The article studies problems and specifics of the mortality in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The mortality causes in Yakutia were analysed in terms of territory and gender. After mortality coefficients were standardised, it was established that the North regions of the Republic have higher mortality rate among younger people. Mortality decrease and increased life expectancy potential were analysed. The mortality analysis identified high mortality rate among males, in particular due to external reasons. It has been established that Group 1 causes represent the majority of all preventable causes of death that include injuries and poisoning and also causes associated with unhealthy habits. The contribution of individual causes of death into the loss of life capacity in the Republic was identified with the majority of them being external ones. The conducted analysis of the estimated life expectancy indicates positive trends.


Abstract Discrepancies between individuals and their parents regarding career goals often present as inevitable conditions that have the potentials to influence individual career distress and also parental career distress from the perspective of the individual. This study aimed to investigate the moderating role of individual goal clarity on the relationships between individual-parent career goal discrepancies and individual and parental career distresses. We collected data from 205 freshmen of an university in Semarang, Indonesia, M age = 18.35 years, SD age = .64, 68.3% female. We used the Individual-Parent Career Goal Discrepancies Scale (α = .93), Goal Clarity Scale (α = .84), Career Distress Scale (α = .87), and Parental Career Distress Scale(α = .81). Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that as discrepancies increased, individual and parental career distress increased for high goal clarity and low goal clarity groups. However, those variables increased more markedly for the low goal clarity group. Our results highlight the important role of individual goal clarity in the consequences of individual-parent career goal discrepancies on young people's and parental distresses. Recommendations for students, parents, and practitioners are discussed. Keywords : career, discrepancies, distress, goal clarity, parents


Glues are important adhesives obtained from animal source. They find extensive use in industry, offices and the home. We find a lot of animal waste in the system that is fit for this purpose. In this work, therefore, glues were prepared using cow and sheep bones. Physical properties and chemical constituents of the products were determined. Some of these physical properties determined included viscosity, melting point, adhesive strength, keeping quality and performance. Glues from both sources showed close values for these properties. Chemical constituents determined included fat content, gelatine content, chloride and grease contents and pH of solution. Results of these values compared favourably with standards obtained from Ghana Standards Board. JOURNAL OF THE GHANA SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Volume 2 No. 3 (2000) pp. 177-183


Palladium nanoparticles with excellent uniform size and even distribution were prepared on graphene oxide (Pd NPs/GO) by using a simple and environmentally-friendly ultrasonic method in an ice bath. Ultrasonication time and composition ratios of GO and Pd influenced the morphology of the palladium nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic performance. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electrochemical characterization demonstrated that GO acted as a good supportive substrate for controlling the size and activity of palladium nanoparticles. The optimized nanocomposite exhibited high electrochemical activity for electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in alkaline medium. The Pd NPs/GO nanocomposite was developed as a non-enzymatic biosensor for the determination of glucose with a linear range of 0.2–10 mM, which is nearly insusceptible to common electroactive interfering species. This simple and effective composite platform could potentially be extended to other metal/graphene nanomaterials, and have broad applications in biosensing, fuel cells, and other fields.


Islam regulates all aspects of human life, including the order of life on earth in order to lead to happiness in the world and the hereafter. One of the supports for this happiness is having a healthy body, making it possible for us to worship better to God. Islam strongly emphasizes health, physically and mentally and it is the second pleasure after the Faith. Health is a human right and something that is in accordance with human nature, so all the paths that can lead to health are worth taking, as long as it does not conflict with Islamic teachings. This paper aims to show how Allah SWT has given a middle way between an obligation and a need, in order to achieve harmony between something that he forbids and then permits through clarification of science. To make it easier, in this paper I raise one of the latest health topics which is a debate over the pros and cons, namely the use of the Measles Rubella (MR) vaccine because it contains an unclean / haram element. The research method that I used was qualitative research with literature technique as one of the forms of approach to religious research, while the book I studied was the Holy Qur'an al-Baqarah verse 173, the Technical Manual and Vaccine Campaign of the MR Directorate General of P2P Ministry of Health RI, 2017 and MUI Fatwa Number: 33 of 2018 Concerning the Use of Mr (Measles Rubella) Vaccine Products From SII (Serum Institute Of India) For Immunization.


Myiasis is infestation of skin, mucosa, orifices or natural cavities of humans or animals by larvae of flying dipterous insects that, at least for a certain period of their life cycle, feed from live or necrotic tissue of the host. The distribution is worldwide with more cases being reported from tropical, subtropical and warm temperate areas. This report describes a rare case of perianal condylomata acuminata complicated with myiasis due to Chrysomya bezziana, seen in the presence of poor hygiene in a tropical country with a high fly population.


Background:Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with Portal vein invasion has an extremely dismal prognosis. We report a rare case of advanced HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). First, Lenvatinib(Len) combined with Toripalimab(Tor) was treated. The patient was successfully treated with radical surgical resection after the tumor thrombus shrank. Postoperative pathology showed complete response (CR).Case presentation:A 52-year-old male patient had a massive liver cancer in his right liver, and the tumor thrombus grew to the main portal vein. He passed 4 cycles of Len combined with Tor, the tumor shrank rapidly, the level of tumor markers dropped rapidly, The tumor thrombus was successfully confined from the main portal vein to the right branch of the portal vein. Therefore, the patient underwent a right hepatectomy and successfully removed a complete PVTT. Histopathological results showed that the primary tumor and tumor thrombus were only infiltrated by inflammatory cells, and there were no viable tumor cells.Conclusions:Len combined with Tor can be used as a preoperative neoadjuvant regimen for the treatment of advanced HCC with massive macrovascular invasion.


Recent research emphasises the role of small towns as main players in the spatial dynamics of rural areas. However, it is still largely unknown how much such urban areas generate planned development or growth in nearby surroundings, and how such small urban agglomerations attract and diffuse multiple activities in rural areas.

This paper discusses the issue of socio-economic feasibility of rural areas from a long-term strategic perspective and proposes a new spatial land-cover accounting methodology to assess the impacts and changes occurring in the rural world, with a particular view to the pulling forces in small towns.

Methodologically, this paper applies gravity concepts in combination with GIS to identify the compactness of agricultural areas within different regions of the Algarve and to detect the direction of significance of land-use variations. By means of time series and comparative analyses of different agricultural land, important land use changes can be identified.


Cavity optomechanics aims at understanding the radiation pressure induced interaction between photons and mechanical motion in a cavity. The radiation pressure force, arising due to the momentum carried by light, can displace a movable end mirror of the cavity. This in turn changes the length of the cavity, resulting in modification of the cavity frequency. With the rapid advances in micro and nanofabrication techniques, this nonlinear interaction has led to the exploration of a wide variety of interesting phenomena both theoretically and experimentally, such as squeezing of the light field and mechanical motion, entanglement between optical and mechanical modes, bistability, optomechanical normal mode splitting, optomechanically induced transparency, and so on. However, due to the inevitable coupling of the mechanical resonator to its surrounding, the quantum behavior gets masked by the thermal motion. Therefore, to observe quantum effects in mesoscopic mechanical resonators, it is necessary to cool them down to quantum ground state. In this thesis, we have proposed a scheme to cool the mechanical resonator to its ground state in the unresolved sideband regime by considering the interaction of the optical field with the excitons of a quantum well placed inside the cavity. Also, we have discussed the bistable behavior shown by the optical field and the mechanical motion in an optomechanical cavity, and the controllability of this behavior by coupling it to a feedback cavity containing an atomic ensemble. In the last part of the thesis, we have discussed the phenomena of photon and phonon antibunching in optomechanical setups induced via destructive quantum inference in two-photon and two-phonon excitation pathways.


Abstract This study aimed to determine the effects of five phosphorus rates (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg ha‐1) and three harvesting stages (beginning of flowering, full flowering, and seed filling) on forage yield and quality of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.). Dry matter (DM) yield, N, P, K, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, Ca, Mg, acid detergent fibre (ADF) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) were determined. Phosphorus rates and harvesting stages significantly affected most of the components determined in hairy vetch. Phosphorus applications increased DM yield, N, P, Ca and Mg contents but decreased K, tetany ratio (K: (Ca + Mg)), ADF and NDF and had no effect on Mn, Cu, Fe and Zn. Harvesting at the late stages caused a reduction in forage quality. Contents of N, P, K, Cu, Zn, Mg and tetany ratios decreased with advancing growth while DM yield, Ca, ADF and NDF contents increased.


Introduction In its most ideal state, work can provide an opportunity for us to experience and explore ourselves through our work. We can experience ourselves through our identity, our understanding as a whole person, our core values, our internal motivations, and our behaviours that arise from our core values and motivations. Methods One way to explore all this is through the practice of inquiry—simply by asking, who are we when we work? The answer is not some kind of intellectual exercise where we analyse or quantify ourselves. Instead, the answer comes from how we experience ourselves, our coworkers, and the work itself. Results In the right work environment, we have the opportunity to experience ourselves in ways that are unique for each of us. We can come to understand ourselves through our work—through our awareness, our relationships, our self-excellence, and how we bring our whole selves, our human spirit, to our work. When work nourishes the human spirit, we can live the greater parts of ourselves. This is the potential experience of the whole person, because indeed, each person is greater than the sum of their parts. Discussion Because of who we are at work, we can dedicate ourselves to our families, we can learn and grow, we can create, and we can contribute to something bigger than ourselves. The ultimate gift of work is that experiencing ourselves at work can lead to experiencing ourselves in life. The reverse is equally true, because who we are in life is who we are at work. Keats wrote, 'Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced.' Work has the potential to provide that real experience.


