For the purpose of this research it was hypothesized that teenagers use food preferences when making meal selec tions. The sample included all students attending six sections of study hall at Central High School, Knoxville, Tennessee. Three hundred and ten pairs of usable question naires were obtained and both sexes from each of the three grades (10, 11, and 12} were represented. A questionnaire containing both definitions and menu choices for three days was administered two weeks prior to the service of the meals. Students were asked to indicate their meal preference and to describe food items listed. The questionnaire was readministered after the service of the meals and the students indicated the items which were actually selected. Data obtained were analyzed using an analysis of variance. Influences of grade and sex on meal selections were analyzed separately. It was found that 64% of all stu dents sampled retained their choice of plates and 56% retained their choice of desserts. Students in the 12th grade were found more likely to choose their preselection than students of the 10th and 11th grades. Females were more likely to change plate choices but less likely to change dessert choices. Additional research is needed to investigate the influence of sex and grade on the meal selection.


Gaze gesture-based interactions on a computer are promising, but the existing systems are limited by the number of supported gestures, recognition accuracy, need to remember the stroke order, lack of extensibility, and so on. We present a gaze gesture-based interaction framework where a user can design gestures and associate them to appropriate commands like minimize, maximize, scroll, and so on. This allows the user to interact with a wide range of applications using a common set of gestures. Furthermore, our gesture recognition algorithm is independent of the screen size, resolution, and the user can draw the gesture anywhere on the target application. Results from a user study involving seven participants showed that the system recognizes a set of nine gestures with an accuracy of 93% and a F-measure of 0.96. We envision, this framework can be leveraged in developing solutions for situational impairments, accessibility, and also for implementing rich a interaction paradigm.


The analog data collection system based on inline A/D transform cyclostyle has favorable agility and practicability, It can collect and dispose many signal, such as temperature , humidity, illumination and the content of CO2 so on .It has the advantages of little-component and low-power, high-precision and high stability operation and high anti-jamming so on.


S6 kinase acts as a driver for renal hypertrophy and matrix accumulation, two key pathologic signatures of diabetic nephropathy. As a post-translational modification, S6 kinase undergoes acetylation at the C terminus. The role of this acetylation to regulate kidney glomerular cell hypertrophy and matrix expansion is not known. In mesangial cells, high glucose decreased the acetylation and enhanced phosphorylation of S6 kinase and its substrates rps6 and eEF2 kinase that lead to dephosphorylation of eEF2. To determine the mechanism of S6 kinase deacetylation, we found that trichostatin A, a pan-histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, blocked all high glucose–induced effects. Furthermore, high glucose increased the expression and association of HDAC1 with S6 kinase. HDAC1 decreased the acetylation of S6 kinase and mimicked the effects of high glucose, resulting in mesangial cell hypertrophy and expression of fibronectin and collagen I (α2). In contrast, siRNA against HDAC1 inhibited these effects by high glucose. A C-terminal acetylation-mimetic mutant of S6 kinase suppressed high glucose–stimulated phosphorylation of S6 kinase, rps6 and eEF2 kinase, and inhibited the dephosphorylation of eEF2. Also, the acetylation mimetic attenuated the mesangial cell hypertrophy and fibronectin and collagen I (α2) expression. Conversely, an S6 kinase acetylation-deficient mutant induced all the above effects of high glucose. Finally, in the renal glomeruli of diabetic rats, the acetylation of S6 kinase was significantly reduced concomitant with increased HDAC1 and S6 kinase activity. In aggregate, our data uncovered a previously unrecognized role of S6 kinase deacetylation in high glucose–induced mesangial cell hypertrophy and matrix protein expression.


Abstract Arbib offers a coherent proposal of how the brain has evolved to become language-capable. Integral to the argument are mirror neurons, cells discovered in macaque brains with interesting firing patterns, and studies on gestural communication of great apes. Here, I first discuss some complexities of the recent mirror neuron literature, which suggest that 'mirroring' may be an ontogenetically acquired, not an evolved, feature of neurons. Second, it is now clear that chimpanzee vocal behaviour is strongly mediated by social variables, and that individuals can use vocalisations to persuade and inform others, facts that have implications for gestural theories of language evolution. I conclude with discussing research most needed for making progress in understanding how human language has evolved.


necessarily come to be equated with political power. Miss Griffith's study is based almost exclusively upon public documents and, accordingly, approaches but fails to answer such intriguing subsurface political phenomena as: Why, despite early support for a joint congressional committee on space, did separate congressional committees finally emerge? What debates transpired in executive committee sessions? (We are duly informed of what technical provisions emerged from behind closed doors, but rarely do we learn why.) What was the nature of the numerous contacts between majority leaders Johnson and McCormack, without which no consensus could have been achieved?


he right to transparency in public administrations has ancient origins. Indeed, it was a one of the foundational principle of the French Revolution, and constituted a revolt against the practices of the old regime, by providing a high level of opacity, particularly in regard to the financing of public activities. Under the old regime, it was impossible to clearly distinguish the finances of the King from those of the State. The absence of a real budget under the Monarchy illustrates the financial mess that was prevalent at the time, and it also reveals the absence of transparency within the Kingdom of France. In the absence of a public budget, kings were not accountable. The only budgetary and accounting documents that existed within the nation at that time, and which could not be regarded as real budgets or accounts, were prepared solely for the king and his council's use rather than for the public.


The Dutch HLT agency for language and speech technology (known as TST-centrale) at the Institute for Dutch Lexicology is responsible for the maintenance, distribution and accessibility of (Dutch) digital language resources. In this paper we present a project which aims to standardise the format of a set of bilingual lexicons in order to make them available to potential users, to facilitate the exchange of data (among the resources and with other (monolingual) resources) and to enable reuse of these lexicons for NLP applications like machine translation and multilingual information retrieval. We pay special attention to the methods and tools we used and to some of the problematic issues we encountered during the conversion process. As these problems are mainly caused by the fact that the standard LMF model fails in representing the detailed semantic and pragmatic distinctions made in our bilingual data, we propose some modifications to the standard. In general, we think that a standard for lexicons should provide a model for bilingual lexicons that is able to represent all detailed and fine-grained translation information which is generally found in these types of lexicons.


Authors should also include a brief summary of their paper – no longer than 450 words. Editorial process Please send two hard copies of your paper. Papers are reviewed by the editorial committee and comments sent back to authors. Authors may be requested to make changes to papers accepted for publication. Any subsequent editorial amendments will be undertaken in consultation with the author. Assistance with editing and language can be provided where appropriate. Papers or correspondence should be addressed to: Gatekeeper Editor Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods Programme IIED, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H ODD, UK Tel:(+44 020) 7388 2117; Fax: (+44 020) 7388 2826; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


Identification and utilization of biomarkers is vitally important for the successful development of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs. Biochemical and imaging platforms hold great promise to deliver such biomarkers. Studies indicate a marked increase in biochemical products arising from the breakdown and biosynthesis of collagen, extracellular matrix and bone in osteoarthritis. These molecules have been associated with disease severity and may also have prognostic value as indicators of disease progression. However, issues including biological variability and lack of tissue specificity currently hinder the utility of these molecular markers in drug development. Imaging technologies hold great potential for sensitive and accurate measurement of disease-related structural damage. Drawbacks, including expense, need for validation and limited accessibility also limit the utility of these technologies. In this article, the potential value and challenges in developing and utilizing biomarkers in disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug development will be discussed.


We examined transition for the percentage of reticulated platelets (RP%) and platelet count in a canine case of Evans' syndrome. The result demonstrated that measurement of the RP% can be useful in evaluating platelet production in the bone marrow and response to treatment.


In this article we present a concept for simplification of user-defined indexing for user-defined data types in object-relational database systems. The concept is based on a detailed analysis of user-defined indexing in ORDBS on one hand, and features of generalized search trees (GiST) as an extensible indexing framework on the other hand. It defines a minimal interface to be implemented in order to use GiST within ORDBS; this greatly simplifies the process of implementing user-defined indexes. The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated by performance experiments carried out on a prototypical implementation of our concept. For the experiments we have used new specialized spatial data types, that store spatial as well as thematic information within a single attribute. These data types facilitate advanced spatial analysis operators. The experiments show great performance improvements on these operators by using multidimensional user-defined index structures based on R-trees when compared to system-provided indexes.


What Zenon Klemensiewicz Did Not Write About the Polish Language in the Interwar Period, or Why Is There a Need for a New Synthesis of the History of Polish Between 1918 and 1939
The article formulates a postulate of a new synthesis of the history of the Polish language in the years 1918–1939, and presents reasons that justify this need. The interwar period has been described in the third volume of Z. Klemensiewicz's History of the Polish Language (Pol. Historia jezyka polskiego) as the closing phase of the New Polish period. Such classification of this brief period in the history of Polish might be the reason why it has attracted little interest from historians studying the language, and why the centre of gravity of linguistic research has shifted to the period after 1945 which Klemensiewicz presented as the time of great changes in the Polish language. Klemensiewicz's work, whose third volume was published in 1974, ignores numerous important issues which characterize the sociopolitical background of the development of Polish and the attitude towards the language. These are primarily issues connected to multinationality and multilingualism, including the problem of bilingual education with the language of instruction being a minority language, and the question of language policy. A wider range of sources needs to be included in historical and linguistic research into the interwar period, as the existing literature is mainly only familiar with the topics popularized by contemporary language correctness journals such as Poradnik Jezykowy or Jezyk Polski.


