BACKGROUND
Bacteremia due to Streptococcus bovis (now S. gallolyticus) has been traditionally associated to colon or hepatobiliar disease and endocarditis but there is no information on this matter in Chile.

AIMS
To describe clinical features of adult patients suffering bacteremia by S. bovis/S. gallolyticus, identify the source of the bacteremia and the frequency of endocarditis.

METHODS
Retrospective-descriptive study using laboratory records.

RESULTS
Between January 2003 and August 2014, 23 S. bovis/S. gallolyticus bacteremic events were identified among 22 patients. Mean age was 72.7 years (range 46-96). Co-morbidities were frequent (9.1 to 47.6%). The primary source of bacteremia was intestinal in 52.2%; hepatobiliar in 17.4% and in 34.8% it was not elucidated. Six patients had infective endocarditis (26.1%) and one patient had espondylodiscitis (4.3%). S. bovis represented 39.1% of isolates (all until 2008), S. gallolyticus subsp pasteurianus 39.1% and, S. gallolyticus subsp infantarius and S. gallolyticus subsp gallolyticus 8.7% each one, respectively. Association studies between the bacteremic source or endocarditis with specific S. gallolyticus subspecies were limited by the small number of isolates. Seven patients (30.4%) underwent surgical interventions. In-hospital mortality reached 21.7% (n=5).

CONCLUSIONS
Although infrequent, bacteremic events by S. gallolyticus/S. bovis have increased in-hospital mortality, require surgical intervention and affect older patients with co-morbidities. Near two-thirds suffer from colonic or hepatobiliary disease that act as the primary source of bacteremia. In addition, near one fourth is affected by infective endocarditis. Detection of S. gallolyticus/S. bovis in blood cultures prompts a thorough clinical evaluation in order to clarify the source of the bloodstream infection and the presence of complications.


In recent years, China has made great efforts to control air pollution. During the governance process, it is found that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) change in the same trend among some areas and the opposite in others,which brings some difficulties to take measures in a planned way. Therefore, this study adopted multi-year and large-scale air quality data to explore the distribution of correlation between PM2.5 and O3, and proposed a concept called dynamic Simil-Hu lines to replace the single fixed division in the previous research. Furthermore, this study discussed the causes of distribution patterns quantitatively with geographical detector and random forest. The causes included natural factors and anthropogenic factors. And these factors could be divided into three parts according to the characteristics of spatial distribution: broadly changing with longitude, changing with latitude, and having local characteristics. Overall, regions with relatively more densely population, higher GDP, lower altitude, higher humidity, higher atmospheric pressure, higher surface temperature, less sunshine hours and more accumulated precipitation often corresponds to positive correlation coefficient between PM2.5 and O3, no matter in which season. The parts with opposite conditions that mentioned above are essentially negative correlation coefficient. And what's more, humidity, global surface temperature, air temperature and accumulated precipitation are four decisive factors to form the distribution of correlation between PM2.5 and O3. In general, collaborative governance of atmospheric pollutants should consider particular time and space background and also be based on the local actual socio-economic situations, geography and geomorphology, climate and meteorology and other comprehensive factors.


Broadband IR radiation detectors have been developed using miniature, inexpensive, mass produced microcantilevers capable of detecting temperature differences as small as 10-6 K. Microcantilevers made out of semiconductor materials with dimensions of 50 to 200 micrometers long, 10 to 30 micrometers wide and 0.4 to 4 micrometers thick, undergo bending when exposed to IR radiation and can be used either as uncooled photon or thermal detectors. Mounted on a probe 1 mm in diameter a number of microcantilevers can be accommodated in the working channel of existing endoscopes for in vivo proximity focus measurements inside the human body.


As treatment of ischemic stroke remains a challenge with respect to the failure of numerous neuroprotective attempts, there is an ongoing need for better understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms causing tissue damage. Although ischemic outcomes have been studied extensively at the cellular and molecular level using histological and biochemical methods, properties of ischemia-affected brain tissue with respect to mechanical integrity have not been addressed so far. As a novel approach, this study used fluorescence-based detection of regions affected by experimental thromboembolic stroke in combination with scanning force microscopy to examine mechanical alterations in selected rat brain areas. Twenty-five hours after onset of ischemia, a decreased elastic strength in the striatum as the region primarily affected by ischemia was found compared with the contralateral nonaffected hemisphere. Additional intrahemispheric analyses showed decreased elastic strength in the ischemic border zone compared with the more severely affected striatum. In conclusion, these data strongly indicate a critical alteration in mechanical tissue integrity caused by focal cerebral ischemia. Further, on the basis of data that have been obtained in relation to the ischemic border zone, a shell-like pattern of mechanical tissue damage was found in good accordance with the penumbra concept. These findings might enable the development of specific therapeutic interventions to protect affected areas from critical loss of mechanical integrity.


Abstract: Today's libraries are managing increasingly complex workflows, offering dramatically enhanced services—both in quantity and quality—to users and researchers, and using large numbers of systems and databases to provide these services. Accordingly, simple and easy-to-implement integrations are becoming a key component in the library's success in meeting its internal goals, as well critical for its contribution to the organization's mission.
Alma Developers makes extending Alma easy and fast. This new platform enables Alma to seamlessly integrate with any system that interacts with library workflows, making extending library workflows and services a snap, and enabling smooth interaction with other organizational systems. As a result, the library becomes integrated with important institutional processes.
In this session we will describe the Alma Developers platform. We will detail Alma's existing and planned API extensions, present options for internal extensions in Alma, and wrap up after becoming well acquainted with the Alma tools that make this happen, including some of our roadmap plans in this area.


Abstract The combined effects of buoyancy forcing and wind in a gyre-scale steady ocean circulation are modeled using discrete layers with an interfacial flux, not necessarily vertical. The equations for vorticity conservation of the geostrophic flow in this system are fully nonlinear, involving a Jacobian for the layer thicknesses. These equations are written in a form which can be solved by the method of characteristics. The form of these equations invites the interpretation that the geostrophic baroclinic flow is driven by buoyancy and steered by the wind. Two examples are solved and discussed, a subtropical gyre with heating, and a subpolar gyre with cooling. In each case, there are distinct regimes of flow, depending upon whether the characteristics originate at the eastern or western boundaries of the model. A simple geometrical argument illustrates that the difference between these two regimes, the direct and indirect cells, depends upon the sign of the true vertical velocity relative to the interf...


In this paper, we propose an algorithm for neighbors finding in images represented by quadtree data structure. We first present a scheme for addressing image pixels that takes into account the order defined on a quadtree blocks. We study various properties of this method, and then we develop a formula that establishes links between quadtree blocks. Based on these results, we present an efficient algorithm that generates the list of location codes of all possible neighbors, in all directions, for a given block of the quadtree.


Abstract This paper discusses nonlinear dynamos where the nonlinearity arises directly via the Lorentz force in the Navier-Stokes equation, and leads to a situation where the Lorentz force and the velocity and the magnetic field are in direct competition over substantial regions of the flow domain. Filamentary and non-filamentary dynamos are contrasted, and the concept of Alfvénic dynamos with almost equal magnetic and kinetic energies is reviewed via examples. So far these remain in the category of toy models; the paper concludes with a discussion of whether similar dynamos are likely to exist in astrophysical objects, and whether they can model the solar cycle.


This paper generalizes certain analytical formulas for yield and yield sensitivities so that design centering and yield optimization can be effectively carried out employing given statistical parameter distributions. The tolerance region of possible outcomes is discretized into a set of orthotopic cells. A suitable weight is assigned to each cell in conjunction with an assumed uniform distribution on the cell. Explicit formulas for yield and its sensitivities w.r.t. nominal parameter values and component tolerances are presented for linear cuts and sensitivities of these cuts based upon approximations of the boundary of the constraint region. To avoid unnecessary evaluations of circuit responses, e.g., integrations for nonlinear circuits, multidimensional quadratic interpolation is performed. Sparsity is exploited in the determination of these quadratic models leading to reduced computation as well as increased accuracy.


Neither adaption of a DVM for a particular study system nor simulating the past transient vegetation dynamics with a DVM is newsworthy anymore, unless novel methods are introduced in their application. Which brings us to the novelty of this paper: the coupling (or rather, the preparation towards coupling) of a DVM to a landscape evolution model. However, the manuscript fails to describe the steps that makes this coupling possible and discuss the approach with sufficient detail.


The electronic implants were introduced in the human body further to a surgical operation for the neurological dysfunctions treatment as well as the help or the replacement of the organs which have difficulties. For practical and medical reasons, implants have to communicate without wire with the external world. Most of them use an inductive link to supply in power and data. In this paper, we propose a communication system for the medical implants which uses inductive link. This system is consisted of a class E power amplifier, an ASK modulator, an inductive link and an ASK demodulator


Food drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving food for later use. Drying foods is simple, safe and easy to learn. The reasons for drying are manifold but they ordinarily fall into one of the following categories : to facilitate handling; reducing shipping costs; to increase the capacity of other equipment in the process and to preserve a product during storage and shipment. Air drying is the most method used in food dehydration even it reduces product quality; tough texture, incomplete rehydration, loss of juiciness, and unfavorable color and flavor loss. osmotic dehydration involved immersing high-moisture food materials in an osmotic solution. Osmotic dehydration improve the product quality although it take along time, which could be solved by combination with ultrasonic. ultrasonic osmotic dehydration technology could be carried out at lower solution temperature to obtain higher water loss and solute gain rates, while preserving the natural flavor, color and heat – sensitive nutritive components.