: The consequences of pearling and cutting (barley Hordeum vulgare L.), and roasting and cutting (buckwheat Fagopyrum es culentum Möench) on the development and food consumption of the confused flour beetle Tribolium confusum Duv. were studied. The factors affecting the increase in the T. confusum population, and food consumption effectiveness (the proportion of wasted food in the whole amount of the used product) were different in barley and buckwheat. The best barley product for T. confusum was the flour. The population number, the proportion of imagines, and the effectiveness of food consumption were relatively high for cut groats, compared to whole barley. The toughness of the whole groats was most likely the cause of the lowest suitability of this product for the confused flour beetle. Neither the size of the cut groats nor the pearling of barley had any effect on T. confusum development and food consumption effectiveness. The best buckwheat product for T. confusum was the whole hulled non-processed groats. In these groats, the total population number, the proportion of imagines, and the effectiveness of food consumption were relatively high compared to cut groats. The total population number was the lowest in the steamed groats. The decrease in nutrients and B vitamins due to the removal of the embryo and aleurone layer during the breaking process of buckwheat, was possibly the main factor affecting T. confu sum


Purified human plasma fibronectin (Fn) added to human peripheral blood leukocytes culture, from 22 healthy blood donors, phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulated, enhanced mitogen action in blast transformation. Daily measurement (between 1-6 days) of Fn concentration in culture supernatants incubated with PHA, Fn and associated doses of Fn and PHA, pointed out a significantly increased Fn concentration, on the fourth day, in the cultures incubated with Fn and PHA. On the fourth day of PHA stimulated cultures were found, the increased Fn concentration, as well as the maximum blast transformation. Our data suggest that Fn, synthetized by activated macrophage in intercellular cooperation processes is released in culture supernatants with a maximum on the fourth day. These results show the possible role of Fn to influence blast transformation enhancement of mitogen action.


Existing methods of impulse testing of high-voltage insulation are examined and their applicability to a hybrid gas-solid system is analysed. The experiments were
conducted with spherical electrodes of different radii immersed in air and separated by a polymeric barrier. The obtained results are discussed in terms of test voltage patterns (withstand/flashover sequences) obtained with different test methods including standard and modified procedures. It is shown that presence of gas-solid interfaces in the considered system, which may be charged during testing with unipolar impulse voltages, makes correct determination of low probability flashover voltages needed for insulation design purposes hardly achievable due to statistical dependencies of the test results.


In post-digital capitalism, digital disconnection is not merely a "luxury" but also an obligation. Aiming to re-contextualize digital disconnection outside of digital detox resorts, social media, and elitist activism, this article asks how the ongoing disconnection turn affects how we (think about) work. With cues taken from digital disconnection studies and (digital) work/labour research, I inquire three facets of disconnective work. I elaborate, firstly, what disconnection might mean for work, as I scrutinize ideals pertaining to "deep" and "slow" work. Secondly, I unveil how disconnection may materialize at work, as I inspect "the post-digital workplace" and "disconnective technologies of work." Thirdly, using "The Post-Digital Housewife" as a rhetorical figure for grasping the daily, typically unpaid, work that the disconnection turn makes acute, I recognize disconnection as work. The article concludes by presenting four dialectics of disconnective work, which serve to remind us of the paradoxical role of disconnection in processes of empowerment and exploitation.


The present status of waste paper utilization was discussed, since the ecological problems have attracted considerable attention in recent days. Moreover, the trends of future utilization of waste paper were also discussed by taking its current status in America into account. The following problems were discussed in this article. 1. collection and classification of waste paper. 2. storage of waste paper. 3. treatment of waste paper with an increasing output of converted papers. 4. diversification of waste paper utilization. Furthermore, some technological aspects of waste paper treatment and the utilization of fibers in municipal refuse were reviewed.


Although the use of cochlear implants as a treatment designed to help deaf individuals hear has a relatively brief history, the use of this therapy has given rise to a number of ethical conflicts. This article identifies ethical conflicts in cochlear implantation therapy and shows how ethical principles that are commonly accepted in health care ethics may guide decision making in resolving these issues. Furthermore, clinicians are often confronted with particular cases in which ethical conflicts arise. A useful paradigm for the clinical context, the 4-box method, is offered as a means of organizing the facts of a "case" so that the important facts are considered, and a principled approach to decision making can be used in working toward a resolution.


We report a case of 81 yr old male patient, diagnosed with spinal canal stenosis with bilateral lower limb pain, posted for Laminectomy. Patient had multiple co-morbidities including Hypertension, Diabetes mellitus type 2, obesity, sarcoidosis and COPD. Laminectomy was performed under bilateral paravertebral block using 0.25% Bupivacaine. Regional anaesthesia techniques have played a pivotal role in decreasing morbidity and mortality in high risk cases by providing both intraoperative anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia, without any major side effects. In this case, paravertebral block was helpful, not only in conducting surgery successfully, but also helps in providing post-operative analgesia without using any sedative drugs or NSAIDS which may exacerbate symptoms related to any of above co-morbidities.


Background: Pseudoaneurysms are usually caused by trauma, infections, vasculitis, atherosclerosis or iatrogenic complications [1,2]. Frequently, these pseudoaneurysms remain clinically silent, but few can become symptomatic and might present with limb ischemia, leg edema, as well as subacute or acute hemorrhage. An unusual presentation of a bilateral external iliac artery (EIA) pseudoaneurysm is here reported.Case presentation: We report an exceedingly rare case of a young man presenting an acute severe bilateral testicular pain radiating to the back. Clinical and radiological work-up demonstrated bilateral EIA pseudoaneurysms that caused bilateral ureterohydronephrosis due to the urinary obstruction with subsequent renal failure. Management included immediate bilateral external iliac endovascular repair and bilateral ureterolysis through a retroperitoneal approach, with resolution of the obstruction and successful endovascular treatment of both pseudoaneurysms. The only identifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease was cocaine addiction.Conclusion: Uncommon and severe clinical presentation of bilateral EIA pseudoaneurysms caused bilateral ureterohydronephrosis and acute renal failure. Although the presenting symptoms were deceiving at first, fast diagnosis might have been crucial in this case, in which there was a overlapping among Urology and Vascular Surgery - both specialties involved in treating the patient. Awareness of this condition might prevent misdiagnosis and delays in management that are of utmost importance for a good outcome.


The effects of fatty acid composition in artificial feed on the change in the fatty acid composition of carp muscles and the relationship between Δ6-Fad and Elovl5 genes participating in the regulation of fatty acid synthesis were studied. Juveniles were fed three semi-purified diets (D1–D3) for 6 weeks with different lipid sources: D1, fish oil with high highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA); D2, corn oil with high linoleic acid (18:2n-6, LA), D3, linseed oil with high α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3, LNA); then, samples were taken to explore the molecular mechanism and the factors which affect the synthesis of carp HUFA. The content of LA and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6, AA) in common carp fed Diet 2 was higher than in carp receiving D3 (P < 0.05), but the contents of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA) were lower than in carp fed D1 and D2 (P < 0.05). The liver transcript abundance of Δ6-Fad and Elovl5 in fish fed D2 and D3 at the end of 6 weeks was generally higher than the abundance in the initial stage and in the fish fed D1 (P < 0.05). The results suggest that the common carp can biosynthesise HUFA, and the type and content of fatty acids in feed affected not only the composition and content of fatty acids in common carp muscles, but also the Δ6-Fad and Elovl5 gene expression involved in the biosynthesis of HUFA. Feeding high levels of n-3 HUFA diet can increase the body content of EPA and DHA in common carp. The results of this research may provide a theoretical basis for choosing an appropriate source of lipid for common carp feeds.


A group of patients below 7 years of age with unilateral chest hypoplasia and congenital scoliosis through segmentation disorder and combined vertebral failures, developmental costal defects, as well as with idiopathic, paralytic (denervation) and systemic scolioses has been analyzed. The character of initial deformity, the rate of progressing the spine and chest deformity and their correlation depending on age period have also been analyzed. The rationality of using prognostic criteria has been confirmed. The possibilities of surgical correction of the spine and chest deformity in children with severe deformities of the spinal column and chest have been evaluated. The tactics of surgical correction and management of infants and young children has been proposed.


CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing is widely used to study gene function and is being advanced for therapeutic applications. Structural rearrangements are a ubiquitous feature of cancers and their impact on CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing has not yet been systematically assessed. Utilising CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens for 163 cancer cell lines, we demonstrate that targeting tandem amplified regions is highly detrimental to cellular fitness, in contrast to amplifications caused by chromosomal duplications which have little to no effect. Genomically clustered Cas9 double-strand DNA breaks are associated with a strong gene-independent decrease in cell fitness. We systematically identified collateral vulnerabilities in 25% of cancer cells, introduced by tandem amplifications of tissue non-expressed genes. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of structural rearrangements in mediating the effect of CRISPR-Cas9-induced DNA damage, with implications for the use of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology, and how resulting collateral vulnerabilities are a generalisable strategy to target cancer cells.