Parents play a unique role in providing and facilitating their children in acquirement of sexual and reproductive health knowledge. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of parents' attitude, preferences towards sexuality education (SE) and factors that contributed to their attitudes and perceptions based on review of relevant literature. The articles were retrieved via electronic databases, and manually examined to identify the studies that addressed the research questions. There were 29 studies with a total of 22,213 parents involved which published in peer-reviewed journals between the year 2000 and 2018 were selected and reviewed systematically. The findings emerged from the review were categorized into three main themes which included parental attitudes, parental preferences towards the implementation of SE and the factors contributed to their attitudes and perceptions. Most studies revealed that parents showed positive attitudes and support the inclusion of SE in school. They preferred age-appropriated SE to be introduced in elementary schools and secondary schools. Some parents supported SE which is aligned with religious teaching and cultural. Demographic factors, parents' sexuality knowledge, religious and cultural factors could affect parental attitudes and perceptions towards SE. This understanding could be useful for policymakers and educators to encourage collaboration with parents to strengthen the effectiveness of the program and scale up SE to benefit the young generation.


AIM
As RNA, which plays a role in the regulation of endometrial receptivity, can be modulated via ceRNA mechanisms, we constructed a ceRNA network to explore potential RNA/ceRNA biomarkers indicating endometrial receptivity associated with endometriosis.

MATERIALS & METHODS
RNA sequencing was performed on eutopic endometrium from eight patients with and without endometriosis. Bioinformatics algorithms were used to predict ceRNA network and pathway analysis.

RESULTS
We identified an endometriosis-associated ceRNA network involving 45 pathways and four ceRNAs as potential predictive biomarkers for endometrial receptivity. Patients with endometriosis presented lower levels of progesterone receptor type B expression.

CONCLUSION
Differentially expressed RNAs and lower progesterone receptors type B levels in endometriosis might be related to the impairment of endometrial receptivity.


Power system oscillation damping, have always been an undeniable problem for engineers. In this paper we try to show that a supplementary lead-lag controller using wide area signals can greatly decrease the oscillations, because the global signals involve more wide-area oscillation modes. Parameters of this damping lead-lag controller are obtained by phase compensation method. Then an artificial neural network (ANN) is implemented to calculate the damping controller's gain. To validate the proposed controller, computer simulation using MATLAB/ SIMULINK is performed on a 2-area, 4- machine test system. The results show that using a well-trained ANN in proposed method, can clearly improve the damping of sub-synchronous oscillations.


Objective:To quantify the physical and chemical stability data published for commonly used continuously infused medications in the intensive care unit and to evaluate the quality of the studies providing these data. Data Sources and Study Selection:We conducted a systematic electronic literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts as well as the references of electronic drug compatibility textbooks for all English and French language research publications evaluating the physical compatibility or chemical stability of the 820 possible two-drug combinations of 41 commonly used drugs in an adult intensive care unit. Data Extraction and Synthesis:A total of 93 studies comprised of 86 (92%) studies evaluating physical compatibility and 35 (38%) studies evaluating chemical compatibility of at least one drug combination of interest were included. Physical and/or chemical compatibility data exist for only 441 of the possible 820 two-drug combinations (54%), whereas chemical compatibility data exist for only 75 (9%) of the possible combinations. Of the 441 combinations for which compatibility data are available, 67 (15%) represent incompatible combinations and 39 (9%) had conflicting data in which both compatible and incompatible data were identified. Conclusions:Physical compatibility studies that provide the basis for y-site compatibility are lacking for commonly used medications in intensive care unit patients and may contribute to unsafe medication practices. Furthermore, the heterogeneity in the methodology of these studies likely contributes to the common finding of conflicting data for specific combinations of drugs. Future studies should apply similar methodologic and reporting principles to be able to reproduce and compare outcomes both clinically and in the laboratory.


All-electronic analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) technology is limited by the timing accuracy and inherent speed of semiconductor materials. Photonic techniques, however, can potentially enable real-time ADC at a considerably wider bandwidth, higher sample rate and/or resolution, thanks to the availability of extremely accurate optical clocks and the immense bandwidth of optical systems. Together with
the availability of very wide bandwidth components developed for fiber-optical communication, optical techniques for high speed ADC now have a unique opportunity for a break-through in demanding applications.

In this thesis, the ADC process is separated into three distinct processes: sampling, binary encoding and thresholding. Photonic techniques for realization of these processes are reviewed in the first part of this thesis, as an introduction to the appended papers.
In the first five appended papers, two schemes for photonic binary encoding are studied. The first scheme is based on a spectrometer-like setup using a tunable laser, and experiments are presented in Paper A with 100 MHz signals and 3.2 effective number of bits (ENOB). In the following paper, a design method for the diffractive optical element array in such an ADC is proposed, avoiding destructive inter-element interference while retaining diffraction efficiency. A more accurate model of the ADC is presented in Paper C, where it is shown that the spectrometer resolution can be relaxed if more accurate thresholders are used, giving an increase in signal bandwidth.

A novel interferometric scheme for photonic binary encoding is proposed in Paper D, and demonstrated with optical sampling at 40 gigasamples/s with 3.6 ENOB in Paper E. This scheme uses only one standard phase modulator for sampling, and is thus suitable for very high frequency operation. An analytical model of the ADC performance is presented, showing good agreement with the experimental results.

Paper F deals with the so called "photonic time-stretch"(PTS) system, and proposes a novel signal post-processing method. A very efficient numerical propagation method is also presented, and Monte-Carlo simulations are carried out to show that the post-processing successfully compensates for linear as well as nonlinear distortion.

In the last paper, we demonstrate a method for tunable GHz-THz signal generation with a very stable phase. The setup can easily be added to a PTS system for characterizing the chromatic dispersion of the stretch element.


We report a method for making horizontal wrap-gate nanowire transistors with up to four independently controllable wrap-gated segments. While the step up to two independent wrap-gates requires a major change in fabrication methodology, a key advantage to this new approach, and the horizontal orientation more generally, is that achieving more than two wrap-gate segments then requires no extra fabrication steps. This is in contrast to the vertical orientation, where a significant subset of the fabrication steps needs to be repeated for each additional gate. We show that cross-talk between adjacent wrap-gate segments is negligible despite separations less than 200 nm. We also demonstrate the ability to make multiple wrap-gate transistors on a single nanowire using the exact same process. The excellent scalability potential of horizontal wrap-gate nanowire transistors makes them highly favorable for the development of advanced nanowire devices and possible integration with vertical wrap-gate nanowire transistors in 3D nanowire network architectures.


BACKGROUND
Mediastinitis is a serious complication of median sternotomy and is associated to significant morbidity and mortality. Diabetes is a feared risk factor for mediastinitis and viewed with caution by cardiovascular surgeons.

OBJECTIVE
To identify risk factors for mediastinitis in diabetics undergoing CABG surgery with use of unilateral ITA in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery of Pronto Socorro Cardiológico de Pernambuco - PROCAPE.

METHODS
Retrospective study of 157 diabetics operated between May 2007 and April 2010. Nine preoperative variables, five intraoperative variables and seven postoperative variables possibly involved in the development of postoperative mediastinitis were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied.

RESULTS
The incidence of mediastinitis was 7% (n=11), with a lethality rate of 36.1% (n=4). Variables associated with increased risk of mediastinitis were: use of pedicled ITA (OR 8.25, 95% CI 2.03 to 66.10, P=0.016), postoperative renal complications (OR 5.10, 95% CI 1.03 to 25.62, P=0.049) and re-operation (OR 7.45, 95% CI 1.24 to 42.17, P=0.023). In multivariate analysis using backward logistic regression, only one variable remained as independent risk factor: use of pedicled ITA (OR 7.64, 95% CI 1.95 to 61.6, P=0.048), in comparison to skeletonized ITA.

CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that diabetics should be considered for strategies to minimize risk of infection. In diabetics that undergo unilateral ITA, the problem seems to be related to how ITA is harvested. Diabetics should always be considered for use of skeletonized ITA.


The purpose of this study was to map the structure of scientific outputs of petroleum field in Science Citation Index (SCI) accessible via Web of Science (WOS) during 1990 to 2011 and determine the position of Iran. The used research methods were citation analysis and historiography. The results showed that there were totally 26859 records indexed in the petroleum discipline during 1990-2011 in SCI. USA, 7237 documents (27.28%), was the most collaborative country in this research. Iran with 321 documents ranked 21th country among all countries. The American author, Marshall A.G., with 85 documents ranked top among the most productive authors. In Iran, Kharrat from Petroleum University of Technology with 8 documents was the most productive Iranian author in petroleum field. Among the institutes and universities, Chinese Academy of Science was the most productive with 530 documents. Among the institutes and universities at national level, Tehran University has the first place with 53 documents. Energy & Fuels, Organic Geochemistry, and Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society were the most important journals in terms of production and citation (both LCS and GCS) in petroleum field. The scientific map of petroleum field was drawn using HistCite TM software. The analysis of the map revealed six thematic clusters including "Analysis and evaluation of compounds and elements of molecular structure of petroleum", "Analysis and evaluation of compounds and elements of molecular structure of petroleum using mass spectrometry", "reviewing and modeling of conditions of production and formation of source rock", "survey of petroleum and its compounds biodegradation by bacteria and algae", "survey of characteristics and history of petroleum reservoir", and "survey of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)".