Competitive electricity market often requires the separation of transmission and generating services; therefore, the transmission system operator does not have an impact on short and long term generation patterns. At the same time, the transmission operator needs to accommodate various transactions and generation patterns. In the desire to accommodate market-based transactions, the transmission operator is very much interested in quantifying the various stability margins (voltage, dynamic, etc.) and in determining the level of robustness of the transmission system. In the case of voltage stability, the index of robustness used is the difference from the current operating condition to an infeasible point. Particularly relevant is the amount of additional reactive load that can be accommodated before the system experiences a voltage collapse. In this paper, we present a development of OPFs based on primal-dual nonlinear interior-point method, which can handle maximum loadability constraint under contingency state. The developed OFF can solve the optimal operating point while keeping enough loadability margin under contingency state. In order to demonstrate the advantage of the proposed methods, the OPFs are applied to several test systems under various operating conditions.


Echo cancellation is common in full-duplex data transmission over pair-wire telephone lines. A well-designed hybrid circuit can lessen the echo canceller's burden as well as reduce the A/D converter's complexity in a digital implementation. We formulate the task of hybrid design as an optimization problem where the objective function is a weighted average of post-cancellation echo power, echo canceller complexity, and A/D converter complexity. In contrast, prior work in this area appears to have not considered the effect of echo cancellation in problem formulation. We discuss proper forms for the objective function and employ one of them in a numerical study. The chosen objective function is a weighted sum-squares value of the transhybrid echo impulse response. We consider several simple balance network topologies for the hybrid. These networks range from a simple resistor to a fourth-order RLC circuit. The numerical results obtained show that there is significant advantage in using optimized higher-order balance networks, as compared to suboptimal balance networks or simple resistor balance, in terms of both echo cancellation efficiency and hardware complexity. Some topics for further study are indicated.


In recent years a great deal of attention has been paid to patent reform. This debate is exemplified by recent popular publications (Jaffe and Lerner, 2004; Bessen and Meurer, 2008), as well as publicized patent litigation such as the NTP v. Research-in-Motion patent litigation (the Blackberry patents). At the same time, scholars point to the over-burdened patent offices, the growth in patent applications, and the proliferation of low-quality or overlapping patents. In this paper, we take a novel approach to dealing with the flood of applications at the patenting authorities in the US and Europe and the resulting delay and issuance of low quality patents. We explore the magnitude of the congestion externality and seek to determine the optimal balance of the direct costs of applying for a patent with the indirect cost caused by regulatory delay. Our proposed theoretical and empirical framework enable explicit measurement of the cost of delay and the implications of changing patent application fees. The results have implications for a variety of policy questions involving optimal fees, patent quality, and competition policy. We include in this submission a basic theoretical model that can be extended to examine a number of policy implications, including the relationship between examination time and patent quality. We also describe an empirical approach that enables quantification of the cost of delay. Both the model and the empirical work enable us to discuss additional policy questions such as the importance of application versus renewal fees, the consequence of the self-funding constraint on patent offices, and the impact of higher quality patents on rent-seeking activities. Preliminary results show that the patent office revenue maximizing fee exceeds the optimal fee for patent holders, but that the optimal fee for patent holders is positive.This research benefited from a Tilburg Law and Economics Center (TILEC) IIPC grant.


In hot summer, the sun rays strike the roof surface and heat up the enclosed attic. Passive vents (Soffit or Gable) allow some circulation of fresh air. Presently, in India, passive Whirlybird is predominantly used for ventilation purposes, which spins and sucks up the warm air and forces it out upwards through the vent on the roof. Since it depends mainly on the natural wind velocity, it's efficiency to cost ratio is very low. Also, the accumulation of dust particles has a deleterious effect on the performance and life of the unit. Hence, in this work, a roof top solar ventilator has been designed and developed at low cost to address the above-mentioned problems. This unit has a high-performance brushless DC motor, an adjustable solar panel to achieve optimal solar exposure and it blends seamlessly into roof. The solar panel powers the fan through the motor, thereby increasing the air circulation through the vent. This increased air circulation provides the required pressure to force the hot air out from the attic. During hot summer, the difference in temperature between the floor and the ceiling can reach 10–15 °C, leading to a constant heat pile up in the attic and this system can limit the temperature of the attic to 40°C. In winter season, moist air present inside the house warms up, rises and collides with the cold air entering through the roof. This provides a mixed circulation that prevents the cold air from entering the roof and also reduces freezing of snow on the roof surface. Further, it keeps the inside space cooler and drier. Since this ventilator operates on renewable energy source, it is a simple and feasible solution that is environmentally friendly at low-cost. This provides healthy, energy efficient homes and work spaces as it reduces the usage of air conditions and heaters. A comparative study on the performance, life and cost of both the existing and the newly developed ventilators has been made and the same is reported.


The article discusses the features of demographic processes in Western Siberia during the Great Patriotic War. These features consist in drastic changes in population size and structure due to the mobilization and migration typical of the war period, especially evacuation. The main determinants of the spatial movements of people during this period were military-political factors. State control over the territorial displacement of people was greatly strengthened. During the war the rural population shrank dramatically, while the number of city dwellers, due to the influx of migrants, increased. The proportion of the urban population rose, but it was a quasi-urbanization of the region. Due to changes in population structure and the general deterioration of living conditions, fertility was significantly reduced, which became the main cause of the natural decrease of the population in 1942-1944. Mortality, after increasing in the first years of the war, in 1943 began to decline, with the mortality rate in 1945 being more than twice as low as in 1941. The most important role in this reduction was played by the health care system.


The article highlights the specifics of the activities of the cultural and educational department (board) of the General Staff of the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic, the activities of whose staff developed normative and instructive documents, that allowed to properly organize the work of divisional (camp) cultural and educational departments. It was established that the organization of general education of interned soldiers of the UPR Army in the camps was always marked by great difficulties, as a result of which the work of most camp educational courses and schools was irregular, but gave its positive signs. It was also very important that the general educational work in the camps was combined with a set of measures designed to strengthen the foundations of the military's conscious understanding of state needs and consistent defense of national ones – for which Ukrainian studies courses were organized in all parts of the UPR Army.

One of the main achievements of educational work was the elimination (during 1921) of illiteracy among the Cossacks of the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic, which was achieved through the daily efforts of the organizers in the camps. Members of public organizations of internees (student and senior communities) also contributed to the intensification of educational work in the camps. They considered it their patriotic duty to carry out such work.. However, it should be noted that the success of educational work in the camps was mostly due to the American charitable organization YMSA, which generously sponsored the vast majority of educational needs of campers. These contributions greatly enabled the work of various camp educational centers, which allowed internees to fill their camp existence with constructive content and adapt to the difficult conditions of stay in exile. The most important thing was that it created favorable opportunities for the campers to continue their education, as well as made it easier for them to master one or more civilian specialties – which ultimately greatly facilitated the employment process after the liquidation of the camps.


Vitamin, amino acid and haematological studies on leaves and fruits of Perseaamericana was carried out. Results obtained for vitamins, showed higher concentrations of niacin,ascorbic acid and tocopherol in the studied fruitsthan leaves. Aside serine and tyrosine, other amino acids investigated in both samples were appreciably high.Rats placed on leaves and fruits of the studied sample showed insignificant (p>0.05) effect in levels of RBC,Hb, and WBC when compared to those of the control. Neutrophils, lymphocytes, MCH, and MCHC were significantly affected (p<0.05) in test rats against those of the control rats. The study has shown that consumption of leaves or fruit of P.americana may induce a hypochromic or normocytic condition in the body.


DNA was extracted from the buffy coats or serum of 212 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) sampled throughout the species' geographic range. An 835 base pair (bp) fragment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was amplified from each sample, sequenced, aligned, and used to estimate genetic distances from which phylogenetic trees were constructed. A tree that included sequences from rhesus macaques whose exact origins in China are known was used to determine the regional origin of clusters of haplotypes, or haplogroups, defined by the trees. Indian rhesus sequences formed one large homogeneous haplogroup with very low levels of nucleotide diversity and no geographic structure, and a second much smaller haplogroup apparently derived from Burma. The sequences from Burma and eastern and western China were quite divergent from those in the major haplogroup of India. Each of these sequences formed separate clusters of haplotypes that exhibited far greater nucleotide diversity and/or population structure. Correspondingly, sequences from Indian rhesus macaques that are considered to represent different subspecies (based on morphological differences) were intermingled in the tree, while those from China reflected some, but not all, aspects of subspecific taxonomy. Regional variation contributed 72% toward the paired differences between sequences in an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), and the average differences between the populations of eastern and western China were also statistically significant. These results suggest that Indian and Chinese rhesus macaques were reproductively isolated during most, if not all, of the Pleistocene, during which time Indian rhesus macaques experienced a severe genetic bottleneck, and that some gene flow westward into India was subsequently reestablished. Samples from breeding centers in three different provinces of China included sequences from rhesus macaques that originated in both eastern (or southern) and western China, confirming anecdotal reports that regional breeding centers in China exchange breeding stock. Genetic differences among rhesus macaques (even those acquired from the same regional breeding center) that originate in different geographic regions and are employed as subjects in biomedical experiments can contribute to phenotypic differences in the traits under study. Am. J. Primatol. 65:1–25, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The oviducts of 24 tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) were examined using histological techniques and scanning electron microscopy to determine endometrial morphology. Measurements of endometrial characteristics (epithelial cell height, cilia length, thickness of endometrial glandular layer, and glandular diameter) in the uterus and tube (tuba uterina) were obtained to determine changes during the reproductive cycle. Epithelial cell height increases in both the uterus and the tube during vitellogenesis and remains hypertrophied during gravidity. Cilia length increases in the uterus during late vitellogenesis and gravidity, but the length of tubal cilia does not change during the reproductive cycle. The ratio of secretory to ciliated epithelial cells in the oviduct increases from quiescence to gravidity. The thickness of the glandular endometrial layer increases in both the uterus and tube during vitellogenesis. In the uterus, the glandular layer decreases in thickness during gravidity. The diameter of the uterine glands increases throughout vitellogenesis and gravidity; however, following ovulation glandular cells become depleted of secretory granules and cell height diminishes. The diameter of the tubal glands is unchanged during the reproductive cycle. Oviductal hypertrophy during vitellogenesis coincides with elevated circulating estradiol, whereas during gravidity progesterone concentrations peak (Taylor, '82, PhD Dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville) and may induce secretion of albumen and eggshell components.