ABSTRACT The aim of this contribution is to elaborate on propaganda to better define the term in its constituent parts and to build a conceptual model that can also serve as a programme of study. To this end, I develop a definition of propaganda as the enforcement of ideological goals to manage public opinion. Next, I discuss the complex relationship between truth and propaganda positioned alongside mis- and disinformation and argue true information can be, and often is, used as propaganda. I argue the contextual environment can play an equal role to the message itself in the process of distribution, dissemination, and reproduction of propaganda, particularly in light of the technological developments of Web 3.0. I discuss the crucial role of repetition and stereotypes, alongside "hot" and "banal" propaganda in either long- or short-term use. Lastly, I discuss the relationship between propaganda and its audiences from a cyclical perspective, considering them in their reception and participating role in a propaganda campaign and the consequences of intended and unintended audiences.


Published data on the synthesis and chemical properties of complexes of Group 4–10 transition metals (d elements) with η 6-tetramethylfulvene and η7-trimethylallyldiene ligands, formed from the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl complexes of these metals, are described systematically. A description of the structures of these complexes in terms of a "specific" resonance hybrid of fulvene and methylenecyclopentadienyl (or allyldiene and dimethylenecyclopentadienyl) structures is proposed. It is noted that similar properties or behaviours of the fulvene and allyldiene complexes can be followed both for compounds formed by metals of the same Group and for compounds of elements of the same transition row with identical electron configurations.


The spontaneous diploidization rates in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) via in vitro androgenesis are too low for practical applications. In contrast, artificial doubling of chromosomes of the microspore has proven to be more successful and allows homozygous plants to be obtained in a short time. Here, we present the efficiency of diploidization of B. napus haploids using three different chromosome doubling methods. Using the in vitro approach in microspores, the rate of chromosome doubling in 24 populations of androgenic plants ranged from 15.8% to 94.0%. An alternative in vivo method for the induction of chromosome doubling involves colchicine treatment of young haploid plants, and this yielded doubling rates ranging from 47.5% to 86.4% in 10 different plant populations. Another in vivo method of chromosome doubling is colchicine treatment of the excised young axillary shoots of haploid plants at the early flowering stage. The high efficiency of this method was confirmed in haploid plant populations from 11 genetically distinct donors in which the frequency of occurrence of diploids ranged from 53.3% to 100%. However, in this case, the time required for seed formation from doubled haploids increased by about 3–5 months. The availability of several methods of chromosome doubling at various stages of the androgenic process – from isolated microspores through to young plants and flowering plants – allows seeds to be obtained from nearly every selected individual haploid.


This article explores the relationship between the spatial concentration of short-term rentals in Lisbon's historic center and the phenomena of uneven development and tourism gentrification. By providing quantitative and qualitative evidence of the uneven geographic distribution of tourist apartments within the municipality of Lisbon, it contributes to the study of the new processes of neoliberal urbanization in the crisis-ridden countries of Southern Europe. It argues that the great share of whole-home rentals and the expansion of the short-term rental market over the housing stock are symptoms of the commodification of housing in the neoliberal city. Due to the loss of consumption capacity by the Portuguese society amid crisis and austerity, real estate developers target external markets and local households must compete for access to a limited housing stock with tourists and other temporary city users. The subsequent global rent gap stimulates the proliferation of vacation rentals at the expense of the supply of residential housing, fueling property prices and jeopardizing housing affordability. With Portugal being a peripheral member of the EU and the Eurozone, the vulnerability of local households to the impacts of tourism gentrification is aggravated by the remarkable income gap with their counterparts of the core.


Nonlinear Xing codes are considered. It is shown that Xing codes of length p-1 (where p is a prime) are subcodes of cosets of Reed-Solomon codes whose minimum distance equals Xing's lower bound on the minimum distance. This provides a straightforward proof for the lower bound on the minimum distance of the codes. The alphabet size of Xing codes is restricted not to be larger than the characteristic of the relevant finite field F/sub r/. It is shown that codes with the same length and the same lower bounds on the size and minimum distance as Xing codes exist for any alphabet size not exceeding the size r of the relevant finite field, thus extending Xing's results.


Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic values of laboratory variables, to present quantitative evaluations of the anti citrullinated protein/peptide antibody (ACPA), or anti CCP(anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide,anti-CCP2) antibodies in second generation antibody assay diagnostic test with reference to sensitivity and specificity, the predictive value of the positive and negative test and precision of the test for ACPA antibodies, rheumatoid factor-reactive protein and DAS 28 index, in the early diagnosis of untreated rheumatoid arthritis. Material and Methods: 70 participants (35 patients with rheumatoid arthritis not treated, 35 individuals as healthy controls) took part in the study. Their serum was examined using ELISA technology of DIA-STAT TM Anti-CCP (Axis–Shield Diagnostics). Rheumatoid factor was examined with the test for agglutination (Latex RF test). Results: We found the presence of ACPA antibodies (sensitivity of the test 65.71%) in 23 of the 35 examined patients with rheumatoid arthritis while rheumatoid factor appeared in 17 patients (sensitivity of the test 48.57%). Twelve patients were ACPA and rheumatoid factor positive, 11 were ACPA positive, but rheumatoid factor negative. Five patients were ACPA negative and rheumatoid factor positive. In 17 rheumatoid factor positive patients, ACPA antibodies were positive in 12 patients. Of 18 rheumatoid factor negative patients, 11 were ACPA positive. In the healthy control group, 1 patient was anti-CCP 2 positive, while 2 patients were rheumatoid factor positive.


In this paper, three experiments on the mnemonic retention of single tones and chords in an interference paradigm are discussed. The data obtained in the first experiment support the assumption that chords are easier to retain than tones. In the second and third experiments, the memory for mode (whether chords appear in the major or minor key) and the root of common triads is investigated. The results indicate that a change in pitch is substantially easier to detect than a change in mode. Factors that might qualify this finding are discussed.


Argolo Neto N.M., Del Carlo R.J., Monteiro B.S., Nardi N.B., Chagastelles P.C., Brito A.F.S., Reis A.M.S. & Silva L.M.C. 2016. Role of the autologous mesenchymal stem cells compared with platelet rich plasma on cicatrization of cutaneous wounds in diabetic mice. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 36(7):617-624. Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Campus Socopo, Teresina, PI 64049550, Brazil. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Chronic cutaneous lesions affect 15% of diabetic human patients and represent a risk 15 to 46 times larger of limb amputations compared to people with normal glycemia. It is assumed that half of these amputations could be prevented by early treatment of wounds, for example, with proper cell therapy. Objectives: In this study, the action of the autologous transplant of mesenchymal stem-cells (MSC) was evaluated compared to the treatment with autologous platelet rich plasma (PRP) in the cicatrization of cutaneous lesions induced in diabetic mice. These animals were previously treated with streptozootocin to induce diabetes mellitus and round wounds of 1.5cm in diameter were created in the posterior region. Diameters of the wounds and healing time were evaluated during 30 days and the results were submitted to variance analysis and Tukey's test average. It was noticed that the animals treated with MSC presented a more accelerated cicatrization of the cutaneous lesion than the animals treated with PRP. However, the treatment with PRP presented better results than just the daily asepsis of the lesions with saline or covering them with semi-permeable bandage. Besides, the use of semi-permeable bandage kept the cutaneous lesions of diabetic mice did not interfere negatively with cicatrization, proved to be harmless to use, but kept the cutaneous lesions more hydrated than the ones exposed to the environment.


Ferroptosis is a newly described type of programmed cell death and intensively related to both maintaining homeostasis and the development of diseases, especially cancers. Inducing ferroptosis leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and toxic lipid peroxidation in cells, which plays a pivotal role in suppressing cancer growth and progression. Here, we reviewed the existing studies about the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis involved in different antitumor treatments, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. We focused in particular on the distinct combinatorial therapeutic effects such as the synergistic sensitization effect and the drug-resistance reversal achieved when using ferroptosis inducers with conventional cancer therapy. Finally, we discussed the challenges and opportunities in clinical applications of ferroptosis. The application of nanotechnolgy and other novel technologies may provide a new direction in ferroptosis-driven cancer therapies.


A combinatorial optimization algorithm for detecting multiple anatomical landmarks is presented. It can determine the positions of over 100 landmarks concurrently, taking spatial correlations of all landmark pairs into account. Provided that a set of landmark candidate lists is given by sensitivity-optimized single-landmark detectors, the proposed algorithm can find the most probable combination of them through solving a MAP estimation-based combinatorial optimization problem. Additionally, it is designed to handle subjects with "segmentation anomaly of the spinal column," a common anatomical anomaly of the spine. The proposed system was evaluated with 156 landmarks in 50 datasets, using virtually created detector output sets. In the result, the algorithm achieved 97.6\% of spinal anomaly estimation accuracy even with 50 points of candidates given per landmark, as well as 96.2\% of accuracy in landmark candidate selection. From these results, usefulness of the proposed algorithm for subjects with spinal anomaly was suggested.