Identification and verification of a person today is a common thing; which may include door-lock system, safe box and vehicle control or even at accessing bank accounts via ATM, etc which is necessary for securing personal information. The conventional methods like ID card verification or signature does not provide perfection and reliability. The systems employed at these places must be fast enough and robust too. Use of the ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) which provides customers with the convenient banknote trading is facing a new challenge to carry on the valid identity to the customer. Since, in conventional identification methods with ATM, criminal cases are increasing making financial


Occlusion and lack of visibility even in sparse crowd scenes make it difficult to track individual pedestrians correctly and consistently, particularly in a single view. We present a novel pedestrian tracking approach that connects tracking with reidentification to locate and maintain the identity of certain people who may be occluded for a long time. First, two models are constructed. One model tracks the pedestrian and trains a classifier, while the other model reidentifies the pedestrian of interest from detection results with the trained classifier. Secondly, we design a set of transition rules for model switching. Finally, the two models work alternatively based on the principle of a hybrid system to track the pedestrian. Several typical sets of experiments show that the proposed approach outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches and achieves robust pedestrian tracking in the presence of full occlusion.


The pathogenesis of Hashimoto's encephalopathy has not been clearly elucidated and involvement of autoimmune damage has been proposed. We report a 23-year-old man who was emergently hospitalized for paroxysmal syncope and involuntary tremor with normal physical examination except for low heart rate. The patient was characterized by neurological symptoms, mild hypothyroidism, enlarged pituitary gland and extremely elevated thyrotropin, which all were reversed with levothyroxine alone. The case indicated that the pituitary-thyroid dysfunction may play a role in the pathogenesis of Hashimoto's encephalopathy, hence, evaluation of pituitary gland should be recommended in diagnosis and treatment of Hashimoto's encephalopathy.


AbstractTrend tests, linear regression, and canonical correlation analysis were used to quantify changes in National Weather Service Cooperative Observer (COOP) snow depth data and derived quantities, precipitation, snowfall, and temperature over the study period 1950–2010. Despite widespread warming, historical trends in snowfall and snow depth are generally mixed owing to competing influences of trends in precipitation. Trends toward later snow-cover onset in the western half of the conterminous United States and earlier onset in the eastern half and a widespread trend toward earlier final meltoff of snow cover combined to produce trends toward shorter snow seasons in the eastern half of the United States and in the west and longer snow seasons in the Great Plains and southern Rockies. The annual total number of days with snow cover exhibited a widespread decline. Monthly trend patterns show the dominant influence of temperature trends on occurrence of snow cover in the warmer snow-season months and a c...


This paper presents an efficient algorithm, called dynamic fuzzy cluster (DFC), for dynamically
clustering time series by introducing the definition of key point and improving FCM algorithm. The proposed algorithm works by determining those time series whose class labels are vague and further partitions them into different clusters over time. The main advantage of this approach compared with other existing algorithms is that the property of some time series belonging to different clusters over time can be partially revealed. Results from simulation-based experiments on geographical data demonstrate the excellent performance and the desired results have been obtained. The proposed algorithm can be applied to solve other clustering problems in data mining.


This work, the publishers tell us, was intended to form an appendix to the editor's Indian Criminal Jurisprudence in Ancient and Historic Times, but the larger work has been delayed for want of paper. By retaining as a subtitle for this separate publication the high-sounding term " Criminal Jurisprudence ", the editor has led readers to expect too much. KeiSava-pandita's work is in fact neither a complete treatise on the subject, nor even a very thorough one. According to the manuscript colophon, the Dandaniti-chapter forms part of the Nitimafijarl, itself a subdivision of a larger Dharmakalpalata. Of these, however, no trace has come to light. The present text, after an introductory eulogy of retributory justice, deals very sketchily with theft, adultery, slander, and assault. The greater part of the work is a mere compilation from the usual Smrti-authorities, and Ke^ava gives us little of value in the way of legal interpretation. In his introduction Mr. Bendrey has given a great deal of minute information about the Maratha kingdom of isivaji, for whose successor the Dandaniti was composed : this part of the book will doubtless offer more of interest to historians of the period than Ke&va's text itself offers for the student of law.


Explicit formulas are obtained for a resonator with the fundamental mode in the form of a Gaussian beam with complex astigmatism. The formulas describe the parameters of the beam directly in terms of the ray matrix without using the procedure of finding its eigenvectors. An example is considered.


Abstract We descibe the use of reflected PP, SS , and converted PS/SP phases in a joint inversion to determine P -and S -wave velocity-depth functions. For an adequate determination of Poisson9s ratio, the P - and S -wave velocity functions must be coupled in the inversion scheme. This coupling can be attained in different ways. In this article, we use the PS/SP converted phases to achieve it. In order to model gradient zones and to prevent any bias due to our choice of parameterization, our models consist of a large number of constantvelocity thin layers. The solution of the inversion problem estimates the thicknesses of these layers. The number of unknowns (layer thicknesses) is greater than the number of data points and the one-dimensional inverse problem is an underdetermined system of equations. A weighted damped least-squares inversion algorithm using the (τ, p ) formulation is used. The input data for this inverse problem consist of intercept-time ray-parameter pairs picked from (τ, p ) slantstacked wide-angle seismic reflection source gathers. When this procedure is used to invert only a single type of reflected waves, then the solution is strongly biased by the assignment of the data picks, (τ, p ) paris, to a particular layer. By using the (τ, p ) picks for the reflected PP , the reflected SS , and the converted PS/SP in a single joint inversion, the algorithm becomes more robust. Furthermore, the resolution of the P and S velocity-depth functions is greatly increased. The resolution kernels become sharper, decreasing the width of the main lobe by 10 to 50% and increasing their height by 20 to 40%. This increase in resolution in the velocity-depth functions can produce a decrease of approximately 50% in the error estimates of Poisson9s ratio profiles.


In most data mining applications where induction is used as the primary tool for knowledge extraction from real world databases, it is difficult to precisely identify a complete set of relevant attributes. The paper introduces a novel rule induction algorithm called Rule Induction Two In One (RITIO), which eliminates attributes in the order of decreasing irrelevancy. Like ID3-like decision tree construction algorithms, RITIO makes use of the entropy measure as a means of constraining the hypothesis search space; but, unlike IDS-like algorithms, the hypotheses language is the rule structure and RITIO generates rules without constructing decision trees. The final concept description produced by RITIO is shown to be largely based on only the most relevant attributes. Experimental results confirm that, even on noisy, industrial databases, RITIO achieves high levels of predictive accuracy.


Self-driving cars are announced to be available at the end of this decade. For testing these highly complex systems, experiments on proving grounds and long-term validations on public roads need to be complemented by extensive tests in virtual environments. However, efficient planning of these virtual tests is essential to focus only on those tests, which are affected by changes to the software during the development. In previous work, meta-data from the development process of a real-scale self-driving car was analyzed to develop an approach, which relates changes in the source code to scenarios for virtual testing environments. In this article, results from applying that approach during the development of a lane-following algorithm for a self-driving miniature car are presented. With the help of the approach, 11% of the tests in the virtual environment could be omitted safely to save virtual testing time.


Unusual mortality rate differences and symptoms have been experienced by COVID‐19 patients, and the postinfection symptoms called Long COVID‐19 have also been widely experienced. A substantial percentage of COVID‐19‐infected individuals in specific health categories have been virtually asymptomatic, several other individuals in the same health categories have exhibited several unusual symptoms, and yet other individuals in the same health categories have fatal outcomes. It is now hypothesized that these differences in mortality rates and symptoms could be caused by a SARS‐CoV‐2 virus infection acting together with one or more latent pathogen infections in certain patients, through mutually beneficial induced immune cell dysfunctions, including T‐cell exhaustion. A latent pathogen infection likely to be involved is the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which infects approximately one third of the global human population. Furthermore, certain infections and cancers that cause T‐cell exhaustion can also explain the more severe outcomes of other COVID‐19 patients having several disease and cancer comorbidities.


The significance of the role of creativity as an essential component of giftedness has long been assumed by most of the experts in the field. The most fertile creations will often be those formed of elements drawn from domains which are far apart. It is assumed that creativity is a personality variable, and not an ability, and thus it is believed that all students have creative potential that can be identified and nurtured. Imagery, intuition and unconscious activity are found to be associated with the essence and the nurturance of creativity. Whereas conscious thought may be focused and convergent, unconscious thought may be more associative and divergent. Moreover, while a thought or answer is fully activated if it is both conscious and accessible, it is deeply activated if it is accessible but not currently conscious. Education tries to reach its goals by creating strategies of approach rather than by trying to understand, support and develop the child's enormously rich inner life. Based on all of the above insights, the article will focus on the introduction of NLP (Neurological-Linguistic Programming) which originated in the 1970' by Bandler and Grinder. Besides its general use as a means to modifying undesirable behaviors, NLP offers modeling tools by which the gifted student can identify specific, reproducible patterns in the language and behavior of effective role models, especially the most creative ones - like Albert Einstein.


Present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of psychological interventions to improve students' academic failure at Ahvaz University. The population of this study consisted of college students with academic failure of seven-medical faculties who were referred to counseling centers in order to psychological interventions at Ahvaz Jundishapour University during the year 1390-139. Sampling technique was used and then only 33members among students with academic failure were invited to their own core counseling faculty. The instrument in this study included their academic performance through Consecutive Two semesters average as well as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques (C.B.T) was used. According to the outcomes obtained among the whole 33 persons with academic failure data was arranged as 36/4% male, and 63/6% female, 81/8% single, 18/2% married and 27/3% native and 27/7% were not native; the most academic failure observed in medicine and nursing schools (13.2%) whereas the lowest academic failure were in School of paramedical sciences; the finding alsorevealed that the most frequent cause related to family problems and academic failure (13/2%), employment (11/3%) , lack of interest to field (3/11%), and found the lowest score related to the lack of confidence, hard lessons, mental disorders, disagreement according to the study resultss.Therefore, it is essential that college counseling centers should plan to more careful and regular planning not only for detection the effective ways on improvement and prevention of academic failure but also try to implement these ways.