Background: Screening with low dose chest computed tomographic scanning (LDCCT) may improve survival by identifying early asymptomatic lung cancer. Methods: Four hundred and forty nine high risk subjects were screened with serial LDCCT scanning over 2 years. Fine needle aspiration biopsy was recommended for non-calcified nodules (NCNs) of >10 mm diameter or demonstrating interval growth. Results: NCNs were identified in 111 subjects (24.7%), three of which were lung cancer. The overall prevalence (0.4%) and incidence (1.3%) rates of lung cancer detection were low. Three of the six lung cancers detected in the study were stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer; the remainder were unresectable central tumours. By contrast, eight subjects developed extrathoracic malignancy during the study period and other incidental pathology was noted in 221 subjects (49.2%). Smoking cessation rates at 19% were higher than in the general population, but 60.8% of subjects continued to smoke. Conclusion: LDCCT scanning is useful in detecting early peripheral non-small cell lung cancers but its usefulness as a screening tool is limited by low specificity and by poor sensitivity for central tumours.


World Wide Web is a distributed heterogeneous information resource which includes data and hyperlinks. With the exponential growth of WWW, it has become difficult to access desired information that matches with user needs and interest. Therefore majority of users today use Search Engine to assist in information retrieval over the Internet. The results retrieved, organized & presented by search engine results in hundreds and millions of linked pages of which many might not be useful to the user. Web page ranking algorithms play an important role in ranking web pages so that the user could retrieve the page which is most relevant to the user's query. Some page ranking algorithms are HITS, PageRank and weighted Pagerank. In this paper, we compare two popular web page ranking algorithms namely: Weighted PageRank algorithm and PageRank algorithm. The paper highlights their variations, strengths, weaknesses and carefully analyzes both algorithms using simulations developed for them.


We present the implementation of a directional beacon-based positioning algorithm using radio frequency signals. This algorithm allows each mobile node to compute its position with respect to a set of reference nodes which are equipped with a rotating directional antenna. The use of directional beacon-based algorithm for position location eliminates the need for strict synchronization between the reference nodes and the mobile node. In contrast to positioning algorithms that rely on signal propagation time and bandwidth, the proposed algorithm depends on the beam-width and rotational speed of the directional antenna. We will show that these parameters can be optimized with a low cost solution that provides good positioning accuracy. The system implementation is based on the GNU radio software platform and the universal software radio peripheral as the hardware component. We present an enhanced maximum likelihood method for estimating the received signal amplitude profile. To deal with obstructed line-of-sight scenarios, we do not rely purely on the received signal strength and instead formulate a least squares problem to estimate the line-of-sight component in a multipath environment. These advanced signal processing techniques yield a more accurate estimate of the bearing of the mobile node with respect to each of the reference nodes. We also show that the proposed positioning algorithm is tolerant to errors in timing and synchronization. We demonstrate the ability to obtain mobile node position estimates with sub-meter accuracy by transmitting a narrowband signal of 1 kHz bandwidth in the 2.4-2.5 GHz band. The experimental results show a mean position error of 0.759 m, in a field measuring 55m by 43m, using eight 90° rotations of the antenna.


Canadian occupational therapists have increasingly adopted a client-centred approach to practice. Interpretation of what "client-centred" means has been diverse and varied. Professionals have written about the characteristics of this approach to care but no reported studies could be found that examined the client's perspective. The omission of the client perspective is puzzling when partnership, client involvement in decision making, and client empowerment are thought to be fundamental elements of this approach to practice. A qualitative research approach, using focus groups was employed to explore the opinions and perspectives of individuals with experience of mental illness and the mental health service delivery system. Seventeen individuals participated in three focus groups to discuss the meaning of a client-centred approach to practice. Participants assessed the inadequacies of past and present practices and recommended needed changes. Their central message was the need for individuals with mental illness to be viewed as valuable human beings by service providers and by society.


Summary This study investigates the dimensions of occupation, and distances between occupational categories, by using intra-pair differences in adult occupational position for identical twins reared apart. Status and farm dimensions of occupation were identified. The results validate the use of occupational status as a dimension of occupational position. The causes of individual differences for the derived status dimension were also evaluated, based on groups of identical and fraternal twins reared apart or together. Genetic effects accounted for a substantial amount of the variance in occupational status for men, while shared and non-shared environmental effects were of about equal importance. For women, genetic effects were less important, and shared and non-shared environmental effects accounted for more of the variation. The results confirm that genetic effects are important sources of the familial resemblance often found for occupational status for men.


Nowadays the amounts of data available to us have the ever larger growth trend. On the other hand such data often contain noise. We call them noisy Big Data. There is an increasing need for learning methods that can handle such noisy Big Data for classification tasks. In this paper we propose a highly random fuzzy forest algorithm for learning an ensemble of fuzzy decision trees from a big data set contaminated with attribute noise. We also present the distributed version of the proposed learning algorithm implemented in the MapReduce framework. Experiment results have demonstrated that the proposed algorithm is faster and more accurate than the state-of-the-art approach particularly in the presence of attribute noise.


Activated carbon is a prominent material for adsorption of atrazine, however its usage is restricted due to the high cost. Thus, alternative adsorbent derived from agricultural waste has been investigated. This study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of oil palm shell-based adsorbent to remove atrazine from aqueous solutions. Oil palm shell-based adsorbent was prepared using H2SO4 treatment. The adsorbent was characterized for the surface morphology and surface chemistry via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. SEM micrographs confirmed that the H2SO4 treatment developed porosity on the surface of the adsorbent. The FTIR spectrum obtained for the adsorbent before and after the treatment was almost similar. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to determine the effects of initial atrazine concentration (5 - 30 mg/L), contact time, adsorbent dosage (0.2 – 2.0 g) and solution pH (pH 2 - 12) on the adsorption uptake of the adsorbent for atrazine. The adsorption uptake of atrazine increased with increasing initial concentration. The percentage of removal of atrazine increased with increasing adsorbent dosage, but it decreased as the solution pH increased. The equilibrium data were well described by the Freundlich isotherm model. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption of atrazine on the adsorbent followed the pseudosecond-order kinetic model. Based on the experimental results, it was evident that the oil palm shell-based adsorbent derived in this work might be employed as a low cost adsorbent for removal of atrazine from aqueous solutions.


In order to improve the automatic control of water and electricity resource, an intelligent resource management system for community based on a sensor network is presented for the reason that sensor network has the advantage of low-power transmission. It is provided by a number of experiments that this system has successfully achieved the automatic control goal by rotational solar-energy heater, mechanical control techniques and the intelligent management of the entire system. The overall architecture for electrical control and mechanical control of the system is introduced in order to describe the intelligent management of the system. Finally, the theoretical and experimental analyses are presented to support the validity and advances of this system.


This paper explores Maxine Greene's views on aesthetic pedagogy and the notion of social imagination, in addition to Grant Kester's views on dialogical art. These approaches are a call for action in art education, in addition to aesthetic approaches that can be applied in other fields of education. Aesthetic pedagogy offers educators and students a sense of intellectual autonomy, and may also facilitate alternative ways of generating meaning. I argue that making art is one part of the educational experience, however, aesthetic experiences also occur when people look at art and discuss it collectively. I encourage educators to adopt an approach of discovery, which is fueled by the outcome of open-ended discussions, and mainly focuses on different individual experiences. Educators may create opportunities for change through engaging in aesthetic experiences in their own daily lives and practices. Aesthetic experiences and aesthetic education foster independent thinking in students and encourages them to be more mindful of their feelings, surroundings, and expressions. Young minds should be educated to be inquisitive, to critique, and become open to possibilities and experiences they may have not considered, which transforms learning from passive to active.


This paper presents a case study on the potential operational and commercial efficiency gains available from an under-keel clearance (UKC) based scheduling approach to voyage planning via the Torres Strait. The Torres Strait shipping lane imposes operational UKC constraints on vessels that utilise the waterway when drawing drafts over 8 meters. This constraint affects not only the maximum drafts that operators can expect per vessel (and hence cargo throughput), but also makes timing an important consideration. By the nature of the tidal cycles in the region, these timing and draft constraints vary daily to seasonally in an operationally impactful manner. To fully utilise the waterway's throughput capacity on a per-vessel basis, a schedule planning tool has been developed that can find optimised opportunities to maximise voyage profitability for vessel operators. This is achieved by modelling the voyage from origin berth to destination. This optimisation considers; freight rates & vessel cargo tonnage, time charter rates, fuel consumption and bunker costs, and the effect of wind, wave & ocean currents on vessel steaming times. Where the origin and destinations are also UKC constrained, these are also taken into account. This case study finds that the complexity of the timing and UKC constraint interactions provides opportunities where fuel costs, time costs and freight yields may be balanced to reveal unexpected optimal strategies. These are particularly likely during the mid-year months where the daily high-water levels tend to be lower. An analysis has been performed for just such a trade route, where the estimated savings by following optimised results are up to USD55,000 for specific voyages and an average of USD11,000, depending on the constraints modelled and the time of year.