This research is an investigation into a visual language as my response and
reading of the narrative related to a sense of place in an altered landscape:
a space where humans have carved their autobiography into the earth.
Robert Smithson, in the 1960s characterised regions like these as the edges
of post-industrialism or Nonspaces. They also exist as communities,
holding onto an identity forged by their definitive history and cultural
influences. Incorporated in the research is the exploration of ordinary or
everyday landscapes within the context of Cultural Landscape studies.
In focussing on the 'shaping' of the town and environs of Zeehan, a
once burgeoning mining settlement on the West Coast mining strip of
Tasmania, history, industrial archaeology and the impact on the natural
environment are taken into account. Zeehan is a shadow of its dynamic
past, a boom and bust story that is now enshrined in a local museum,
and evident in the relics adorning the main street and surrounding
countryside. It is a place of hidden history inextricably linked to the
development of Tasmania. However in the new millennium the
underground continues to be the lifeblood of this former silver boomtown.
Seeking an appropriate format of presentation of this cultural landscape
resulted in the development of installation-based artwork: an intersection
between digital media, large-scale drawing and sculptural concepts.
Re-interpreting and re-presenting the spirit of nature and technological
interaction in the so-called Nonspace incorporates the exploration of a
phenomenological approach as well as more formal methodologies.
The research also examined the concept of the Nonsite. According to
Smithson, the Nonsite was a representation or interpretation of a particular
site: an abstract three-dimensional logical picture.
With its integration of diverse media, the project relates to a field of artists
and filmmakers working within the themes of Cultural Landscape (Jan
Senbergs, Susan Norrie and Jem Cohen), Museum Strategy/Archaeology
as Myth (Mark Dion, Alan McCollum), and The Grand Narrative (Joan
Jonas, Kutlag Ataman and Bill Viola).
I discuss their works in relation to matters concerning landscape and
human intervention, historical discourse, fragmentation of time, the
blurring of boundaries and the overlapping of genres.
My original contribution to the field is to extend the presentation of
the documentary film/video genre from an ostensibly two-dimensional
medium to an installation based artwork within an art gallery space
utilising the seemingly incongruent mediums of large-scale drawings
and sculptural elements. Within this context the resulting narrative
creates an environment, which both immerses the viewer and provides
contemplation, presenting a re-interpretation of the Nonsite as reading
of the Nonspace.


The analysis of the UV range spectral characteristics can supply additional information on the formed sub-surface buried layer with implanted dopants. The near-surface layer (50÷150 nm) of bulk polymer samples have been implanted with silicon (Si+) ions at low energies (E = 30 keV) and a wide range of ion doses (D = 1.1013 ÷ 1, 2.1017 cm−2). The studied polymer materials were: ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), poly-methyl-metacrylate (PMMA) and poly-tetra-fluor-ethylene (PTFE). The diffuse optical reflectivity spectra Rd = f(λ) of the ion implanted samples have been measured in the UV range (λ = 220÷350 nm). In this paper the dose dependences of the size and sign of the diffuse optical reflectivity changes λRd = f(D) have been analysed.


This paper deals with the porous medium equation with a nonlinear
nonlocal source

$u_t=\Delta u^m + au^p\int_\Omega u^q dx,\quad x\in \Omega, t>0$

subject to homogeneous Dirichlet condition. We investigate the
influence of the nonlocal source and local term on blow-up
properties for this system. It is proved that: (i) when $p\leq 1$,
the nonlocal source plays a dominating role, i.e. the system has
global blow-up and the blow-up profile which is uniformly away from
the boundary either at polynomial scale or logarithmic scale is
obtained. (ii) When $p
> m$, this system presents single blow-up pattern. In other words,
the local term dominates the nonlocal term in the blow-up profile.
This extends the work of Li and Xie in Appl. Math. Letter, 16
(2003) 185--192.


The postlarval development of Nicolea uspiana (Nogueira, 2003), a small intertidal terebellid polychaete from rocky habitats on the southeastern and southern Brazilian coast, was studied based on postlarval, juvenile and adult specimens. The specimens, ranging from 8 to 43 segments, were collected between May 2006 and May 2007. The youngest postlarval specimen was found crawling outside of the tube. In specimens at different stages of growth, the number of ocelli and tentacles increased; the first pair of nephridial papillae appeared early (before 8-segmented specimen), and the second and third pairs appeared later (31-segmented specimen); the circulatory system only developed when the first pair of branchial bulbs arose (32-segmented specimen), and the second branchial pair appeared later (40-segmented specimen); and the inversion of the uncini positions in some rows occurred in the transition from larva to juvenile (17-segmented specimen). In the course of development, segments 2-3 lost the notochaetae, and segments 3-4 lost the neurochaetae. The changes involved in the development from postlarval to adult animals are illustrated by SEM micrographs and photographs.


Responsive micropatterned surfaces are fabricated using a facile, one-step method that allows for the separate control of topography and surface chemistry. Temperature responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAAm), and amphiphilic poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-perfluorodecylacrylate) (p(HEMA-co-PFA)) polymer thin films are deposited on prestrained polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates using the initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) technique. Subsequent release of the strain results in the formation of periodic wrinkle structures on the surface of polymer thin films. The iCVD technique allows control of the chemical composition while preserving the functional groups of the polymers intact. Surface topography is controlled separately by tuning elastic modulus of the polymer coatings and substrates. Highly ordered, well-defined wrinkle structures are obtained on pNIPAAm surfaces whereas wrinkles on the amphiphilic surfaces are less ordered due to the difference in elastic moduli of the polymers. Furthermore, process temperature is observed to have detrimental effects on the ordering of the wrinkles.


The digital transformation of society is reaching a state of maturity, which provides people with new and exciting possibilities (NESTA, 2019) and implies a preponderant change in terms of inclusive collaboration, human-centred global economy and governance. Conjointly, 'knowledge is the impetuous for communication' (Carayannis & Clark, 2011, p. 203) with respect to foster 'social capital' and to thrive 'cultural knowledge' (Levallet & Chan, 2019, p. 182). Within this context, mobile technology, thanks to its affordance (Ahonen, 2011; Volkoff & Strong, 2013) and its contextuality (Cochrane et al., 2016), can enable creativity which supports the Cognitive Process Dimension (Anderson et al., 2001). Scilicet, mobile devices become the interface between people and processes (Morel et al., 2018; Dampérat et al., 2019) in relation to innovative practices (Makri et al., 2017) and real-world learning (Saleh et al., 2019) in formal and informal contexts. Moreover, it can enhance the developing of ideas inner/outer an organisation, or a classroom (Hall et al., 2020), and the serendipity flow of learning experiences (Makri et al., 2015). To a certain extent, mobile technology can bolster 'collective knowledge' (Pont, 2013; Levallet & Chan, 2019) by enabling quick decision-making and by connecting with a glocal network (Antonczak, 2021).

From a transdisciplinary approach, amidst learning sciences (Sommerhoff et al., 2018), management and organisational research, this presentation canvasses mobile technology (Jones & Marsden, 2006; Ahonen, 2011) as being a key apparatus and interface for collaborative innovation (Demil & Lecocq, 2012; Suire et al., 2018), which allows organisations to develop their 'information ecology' (Nardi, 1999) through a dynamic sense of what is inside and what is outside their boundaries. Said differently, it deciphers how mobile technology can enable exchange information and co-creative practices beyond formal structures and systems across industries and/or academia.

To start, the presentation quickly outlines some key concepts from an inter-disciplinary literature reviews (Baumeister & Leary, 1997), including collaboration, creativity, knowledge dynamics such as knowledge creation and/or conversion (Sawyer, 2008) as well as 'knowledge retention and/or knowledge loss' (Levallet & Chan, 2019). Next, it epitomises a few technological enabling conditions (Makri, 2017; Levallet & Chan, 2018; Cheng et al., 2019) such as autonomy, diversity, interactivity, contextuality through mobile social media and mobile-first applications (Apps) in relation to collaboration and learning practices beyond the limits of a physical environment. Then, it introduces the methodological and qualitative approach used for the analysis and findings, as well as the interpretations of practices in Education and Business. Finally, this presentation concludes with some features about how mobile technology practices support collaborative and innovative learning environments, the co-creation of new frameworks, and it suggests further avenues for supplementary research.


A pulse of tritiated water (approx. 500 Ci) accidentally discharged by an isotope processing plant in the Glatt River Valley, northern Switzerland, allowed us to observe the migration of a contaminant pulse through a sewage treatment plant, rivers, and various wells of infiltrated groundwater. The accident pointed to various memory effects of the tritium, which acted as a conservative tracer. Tritium concentrations in surface water and groundwater were used to test predictions for the transport of conservative anthropogenic trace contaminants accidentally discharged into the sewer system. Mass balance calculations indicate that about 2-10% of the tritium pulse infiltrated to the groundwater and about 0.5% of the total reached eight major drinking water wells of this densely populated area. In spite of the complex hydrogeology of the lower Glatt River Valley, tritium breakthrough curves could be effectively simulated with modeling approaches developed from an experimental well field.


Recurrent Neural Network Transducers (RNN-T) — a streaming variant of end-to-end models — became very popu-lar in recent years. Since RNN-T networks condition the future output label sequence on all previous labels, the natural search space is represented by a tree. In contrast, hybrid systems em-ploy limited-context language models, where the natural search space is a network, i.e. a lattice. While this lattice represents a rich set of hypotheses ( n -best list), the search tree produced by RNN-T is more limited. In this work, we introduce a heuristic method which preserves some of the pruned RNN-T hypotheses by attaching them, or grafting them to the surviving hypotheses in the search tree. We achieved up to 21% oracle WERR without degrading the best-path WER. There is no impact on CPU cost, in fact we can speed up the decoder by using a smaller beam size, and still get improvements on oracle WER.


BACKGROUND
The discrepancy between human cognition and machine requirements/behaviors usually results in serious mental thinking mapping loads or even disasters in product operating. It is important to help people avoid human-machine interaction confusions and difficulties in today's mental work mastered society.

OBJECTIVE
Improving the usability of a product and minimizing user's thinking mapping and interpreting load in human-machine interactions.