Extension of the shelf life of orange fruits continues to be a challenge in Nigeria. The search for safe, healthy and environmental friendly treatments has led to increased interest in research into edible and biodegradable films and coatings. In this work, the use of Aloe vera gel as a coating to extend the shelf-life of orange fruits was investigated. The oranges were stored at ambient temperature (27+2oC) and at 50-60% relative humidity for five weeks. During ambient storage, uncoated fruits showed 43.11% and 60.63 % increases in total soluble solids and reducing sugar contents respectively. Rapid weight loss and loss of firmness were also observed. The above parameters which are related to post- harvest quality loss were however significantly controlled in the oranges coated with A. vera gel. Percent increase in total soluble solids 56.89% and reducing sugar contents 39.36% were observed. The storability of orange fruits was  extended by five weeks. It was concluded that A. vera gel used as a coating for orange could serve as an alternative to post-harvest chemical treatments.


2 2 I E E E S O F T W A R E N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 0 0 7 4 0 7 4 5 9 / 0 0 / $ 1 0 . 0 0 © 2 0 0 0 I E E E Often, the accountant's answer is the most helpful of all. You may have been looking for the answer to the following question: "The Inspections people estimate that they can remove 68% of my software defects; the Test people estimate that they can remove 73%. How many will they remove together?" Clearly, 141% is not a good answer; there must be some defects that are being counted twice. This story brings out two important points about software estimation:


Recruitment of virus-specific T lymphocyte subpopulations to liver sites in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection implies a key role for the immune response in host-virus interaction. In spite of a multispecific and polyclonal cytotoxic function exerted by CD8+ lymphocytes, CD4-mediated activity is weak. This allows the infection to persist which in turn is responsible for the development of chronic hepatitis C (CH-C). Such a finding outlines the occurrence of a possible relationship between cytokine (CK) production by CD4 subsets, i.e. T helper (Th)1 or Th2 cells, and the clinical outcome. A prevalence of Th1-derived CK occurs in infected liver, while increased amounts of Th2-related CK are usually found in peripheral blood. Moreover, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures from CH-C subjects exhibit an impaired interferon (IFN)-gamma production and an increase of interleukin (IL)-12 p70 release after stimulation. The latter pattern seems to be due to the enhanced release of IL-12 p40 homodimers, which antagonize IL-12 p70 bioactivity and favour IL-10-induced effects. These results suggest that further extensive studies on the imbalance of the CK network at a molecular level are required to improve the therapeutical approach in CH-C subjects.


Bile acid synthesis defects (BASDs) comprise a group of rare diseases that can be severely disabling. Bile acid supplementation with 5 to 15 mg/kg cholic acid (CA) has been hypothesized to decrease endogenous bile acid production, stimulate bile secretion, and improve bile flow and micellar solubilization, thereby improving the biochemical profile and potentially slowing down disease progression. Currently, CA treatment is unavailable in the Netherlands, and CA capsules were compounded by the Amsterdam UMC Pharmacy from CA raw material. This study aims to determine the pharmaceutical quality and stability of the pharmacy compounded CA capsules. Pharmaceutical quality tests were performed on 25 mg and 250 mg CA capsules according to general monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia 10th ed. For the stability study, the capsules were stored under long-term conditions (25 °C ± 2 °C/60% ± 5% RH) and accelerated conditions (40 °C ± 2 °C/75% ± 5% RH). Samples were analyzed at 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The findings demonstrate that the pharmacy compounded CA capsules within a range of 25–250 mg that complied with the European regulations in regard to product quality and safety. The pharmacy compounded CA capsules are suitable for use in patients with BASD, as clinically indicated. With its simple formulation, pharmacies are provided a guidance on product validation and stability testing when commercial CA capsules are unavailable.


Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for ovarian cancer, with response rates of 70-80%. Docetaxel has an increasing role as salvage therapy in patients with platinum-refractory ovarian cancer. In this report, we present the case of a patient with platinum-refractory ovarian cancer who achieved a long-term complete remission with docetaxel therapy. Two years after completion of chemotherapy with docetaxel, she continues to have no evidence of disease.


Transfusion‐related acute lung injury (TRALI) is the leading cause of transfusion‐related mortality. The majority of the literature involves adult patients. The main objective of this study was to characterize the demographic features, clinical presentation, patient outcomes, and antibody profiles of TRALI patients reported to the Canadian Blood Service (CBS) and to assess similarities and differences between adult and pediatric TRALI cases.


Texts of court judgements are especially difficult to understand by students of Spanish for specific purposes, not only because of legal terms, but also owing to their syntactic complexity. This study is dedicated to the main syntactic phenomena proper of the text of Spanish court judgements.


Text clustering is potentially very useful for exploration of text sets that are too large to study manually. The success of such a tool depends on whether the results can be explained to the user. An automatically extracted cluster description usually consists of a few words that are deemed representative for the cluster. It is preferably short in order to be easily grasped. However, text cluster content is often diverse. We introduce a trimming method that removes texts that do not contain any, or a few of the words in the cluster description. The result is clusters that match their descriptions better. In experiments on two quite different text sets we obtain significant improvements in both internal and external clustering quality for the trimmed clustering compared to the original. The trimming thus has two positive effects: it forces the clusters to agree with their descriptions (resulting in better descriptions) and improves the quality of the trimmed clusters.


To provide information on the identification and quality evaluation of Q. variabilis virgin cork from Korea, the qualitative anatomical characteristics of the virgin cork were observed by optical and scanning electron microscopy and compared with those of Q. suber reproduction cork from Portugal. Q. variabilis showed a narrower growth ring than Q. suber. A dark-brown zone with sclereids was found only in Q. variabilis cork. The lenticular channel in Q. variabilis is larger than that in Q. suber. Q. variabilis virgin cork showed a distinct growth ring boundary and an abrupt transition from earlycork to latecork with a few rows of latecork cells. Q. suber reproduction cork showed an indistinct growth ring with a gradual transition from one to two rows of latecork cells. In the earlycork, Q. suber showed mild corrugation, while Q. variabilis displayed significant corrugation with collapsed and distorted cork cells. The lenticular channel in Q. variabilis virgin cork was surrounded by thick-walled cells filled with compact lenticular filling tissue. Q. suber reproduction cork had an opening with loose lenticular filling tissue surrounded by thick-walled cells. Prismatic crystals, thick-walled sclereid cells, and fiber-sclereids were found only in Q. variabilis. A few trabeculae were found in both cork samples.


We study transmit beamforming in IEEE 802.11n systems, where perfect channel state information is available at the transmitter. We first derive the achievable diversity order on each eigenmode. It is found that these eigenmodes are almost Gamma distributed for small number of antennas, which is the typical configuration for IEEE 802.11n systems. Finally, we develop a tight lower- and upper-bound to the average bit error rate performance over each eigenmode.


Strontium isotope stratigraphy of the Cretaceous sections recovered in Holes 1183A and 1186A generally matches trends expected from the seawater Sr isotope curve. Combined with biostratigraphic data, the 87Sr/86Sr measurements provide a good chronostratigraphic framework for these holes. In the mid-Cretaceous where the seawater Sr isotopic curve changes direction several times, biostratigraphy removes ambiguity in interpreting 87Sr/86Sr values. Furthermore, 87Sr/86Sr values refine the interpretation of several mid-Cretaceous unconformities suggested by nannofossil biostratigraphy. For the Campanian–Maastrichtian sediments in both holes, ages predicted from Sr isotope stratigraphy are as much as 2.5 m.y. younger than those from nannofossil stratigraphy. This offset likely results from differences in the way that ages are calibrated to nannofossil datums and the seawater Sr isotopic curve. Numerous Sr isotope values are high for their stratigraphic position, suggesting incorporation of excess 87Sr presumably derived from terrigenous clays. Other Sr isotope values suggest minor errors in the estimated ages of nannofossil datums. 1Bralower, T.J., Fullagar, P.D., McCay, T.A., MacLeod, K.G., Bergen, J., and Zapata, E., 2004. Strontium isotope stratigraphy of Cretaceous sediments at Sites 1183 and 1186, Ontong Java Plateau. In Fitton, J.G., Mahoney, J.J., Wallace, P.J., and Saunders, A.D. (Eds.), Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 192, 1–19 [Online]. Available from World Wide Web: . [Cited YYYYMM-DD] 2Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, 503 Deike Building, University Park PA 16802, USA. firstname.lastname@example.com 3Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Campus Box 3315, Mitchell Hall, Room 107, Chapel Hill NC 27599-3315, USA. 4Department of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri, 101 Geology Building, Columbia MO 65211-1380, USA. 5British Petroleum, 501 Westlake Park Boulevard, Houston TX 77079, USA. 6Department of Geology, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. Initial receipt: 29 April 2003 Acceptance: 13 January 2004 Web publication: 17 March 2004 Ms 192SR-106 T.J. BRALOWER, ET AL. STRONTIUM ISOTOPE STRATIGRAPHY 2


Transitive inference (TI) occurs when information about known relationships is used to construct novel associations, for example, when an individual infers the order of 3 conspecifics in a linear dominance hierarchy (A > B > C) by watching 2 dyads (A > B and B > C). TI has been demonstrated for several species, but never for organisms with hierarchies involving many individuals whose rank order changes often. Under these circumstances, theory predicts natural selection may favor use of explicit cues to rank conspecifics, rather than TI. Here we show that brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), a species that exhibits complex, shifting dominance hierarchies, can combine individual recognition and TI to rank individuals within a hierarchy without use of explicit cues. Subjects that were allowed to directly interact with rivals were able to identify the social rank of each individual. In addition, we found that a subject, whose rank was C within a 5-fish hierarchy (A > B > C > D > E), could use TI to correctly infer the ranks of A and E after first interacting with B and D and then watching dyads involving A > B and D > E. This demonstration of TI in brook trout contributes to the understanding of stream trout population dynamics as TI could lower the energetic costs associated with movement.