Objective: pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third cause of cardiovascular death worldwide. The evaluation of pre-test probability using the Wells, Geneva and Pisa clinical prediction rules has been amply validated in prior studies. However, there are insufficient data for evaluating their diagnostic yield in a Colombian population. The goal of this article is to evaluate the yield of these scales in our population.Methods: this was a retrospective cohort study with diagnostic test analysis in a tertiary level hospital from 2009 to 2017, which included all subjects over the age of 18 who had undergone a chest computed tomography angiography (CTA) due to a clinical suspicion of PE. All the necessary variables for constructing the Wells, Geneva and Pisa rules were recorded. Each score was calculated numerically and then classified according to probability. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed through a CTA read by a radiologist. The data were entered on an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using a licensed SPSS statistical program.Results: a total of 507 subjects were included for Wells and Geneva scores and 339 for the Pisa score. The average age was 56 years (SD: 19.8) and 56.6% were males. A statistically significant relationship was found between the different calculated scores and the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism: low, intermediate and high Wells probability p<0.001; less probable and probable Wells p<0.001; low, intermediate and high Geneva p=0.006; and low, intermediate, moderate and high Pisa p=0.001. The ACOR for Wells was 0.715 (95% CI:0.663-0.767) (p<0.001), for Geneva was 0.611 (95% CI:0.553-0.668) (p<0.001), and for Pisa was 0.643 (95% CI:0.574-0.713) (p<0.001). Conclusions: the study showed a greater PE diagnostic yield using the Wells score in our setting. There are limitations to the application and development of the Pisa score asociated with a lower yield in our patients


Geographic trait variations are often caused by locally different selection regimes. As a steep environmental cline along altitude strongly influences adaptive traits, mountain ecosystems are ideal for exploring adaptive differentiation over short distances. We investigated altitudinal floral size variation of Campanula punctata var. hondoensis in 12 populations in three mountain regions of central Japan to test whether the altitudinal floral size variation was correlated with the size of the local bumblebee pollinator and to assess whether floral size was selected for by pollinator size. We found apparent geographic variations in pollinator assemblages along altitude, which consequently produced a geographic change in pollinator size. Similarly, we found altitudinal changes in floral size, which proved to be correlated with the local pollinator size, but not with altitude itself. Furthermore, pollen removal from flower styles onto bees (plant's male fitness) was strongly influenced by the size match between flower style length and pollinator mouthpart length. These results strongly suggest that C. punctata floral size is under pollinator-mediated selection and that a geographic mosaic of locally adapted C. punctata exists at fine spatial scale.


File-sharing has become synonym with the "digital economy" where large music conglomerates as well as certain artist voice strong concern over the impact on their bottom line. This research analyzes the music industry, which has been heavily impacted by a major technological shift i.e. the invention, and rollout, of the Internet. We look to the technological shift that has enabled the downloading phenomenon, as well as analyze the uniqueness of the music industries situation. By comparing the book publishing industry as well as the software industry, which are arguably also influenced by intellectual property rights and plagiarism, we try to find similarities as well as dissimilarities with the music industry. We find that the music industry has used alliances as well as Mergers and Acquisitions in order to consolidate their positions in an attempt to slow down change. There is no consensus on the exact extent of ill effects of filesharing. We point to an unwillingness to achieve convergence of purpose between the IT-community and the much of the music industry. Finally we point to the historical fact that consumers always get what they want in the end, which should indicate a need to find a viable e-commerce solution (Less)


Aim: The Checklist of Individual Strength (CIS20) is a well validated measure of fatigue severity, which has been adapted in several languages. As Portuguese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world it is important to have a Portuguese adaptation of the CIS20. Method: Four hundred and thirty healthy Portuguese adults and 89 patients with chronic fatigue (CF) filled out the Portuguese version of the CIS20 (CIS20-P). The CF patients and a subsample of the healthy adults also filled out the SF-12v2 assessing health-related quality of life. Results: The CIS20 four-factor structure was confirmed (subjective experience of fatigue, concentration, motivation and physical activity scales). In general, internal consistency estimates were satisfactory, with the exception of the motivation scale. Moreover, a higher degree of fatigue severity was significantly associated with lower vitality and physical and psychological health-related quality of life. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the CIS20-P is a reliable and valid measure of fatigue severity. Future studies should establish Portuguese cut-off points for (sub)clinical levels of fatigue.


Numerous engineering components feature prismatic wedge-like structures that require nondestructive evaluation (NDE) in order to ensure functionality or safety. This article focuses on the inspection of the wedge-like seal fins of a jet engine drum, though the capabilities presented will be generic. It is proposed that antisymmetric flexural edge modes, feature-guided waves localized to the wedge tips, may be used for defect detection. Although analytical solutions exist that characterize the ultrasonic behavior of ideal wedges, in practice, real wedges will be irregular (containing, for example, truncated tips that are built onto an associated structure or have nonstraight edges), and therefore, generic methodologies are required to characterize wave behavior in nonideal wedges. This article uses a semianalytical finite-element (SAFE) methodology to characterize the guided waves in wedge-like features with irregular cross sections to assess their suitability for NDE inspection and compare them with edge modes in ideal wedges. The science and methodologies required in this article are necessary to select an appropriate operating frequency for the particular application at hand. In addition, this article addresses the practical challenge of excitation and detection of flexural edge modes by presenting a piezoelectric-based dry-coupled transducer system suitable for pulse-echo operation. This article, therefore, presents the scientific basis required for industrial exploitation, together with the practical tools that facilitate use. The study concludes with the experimental demonstration of the edge wave-based inspection of a seal fin, achieving a signal-to-noise ratio of 28 dB from a 0.75-mm radial tip defect.


This work was designed to study the effects of sodium 2-chloropropionate (2CP) alone or combined with insulin, in vitro, on glucagon secretion from pancreas isolated from rats, made diabetic by streptozotocin (66 mg/kg i.p.). The pancreata were perfused with a physiological solution containing 2.8 mM glucose (0.5 g/l) and glucagon secretion was stimulated by an arginine infusion (5 mM) for 30 min. When 2CP (1 mM) and/or insulin (4 IU/l) were applied, they were infused from the start of the organ perfusion. In the presence of glucose alone, a marked decrease in glucagon output was observed in diabetic rat pancreas. The arginine perfusion induced a biphasic glucagon secretion both in normal and diabetic rat pancreas; this response was however clearly reduced in diabetic rat pancreas. In diabetic rat pancreas, the infusion of either 2CP or insulin had no effect on glucagon output in presence of glucose alone, nor did it modify the response to arginine. In contrast, the combined infusion of insulin and 2CP induced different effects depending on the conditions: whereas in presence of glucose alone it restored a glucagon output close to that recorded in normal rat pancreas, it did not modify the response to arginine.


Children with cleft lip and/or palate are at risk for societal disapproval and/or discrimination and emotional adjustment problems due to facial disfigurement, speech impairment, and learning difficulties. This article reviews the potential psychosocial problems from a developmental perspective and offers suggestions as to the role of nurses at each developmental stage. Nurses may be prone to the same negative attitudes and biases as the general population and may engage in subtle discrimination against children with cleft lip and/or palate.


The purpose of this study was to examine the awareness of two major groups of early childhood teachers, (that is, kindergarten teachers and nursery teachers), in terms of the image of what constitutes an early childhood teacher. More specifically, this study sought to investigate any possible gaps between the two groups in that aspect, in an effort to shed light on (and understand in greater detail), the awareness of the two groups regarding the image of early childhood teachers in detail. The subjects in this study comprised 310 early childhood teachers, out of which 156 teachers worked in kindergartens and 154 teachers worked in daycare centers in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province. The findings of the study were as follows : First, kindergarten teachers` images of a kindergarten teacher were mostly associated with the professional domain, followed by the domain of personality, a physical domain and a professional attitude domain. As a result of checking the awareness of the nursery teachers regarding the image of a kindergarten teacher in more detail, their image of a kindergarten teacher appeared to be mostly associated with the professional domain, followed by the professional attitude domain, the domain of personality and the physical domain. There were statistically significant gaps between the kindergarten teachers and the nursery teachers in terms of their image of a kindergarten teacher. Second, as for the awareness of the kindergarten teachers of the image of a nursery teacher, their image of a nursery teacher was mostly linked to the domain of personality, followed by the professional domain, the physical domain and the professional attitude domain. Regarding the awareness of the nursery teachers of the image of a nursery teacher, their image of a nursery teacher was mostly associated with the professional domain, followed by the domain of personality, the professional attitude domain and the physical domain. Statistically significant gaps between the kindergarten teachers and the nursery teachers were found in the image of a nursery teacher.


Ultrasonic surface rolling (USR) process is a novel surface strengthening technique based on the tool head's high-frequency impact on the workpiece. USR can cause severe plastic deformation on the superficial surface of metal material, and greatly improving the mechanical properties of the material. This paper elucidates the effects of USR passes on the surface roughness, sample height, microstructure, microhardness, residual stress, and tribological properties of 4Cr13 stainless steel. The results revealed that multiple USR treatments refined the near-surface layer grain of the sample. Compared with untreated sample, USR treatments significantly improved the surface roughness and microhardness of the samples. Obvious compressive residual stress and plastic deformed with a maximum value of about -723 MPa and a depth of about 229 μm were also introduced into the sample surface. Under a dry friction environment, the samples that underwent the USR treatments exhibited significantly enhanced wear resistance, and six rolling passes were found to be the most suitable treatment.