METHODS
An optimal human-machine interface design method is introduced, which is based on the purpose of minimizing the mental load in thinking mapping process between users' intentions and affordance of product interface states. By analyzing the users' thinking mapping problem, an operating action model is constructed. According to human natural instincts and acquired knowledge, an expected ideal design with minimized thinking loads is uniquely determined at first. Then, creative alternatives, in terms of the way human obtains operational information, are provided as digital interface states datasets. In the last, using the cluster analysis method, an optimum solution is picked out from alternatives, by calculating the distances between two datasets.

RESULTS
Considering multiple factors to minimize users' thinking mapping loads, a solution nearest to the ideal value is found in the human-car interaction design case.

CONCLUSIONS
The clustering results show its effectiveness in finding an optimum solution to the mental load minimizing problems in human-machine interaction design.


Abstract. Vegetation optical depth (VOD) from microwave satellite observations has received much attention in global vegetation studies in recent years due to its relationship to vegetation water content and biomass. We recently have shown that VOD is related to plant productivity, i.e. gross primary production (GPP). Based on this relationship between VOD and GPP we developed a theory-based machine learning model to estimate global patterns of GPP from passive microwave VOD retrievals. The VOD-GPP model generally showed good agreement with site observations and other global data sets in temporal dynamic but tended to overestimate annual GPP across all latitudes. We hypothesized that the reason for the overestimation is the missing effect of temperature on autotrophic respiration in the theory-based machine learning model. Here we aim to further assess and enhance the robustness of the VOD-GPP model by including the effect of temperature on autotrophic respiration within the machine learning approach and by assessing the interannual variability of the model results with respect to water availability. We used X-band VOD from the VOD Climate Archive (VODCA) data set for estimating GPP and used global state-of-the art GPP data sets from FLUXCOM and MODIS to assess residuals of the VOD-GPP model with respect to drought conditions as quantified by the Standardized Precipitation and Evaporation Index (SPEI). Our results reveal an improvement in model performance for correlation when including the temperature dependency of autotrophic respiration. This increase in temporal dynamic is largest for regions outside the tropics. For error and bias, the results are regionally diverse and are compensated in the global average. On interannual time scales, estimates of the VOD-GPP model agree well with GPP from FLUXCOM and MODIS. We further find that the residuals between VOD-based GPP estimates and the other data sets do not significantly correlate with SPEI which demonstrates that the VOD-GPP model can capture responses of GPP to water availability even without including additional information on precipitation, soil moisture or evapotranspiration. However, some regions reveal significant correlations between VOD-GPP residuals with SPEI, which may indicate different plant strategies for dealing with variations in water availability. Overall, our findings support the robustness of global microwave-derived estimates of gross primary production for large-scale studies on climate-vegetation interactions.


Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of localized primary malignancies involving the chest wall or intrathoracic malignancies. Secondary effects of radiotherapy on the lung result in radiation-induced lung disease. The phases of lung injury from radiation range from acute pneumonitis to chronic pulmonary fibrosis. Radiation pneumonitis is a clinical diagnosis based on the history of radiation, imaging findings, and the presence of classic symptoms after exclusion of infection, pulmonary embolism, heart failure, drug-induced pneumonitis, and progression of the primary tumor. Computed tomography (CT) is the preferred imaging modality as it provides a better picture of parenchymal changes. Lung biopsy is rarely required for the diagnosis. Treatment is necessary only for symptomatic patients. Mild symptoms can be treated with inhaled steroids while subacute to moderate symptoms with impaired lung function require oral corticosteroids. Patients who do not tolerate or are refractory to steroids can be considered for treatment with immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine and cyclosporine. Improvements in radiation technique, as well as early diagnosis and appropriate treatment with high-dose steroids, will lead to lower rates of pneumonitis and an overall good prognosis.


In the Dutch power system the power consumption is increasing while the transmission and distribution system capacity is not increasing at the same rate. Furthermore due to the increasing amount of decentralized generation, by for example micro-CHP units and wind turbines, the power flows in the power system are changing. In weak sub-transmission and distribution grids an increase in the number of voltage stability problems is expected. However: with the large share of decentralized generation we have the solution for voltage problems already there. In this paper we propose a new Hierarchical Agent Based Instability Protection System. In this paper the idea is described and a theoretical justification is given, in a later stage of the project we will verify the system with the Real-time Digital Simulator and external controls.


Clustering is one of the most fundamental problem in Machine Learning. Researchers in the field often require a lower bound on the size of the clusters to maintain anonymity and upper bound for the ease of analysis. Specifying an optimal cluster size is a problem often faced by scientists. In this paper, we present a framework to obtain constant factor approximations for some prominent clustering objectives, with lower and upper bounds on cluster size. This enables scientists to give an approximate cluster size by specifying the lower and the upper bounds for it. Our results preserve the lower bounds but may violate the upper bound a little. %{GroverGD21_LBUBFL_Cocoon} to $2$. %namely, $k$ Center (LUkC) and $k$ Median (LUkM) problem. We study the problems when either of the bounds is uniform. We apply our framework to give the first constant factor approximations for LUkM and its generalization, $k$-facility location problem (LUkFL), with $\beta+1$ factor violation in upper bounds where $\beta$ is the violation of upper bounds in solutions of upper bounded $k$-median and $k$-facility location problems respectively. We also present a result on LUkC with uniform upper bounds and, its generalization, lower and (uniform) upper bounded $k$ supplier problem (LUkS). The approach also gives a result on lower and upper bounded facility location problem (LUFL), improving upon the upper bound violation of $5/2$ due to Gupta et al. We also reduce the violation in upper bounds for a special case when the gap between the lower and upper bounds is not too small.


Zooplankton community structure is often characterized by using traits as a function of environmental conditions. However, trait-based knowledge on Southern Ocean mesozooplankton is limited, particularly regarding size and elemental composition. Nine stations around the northern Antarctic Peninsula were sampled during austral autumn to investigate the spatial variability in mesozooplankton taxonomic composition, size structure and stoichiometry in relation to environmental predictors, but also to the abundance of Antarctic krill and salps. The mesozooplankton communities around the South Shetland Islands were dominated by small copepods, mainly Oithonidae and Oncaeidae, while stations along the frontal zones and the Weddell Sea revealed a higher proportion of larger organisms. Spatial differences in taxonomic composition and size structure were significantly altered by salp abundance, with stronger impact on small-sized copepods. Furthermore, taxonomic composition was significantly related to temperature and total carbon but not chlorophyll a, indicating reduced relevance of phytoplankton derived food during autumn. Bulk mesozooplankton stoichiometry, however, showed no significant relation to environmental conditions, mesozooplankton size structure or dominant taxa. Our results indicate that aside from bottom-up related drivers, top-down effects of salps may lead to mesozooplankton communities that are more dominated by larger size classes with potential consequences for trophic interactions and nutrient fluxes.


The listing of north Queensland's State-owned rainforest as a World Heritage Area and the cessation of timber harvesting in 1988 caused a severe contraction in the north Queensland timber industry. The remaining industry is based on softwood from State Government plantations, which supplies only one sawmill of any appreciable size. A few small fixed mills and several portable mills cut hardwoods from Crown and private land outside the World Heritage Area. After only 15 years, north Queensland's formerly world famous cabinetwoods are now virtually unmentioned in the country's timber trade, and marketing these timbers has become a major issue for the small-scale forest growers. The lack of a steady, high quality supply of north Queensland timbers is probably the cause of depressed prices. The irregularity of supply ensures that prices vary widely. Private Forestry North Queensland Association (PFNQ) is the north Queensland forestry industry cluster and Private Forestry Development Committee. A number of other organisations work alongside PFNQ trying to develop the private forestry industry. A timber cooperative has been formed in the region but it has had little success in establishing a business or securing markets. PFNQ has therefore initiated a marketing facilitation project to provide market intelligence while it finds ways to initiate a private forest and timber stocktake. A stocktake and quality assessment of the region's resource will provide information about the timber already cut and held in storage, and standing timber available to be cut, as well as a projection for the future sustainable yield. This will assist in developing a sale strategy on which to establish sustainable, consistent wood flows to maintain a market in specialist timber uses (e.g. parquetry flooring, furniture and house panelling). Producing timber for the high volume, lower value markets is not favoured as an option for farm forestry. A possible scenario for the development of a small-scale market is suggested; however, it is acknowledged that given the weak state of the local industry and the absence of any industry funding, external resources (particularly Government support) will be necessary to re-establish a viable forestry industry.


The effect of electron itineracy on the magnetism of S=1/2 ferromagnetic Ising model is investigated by introducing a hopping term. The electron Green's function method is used to deal with this Hamiltonian. Here emphasis is made on that the magnetization is caused by the difference between the filling of spin-up and spin-down electrons.This concept is in accordance with that of band structure theory. In the zero band width limit, our results are the same as obtained by spin Green's function method. However, our method achieves more detailed physical information. The spontaneous magnetization, Curie temperature, total energy, and specific heat are calculated and investigated in detail by the densities of states. Hopping term depresses the Curie temperature but remains the order-disorder transformation still to be second order transition. Above the transition point, the energy band is the same as that of tight binding system because exchange interaction has no effect anymore. While under the transition point, the energy band splits into two subbands due to exchange interaction.