The summary form only given. Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is a process by which energy is transferred from one wavelength to the next through a nonlinear scattering process. This phenomenon can be used to Raman amplify signals in a telecommunication systems. In this tutorial, the process of SRS is reviewed; and the advantages of Raman pumping a transmission span, improved noise figure and gain flatness, are discussed. Problems that can arise such as, multiple path interference of Rayleigh backscattered light, and pump noise transfer are examined. Finally, pumping schemes such as multiple order Raman pumping and time division multiplexed pumping are studied.


Current prosthetic hands are often lacking in feedback mechanism while being very expensive. The Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technique provides a cost effective method to directly produce prosthetic hands especially for third-world countries. This study aims to synthesise a conductive composite material with good mechanical properties that could be used to print prosthetic hands using the FDM technique. An ABS/CNT composite material was synthesised via solution processing. The rule of mixtures and Zare's model were used to analyse the mechanical properties while the percolation threshold theory and excluded volume theory were used for analysing the electrical properties. Results indicate that the material had good dispersion and retained the aspect ratio of CNT, thereby achieving good mechanical and electrical properties.


Sustainable flood memories – defined as those formed of folk memories of flooding, flood heritage and other local, lay knowledges – have been identified as having great potential for increasing community resilience to floods. Focusing on the social and cultural aspects of flood and drought memory, we present the findings of archival research, interviews with residents of the Welsh colony in Argentine Patagonia (Y Wladfa in Welsh), and critical textual analysis of museum spaces. This analysis enables reconstruction of flood and drought history over the ~150 years of the colony, provides insights into the impact, emotive power and perception of floods and droughts, and highlights the ways in which lay knowledge and flood and drought memories are transmitted vertically and shared horizontally in material and immaterial ways. We argue that specific thresholds of memory exist, as related to flood/drought magnitude, duration, social impact and memorialisation, which ensure that some events are encoded, transcribed and transmitted through the collective memoria of a community, while other events may fade from memory. Ensuring long-term sustainability of the Welsh-language community, and integration of these flood/drought memories with those from other cultures and languages, will help develop community resilience to 21st century hydroclimatic changes.


The product of gene NAT2 (N-acetyltransferase 2) is involved in the biotransformation system and participates in detoxication of some arylamine derivatives (in particular 2-aminofluorene, 4-aminobiphenyl and 4-naphthylamine) which are strongly mutagenic and carcinogenic. It also renders toxicological and pharmacological influence on a metabolism of medical products metabolized by the enzyme. We developed a microchip for detection of 16 functionally significant mutations coding 36 alleles of gene NAT2. Combinations of these alleles allow us to reveal more than 660 genotypes, which can be divided into four groups according acetylation phenotype: "fast" (R/R), "intermediate" (R/S), "slow" (S/S) and group with average or slow acetylating (R/S or S/S) alleles. The groups "R/S or S/S" include alleles, formed by a combination of 7 mutations (191G/A, 282C/T, 341T/C, 481C/T, 590G/A, 803A/G, 857G/A), theirs cis-trans position can be revealed by restriction analysis. In 37 of 71 DNA samples we unequivocally defined NAT2-genotypes, and other 34 samples have been characterized by more than two genotypes. 16 samples out of 34 had acetylation phenotype of group "R/S or S/S", which is characterized by the following combination of mutations: 282C/T, 341T/C, 481C/T, 590G/A and 803A/G. Thus, the developed biochip is a convenient screening method for primary detection of the majority of polymorphic replacements in gene NAT2.


Recently, virtual environments (VE) have been increasingly used as settings for design and research. Using VE to visualize ideas from the initial steps of design, the architect is challenged to deal with perception of space, solid and void, without translations to and from a two dimensional media. The goal of the authors' studies was to identify how designers use and communicate early design ideas by using immersive three-dimensional (3D) VEs and how they describe 3D volumes using a different media. A series of experiments were undertaken, including navigation- and perception-tasks, designing in IVE, transcription of design, remote communication between design partners and controlled observations. They explored initial intentions of 3D-immersive design schemes, textual descriptions and collaborations within IVE. They discuss frameworks and factors influencing how architectural students communicate their proposals in an immersive Virtual Environment Design Studio, and how this approach of design studio enables to understand volumes and spatial relationships.


Fabrics within a 1-km-wide shear zone along the eastern margin of the Bronson Hill anticlinorium in central Massachusetts provide important information on the regional tectonic development during the Devonian Acadian orogeny. Two distinct mineral lineations observed within the zone are each defined by alignment of coarse sillimanite needles and elongated quartz and feldspar grains and aggregates. Both lineations are associated with shearing and development of mylonitic fabrics. The character of the two lineations and related fabrics differs mainly in orientation and in the relationship of each lineation to the local orientation of quartz c axis fabrics. The interpreted earlier lineation has a steep west plunge and the later lineation has a shallow plunge and north-south to southwest trend, parallel to the regional trend of the orogen. Extensive dynamic recrystallization of feldspar, the possible activity of prism slip in quartz, and the mineral assemblages in apparent equilibrium during deformation suggest that both lineations probably formed under upper amphibolite facies conditions, just after the thermal peak of Acadian metamorphism. A progressive change between the two deformation fabrics is suggested by evidence of overlap between the two, by their striking similarity in style and metamorphic conditions of formation, and by the similarity in orientation of their bulk strain axes, with a change only in the transport direction between them, kinematic indicators associated with each phase of lineation development are consistent throughout the shear zone. The earlier phase has a west-side-up sense of shear and the later phase indicates west-side-north movement. These phases are correlated with the regional backfold and dome stages of Acadian deformation. The kinematics and relationships between them suggest a revised tectonic model for the later part of the Acadian orogeny and for development of orogen-parallel lineations in this region. In this model, uplift and thickening of basement gneisses in the Bronson Hill anticlinorium during the backfold stage was impeded by gravitational instability in a thermally weakened crust. This led to a change from subvertical to subhorizontal extension. East-west Acadian shortening was still in progress, constraining this extension to a north-south direction, parallel to the trend of the orogen.


Physiological qualities of F1 hybrid tomato seeds affected by the growing season; maturity stage at 40, 45, 50, 60, and 70 days after cross-pollination (DAP), and storage in plastic bags at 0°C for four months were studied. The characteristics of seeds from early harvested fruits (45 DAP) that subsequently ripened at ambient temperature (28 ± 2°C) for ten days (designated as "45+ripening"), were also investigated. Higher light intensity, and a wider range of night and day temperatures and relative humidity (RH), but lower night temperature and RH, were observed in the winter season compared to the rainy season. The winter climate delayed physiological maturity of the seeds by 10 days, indicated by the highest weight of dried seed, percentage germination and germination index which occurred at 60 DAP. On the other hand, in the rainy season physiological maturity occurred at 50 DAP. The proportions of irregularly shaped seeds, abnormal seedlings and weak seedlings were independent of fruit and seed maturity, while the amount of speckled seeds significantly increased with an increase in seed development on either the mother plant or the 45+ripening. Fresh (non-stored seeds) and stored seeds of the fruits harvested at 45+ripening and at 60 DAP showed the same quality. The number of fresh ungerminated seed in the seeds of 45 and 50 DAP was markedly reduced after four months storage at 0°C.


In parallel with the human genome sequencing and assembly effort, many tools have been developed to examine the structure and function of the human gene set. The University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Gene Sorter has been created as a gene-based counterpart to the chromosome-oriented UCSC Genome Browser to facilitate the study of gene function and evolution. This simple, but powerful tool provides a graphical display of related genes that can be sorted and filtered based on a variety of criteria. Genes may be ordered based on such characteristics as expression profiles, proximity in genome, shared Gene Ontology (GO) terms, and protein similarity. The display can be restricted to a gene set meeting a specific set of constraints by filtering on expression levels, gene name or ID, chromosomal position, and so on. The default set of information for each gene entry-gene name, selected expression data, a BLASTP E-value, genomic position, and a description-can be configured to include many other types of data, including expanded expression data, related accession numbers and IDs, orthologs in other species, GO terms, and much more. The Gene Sorter, a CGI-based Web application written in C with a MySQL database, is tightly integrated with the other applications in the UCSC Genome Browser suite. Available on a selected subset of the genome assemblies found in the Genome Browser, it further enhances the usefulness of the UCSC tool set in interactive genomic exploration and analysis.