Introduction Patients commonly have same day bidirectional endoscopy performed. There is no consensus on which order oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) and colonoscopy should be performed and how this impacts on completion rates, discomfort levels and patient's overall satisfaction. The authors aimed to evaluate these outcomes by comparing patients who had same day bidirectional endoscopy procedures randomised to either OGD first or colonoscopy first. Methods 70 patients who were due to have same day bidirectional endoscopy in a District General Hospital between December 2009 and September 2010 were prospectively randomised to either having an OGD first (Group A, n=35) or colonoscopy first (Group B, n=35). Power calculations to determine sample size based on previously published data1 showed that 70 patients would be required to demonstrate a difference of 10% between groups at the 5% level of significance with a power of 80%. Sex, age, body mass index (BMI) and previous endoscopy experience were recorded. Procedural completion time, quality of bowel preparation and endoscopic findings were documented. Patients were asked to grade anticipated procedural discomfort scores, actual procedure discomfort and postprocedure discomfort scores on a Numeric Rating Scale ranging from 0 to 10 as well as asked to complete a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Patients were also questioned on their overall satisfaction with the procedures. Results 70 patients (36 male, 34 female; median 68 (36–87) years) were recruited with a mean BMI of 28 (19–54). After randomisation 17 males were in Group A and 19 in Group B. Both groups were similar in mean age, BMI, anxiety score and procedural completion times. Sedation and analgesic usage, previous endoscopic procedures and quality of bowel preparation were also similar in the two groups. Indications for bidirectional endoscopy were iron deficiency anaemia (60), chronic diarrhoea (9) and polyp surveillance (1). No statistically significant difference was noted in the mean discomfort scores given for colonoscopy between the two groups (5.2 vs 5.3). However, there was a significant reduction in the discomfort scores given for OGD when this was performed first rather than second (mean score 4.6 vs 6.3; p=0.02). Overall satisfaction rates were also slightly higher in group A than B (9.7 vs 9.6), but this did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion This results suggest that when undertaking same day bidirectional endoscopy, an OGD followed by a colonoscopy is the favoured order, with reduced patient discomfort. It may be that the abdominal bloating caused by colonoscopy leads to reduced tolerance of subsequent OGD.


We document that the prices of the goods consumed by high-income households are more sticky and less volatile than those of the goods consumed by middle-income households. This suggests that monetary shocks can have distributional consequences by affecting the relative prices of the goods consumed at different points on the income distribution. We use a Factor-Augmented VAR (FAVAR) model to show that, following a monetary policy shock, the estimated impulse responses of high-income households' consumer price indices are 22% lower than those of the middle-income households. We then evaluate the macroeconomic implications of our empirical findings in a quantitative New-Keynesian model featuring households that are heterogeneous in their income and consumption patterns, and sectors that are heterogeneous in their frequency of price changes. We find that: (i) the distributional consequences of monetary policy shocks are large and similar to those in the FAVAR model, and (ii) greater income inequality increases the effectiveness of monetary policy, although this effect is modest for realistic changes in inequality. JEL Codes: E31, E52.


This study develops proxies for each of Levine's (1997) five functions of the financial sector, and models the relationship between these functions and economic growth using methods that more accurately conform to theory, and which broaden our understanding of the mechanisms through which the financial sector impacts on growth. Our analytical models provide for inferences about the relative importance of each of the functions of the financial sector and cointegration and error correction methods are used to distinguish between the long and short-run impacts of financial sector intermediation on economic growth. Our results suggest that if financial sector reforms are to be more effective, greater focus has to be placed on mechanisms through which savings mobilization can be maximized, and the allocation of resources to productive uses can be facilitated. Policymakers should also not expect immediate results from such reforms, as although the functions of the financial sector were shown to have statistically significant long-run impacts on GDP, none of the functions had significant short-term effects on growth.


The recent increase in transnational migration among women has lead to a reappraisal of theoretical explanations of migratory movement (Castles and Miller, 2003; Fortier, 2000; Zulauf, 2001). This paper reviews a number of theoretical explanations of transnational migration and then applies these theories to a qualitative study of women who migrated from Ireland to Britain in the 1930s. I explore the women's reasons for leaving Ireland and their experiences as young economic migrants in Britain in the inter-war years. Women have made up the majority of Irish migrants to Britain for much of the twentieth century yet the dominant stereotype of the Irish migrant has been the Mick or Paddy image (Walter, 2001). Through an analysis of these twelve women's narratives of migration, I explore themes such as household strategies and familial networks. I am interested in the interwoven explanations of migration as both a form of escape (O'Carroll, 1990) and a rational family strategy and, hence, the ways in which women's decision to migrate can be seen as a combination of both active agency and family obligation. Drawing on the work of Phizacklea (1999) as well as Walter (2001) and Gray (1996, 1997), I will analyse the ways in which family connections may transcend migration and engage with the concept of 'transnational family' (Chamberlain, 1995). In so doing, I raise questions about the complex nature of migration and the extent to which it could be described in terms of empowerment.


reached as most of the mutations reported to date have only been found in one family. Although ND is believed to be rare, it is likely that many cases remain undiagnosed. The predominant ocular feature of ND retrolental mass is not necessarily pathognomonic, and it is clinically difficult to exclude other diseases of undefined aetiology, particularly in sporadic and non-syndromic cases. The ongoing molecular assessment of the ND gene will enable us to make definitive diagnoses in cases in which mutations are detected and will also provide useful information for genetic counselling. From the molecular studies to date, we are aware of the marked heterogeneity of pathogenic mutations in the ND gene and, hence, direct sequencing of the gene has to be performed to test for unknown mutations.


Broad production, utilization, and scrapping of pesticides worldwide increase the health concern of humans and animals, due to their bio-persistent and bio-accumulating nature. Among the present treatment methods, metaloxide based photocatalysis is the emerging technology for pesticide removal in aqueous medium, and has gained the interest of many researchers in the past years due to its feasibility, cost efficiency and higher degradation rate. This review briefly discusses the mechanism of metaloxide based photocatalytic degradation, reaction kinetics of pesticides degradation, optimization of operational parameters to enhance the degradation process, and different modifications such as binary, ternary or metal/non-metal dopped metaloxide photocatalysts to improve the effectiveness of degradation has also been analyzed. The effect of operational parameters like effect of catalyst dosage, pH, initial pesticide concentration, UV/sunlight, and irradiation time on the photocatalytic degradation of pesticide has been reviewed. The comparison of various photocatalysts for the degradation of diazinon from aqueous medium is summarized. However additional research is required to achieve fast and maximum degradation to keep the environment safe.


Parsons and its team members General Atomics and Energy Solutions conducted a series of tests to assess the constructability and performance of the Cross-Flow Filter (CFF) system specified for the Department of Energy (DOE) Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF). The testing determined the optimum flow rates, operating pressures, filtrate-flow control techniques, and cycle timing for filter back pulse and chemical cleaning. Results have verified the design assumptions made and have confirmed the suitability of cross-flow filtration for use in the SWPF.


: Obesity, most often defined as a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 30 kg/m 2 caused by an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. It is widely recognized as the largest and fastest growing public health problem in the developed and developing world. Obesity results by an increase in adipose tissue mass, resulting from the multiplication of fat cells fol-lowed by adipogenesis and increased deposition of intracellular cytoplasmic triglycerides. In this study, we investigated the anti-adipogenic properties of the extracts (KEs) obtained from Kimchi (Korean traditional fermented vegetable) fermented using Kimchi refrigerator under different storage conditions. The intracellular lipid droplets in the differentiated adipocytes were also measured. We observed that the KEs significantly lower the contents of cellular triglyceride and formation of intracellular lipid droplets. These results suggested that KEs have anti-adipogenic effects and may contribute to food indus-tries in developing functional.


advanced digital GPS receiver antijam design techniques are stated, a technique for interference monitoring and four interference mitigation techniques are described. The effects of interference are analyzed. GPS receiver tracking loop thresholds and tracking jitters are presented. The functional relation of jammer transmition power and it's effective range is presented. The jammer margin is defined.


This paper analyzes the macroeconomic effect of population aging on the aggregate demand for goods and services between 2000 and 2040. As the composition of goods and services consumed varies over the life cycle, the aggregate demand structure is likely to change as well when the population is aging. I estimate these microeconomic age-specific household demands for a set of eight composite goods using a quadratic almost ideal demand system model. The projections are carried out in scenarios in order to distinguish: i) the direct effect of a shift of the age structure, ii) accompanying changes in the level and distribution of spending power and in household composition. The results point to significant increases in the expenditure shares of health and leisure goods and a decline in necessities like food and energy in all scenarios. The direct effect of a shift in the age structure as well as the asymmetric intergenerational distribution of spending power have significant effects on aggregate demand. Changes in household composition – decreasing average household size, but a slow reduction in the number of households – do not affect demand substantially. The future design of the pension system has only a minor impact on the distribution of incomes and total expenditures and thus also a negligible impact on aggregate demand.


The Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) is one of the most useful tools of economic research. The matrix can be used for policy analysis and economic planning, and offers an efficient means of summarizing complex economic relationships and identifying gaps in statistical information. Being an extension of the existing national economic accounts, a SAM is a consistent and complete representation of the socio-economic system that captures the interdependencies between institutional groups. It is both a conceptual framework and a data system that can support analyses of socio-economic policy issues, used to evaluate the socio-economic impact of exogenous changes, or serve as a database for general equilibrium modeling. This paper describes the construction of SAM 2005 which is constructed using the newly compiled noncompetative I-O table for 2005. In previous versions of SAM constructed for Vietnam, savings is often assumed to be equal to investment. In our new SAM 2005, this unrealistic assumption has been relaxed.