The Bengal Fan provides a Neogene record of Eastern and Central Himalaya exhumation. We provide the first detrital thermochronological study (apatite and rutile U-Pb, mica Ar-Ar, zircon fission track) of sediment samples collected during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 354 to the mid–Bengal Fan. Our data from rutile and zircon fission-track thermochronometry show a shift in lag times over the interval 5.59–3.47 Ma. The oldest sample with a lag time of <1 m.y. has a depositional age between 3.76 and 3.47 Ma, and these short lag times continue to be recorded upward in the core to the youngest sediments analyzed, deposited at <1 Ma. We interpret the earliest record of short lag times to represent the onset of extremely rapid exhumation of the Eastern Himalayan syntaxial massif, defined as the syntaxial region north of the Nam La Thrust. Below the interval characterized by short lag times, the youngest sample analyzed with long lag times (>6 m.y.) has a depositional age of 5.59–4.50 Ma, and the zircon and rutile populations then show a static peak until >12 Ma. This interval, from 5.59–4.50 Ma to >12 Ma, is most easily interpreted as recording passive erosion of the Greater Himalaya. However, single grains with lag times of <4 m.y., but with high analytical uncertainty, are recorded over this interval. For sediments older than 10 Ma, these grains were derived from the Greater Himalaya, which was exhuming rapidly until ca. 14 Ma. In sediments younger than 10 Ma, these grains could represent slower, yet still rapid, exhumation of the syntaxial antiform to the south of the massif. Lag times <1 m.y. are again recorded from 14.5 Ma to the base of the studied section at 17 Ma, reflecting a period of Greater Himalayan rapid exhumation. Mica 40Ar/39Ar and apatite U-Pb data are not sensitive to syntaxial exhumation: We ascribe this to the paucity of white mica in syntaxial lithologies, and to high levels of common Pb, resulting in U-Pb ages associated with unacceptably high uncertainties, respectively.


The El Bronce epithermal vein system, located in the western foothills of the Andean Cordillera of central Chile, contains 25 metric tons of gold, 105 metric tons of silver, and 16,000 metric tons of copper. The veins are hosted by volcanic rocks of the Cerro Morado (Early Cretaceous) and Las Chilcas (Early to Late Cretaceous) Formations which consist chiefly of breccias, tuffs, and lavas of andesitic composition. The subcircular Morro Hediondo caldera, with a diameter of 14 to 16 km and of Late Cretaceous age, is located immediately north of the district. Dacitic tuffs and andesitic flows and breccias associated with the caldera are assigned to the Lo Valle Formation on the basis of K-Ar ages of 83 to 80 Ma.Two groups of Early to Late Cretaceous intrusive rocks, occupying north-trending belts, are recognized in the area. The older, a quartz monzodiorite body west of Petorca, intruded the Cerro Morado Formation. The younger comprises dioritic to granodioritic stocks, dikes, and sills and includes the Petorca Porphyry (86 + or - 3 Ma) and the dioritic-tonalitic ring dike. The latter defines the margin of the Morro Hediondo caldera (80-79 Ma). Large zones of hydrothermal silicification and argillic alteration are associated with the two groups of intrusive rocks.The Morro Hediondo caldera is the most prominent geologic feature in the area. Faults and fractures related to the caldera provided structural controls for the mineralization. Several northeast- to northwest-trending faults are either radial or concentric with respect to the caldera. The most outstanding structures are the Quebrada de Castro and El Bronee structural systems.The El Bronce structural system, containing most of the mineralization in the district, consists of extensional faults, dikes, and veins exposed within a 3-km-wide and a 17-km-long, northeast-trending zone delimited by the north-northwest-south-southeast Quebrada de Castro and Petorca-E1 Durazno dextral strike-slip faults.The relative movement of this fault pair was responsible for the structural pattern at El Bronce, which involved development of a first-order dilational jog. Within this jog, two major groups of veins are recognized: the El Bronce-Guanaco-La Olla-San Lorenzo group located north of the El Bronce Creek fault and the Pedro de Valdivia-El Espino Norte group located south of this structure. Both groups of veins are vertical to subvertical and strike northwest to northeast.Detailed studies of the orebodies have shown that each ore shoot is composed of several lenses which contain as many as four ore types and a dike: (1) hydrothermal breccia ore cemented, (2) massive ore, (3) stockwork zone, and (4) disseminated zone. Orebodies may also contain barren andesite dikes. The contacts between the four ore types are generally abrupt but are locally gradational. The andesite dikes generally display sharp, locally sheared contacts. Ore minerals are dominated by coarse crystalline pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, tetrahedrite-tennantite, and minor bornite. Gangue minerals consist of quartz, carbonates, barite, and chlorite. Five paragenetic stages are recognized: (1) quartz-pyrite-gold, (2) quartz-pyrite-sphalerite-chalcopyrite-gold, (3) tetrahedrite-tennantite-galena-silver, (4) barite, and (5) carbonates-chlorite-sphalerite. Hydrothermal alteration, with the formation of sericite, kaolinite, chlorite, and carbonates, mainly affected the host rocks of the stockwork and disseminated ore types. Carbonates are the principal alteration minerals in the andesite dikes.Fluid inclusions associated temporally with the precious metal mineralization show homogenization temperatures that range from 235 degrees to 344 degrees C and salinities from 4 to 10 wt percent NaCl equiv. Gold mineralization underlies a shallow zone of boiling of the hydrothermal fluids. The fluid inclusion data suggest that the precious metal zone was generated 400 to 1,200 m beneath the paleosurface. Temperature and salinity tend to decrease in the shallow levels of the veins. The calculated vertical variations in enthalpy of the hydrothermal fluids suggest that a fluid mixing mechanism was responsible for ore deposition. Hot, relatively saline, metal-rich fluids ascended and mixed with cooler meteoric fluids to cause precipitation of the iron, copper, and zinc sulfides, and subsequently the gold. Preliminary sulfur isotope studies (delta 34 S; 0.5-2.3ppm) suggest a magmatic source for the sulfur in sulfides at El Bronce.


Tivadar Rombauer was a less well-known, but important personality in Hungarian history. His entrepreneur career contains several business and technological innovations in iron industry, among which the foundation of the Metallurgical Factory in Ozd stands out. During the Revolution and War of Independence his role for managing arms supply nationwide is rarely emphasized by the regular commemorations of the most important historical momentum in Hungarian collective remembrance, although its relevance is undisputable. His Protestant Saxon origin interweaved with his patriotism resulted a typical Hungarian middle-class civic virtue, which never disappeared in later generations in the US, after his obligate immigration. In this study we scope on both the origins and influence of this valuesystem detailing Rombauer's life-span, complemented with the family roots and some descendants' fates.


The benefits of short-term (1–6 h), distributed quantitative precipitation forecasts (DQPFs) are well known. However, this area is acknowledged to be one of the most challenging in hydrometeorology. Previous studies suggest that the ''state of the art'' methods can be enhanced by exploiting relevant information from radar and numerical weather prediction (NWP) models, using process physics and data-dictated tools where each fits best. Tests indicate that improved results are obtained by decomposing the overall problem into component processes, and that each process may require alternative tools ranging from simple interpolation to statistical time series models and artificial neural networks (ANNs). A new hybrid modeling strategy is proposed for DQPF that utilizes measurements from radar [Weather Surveillance Radar-1998 Doppler (WSR-88D) network: 4 km, 1 h] and outputs from NWP models (48-km Eta Model: 48 km, 6 h). The proposed strategy improves distributed QPF over existing methods like radar extrapolation or NWP-based QPF by themselves, as well as combinations of radar extrapolation and NWP-based QPF.


A differential calculus of the first order over multi-braided quantum groups is developed. In analogy with the standard theory, left/right-covariant and bicovariant differential structures are introduced and investigated. Furthermore, antipodally covariant calculi are studied. The concept of the *-structure on a multi-braided quantum group is formulated, and in particular the structure of left-covariant *-covariant calculi is analyzed. A special attention is given to differential calculi covariant with respect to the action of the associated braid system. In particular it is shown that the left/right braided-covariance appears as a consequence of the left/right-covariance relative to the group action. Braided counterparts of all basic results of the standard theory are found.


Electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices including solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are enabled by materials known as "non-stoichiometric oxides" that contain large concentrations of point defects such as oxygen or lithium vacancies. While this non-stoichiometry provides the essential functional properties of ionic conductivity or reactivity that make these materials useful, it also tends to couple to material volume through the effect of chemical expansion. Chemical expansion, or volume coupled to defect concentration, is in turn tied to mechanical variables including stress, strain, and elastic constants. This electrochemomechanical coupling, or interaction between functional properties, defect chemistry, and mechanical variables, can have important consequences for devices operated in extreme environments, where unexpected stress may lead to fracture, or well-engineered strain may enhance device efficiency. Such effects are particularly important in thin film devices, where strain engineering is within reach, undesired fracture can devastate performance, and defect chemistry and related properties can differ from bulk systems. In this thesis, we present a concerted investigation of chemomechanical coupling, including interactions between material chemistry, environmental conditions, stress, strain, and mechanical properties, for films of the model material PrxCe1−xO2−δ (PCO) that is a fluorite-structured oxide relevant to SOFC applications. PCO is an excellent model system because of its well-established defect chemistry model and known thermal and chemical expansion coefficients. The thesis begins by first characterizing key chemomechanical effects in PCO, including electrochemically induced high temperature actuation and nonstoichiometry-dependent mechanical properties that are modulated by environmental conditions including temperature and oxygen partial pressure. We then explore the mechanisms and microstructural contributions to these effects via computational modeling and high temperature transmission electron microscopy, identifying ways in which chemomechanical effects in thin film non-stoichiometric oxides differ from those in bulk. Finally, we extend the experimental and computational methods developed in the thesis to characterizing similar effects in Li-storage materials, demonstrating the broad applicability of results across the classes of non-stoichiometric oxides. We first describe an experimental study in which we developed a novel method of detecting chemical expansion on short time scales in the model system PCO and characterized material deformation for a range of conditions of temperature and effective oxygen partial pressure (pO2). In this method, electrically-stimulated chemical expansion caused mechanical deflection of a substrate, an effect that for PCO was enhanced for elevated temperatures


Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) is a chronic, multisystem. autoimmune disorder. It is characterized by (1) generalized exocrine gland dysfunction, (2) serologic abnormalities, and (3) organ-system changes. Oral changes are a prominent feature of this disease. Among these are xerostomia and hypofunction of the salivary glands. Given the intimate relationship between SS and the salivary glands, it is reasonable to postulate that whole saliva (WS) contains the stigmata associated with the presence of this disease. But few studies have been conducted on this secretion. Indeed, WS has largely been neglected and ignored by physicians, dentists, and scientists. Objections to its use have included the fact that it is "impure", that it does not adequately represent what is present in the salivary glands, that no standards have been established for its rate of flow, and that findings based on it lack specificity. Yet, it is this secretion which coats and protects the hard and soft oral tissues, enables us to prepare our food for digestion, and assists our speech. This review will demonstrate that there is a uniqueness and constancy to whole saliva and that it may be used to diagnose the presence of SS. "Screening tests", which include several simple-to-perform sialometric, chemical, and microbiologic procedures, may be conducted in doctors' offices to establish the "profile" of an SS patient. Electrophoretic studies may be used to study the nature of the salivary proteins, and an immunologic test, which is performed on WS and utilizes Western Blot Autoantibody Strips (ImmunoVision. Springdale, AR). may be used to establish the definitive diagnosis of SS.


Introduction Pharmacologic treatment  options for allergic rhinitis include intranasal corticosteroids, oral and topical antihistamines, decongestants, intranasal cromolyn, intranasal anticholinergics and leukotriene receptor antagonists. The present study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of leukotriene receptor antagonist and antihistamines in relieving nasal congestion/ obstruction symptom and itching /irritation in eyes. Material and Methods The study was conducted among 125 patients clinically diagnosed suffering from allergic rhinitis Patients were divided into 5 groups and were given oral treatment with oral antihistamines (chlorpheniramine maleate, levocetrizine, fexofenadine, desloratadine) and leukotriene receptor antagonist (montelukast) for a period of 6 weeks. The results were tabulated and analyzed by Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis test with p value <0.05 as significant value. Result For relieving nasal obstruction, levocetrizine group showed maximum improvement at 2 weeks. However, at the end of 6 weeks montelukast group showed maximum relief followed by levocetrizine and desloratidine.  In relieving eye itching/irritation, montelukast and levocetirizine were equally effective. Fexofenadine and desloratadine were less effective in relieving nasal obstruction and eye itching/irritation followed by chlorpheniramine maleate,  which was least effective. Conclusion Allergic rhinitis affects the social and professional life of patient. Allergen avoidance should be the initial step in the management of allergic rhinitis. Montelukast and levocetirizine are more effective in relieving nasal obstruction and  eye itching/irritation compared to fexofenadine, desloratadine and chlorpheniramine maleate.


Most current modeling techniques assume that pavement layers are homogeneous. This assumption can be considered one of the main sources of uncertainty in the performance of pavement structures. The main objective of this paper is to present a methodology that includes the uncertainty of material properties as part of the mechanical response of pavement structures. This methodology efficiently combines a stochastic technique with finite-element modeling. The capabilities of the proposed method are illustrated by studying the role of the internal air void distribution of asphalt mixtures on the mechanical performance of flexible pavements. The results from this model corroborate its usefulness to incorporate variability in the mechanical analysis of pavements. Particularly, the methodology was effective in reproducing internal void distributions observed in compacted asphalt layers in the field and its ability to include such distributions in the macromechanical modeling of flexible pavements.


Laser light-scattering studies of bacteriophage PM2 DNA showed the molecule to have mol.wt. 5.9 X 10(6) and root-mean -square radius 125 nm at an ionic strength of 0.2 mol/litre. Computer-generated curves compatible with these data were compared with the experimental interference curve for several structural models of the molecules. The data fit best to an asymmetric four-armed planar molecule in which all four arms emerge from or close to the one area of the molecule. This contrasts with the smaller DNA molecules investigated, which have shown a three-armed molecule, whose symmetry varies with primary structure.


This paper explores the dynamic of investment governance from the perspective of Diaspora investment governance in an island economy in China. It is not a study of investment governance as understood in the conventional developed sense. The study took place in a system absent of business angel, where trust is a big problem and new business venture faces a plethora of problem including incomplete contract, high transaction cost and political uncertainty. Never the less, entrepreneurship has taken its root and thrived, and new forms of organizational linkage and governance structure emerge with the arrival of foreign direct investment and human capital creating new linkages from the old and changing business practices which gradually transform the nature of institutions and governance structure. It is the focus of this paper to explore certain dynamic aspects of Diaspora investment governance from the perspective of institutional change during the process of industrial development. The starting point of the analysis is on a broader set of actors whose relationship dynamics shape the process of entry and driving the change in the governance structure of the island economy. Questions on how to enter a new territory, finding trustworthy partners, and developing partnership and negotiating entry are fundamentally a question of how to deal with ambiguity in business life as a result of information asymmetry and principal agent problem. New institutional design emerges to provide norm and standard to regulate the conduct of businesses. In the context of the island, a process of induced institutional change is partly simultaneous and partly driven by the developmental state although the actual process has more layers of intricacy and complexity beyond the theories of political economy. The paper takes its starting point in analyzing the changing nature of institutional relationships during entry and acquisition and explores wider implications for understanding the dynamic of institutional change.


This article discusses aircraft airworthiness management, which can now take place for the commercial air carrier fleet as a result of the FAA certification of intact aircraft nondestructive inspection (NDI) and information technologies systems that were originally developed for the Air Force. The merit of aircraft airworthiness management has proven extremely successful for the government fleet for more than a decade. The inspection and information management technologies are particularly effective for rapid fault detection and fault assessment when hidden structural corrosion, hidden structural cracks, internal engine blade cracks, or composite disbonding occurs.


The author numerically demonstrates that a resistive superconducting quantum interference device (RSQUID) with two nonhysteretic Josephson junctions works as a relaxation oscillator. Sequential switching of the Josephson junctions transfers positive and negative flux quanta in the RSQUID loop one by one. Differently from a conventional two-junction superconducting quantum interference device, the dissipative RSQUID loop does not maintain the quantized flux, and hence, finite flux can be accumulated in the RSQUID loop during sequential switching of the Josephson junctions. When the accumulated flux reaches a critical value, the corresponding loop current prevents subsequent junction switching. That is, the oscillation stops. After the loop current decays, sequential switching of the junctions resumes. In addition to the waveforms of relaxation oscillation, dependence of relaxation oscillation on device parameters is presented.


Background
Mooren's Ulcer is a chronic painful Ulceration of the cornea, with a steep overhanging edge and may progress centrally or circumferentially to involve the whole cornea, often resulting in blindness. Aim: To review the visual outcome of Mooren's ulcer patients managed using conjunctivectomy with systemic and topical steroids in Jos University Teaching Hospital with the aim of optimizing management.

Methods
 Case notes of patients managed in the last 5 years in Jos University teaching hospital were reviewed to ascertain the visual outcome. The folders of 19 of the 26 patients who attended the clinic were reviewed. Information on age, sex, presenting complaints, drugs used before and after presentation, examination, treatment given in JUTH and visual outcome

Results
 The mean age at presentation was 27.7 years. Both sexes were found to be equally affected. Four (21.1%) patients had both eyes affected, 16 (66.3%) patients had used traditional eye medicines before and after presentation. Fifteen (65.2%) eyes had both medical and surgical interventions, while 8(34.8%) eyes were treated with topical and systemic steroids only. Five (21.7%) eyes had visual acuity between 6/6 to 6/18, while 3 (13.0%) eyes had visual acuity of 6/24 to 6/60. Two (8.7%) eyes had visual acuity of worse than 6/60. The final visual acuity of 13 (56.5%) eyes could not be tested after treatment because the patients were lost to follow up.

Conclusion
Though several studies have shown that systemic immunosuppressive chemotherapy has been found to be superior to local ocular care, such as conjunctivectomy and topical steroids, we have found that patients who did not use traditional eye medicines or indulge in self medication did well on conjunctivectomy with systemic and topical steroids. Keywords : Mooren's Ulcer, Management, and Visual Outcome Highland Medical Research Journal Vol. 4 (2) 2006 pp. 44-48


We present here visual evidence for the existence of a new type of interstitial cells in human atrial myocardium: interstitial Cajal‐like cells (ICLC). These cells fulfil the so‐called 'platinum standard'(a set of 10 ultrastructural criteria for the positive diagnosis of ICLC). Conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM), followed by reconstructions from serial photomicrographs, revealed typical ICLC with 2 or 3 long, moniliform processes (several tens of micrometers long and 0.1–0.5 μm thick), emerging from the (small) cell body. Cell processes dichotomously branch and have mitochondria (at the level of dilations), caveolae and Ca2+ release units. Cell prolongations establish close spatial relationships between each other, as well as with capillaries, myocardial cells, and other connective tissue cells. Our preliminary data suggest that ICLC exist in rat ventricular myocardium, too.