As thin-film and silicon solar technologies mature, questions emerge about the upper bounds of thin-film solar performance and realistic experimental paths to reach them. Directions include increasing absorber hole density and bulk lifetime, improving the junction interface, reducing back-surface recombination, and implementing a back-surface electron reflector. Textbook solutions of idealized p-n junctions create a powerful conceptualization of solar cells as predominantly minority-carrier-driven devices. We demonstrate that thin films are distinct, and models often fail to capture the important role of majority-carrier lifetime, leading to contradictions with lifetime measurements and overestimates of potential device improvement from back-surface passivation and/or reflectors. Furthermore, we identify methods to probe majority-carrier lifetime and re-examine the degree to which back-surface passivation and electron reflectors can increase efficiency for a range of common thin-film interface and absorber properties, using current and emerging CdTe technology as an example. Results indicate that a practical approach is to focus first on improving front-interface recombination velocity and the absorber properties, and then on implementing the back-surface passivation or reflector, which can ultimately allow thin-film solar technology to reach 28% efficiency.As thin-film and silicon solar technologies mature, questions emerge about the upper bounds of thin-film solar performance and realistic experimental paths to reach them. Directions include increasing absorber hole density and bulk lifetime, improving the junction interface, reducing back-surface recombination, and implementing a back-surface electron reflector. Textbook solutions of idealized p-n junctions create a powerful conceptualization of solar cells as predominantly minority-carrier-driven devices. We demonstrate that thin films are distinct, and models often fail to capture the important role of majority-carrier lifetime, leading to contradictions with lifetime measurements and overestimates of potential device improvement from back-surface passivation and/or reflectors. Furthermore, we identify methods to probe majority-carrier lifetime and re-examine the degree to which back-surface passivation and electron reflectors can increase efficiency for a range of common thin-film interface and absorbe...


Piezoelectric fibrous composites of two, three and four phases are considered. The phase boundaries are cylindrical but otherwise the microgeometry is totally arbitrary. The constituents are transversely isotropic, and exhibit pyroelectricity. Exact relations are derived between the local fields arising under a uniform electromechanical loading and a uniform temperature change in the piezoelectric composite. For given overall material symmetry, exact connections are obtained among the effective elastic, piezoelectric and dielectric constants of two- and three- phase systems. It is also shown that the effective thermal stress and pyroelectric coefficients can be expressed in terms of the effective elastic, piezoelectric, dielectric constants and constituent properties in two-, three- and four-phase composites.


In this study, a deep well vertical turbine pump experienced extremely high vibrations for a long time although it still being new. It hasn't been in operation for over 6 months. A novel strategy is implemented by using well-conceived techniques. The experimental modal analysis is confirmed a presence of a natural frequency.Modifications are carried out to overcome resonance. Finite element analysis is applied to determine the reed critical frequencies as a powerful tool to identify and mitigate vibration issues.On-site motor balancing is done to remove vibrations due to the residual imbalance. Results reveal decreasing vibration level by about 8% after solving all problems.

http://www.diagnostyka.net.pl/pdf-166096-89428?filename=An integrated study for.pdf


The aromatic hydroxylation of six pairs of selectively deuterated monosubstituted benzenes was investigated with rat liver microsomes of various induction states. The substrates studied included 3,5-D2C6H3X (1a-6a) and 2,4,6-D3C6H2X (1b-6b), where X = Br, CN, NO2, OCH3, CH3, or Ph, respectively. The deuterium content of the ortho, meta, and para hydroxylated metabolites, as well as side chain oxidation products from 4 and 5, was determined by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. These data were analyzed according to a hypothetical model in which a molecule of substrate can undergo either direct aromatic hydroxylation (defined as obligatory and complete loss of deuterium from the site of hydroxylation) or indirect aromatic hydroxylation (defined as the obligatory and complete shift of deuterium to an adjacent position, followed by its partial loss as governed by a kinetic deuterium isotope effect). From this and other analyses of the data the following conclusions were reached. (1) The relative extent of meta hydroxylation increased and the total yield of metabolites decreased as the substituents X became more electron withdrawing. (2) The induction state of the microsomes altered the regioselectivity of hydroxylation (2, 3, 4, or side chain) noticeably and predictably but had little or no effect on the retention or loss of deuterium during each hydroxylation. (3) With each substrate and at each ring position hydroxylation was found to occur by a combination of direct and indirect mechanisms. (4) The relative importance of direct vs. indirect mechanisms did not vary in a simple manner with either the position of hydroxylation or the nature of the substituent X.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Abstract The paper examines the link between organizational climate and work engagement among the non-teaching staff of a Nigerian University. Participants consisted of 229 (F=46.7%; Mean age =45.7) non-teaching staff selected using stratified random sampling technique from non-teaching staff of the institution. Participants completed the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Organizational Climate Measure that were subjected to Pearson Product Moment Correlation and t-test analysis. Results revealed that organizational climate is related to work engagement among registry staff. It also showed that female employees were more engaged with their work than their male counterparts. The paper recommends the design of appropriate strategies and interventions to ensure that employees feel more engaged in their work-roles.


A bolaform surfactant, 1,12-diascorbyl dodecanedioate (BOLA12), with ascorbic acid units as the polar headgroups was synthesized for the first time. Once dispersed in water above 0.5% w/w, BOLA12 forms hollow nanotubes as revealed by cryo-TEM experiments. These nanostructures transform into clear micellar solutions on heating. X-ray diffraction and SAXS experiments were performed both on the pure solid and on its aqueous dispersions. The critical aggregation concentration and the phase behavior were determined by conductivity and DSC experiments. The latter technique provided also the amount of strongly bound, solvating water molecules that surround the polar headgroups. BOLA12 shows the same reducing properties of ascorbic acid, as indicated by the antioxidant activity evaluated with the DPPH method. This feature was used for the reduction of Pd(II) ions on the surface of the nanoassemblies, which lead to the formation of large bundles homogeneously coated with palladium as observed in SEM micrographs.


A bird with a physical handicap presents special challenges for those who love them and want to provide them a full and enjoyable life. A handicap can range from mild disabilities like missing toes, an upcurved beak, splayed legs, amputated feet, missing wings, dislocated hips, burn injuries to blindness. Animals have a different attitude about disabilities - if they were born with them, they know no other way to live and seem to adapt in the most amazing ways. Even animals who are injured later in life seem to possess the drive and determination to get on with the task of survival. They even find ways to enjoy life in spite of their disabilities. When dealing with a bird with physical challenges, it is helpful to "put yourself in their feathers" and visualize  their situation. For instance, if your bird is missing some toes, then his ability to grip wood perches and keep his balance are compromised. Providing rough textured perches and rope perches can greatly enhance their ability to perch, as well as increase their comfort because they are not having to grip the perches so tightly with their few remaining toes. SPLAYED LEGS: Splayed legs is a condition that usually happens in the nest box, where the chick's legs are spread apart at the hip or at the knee joint, making it impossible for the bird to stand upright with both legs parallel. Sometimes the condition can be corrected while the baby bird is still very tiny by taping their legs together in the correct position, but that is not 100% successful. (Once a bird has matured, the  nent condition, unless x-rays reveal the problem is due to a hip dislocation or defect that can be corrected with surgery.) One owner has found that by providing V-shaped perches, her little Lovebird can put one foot on each perch of the "V" and perch quite comfortably with his legs in their natural splayed position. He eats, plays, and is generally a happy and sassy little creature. DEFORMED FEET: Quaker parakeet "Gimpy" was obviously handicapped when purchased nine years ago. Gimpy has always been full of life and like many Quakers just loves to have fun. He has one foot that has been crippled since birth. The only thing that his owner had to do to help this handicap is to make sure that he has very comfortable perches. If you didn't already know he was crippled you would never expect it. It does not stop him from doing what he wants to do. He is very active. energetic and extremely loving parrot. DEFORMED BEAK: Blue - fronted Amazon "C.B.," named for his crooked beak, is a bird rescued from deplorable conditions five years ago. Unfortunately, one of the consequences of the poor care and unsanitary conditions of his previous home is a permanently deformed beak. C.B. apparently had a sinus infection that went untreated. The infection of the tissue in the sinuses also infected the beak bed (which is similar to a nail bed in humans), and his beak now grows straight out with no curve to it at all. It needs trimming now and then by the owner's vet. He also has one nostril that has grown almost shut. Because of this beak deformity, C.B. is not able to enjoy chewing wood like other parrots, nor is he able to crack nuts or bite into hard foods like almonds, carrots, or big pieces of apple. His owner is able to provide him a good diet by using small sized pellets, and smaller diced fresh foods. Other than his deformed beak and his inability to shred wood, crack nuts, or bite into firm foods, C.B. is a normal parrot in all other ways. He is full of conversation, whistles and squawks, as well as charm, personality and that typical Amazon attitude. He has even taught one family member to hop up and give him treats at the ring of his bell! MISSING TOES: In the last year, I have had personal experience with two handicapped birds. Buster is a 13 year old Quaker parakeet who came to live with me last fall. In his previous home, two of his front toes on his left foot were "amputated" by the beak of a larger bird. On his right foot, another front toe was severely crushed and then twisted so that the remnant of a toenail is turned upward and the toe itself is very sensitive to any touch or pressure. This leaves him with only ONE functioning toe in front, and his two rear toes on the back of each foot. When I first got Buster, he had quite an aggressive attitude and his cage set-up included a hard manzanita and a regular small dowel perch in his cage. His activity level was very little other than when he was climbing around the  bars of the cage. But when on a perch, he gripped on as tightly as he could and didn't move for fear of slipping off the perches. The first thing I did was to get rid of that slippery manzanita perch and dowel perch. Instead, I bought several rope perches (braided rope and sisal rope) for him, as well as a square perch that is easier for him to grip. I also installed a very fat sandblasted manzanita perch (lots of knots and bumps) so he could perch on it flat-footed and not lose his balance. This became his nighttime sleeping perch and made an immediate difference in his attitude when he could get a good night's rest and not fall off his perch in the middle of the night. It was amazing how quickly Buster started moving around with his new perches. Before long, he was scampering from one perch to another, flipping upside down to go from one place to the other, with only his hind toenails holding onto the perches for stability. He will also stretch to reach a toy, gripping the perch with just his rear toenails, and stretched forward with his foot and beak doing damage to whatever toy he is playing with. Such simple changes in perches made a tremendous improvement in his quality of life ... Buster rarely climbs on the bars of his cage anymore - the rope perches have removed the fear of failing and greatly improved his confidence in himself. Buster is now master of his entire world in his cage and he is a delight to watch scamper and flip and hop around his cage with total abandon. Of course, an improvement in his diet from all-seed to pellets and fresh foods, as well as some serious behavior modification were also needed to bring out Buster's true potential as Mr. Charm, which is how most people think of him now. But I think that improving his activity level by providing safe ways for him to move around, and restoring his confidence to allow him to play aggressively and enthusiastically with his toys, were the most important changes.