There are strong moral overtones associated with eating behaviour and with this goes the contemporary assumption that anyone can choose their shape and weight if only they try hard enough. Arguably, it is this false gospel that has led to the recent increase in bulimia nervosa (BN). Women struggling to attain an idealized shape have drastically to subvert their bodies' homeostatic mechanisms: the battle is rarely won and eventually, the victim turns for help to escape the scars and trauma. On the other hand, the shimmering vision of anorexia nervosa (AN) appears to support the myth.


The spinel Li[Mn2]O4 is a candidate cathode for a Li-ion battery, but its capacity fades over a charge/discharge cycle of Li1-x[Mn2]O4 (0 < x < 1) that is associated with a loss of Mn to the organic-liquid electrolyte. It is known that the disproportionation reaction 2Mn(3+) = Mn(2+) + Mn(4+) occurs at the surface of a Mn spinel, and it is important to understand the atomic structure and composition of the surface of Li[Mn2]O4 in order to understand how Mn loss occurs. We report a study of the surface reconstruction of Li[Mn2]O4 by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. The atomic structure coupled with Mn-valence and the distribution of the atomic ratio of oxygen obtained by electron energy loss spectroscopy reveals a thin, stable surface layer of Mn3O4, a subsurface region of Li1+x[Mn2]O4 with retention of bulk Li[Mn2]O4. This observation is compatible with the disproportionation reaction coupled with oxygen deficiency and a displacement of surface Li(+) from the Mn3O4 surface phase. These results provide a critical step toward understanding how Mn is lost from Li[Mn2]O4, once inside a battery.


I am hoping to implement a clinical trial on the treatment of MRSA with tea tree oil versus vancomycin. I already have a little research on the topic, but most of it supports the use of tea tree oil. Therefore, I need further research to be able to present a balanced argument. If you have any research or an interest in this area, I would be grateful for any information.


Enzymes have the potential to transform the chemical industry by providing green alternatives to a slew of processes. These proteins act as biological catalysts, and with the help of molecular engineering, they can make naturally occurring reactions shift into turbo mode. Tailor-made enzymes could, for example, lead to nonpolluting drug manufacture; they could also safely break down pollutants, sewage and agricultural waste


It is assumed that a black hole can be disturbed in such a way that a ringdown gravitational wave would be generated. This ringdown waveform is well understood and is modelled as an exponentially damped sinusoid. In this work, we use this kind of waveform to study the performance of the SCHENBERG gravitational wave detector. This first realistic simulation will help us to develop strategies for the signal analysis of this Brazilian detector. We calculated the signal-to-noise ratio as a function of frequency for the simulated signals and obtained results that show that SCHENBERG is expected to be sensitive enough to detect this kind of signal up to a distance of ~20 kpc.


The 26S proteasome eliminates multiubiquitinated proteins in cytosol and nucleus, and from the secretory pathway by a mechanism known as ER-associated degradation (ERAD). Access to the proteasomal 20S catalytic core particle is hindered by conserved N-terminal tails of α-subunits that form a gated pore into the central channel. Hence, the isolated 20S core particle possesses slower peptide hydrolysis rates and cannot degrade multiubiquitinated proteins. Purified catalytic particles from an α3α7ΔN open channel double mutant, in which the N-terminal tails of α-subunits from opposite sites of the a ring are deleted, showed significantly enhanced peptidase activity and proteolytic properties. Here we show that also in vivo the access of substrates to the proteasomal catalytic chamber partially limits the overall rate of protein elimination. This regulation applies to unstable cytosolic proteins of the N-end rule and ubiquitin fusion degradation (UFD) pathways, as well as to ERAD substrates that must dislocate from the ER back to the cytosol in order to become ubiquitinated and degraded by the proteasome. Hence, even for a complicated multistep process such as ERAD, traffic through the proteasome itself is partially rate limiting for the entire proteolytic process. However, proteasome gating can be added to a growing list of phenomena that distinguish membrane ERAD substrates from lumenal ones because while gating hinders access of lumenal substrates, it is less effective in controlling the entry of membrane substrates. The open channel mutant is a new class of proteasome mutant, which is unrelated to the catalytic protease active sites or to the "classical" regulatory particle mutants. Its improved performance at high temperatures is in stark contrast to the behavior of the "classical" mutants, suggesting that the α3α7ΔN mutant adapts better to mild stress conditions.


The crystal growth of the magnetically highly sensitive InSb films, prepared by a simple evaporation on mica substrates with a steep one‐dimensional temperature gradient, is investigated in detail. An optimum evaporation condition is presented. It is shown that the crystalline InSb with thickness less than 0.1 μm consists of single crystal domains oriented mainly along [110] or [111] direction, but that the [111] direction becomes completely dominant for the films thicker than 0.2 μm. The crystal morphology of the film is discussed in relation to the high magnetoresistance value obtained.


According to the World Health Organization, governments have expressed interest in the rise in the numbers of caesarean section births and the potential negative consequences for maternal and infant health. If conducted when medically justified, a caesarean section can effectively prevent maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. However, there is no evidence showing the benefits of caesarean delivery for women or infants who do not require the procedure. As with any surgical intervention, caesarean sections are associated with short and long-term risk, which can extend many years beyond the current delivery and affect the health of the woman, her child, and future pregnancies. These risks are higher in women with limited access to comprehensive obstetric care. Unequivocally, the potential risks are higher in women with limited access to comprehensive obstetric care, hence the global health concern. Keywords: Caesarean section; Infant morbidity and mortality; Maternal morbidity and mortality; Global trends


Material reflectance definitions are core to high fidelity visual simulation of objects within a compelling 3D scene. In the automotive industry these are used across the entire business process: from conceptualisation of a new product range, through to the final sale. However, current state-of-the-art of material representations leave much to be desired for fast and practical deployment in the industry. Even after decades of research and development, there are no interoperable standards for material models to facilitate exchange between applications. A large discrepancy also exists between the quality of material models used (and indeed the quality at which they can be displayed) across the spectrum of use-cases within the industry. Focussing on the needs of the Automotive Industry, in this position paper, we summarise the main issues that limit the effective use of material models. Furthermore, we outline specific solutions we believe could be investigated in order to address this problem. This paper is the result of a review conducted in conjunction with several key players in the automotive field.


A rear projection optical system that performs enlarged projection from the primary image plane on the reduction side to the second image plane on the enlargement side without forming an intermediate real image


The health status of our population is not satisfactory, an important part in this respect is played among others also by nutrition. The authors submit information on changes in the energy, protein and fat consumption of the Czechoslovak population during the period between 1936 and 1987. The increase in fat consumption is due in the first place to the increased consumption of meat, milk, eggs and fats. While in 1936 the mean consumption was 79.0 g of fat per head per day, in 1987 the intake was more than 129 g, i.e. by 63% higher. In addition to fats the greatest contribution to fat intake is made by meat and meat products (40%), milk and dairy products (18%) and cereal products (13%). The increase in lipid consumption is one of the risk factors participating in the development of cardiovascular diseases, the trend of which is alarming. Improvement can be achieved by a change of dietary habits; the prerequisite is a nation-wide programme with an active approach in all spheres--from farmers, the food industry and commerce to all types of communal and family catering.


. We numerically compute features in the power-spectrum that originate from the decay of fields during inflation. Using a simple, phenomenological, multi-field setup, we in-crease the number of fields from a few to thousands. Whenever a field decays, its associated potential energy is transferred into radiation, causing a jump in the equation of state parameter and mode mixing at the perturbed level. We observe discrete steps in the power-spectrum if the number of fields is low, in agreement with analytic arguments in the literature. These features become increasingly smeared out once many fields decay within a given Hubble time. In this regime we confirm the validity of the analytic approach to staggered inflation, which is based on a coarse-graining procedure. Our numerical approach bridges the aforementioned analytic treatments, and can be used in more complicated scenarios.


I have had the good fortune to work for and with physicians whose grasp and practice of medicine set them comfortably beyond their competent fellows. But against my two most memorable physicians, even peers are challenged in insight, analysis, and diagnosis. I worked for the first, Norman Swift Plummer, as his house physician at Charing Cross Hospital, and for the latter, Malcolm Davenport Milne, as senior registrar at Westminster Hospital.

Plummer (1907-78) was in the top echelon of London teaching hospital physicians of his day. He was a tall, slim, grave, well dressed man, a public school product. His modest self confidence, diagnostic acumen, kindness, and advice led to …


A proline dipeptidase (EC 184.108.40.206) from guinea pig brain was purified to over 90% homogeneity by a com-bination of ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cel-lulose chromatography, calcium phosphate-cellulose chromatography, chromatofocusing, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. A purification factor of 2718-fold was obtained with a yield of 7%. The purified enzyme was found to have an apparent molecular weight of 132,000 and to consist of two dissimilar subunits of molecular weights 64,000 and 68,000. The substrate specificity of the enzyme is not that of a strict proline dipeptidase. Although it preferentially hydrolyzes proline dipeptides (Leu-Pro) it also hydrolyzes prolyl di- peptides (Pro-Leu) and dipeptides not containing proline (Leu-Leu). The purified enzyme preparation ex- hibited weak aminoacylproline aminopeptidase activity against Arg-Pro-Pro but it did not exhibit any postproline dipeptidyl aminopeptidase, post-proline cleav- ing endopeptidase, proline iminopeptidase, prolyl carboxypeptidase or carboxypeptidase P activities when tested with a large variety of peptides and arylamides. With all of the proline and prolyl dipeptides examined the enzyme exhibited biphasic kinetics (two distinct slopes on Lineweaver-Burk plots). However, with Leu-Leu as substrate normal


I consider the transport of particles in 2D and 3D networks of "sticky and active" filaments, able to adsorb them reversibly and propel them while adsorbed. The free-diffusion process that rules the trajectories of particles between these active adsorptions induces specific features: the release of a particle by a single filament is diffusion controlled, which improves the filament propelling ability, and, on larger scales, random networks of filaments lead to a superdiffusive behaviour. More generally, I quantify transport at different scales and in different network geometries.


