. Experiments with radioactive bicarbonate and with methyl fluoride as specific inhibitor showed that the theoretical ratio of 7:3 of methanogenesis from acetate vs. H2/CO2 was only reached later in the season when total CH4 production was at the maximum. In conclusion, our results give a mechanistic explanation for the intraseasonal and interannual differences in CH4 emission.


Background/Aims: Cardiac hypertrophy is a major predisposing factor for heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Hyperoside (Hyp), a flavonoid isolated from Rhododendron ponticum L., is a primary component of Chinese traditional patent medicines. Numerous studies have shown that Hyp exerts marked anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-ischemic, and particularly cardio-protective effects. However, the effects of Hyp on cardiac hypertrophy have not been explored. The aims of this study were to determine whether Hyp could protect against cardiac remodeling and to clarify the potential molecular mechanisms. Methods: Neonatal rat cardiac myocytes were isolated and treated with different concentrations of Hyp, then cultured with angiotensin II for 48 h. Mice were subjected to either aortic banding or sham surgery (control group). One week after surgery, the mice were treated with Hyp (20 mg/kg/day) or vehicle by oral gavage for 7 weeks. Hypertrophy was evaluated by assessing morphological changes, echocardiographic parameters, histology, and biomarkers. Results: Hyp pretreatment suppressed angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy in cardiomyocytes. Hyp exerted no basal effects but attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction, fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress induced by pressure overload. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that the effect of Hyp on cardiac hypertrophy was mediated by blocking activation of the AKT signaling pathway. Conclusion: Hyp improves cardiac function and prevents the development of cardiac hypertrophy via AKT signaling. Our results suggest a protective effect of Hyp on pressure overload-induced cardiac remodeling. Taken together, Hyp may have a role in the pharmacological therapy of cardiac hypertrophy.


Implementing systems in proof assistants like Coq and proving their correctness in full formal detail has consistently demonstrated promise for making extremely strong guarantees about critical software, ranging from compilers and operating systems to databases and web browsers. Unfortunately, these verifications demand such heroic manual proof effort, even for a single system, that the approach has not been widely adopted. We demonstrate a technique to eliminate the manual proof burden for verifying many properties within an entire class of applications, in our case reactive systems, while only expending effort comparable to the manual verification of a single system. A crucial insight of our approach is simultaneously designing both (1) a domain-specific language (DSL) for expressing reactive systems and their correctness properties and (2) proof automation which exploits the constrained language of both programs and properties to enable fully automatic, pushbutton verification. We apply this insight in a deeply embedded Coq DSL, dubbed Reflex, and illustrate Reflex's expressiveness by implementing and automatically verifying realistic systems including a modern web browser, an SSH server, and a web server. Using Reflex radically reduced the proof burden: in previous, similar versions of our benchmarks written in Coq by experts, proofs accounted for over 80% of the code base; our versions require no manual proofs.


R. C. Bose and K. A. Bush [1] showed how to make use of the maximum number of points, no three of which are collinear, in finite projective spaces for the construction of orthogonal arrays. In particular this enabled them to construct an orthogonal array (81, 10, 3, 3). They proved on the other hand that, in the case considered, the maximum number of constraints does not exceed 12 [1], (Theorem 2C). Hence they state: "We do not know whether we can get 11 or 12 constraints in any other way." This paper shows first that a 10-rowed orthogonal array, constructed by the geometrical method, cannot be extended to an 11-rowed orthogonal array. It then shows that the number of constraints does not exceed 11. The problem of construction of an orthogonal array with 11 constraints remains unsolved. This summary should serve, as well, as a correction to the statement made in the abstract, "A remark on the geometrical method of construction of an orthogonal array," published in the Annals of Mathematical Statistics, Vol. 25 (1954), p. 177-178, which claimed the nonexistence of an orthogonal array of 11 constraints also.


Current high-speed PCB (printed circuit board) designs need extra care due to the frequency of operation and reduced rise time signals. We present the main issues and parameters that a PCB designer has to consider and analyze before a board layout is created. First order approximation equations for various parameters are presented, based on the geometry of the PCB traces. Some useful design practices are also mentioned. As the speed of operation increases, the variables that are neglected in the lower frequency/higher rise time situation become more significant. Such parameters increase the complexity of the design. Three-dimensional analysis becomes a must to calculate and model interconnects accurately. This is where field solvers and the role of the signal integrity engineer come into play.


GTP cyclohydrolase I is the rate-limiting enzyme for the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin, which is the cofactor for tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme for dopamine biosynthesis. We found that dominantly inherited, hereditary progressive dystonia (HPD), first described by Segawa and also called dopa responsive dystonia (DRD), is caused by the mutations of GTP cyclohydrolase I gene, the partial decrease in the enzyme activity, and probably in striatal dopamine level, to less than 20% of the normal values. Juvenile parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease are also striatal dopamine deficiency, but no mutation in the enzyme has not been found, and they are supposed to be different from HPD/DRD in which no cell death of the nigrostriatal dopamine neurons occurs.