The pretargeting technique referred to as the Affinity Enhancement System (AES) uses bispecific antibodies and radiolabeled bivalent haptens that bind cooperatively to target cells in vivo. Experimental and clinical data demonstrate that DTPA bivalent haptens can deliver large radiation doses to tumor cells with high tumor to normal tissue contrast ratios and long activity residence time in tumors. Preliminary clinical results of radioimmunotherapy of medullary thyroid carcinomas and lung cancers look promising. Very encouraging results in biodistribution and radioimmunotherapy experiments in animals have been obtained with new haptens bearing two histamine-hemisuccinate suitable for 131I, 99mTc and 188Re labeling. Targeting isotopes to double antigen positive tumor cells provides a binding enhancement that increases specificity for tumor cells as compared to single antigen targeting on normal cells. This approach may be beneficial for targeting isotopes to B type acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Burkitt lymphoma, as well as others tumors co-expressing two markers of low specificity, and might increase tumor irradiation with minimal irradiation of normal cells.


The study used a cross-sectional design to investigate the role of emotional labour, gender, and age on employee job-related affective wellbeing. A total of two hundred bankers from nineteen different banks in Nsukka and Enugu cities participated in the study. They comprised unequal sample of 136 males and 64 females aged from 20-39 years (young adult workers), with a mean age of 29.5 years; and 40-65 years (old adult workers), with a means age of 52.5 years. The emotional labour subscales of surface acting and deep acting (Brotheridge & Lee, 1998), and job-related affective wellbeing scale (Van Katwyk, Fox, Spector & Kelloway, 2000) were used in the study. Of four hypotheses tested; two were rejected while other two were supported. The result showed that surface acting (B = 2.00, p< .001) and age (old adult workers) (B= -8.10,p<.001) were negatively significantly related to affective wellbeing, while deep acting (B= .17,p>0.05) and gender (B= -.54, p>0.05) were low and insignificantly related to employee affective wellbeing. Organizational implications were explored and the limitations of the finding highlighted for further studies.


Identification of new protein-protein interactions (PPI) and characterization of quantitative parameters of complex formation represent one of central tasks of protein interactomics. This work is a logical continuation of the cycle of our previous works devoted to the study of PPIs among the components of cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase system. Using an optical biosensor of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR biosensor), a comparative analysis on the determination of kinetic and equilibrium parameters of complex formation between the membrane-bound hemoprotein cytochrome b5 with cytochrome P450s was performed using two different protocols for protein immobilization: 1) covalent non-oriented one on to the carboxymethyl dextran chip type CM and 2) non-covalent oriented immobilization in the lipid environment on the chip type L1 with internal control of liposomes surface distribution. In the second protocol it was shown that the complex formation was characterized by 2.5 times higher affinity due to an decrease in rate dissociation constants. The appropriateness of using both experimental models is discussed.


In this study, the analytical realization of uncoupled system was introduced using the times series identification and spectrum analysis. the latter method was compared with conventional FFT spectrum. Also, the numerical analysis of second order system, which are uncoupled, was solved using the Runge-Kutta Gill method. After numerical analysis, the displacement, velocity and acceleration response were calculated and the displacement response was used for the analysis of time series spectrum. Among time series, the ARMAX algorithm was proved to be appropriate for the spectrum analysis. Using the separated response of 1st and 2nd mode, the mode was calculated separately. And the response of mixed modes was also used for calculating the mixed modes of the two systems.


Abstract Since W. V. Quine propounded a thin holism in 1951 in "Two Dogmas of Empiricism" there has occurred an historical process in which investigators working more or less independently with widely different vocabularies in virtually every specialized area of philosophy and many other disciplines have thickened Quine's holistic web. Fierce critics of holism have often done as much to thicken holism as avid supporters. But we must not assume that increased thickness is to be identified with more extreme holism. Henry Jackman, for example, achieves greater thickness by moderating semantic holism. Pragmatists attribute a degree and type of holism in a specific context consonant with the thickest description available. Morton White finds Quine's holism unacceptable not because discontinuities cannot be found in experience but because Quine, in failing to appreciate the deep continuities between the normative and the descriptive, refuses to accept a thickening of our experience of the world.


The most general evolution of the density matrix of a quantum system with a finite-dimensional state space is by stochastic maps which take a density matrix linearly into the set of density matrices. These dynamical stochastic maps form a linear convex set that may be viewed as supermatrices. The property of hermiticity of density matrices renders an associated supermatrix hermitian and hence diagonalizable. The positivity of the density matrix does not make the associated supermatrix positive though. If the map itself is positive, it is called completely positive and they have a simple parameterization. This is extended to all positive (not completely positive) maps. A general dynamical map that does not preserve the norm of the density matrices it acts on can be thought of as the contraction of a norm-preserving map of an extended system. The reconstruction of such extended dynamics is also given.


Summary form only given, as follows. New features of the ozonated water generator have been studied. Conventional methods make use of a ozonator to generate ozone and a diffuser to dissolve ozone to water. However, the diffuser is no more necessary in the direct dissolving system. The direct dissolving system is featured by dielectric barrier discharge in the two layer flows, water and gases. In this system, ozone gas is generated by the microdischarge in the gas layer and dissolved in the water layer, simultaneously. The concentration of dissolved ozone is quantitatively measured by use of the idometric method.. When 1.2 L water is pretreated by 24 g of potassium iodide (KI), the measured ozone concentration was about 100 ppm for 15 min discharging time.


Whereas the average age of earliest reportable personal memory among adults is 3 to 3½, there is considerable individual and group variability in the age of earliest autobiographical memory. Some of the variability is thought to be attributable to differential narrative socialisation. In the present research we tested the hypothesis that by virtue of later exposure to language, individuals born deaf to hearing parents will have earliest memories from later in life, relative to hearing individuals. The average age of single earliest identifiable memory for adults who are deaf and adults who are hearing did not differ. Nevertheless, adults who are deaf were found to have less dense representations of early autobiographical memories and to include in their narrative reports fewer categories of information, including visual-spatial information, relative to hearing adults. Participants' ratings of their memories on a number of dimensions were found to have low utility in predicting the content of autobiographical reports from both early and later in life (i.e., after age 10 years).


For studying the L-HCCF of an actual turbine disk mortise teeth at elevated temperature, this paper presents a new experimental system, using actual disk as experimental component, ingeniously achieving the combined loading (simulating low cycle radial centrifugal force and high cycle crosswise vibration of blade), the high-frequency induction local heating (550 °C constant temperature), the control of high cycle vibrating frequency and amplitude, and the crack real-time detection. The experimental result is identical with the practical flight failure. This method can be easily popularized for the L-HCCF studying of many components.Copyright © 1996 by ASME


To assess the practice of analgesia for invasive procedures in critically ill sedated patient in Ile-de-France (French area including Paris). Observational study: phone survey using a standard questionnaire. Only one senior physician in each of 30 intensive care unit (ICU) was questioned. Baseline sedation included systematic analgesia with narcotics in all ICUs. Only 4 physicians declared using a specific pain scale for sedated patients. Only 3 ICUs used written protocols. Procedures, which were thought to be most invasive (catheterization, pleural drainage, fibroscopy) were in most cases preceded by analgesia, but this was seldom the case for less painful events (venous or arterial puncture, tracheal suctioning). Specific pain scales are still underused. In contrast with current guidelines, analgesia for invasive procedures is not systematic but depends on subjective opinions.


Production of in vivo images of the human heart, with delineation of the individual cardiac chambers and myocardial wall thickness, was accomplished by coupling a relatively simple electrocardiographic gating device to a translate-rotate type of computed body tomographic scanner. Differentiation between the myocardial wall and the intracardiac blood pool was attainable in the patient with a normal hematocrit only when intravenous iodinated contrast media was used.


The experiments of this thesis have used apparent motion in random-dot patterns to explore the development of motion processing in infants. Most of the experiments involved discrimination of a segregated pattern, in which different regions moved in different ways (eg opposite directions), from a uniform pattern containing just one kind of motion. Maximum displacement limits for discrimination of coherent from incoherent motion, and for discrimination of opposite directions of coherent motion, increased between 8 and 15 weeks. The higher threshold of adults indicated that this increase continues beyond 15 weeks. The effect of changing the interval between displacements indicated two ^processes underlying the increase in direction discrimination a maturation of the temporal properties of motion detectors (eg improving sensitivity to high temporal frequencies), which is largely complete by about 12 weeks; and a more prolonged development of their spatial properties which dominates the change in after 12 weeks, and may also be involved befoie this. Measurements of coherence thresholds for direction discrimination showed that, in addition to the rise in d ^ with age, there is a substantial improvement in motion sensitivity at displacements below d , ^ Hence a uniform increase in sensitivity across all displacements is likely to be an important factor behind the development of However there may be additional specific improvements in sensitivity to large displacements, perhaps reflecting the emergence of low spatial frequency channels. A series of habituation and preferential looking experiments failed to find evidence for direction discrimination before 6 weeks, though positive evidence was obtained at 6-8 weeks. The results suggest that directionality emerges at about 7 weeks of age. Interestingly, despite llieir success at discriminating direction in a segregated stimulus, 6-8-week-olds were insensitive to the absolute direction of uniform motion. This suggests that they have not yet learnt to combine measurements of retinal image motion with information about eye movements.