A phenomenon of O_2-Pulses Frequency Effect for a probe reaction of oxidative coupling of methane over Mn-Na_2WO_(4)/SiO_2 catalyst had been investigated in the real reactive conditions by the realtime measurement of quadrupole mass spectrometer.It is first found that the amount of the products in the pulse reaction was increased with increasing of the frequency of injecting pulse in the conditions.The results suggested that there are two active sites relating to activate methane to form methyl radicals with different active oxygen species on the Mn-Na_2WO_(4)/SiO_2 catalyst.


Introduced a new model using DWT and ANC techniques to remove the OAs in contaminated EEG signals. The model is based on discrete wavelet transformation (DWT) and adaptive noise cancellation (ANC). A particularly novel feature of the new model is the use of DWTs to construct an OA reference signal, using the three lowest frequency wavelet coefficients of the EEGs. The results show that the new model demonstrates an improved performance with respect to the recovery of true EEG signals and also has a better tracking performance. The model is also applied and evaluated against data recorded within the EUFP 7 Project—Online Predictive Tools for Intervention in Mental Illness (OPTIMI). The results show that the proposed model is effective in removing OAs and meets the requirements of portable systems used for patient monitoring as typified by the OPTIMI project.After that, artifacts removal signals are received to identify the brain condition and then extract the feature.Features like mean, median ,and wavelet based features are extracted from the signal.The extracted features are classified using SVM classifier. System matches the signals with the true label to decide the condition is occurred in brain.


The design and the synthesis of the first high-affinity fluorescent ligands for oxytocin receptor (OTR) are described. These compounds enabled the development of a TR-FRET based assay for OTR, readily amenable to high throughput screening. The validation of the assay was achieved by competition experiments with both peptide and nonpeptide OTR ligands as competitors. These probes represent the first selective fluorescent ligands for the oxytocin G protein-coupled receptor.


Some prey can distinguish between chemical cues from predators fed different diets. Here we document the first evidence of diet-based chemical discrimination of predators in a terrestrial arthropod and measure the survival value of behavioural responses to predator chemical cues. We tested activity level and avoidance behaviour of the wolf spider, Pardosa milvina, to faeces and silk associated with the predatory wolf spider, Hogna helluo, fed either P. milvina or crickets (Acheta domesticus). We then measured survival of Pardosa in the presence of Hogna when placed on blank paper or paper previously occupied by Hogna fed either crickets or Pardosa. Filter paper previously occupied by Hogna from each diet treatment or a blank control were simultaneously presented to adult female Pardosa among four treatment pairs (N=15/treatment): (1) blank paper/blank paper, (2) Hogna fed crickets/blank, (3) Hogna fed Pardosa /blank and (4) Hogna fed Pardosa / Hogna fed crickets. Cues from Hogna fed either crickets or Pardosa elicited significantly less activity relative to blank controls. Cues from Hogna fed Pardosa elicited a significantly greater reduction in activity than Hogna fed crickets. When given a choice, Pardosa initially chose the blank substrate significantly more often than either substrate with Hogna cues. Spiders survived longer in the presence of cues from either Hogna diet treatment relative to blank paper, but there was no significant effect of predator diet on survival. Results suggest diet-based predator cues elicit different levels of activity in Pardosa that reduce predation in the presence of Hogna. Copyright 2001 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.


This document presents a study about the possibility of increasing the energy efficiency of electric vehicles (EV) through torque-speed allocation in the electric motor. To define the optimization problem, a dynamic model of EV and a motor mapping performance using experimental tests was used. The simulation results are conducted in MATLAB/Simulink environment showed that when small variation $\delta$ (%0.5 to 2%) on torque and rotational speed can improve energy efficiency. In addition, the performance of the proposal of a torque-speed allocation strategy and optimization problem was determined by metaheuristics methods; the time required to find the best solution is within the sample rate interval.


Many plant pathogens and the insects that often spread them are exploding worldwide as they overcome the pesticides, agricultural practices, and biocontrols that once held them in check. At the same time, some effective chemicals are being banned because of environmental concerns. And efficient global travel is spreading viral, bacterial, and fungal plant pathogens into new areas, while global warming is allowing insect vectors to expand their ranges. Researchers therefore must continually search for better ways to protect plants against infectious diseases, using everything from high-tech genomics and genetic engineering to new agronomic practices aimed at disrupting plant-pest interactions.


Here we present a modular process for the flexible production of magnetic beads with variable magnetic properties and anion or cation exchanger functionalities. Magnetic beads are used in bio-separations and downstream processing to remove a valuable substance from e.g., a fermentation broth (Magnetic Fishing). The magnetic beads we are presenting here consist of a composite material, containing nanoscale magnetite and ion exchanger particles which are embedded into a polymer matrix. With this composite concept, anion and cation exchanger properties are available in magnetic beads with different matrix polymers (PVB, PVA, PMMA, and PVAc). The content of magnetite was varied in a range between 0 and 40 wt %, ion exchanger particles between 0 and 60 wt % and the matrix polymer between 20 and 60 wt %. The magnetic bead characteristics, which determine the application properties, are shown. Thermo gravimetrical analyses, FTIR spectra and measurements of the ion exchange capacity prove the different properties in respect to the magnetic beads composition. In an adsorption experiment, it was possible to achieve a maximum capacity of 270 mg/g for β-galactosidase with PVB-beads. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009


Nitrous oxide (N2O) toxicity is a well-known entity. It is capable of inactivating vitamin B12, producing a relative B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 is needed for neurologic development and is necessary for the body to complete vital biologic functions. We look at a case of a 28 year old patient who abused N2O, then went on to develop neurologic symptoms of ataxia, numbness and subacute combined degeneration of the dorsal columns as seen on MRI. Her symptoms were consistent with vitamin B12 deficiency despite having normal vitamin B12 levels by conventional lab measurements. Her methylmalonic acid (MMA) levels however were elevated. After administering daily B12 injections for 2 weeks and complete abstinence from N2O, her neurologic deficits have nearly resolved.


Here we report the construction and use of a full-length env gene-cassetting system, C2, based on the HIV-1 infectious molecular clone NL43. C2 produces virus with the same phenotype as NL43 but with 2-fold lower growth kinetics. The latter probably relates to alteration in the vpu and/or nef genes. C2-env chimeras of macrophage-tropic and T cell-tropic laboratory strains and primary HIV-1 isolates retain the glycoprotein-determined phenotypes of their parent viruses. The cassette will assist studies of HIV-1 pathogenesis.


Approximate probability distributions of the difference frequency between two noise channels which contain dissimilar Gaussian, rectangular or triple-tuned RLC band-pass filters are calculated. For noise channels that differ only in time delay, a proportionality between rate of change of instantaneous frequency and the difference frequency is assumed. For dissimilar filters, an approximately equivalent single filter-time delay process is defined. The single filter is determined from the moment averages of the two dissimilar filters, while the equivalent time delay is computed by equating the magnitude of the correlation function in the two processes.


Abstract Objective: There is a lack of empirical knowledge on how different comorbid disorders and symptoms change in the course of initial abstinence and withdrawal. The aim of this study is to replicate previous findings on the symptom course using a larger sample and up-to-date psychometric instruments. Methods: During inpatient alcohol detoxification, we measured comorbid depression (Beck Depression Inventory second revision; BDI-II) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5; PCL-5) symptoms twice among 87 participants within a 10-day interval. Results: Significant decreases occurred for symptoms of reexperiencing (p < .001, d = .27), avoidance (p < .001, d = .41), negative cognitions (p = .03, d = .22), alteration in arousal (p < .001, d = .37), and the PCL-5 total score (p < .001, d = .35). Depression scores also significantly declined with a greater effect size (p < .001, d = .53). Depression screening was not stable, while posttraumatic stress disorder screening was revealed to be stable through alcohol detoxification. Interaction effects were detected, indicating the higher symptom decrease for patients who initially had positive posttraumatic stress disorder and depression screenings, F(1, 84) = 23.01, p < .001 and F(1, 84) = 10.01, p < .01, respectively. Conclusions: Patients in the first stage of alcohol treatment show high levels of comorbid psychopathology. These symptoms change during detoxification, especially for patients having a higher initial symptomatic burden. More research is needed to guide practitioners to make reliable comorbid diagnoses in this early treatment phase as this can motivate patients to pursue subsequent treatments.


One year after its introduction in the municipality of Sønderborg, the kerbside collection of commingled recyclable materials from households has significantly altered waste flows and treatment opportunities. This study evaluates the consequences of these changes and compares the performance of the previous and current waste management systems in the municipality in terms of primary energy and greenhouse gas emission savings. In the new systems approx. 65% more materials are collected for recycling (an increase from 18% to 30% in the share of domestic household waste). The corresponding decrease in residual waste, which is used for energy production in the local waste CHP plant, is being compensated by import of industrial waste from northern Germany. The results of this study credit the new management system with an increase of 8-26% in primary energy and 5-33% in GHG emissions savings over the old management system, depending on the exclusion/inclusion of implications related to imported waste amounts in the system analysis.