The cost effectiveness of Roundup in weed control under oil palm was assessed using four treatments in four replications in a randomised complete block design. Whole plots and strips of the planting lines were cleared using manual and chemical means. Costs of all operations were noted. Weed re-growth rates were assessed at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after treatment application. There was a significant difference at P = 0.05 between weed re-growth rates in herbicide-treated and manually weeded plots. Within treatments weed re-growth rates were practically the same. However, economic analysis carried out indicates that roundup applied in planting rows is more cost-effective than either roundup in whole plots or manual weeding in planting rows and whole plots. JOURNAL OF THE GHANA SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Volume 2 No. 2 (2000) pp. 94-98


Background Clinical practice guidelines worldwide consistently recommend against routine lumbar spine imaging for patients with low back pain. Despite this, around 1 in 4 people with low back pain receive imaging, and this is associated with further unnecessary testing and treatment. In the absence of features suggestive of a serious or specific condition imaging is unlikely to provide information to guide treatment yet is likely to reveal age-related changes that are common in asymptomatic people. Language used to describe these imaging findings may lead to clinician concern and patient anxiety, impacting the perceived seriousness and persistence of symptoms and increasing preference for further interventions. Objectives To investigate the self-reported understanding of commonly used terms in lumbar spine imaging reports in a random sample of the general population, and the relationship between understanding of these terms and worry about perceived seriousness and persistence of the condition. Methods We conducted an online anonymous cross-sectional survey in April 2019. English-speaking adults from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia were invited to participate via a survey sampling company (Dynata) using an online survey platform (Qualtrics). Quotas were established for age, gender and country to ensure a representative sample. The survey comprised demographic questions, low back pain history and the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) which elicits beliefs about the inevitable consequences of future life with low back problems. We included 14 terms commonly found in lumbar spine imaging reports and common in asymptomatic populations. For each term we elicited self-reported comprehension of the term, its perceived seriousness and whether it indicated likely persistence of pain. We also asked participants whether or not patients should have access to their imaging reports and whether the report should be written in terms understandable to the patient and include information about frequency of abnormalities found in asymptomatic people. A sample size of a minimum of 590 responses was required to ensure sufficient power for a multivariable analysis to explore responses relationship between understanding of terms and worry about perceived seriousness and persistence of the condition. Results Of 774 responses we excluded 35 that were incomplete (5%), 59 (8%) due to likely invalid answers to the BBQ and 3 (0.4%) who did not fit the inclusion criteria for age. For the remaining 677 responses, there were 354 (52%) females, median (range) age 45 (18 to 84) years and 85% had a current or past history of low back pain. The majority of respondents wanted patients to have access to their imaging reports (N=605, 89%), 586 (87%) wanted reports written in understandable language for the lay public and 587 (87%) wanted information about common findings that occur in asymptomatic people. The full results are currently being analysed and will be available for Preventing Overdiagnosis 2019. Conclusion Improving the quality and comprehensibility of information provided in the lumbar spine imaging report may lead to better evidence-informed decisions about care for people with low back pain and reduce unwarranted overdiagnosis and overtreatment.


Central nervous system infectious and metabolic abnormalities are common in HIV-positive patients. Drug therapy, opportunistic infections, the clinical course of HIV disease itself, and very rarely iodinated radiographic contrast agents can all be linked to these abnormalities. The following case describes an HIV-seropositive patient who developed encephalopathy after undergoing a cervical myelogram that utilized iopamidol dye (Isovue-M 300 mg/mL).


The Great Lakes Basin is a highly developed region containing more than 30 million people. Anthropogenic linear features are extensive across populated regions around the globe, and roads and railways make up the predominant linear features on the landscape in the Great Lakes Basin. Such features likely play a large role in shaping the terrestrial ecology of the region. In this chapter, the authors' aims to understand the influence of tertiary roads and railways on two North American predators, the North American black bear and wolves. They use Akaike's Information Criterion (AICc), a model selection technique for small sample sizes, to understand what variables most influenced predator road use. To do this, they create six models with different combinations of road features associated with foraging opportunities and anthropogenic disturbance for wolves and black bears. They then use AICc to rank each model based on which habitat features best explained predator tertiary road use.


This paper explores the co-constitutive practices associated with robotic milking technologies. Introduced commercially in 1992, they have since become especially prominent in Northern Europe and the USA. Robots are sold with the promise of improved dairy cow welfare and productivity, reduced labour costs and the liberation of farmers and farm workers from the routines of conventional milking: the machines milk cows individually, at any time of a cow's choosing, without direct human involvement or presence. In this paper, we investigate the new modes of relating that emerge through the introduction of these new technologies. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with UK dairy farmers, alongside participant observation around robotic milking practices, we examine the ways in which milking practices are negotiated between cows, farmers and robots. Friction may develop here when cows struggle to adapt, robots find some cows more appropriate for their technologies than others, and farmers are confronted by new forms of information that challenge their understandings of animal welfare. The supposed benefits of robotic technology may as a result be contested, as unanticipated consequences become evident. Through this study, we critique the tendency of geographers to focus on relationships between humans and animals, or humans and technologies, foregrounding instead the complex material-semiotic assemblages that involve not only farmers, cows and robots, but politics and affects of care, productivity and disciplinary tactics. We highlight the different enactments of 'cow' and farmer that emerge and consider the implications of these new relationships for understandings of farm animal welfare.


Necrotizing fasciitis is a surgical diagnosis characterized by friability of the superficial fascia, dishwater-gray exudate, and a notable absence of pus. This and other necrotizing soft-tissue infections have multiple causes, risk factors, anatomical locations, and pathogenic mechanisms, but all such infections result in widespread tissue destruction, which may extend from the epidermis to the deep musculature. Necrotizing infections can occur after major traumatic injuries, as well as after minor breaches of the skin or mucosa (e.g., tears, abrasions, lacerations, or insect bites), varicella infection, nonpenetrating soft-tissue injuries (e.g., muscle strain or contusion), or routine obstetrical and gynecologic procedures; they can also occur in postsurgical and immunocompromised patients (Table 1). Although necrotizing infections have common clinical features, various entities have been defined, such as progressive bacterial synergistic gangrene, synergistic necrotizing cellulitis, streptococcal gangrene, gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis), and nonclostridial anaerobic cellulitis. Subtle differences may distinguish one entity from another, but the clinical approaches to diagnosis and treatment are similar. In this review, we describe the clinical and laboratory features of necrotizing fasciitis and other necrotizing soft-tissue infections. We also discuss diagnostic pitfalls and recommended treatment approaches, as well as the effect of delays in surgical intervention on mortality. (Details about pathogenic mechanisms are provided in the Supplementary Appendix, available with the full text of this article at NEJM.org.)


In recent years, large-scale pre-trained language models (PLMs) containing billions of parameters have achieved promising results on various NLP tasks. Although we can pre-train these big models by stacking computing clusters at any cost, it is impractical to use such huge computing resources to apply big models for each downstream task. To address the computation bottleneck encountered in deploying big models in real-world scenarios, we introduce an open-source toolkit for big model inference and tuning (BMInf), which can support big model inference and tuning at extremely low computation cost. More specifically, at the algorithm level, we introduce model quantization and parameter-efficient tuning for efficient model inference and tuning. At the implementation level, we apply model offloading, model checkpointing, and CPU-GPU scheduling optimization to further reduce the computation and memory cost of big models. Based on above efforts, we can efficiently perform big model inference and tuning with a single GPU (even a consumer-level GPU like GTX 1060) instead of computing clusters, which is difficult for existing distributed learning toolkits for PLMs. BMInf is publicly released at https://github.com/OpenBMB/BMInf.


A group of 50 infertile female patients was assessed laparoscopically to study the natural history of endometriosis. They were treated either with danazol (n = 21), or diathermy ablation (n = 13) or had conservative surgery with postoperative danazol (n = 5) or were left untreated (n = 11). All these patients had second look laparoscopy performed after a mean interval of 12 months (range 9-18 months). Improvement was noted among 53% of those treated with danazol, 70% treated with diathermy, 80% treated with surgery and danazol and 27% of those left untreated. The status of endometriosis remained unchanged among 14% of those treated with danazol, 8% treated by diathermy and 9% of those left untreated. However, the disease became worse in the remaining women, 33% in the danazol treated group, 22% treated by diathermy, 20% treated with surgery and danazol and 64% of those left untreated. Thus treatment hinders progression in a majority of patients, and conversely, there is a small but definite spontaneous regression rate.


Neohesperidin is a natural new nutrition sweetener, widely existing in plants of dry citrus peel, which can be derived from extraction. Since the sweetness is 1,300-1,500 times greater than that of sugar, neohesperidin are widely used in fruit juices, wines, beverages, bakeries and pharmaceutical formulations, and are particularly suitable for consumption by diabetic patients. However, the yield of extraction from citrus peel waste is very low. In this study optimal yield conditions were determined using response surface methodology (RSM) in order to increase the neohesperidin extraction yield. The critical factors for maximum extraction yield were selected extraction pressure (x₁), extraction time (x₂), and concentration of ethanol (x₃). As a result, the extraction yield was improved when the extracting pressure increased. The extraction yield also increased in a time-dependent manner. When adding ethanol as an assistance solvent to the supercritical carbon dioxide, extraction yield was increased as more ethanol concentration was added. Finally, the extraction yield of neohesperidin was improved to about 162.22% compared to ethanol extraction as a conventional method.