This study focuses on determining how many samples are needed to effectively assess the species richness of a community. Zooplankton samples at 40 sampling sites distributed among four lakes in the floodplain of the middle Araguaia River (Central-West region of Brazil) were evaluated to determine the effect of the accumulation of collecting points by lake on species richness estimates. The results indicated the zooplankton community has high spatial heterogeneity. Thus, using a single sampling unit per lake would not be sufficient to accurately estimate their diversity (i.e. the zooplankton composition in these cases would be represented mainly by abundant species). Sampling designs that include a minimum of seven sampling sites in each lake are needed to record 70% of the total species richness. It is recommended, therefore, that researchers use a larger number of sampling sites per lake or, alternatively, that the water obtained and filtered through plankton nets is extracted from a wide area and in different lake compartments, rather than from a single site.


We examine the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) channel capacity where one side of the link constitutes a largely spaced antenna array, e.g. distributed antenna system (DAS), which prompts the need to model the channel that has both mi- croscopic and macroscopic fading. Specifically, we consider a MIMO system comprising M antennas co-located at one side of the link and N largely separated ports each with L antennas co- located within a port at the other, named as generalized distributed antenna system (GDAS) (1). We assume independent macro- scopic and microscopic fading between ports and common macro- scopic but independent microscopic fading at each antenna in a port. Using a simple composite fading channel model, a Rayleigh- lognormal composite fading, the influence of the macroscopic di- versity as well as the microscopic diversity on the channel capacity, especially the outage capacity, of the MIMO GDAS is investigated for both the uplink and the downlink.


Abstract Herpes simplex virus 1 is one of the most prevalent pathogens worldwide. Resistant strains to current anti-viral treatment have been reported, requiring the search for novel anti-virals. Using a qPCR method to assess anti-herpetic activity from natural products, we analyzed 72 plant extracts from El Salvador and identified eighteen methanolic extracts with anti-viral activity of ≥ 75%. Anti-herpetic activity has not been previously reported in fourteen of the plants (Euphorbia lancifolia, Piper tuberculatum, Cordia alliodora, Tecoma stans, Taraxacum officinale, Hamelia patens, Witheringia solanacea, Emilia fosbergii, Gnaphalium viscosum, Citrus aurantium, Ambrosia peruviana, Carica papaya, Solanum hazenii and Melothria pendula). Four extracts were from species with previously reported anti-herpetic activity (Plantago major, Psidium guajava, Sida acuta and Bursera simaruba). These extracts effective anti-viral concentrations (EC50) were between 203 and 6.31 µg/mL, while the selectivity indexes (SI) were between 55.91 and 2.57. Euphorbia lancifolia showed the most effective anti-viral activity (EC50 = 6.31 µg/mL, SI = 51.82). Graphical Abstract


Ultraviolet photolysis of stoichiometric amounts of methyl oleate and Fe(CO)(5) in hexanes solvent at 0 degrees C gives Fe(CO)(3)(eta(4)-alpha,beta-ester) in which the alpha,beta-unsaturated ester isomer of methyl oleate is stabilized by eta(4)-oxadiene pi coordination of the olefin and ester carbonyl groups to the Fe(CO)(3) unit. Treatment of the Fe(CO)(3)(eta(4)-alpha,beta-ester) with pyridine or CO liberates the free alpha,beta-ester, methyl octadec-trans-2-enoate, in 70% yield. The Fe(CO)(3) unit both catalyzes the olefin isomerization and stabilizes the alpha,beta-unsaturated ester, which results in the formation of the alpha,beta-ester in a yield far above that (3.5%) observed for simple catalyzed methyl oleate isomerization. The much smaller olefin esters, methyl 3-butenoate and ethyl 4-methyl-4-pentenoate, are isomerized under the same conditions to their alpha,beta-unsaturated esters in 94 and 90% yields, respectively. The effects of reaction conditions on the yield, the use of Fe(CO)(3)(cis-cyclooctene)(2) as a nonphotolytic catalyst, and the mechanism of this useful synthetic process are discussed.


A model that isolates the interaction between midlatitude ocean gyres and the wind stress due to atmospheric baroclinic eddies is formulated. The ocean and atmosphere are coupled through their respective heat balances and global heat and momentum conservations are enforced. The ocean flow creates a steep oceanic thermal front at the midlatitude intergyre boundary. This frontogenesis sharpens the atmospheric temperature gradients and locally increases the atmospheric eddy heat transport. The result is a well-defined storm track that, because of the delayed adjustment of the gyres to the wind stress, oscillates in time with a period of about 18 yr.


The current-voltage characteristics of amorphous Se1-xTex films have been measured for x of 0, 0.005, 0.05 and 0.1. The results show that the occurrence of the sublinear region depends on x and the electrode surface conditions. The space charge and transient potential measurements using a new three-electrode system confirm that the sublinear behaviour is associated with the electrode-limited carrier injection and that the transition from the sublinear to the superlinear region is the onset of double injection.


The purpose of this study was to estimate seat belt effectiveness in preventing fatal and nonfatal injuries to motor vehicle occupants when they are involved in crashes. The double pair comparison method was used and the estimations were based on police reported highway crash data of the state of Kansas in the United States. Two vehicle groups were considered: passenger cars and other passenger vehicles (vans and pickup trucks). Only front seat occupants who were older than 14 years of age were considered in the analysis. Based on estimations, seat belts were found to be 53% effective in reducing fatal injuries to front seat occupants in passenger cars. In other passenger vehicles, effectiveness of seat belts in reducing fatal injuries is 57%. As far as nonfatal injuries are concerned, seat belts are 52% and 42% effective in reducing incapacitating and non-incapacitating injuries respectively in passenger cars. It was also found that seat belts are 34% effective in reducing possible injuries to front seat occupants in passenger cars. Seat belts reduce incapacitating injury risk to occupants in other passenger vehicles by 47%, while they reduce non-incapacitating injury risk by 42% in the same vehicle group. In addition, seat belts are 28% effective in reducing possible injuries to occupants in other passenger vehicles.


In this paper we examine the issues pertaining to development of a low-cost telerehabilitation framework for upper-limb dysfunction, that is suitable for deployment in patients' homes. We use the example of a Virtual Driving Environment (VDE) to present the overall architecture and discuss issues of: (i) quantitative data-acquisition using commercial-off-the-shelf gaming devices; (ii) model-based parametric data transmission/playback; and (iii) parametric biomechanical identification and data reduction; to support individualization within the telerehabilitation regimen.


This study investigated the effects of Native English-Speaking Teachers (NEST) and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers (NNEST) on students' English proficiency and perceptions. The research methodology employed an observational study based using critical applied linguistic. Data collection was through a mixed method. The tools used were the Cambridge English: Key English Test (KET), classroom observation evaluation forms, and interviews. The participants consisted of 252 upper primary students from one private school in Chiang Mai, Thailand, during the academic year 2019. Results indicated that students' English proficiency was increased significantly at .01 level in both groups. The gain score suggested that NNEST can make a higher gain score than NEST in all grade levels. Student's answers show NNEST score a higher agreeability towards teachers' teaching abilities, English abilities, and the creation of an engaging learning atmosphere over NEST. Classroom observations implemented by three English Learning Teachers confirmed the results that NNEST is more agreeable than NEST in teachers' teaching ability and motivating learning atmospheres in classrooms. However, in teachers' English skills, the experts' perceptions were opposite that of the students. Lastly, the interviews with the students reflected three key aspects: their preferences of English teacher advantages, disadvantages, and strengths of both NNEST and NEST.


The quality of the output images from high dynamic range logarithmic sensors is limited by fixed pattern noise (FPN) which is caused by device mismatches within pixels in an array. It leads to inferior image quality in comparison to image from other sensors of similar resolution. Previous design and post-chip attempts to correct this type of noise have been either impractical or resulted in other complexities. However, FPN correction can be attempted using an accurate model approach for the response of this type of pixel. A three parameter model, previously suggested for logarithmic pixels, has been tried for this purpose. In this paper a simple parameter extraction procedure is proposed using this model to calibrate and correct FPN. The result is a model that works well over six decades of illumination but fails at high photocurrents. It is shown that this is caused by a breakdown in an assumption used to create the three parameter models. Consequently, a new four parameter model is developed that fits the data over six decades, and is usable in FPN correction for many wide current range applications that require complete and accurate characterisation.


Microbial biofilms are considerably more resistant to antibiotics than planktonic cells. It has been reported that chitosan coupling with the aminoglycoside antibiotic streptomycin dramatically disrupted biofilms of several Gram-positive bacteria. This finding suggested the application of the covalent conjugate of antimicrobial natural polysaccharides and antibiotics on anti-infection therapy. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of the chitosan-streptomycin conjugate (CS-Strep) remains unclear and the poor water-solubility of the conjugate might restrict its applications for anti-infection therapy. In this study, we conjugated streptomycin with water-soluble chitosan oligosaccharides (COS). Unlike CS-Strep, the COS-streptomycin conjugate (COS-Strep) barely affected biofilms of tested Gram-positive bacteria. However, COS-Strep efficiently eradicated established biofilms of the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This activity of COS-Strep was influenced by the degree of polymerization of chitosan oligosaccharide. The increased susceptibility of P. aeruginosa biofilms to antibiotics after conjugating might be related to the following: Suppression of the activation of MexX-MexY drug efflux pump system induced by streptomycin treatment; and down-regulation of the biosynthesis of biofilm exopolysaccharides. Thus, this work indicated that covalently linking antibiotics to chitosan oligosaccharides was a possible approach for the development of antimicrobial drugs against biofilm-related infections.