This study was undertaken to determine whether the use of sulfanilamide, sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine or sulfadiazine has any effect on an injured peripheral nerve and its adnexa. It has become a frequent practice to use one or more of these drugs locally in routine operative procedures and in treatment of war injuries. Although their use in wounds of these types has been considered as harmless in general, despite the occurrence of a serous exudate (Key and Frankel 1 ), the specific effect on nerve regeneration has not previously been evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS The sciatic nerve of the cat was selected for the present experiments. One sciatic nerve of each animal was treated with 0.25 or 0.5 Gm. of one of the powdered sulfonamide compounds previously mentioned. The other nerve was left as a control. All operations were carried on under aseptic conditions. Appropriate experiments were designed to determine the local effects


In the process of studying the Carboniferous-Permian section, rock samples were taken from two lithologic-stratigraphic sections of the Lower Carboniferous and Permian systems, from which the most representative rocks were selected, giving an idea of the material composition of the rocks of this stratigraphic section of the Shu-Sarysu depression. Further thermal and X-ray diffraction analyzes of these samples were carried out. Mineralogical interpretation of the analysis results showed the presence in the samples a number of formations, among which there are silicon oxides, feldspars, minerals of layered silicates, carbonates, etc. The method of localization of concentrated and dispersed forms of OM in the compositions of quartz formations is based on the laws of physical and ion sorption. Therefore, connection with the surface of crystals of other minerals is carried out mainly by means of underlying films made of secondary minerals of the group of phyllosilicates. In article shown that: 1) the packaging of OM in clay minerals takes place in the intergrid spaces of their layered structures or over the broken connections of the planes of the silicon-oxygen frame of montmorillonites and members of this series of minerals; 2) in limestones concentration of Corg takes place in micro pores, as well as in cracks and chips of monomineral forms of CaCO3; 3) the background content of the dispersed organic matter (DOM) in the Carboniferous-Permian section is uniformly distributed in the range 0.1-0.5%; 4) in terrigenous rocks, in which feldspars and clay minerals predominate, the DOM content reaches 2%; 5) the obtained data will be used to correct the forecast resources of the southwestern part of the Shu-Sarysu basin.


Using a similarity Hamiltonian renormalization procedure, we determine an effective spin-12 representation of the Bose-Hubbard model at half-integer filling and at a finite onsite interaction energy U. By means of bosonization, we are able to recast the effective Hamiltonian as that of a spin-12 XXZ magnetic chain with pertinently renormalized coupling and anisotropy parameters. We use this mapping to provide analytical estimates of the correlation functions of the Bose-Hubbard model. We then compare such results with those based on density matrix renormalization group numerical simulations of the Bose-Hubbard model for various values of U and for a number L of lattice sites as low as L∼30. We find an excellent agreement up to 10% between the output of analytical and numerical computations, even for relatively small values of U. Our analysis implies that, also at finite U, the one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model with suitably chosen parameters may be seen as a quantum simulator of the XXZ chain.


Lipid‐transfer proteins (LTPs), but not Bet v 1 homologues, have been identified as major allergens of apple and peach in the Rosaceae fruit‐allergic population in the Mediterranean area. Many of these patients show cosensitization to mugwort pollen. LTPs have an ubiquitous distribution in tissues of many plant species, and have been proposed as a novel type of plant panallergens.


Background and Aim: Treatment efficacy of DNA damaging agents is determined not only by the amount of therapy‐induced DNA damage but also by the capacity of tumor cells to repair the damaged DNA. When cells are treated with DNA damaging agents, both G1 and G2/M cell cycle checkpoints are activated, leading to cell cycle arrest, thus providing time for the cell to repair the damage and to evade apoptosis before resuming cell cycle. Tumor cells can exploit these repair mechanisms in response to DNA damaging chemotherapeutics, rendering tumors refractory to therapy. Since G1 checkpoint is frequently compromised due to loss‐of‐function mutation in p53 gene in approximately half of cancers, G2/M checkpoint play a pivotal role in preventing the programmed cell death in p53 null tumors. Wee1 kinase, which acts as a critical driver of G2‐M cell cycle progression, plays a critical role in maintaining G2 arrest through its inhibitory phosphorylation of cdc2. G2 checkpoint abrogation by Wee1 inhibition may therefore sensitize p53 deficient tumor cells to anti‐cancer agents. MK‐1775, a potent inhibitor of Wee1 tyrosine kinase, is currently being evaluated in several phase I clinical trials. Here, we investigated the efficacy and pharmacodynamic effects of MK‐1775 in both monotherapy and in combination with gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer xenografts with p53 null/intact status. Methods: Fresh pancreatic tumor pieces obtained from patients at the time of surgery in Johns Hopkins Hospital were implanted (s.c) in female athymic mice and grafted tumors were propagated as a live PancXenoBank. Ten patient xenografts (7 with p53 mutated and 3 with p53 wild type) were allowed to grow separately on both flanks of mouse. When tumor reached a volume of ∼200 mm3, mice were individually identified and randomly assigned to treatment groups, with 5–6 mice (8–10 evaluable tumors/group) in 1) control; 2) MK‐1775 (30 mg/kg, p.o., twice a week) for 4 weeks; 3) gemcitabine (100 mg/kg, i.p., twice a week) for 4 weeks; 4) gemcitabine followed 24 h later by MK‐1775 in the above dose and frequency. Tumor growth rate/regressions were calculated on day 28. Target modulation by MK‐1775 was assessed by western blot and IHC. Results: MK‐1775 treatment leads to the inhibition of Wee1 kinase and its substrate phospho‐cdc2. Combination of gemcitabine with MK‐1775 abrogated the G2 arrest to promote the mitotic entry and facilitate tumor cell death. Although, MK‐1775 monotherapy resulted in >50% inhibition of tumor growth in three of ten xenografts compared to control tumors, it did not result in tumor regressions. However, combination of gemcitabine with MK‐1775 produced robust anti‐tumor activity and remarkable increase in tumor regression (3.39 fold) in p53 mutated tumors compared to gemcitabine treatment. Tumor re‐growth curves after the treatment suggest that the effect of the combination therapy is longer‐lasting than that of gemcitabine. None of the agents or combination therapy produced tumor regressions in p53 wild type cases. Conclusions: Our results provide compelling evidence that MK‐1775 synergizes with gemcitabine to achieve tumor regressions, selectively in p53 mutated pancreatic tumor xenografts and this combination merits clinical testing. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):A251.


Abstract:This essay is one of more than a dozen in this volume to honor the late Mary Margaret Steedly. The paper's theme is "telltale." Telltale speaks to the acute attention and thinking that Steedly brought to her work, to the subtlety, nuance, power, and persuasiveness of her writing, and to the way Indonesianists and other scholars may recall and draw on her insights and contributions for years to come. "Telltale" evokes Steedly's method and the pleasure of surprise and sense of adventure that she found in her fieldwork and ethnography. Steedly had a keen alertness to the telltale in the sense of an outward sign, an indication of something, however slight, that marks a difference, discloses a possibility, intimates a shift in direction. Occasionally, something telltale clamors for attention. More often, it is small, even modest in its singularity, a telling detail that stands out from its surroundings, gives pause, catches the eye, makes one listen more closely or look again. Telltale assumes myriad forms—a word, a gesture, a tone, a silence, a change of posture, something scuttling at the edge of the visual field. Telltale is not just noticeable but suggestive, since it betrays the presence of something else—another way of telling, someone else speaking, or a fugitive site of ephemerality … exactly the sorts of things that characterize Steedly's writings and ruminations.


Abstract A novel low-cost polyurethane (PU) elastomeric material reinforced with mat-form fiberglass for alternative ship material was developed. The hand lay-up technique was used to prepare samples with glass fiber contents of 0, 7, 9, 11, and 15% by weight. Several tests, including density, tensile, and hardness tests, have been conducted to investigate the effect of fiber content on the material properties of the developed materials. The test results found that only composites with 0% (PU) and 7% (PFg-7) fiberglass had met all Lloyd's Register criteria. PFg-7 has a density of 1,098 kg/m3, a hardness of 66.15 shore-D, a tensile strength of 21.32 MPa, and an elongation at break of 47.06%, a higher hardness, elastic modulus, and yield strength than PU. PFg-15 achieved the highest density, hardness, tensile strength, elastic modulus, and yield strength, which were 1,228 kg/m3, 68.85 shore-D, 32.13, 2,176, and 30.89 MPa, respectively. The elastic modulus and yield strength of PFg-15 were 5.6 times and 3 times higher than those of PU but PFg-15 did not meet the elongation at break criteria. PFg-9, PFg-11, and PFg-15 showed brittle properties, as indicated by relatively high hardness, elastic modulus, and yield strength compared to the results from various references.


PURPOSE
The diagnostic and prognostic significance of well-defined molecular markers was investigated in childhood primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Using microsatellite analysis, Southern blot analysis, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), 30 primary tumors and six CSF metastasis specimens were analyzed for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of chromosomes 1q31, 6q, 9q22, 10q, 11, 16q22, and 17p13.1 and/or high-level amplification of the c-myc gene. Experimental data were compared with clinical stage and outcome.

RESULTS
LOH of chromosome 17p13.1 was found most frequently (14 of 30 tumors, six of six CSF metastasis specimens); LOH of chromosomes 10q, 16q22, 11, 6, 9q22, and 1q31 was observed in 20.6%, 20%, 14.3%, 12%, 10%, and 0%, respectively. Eight of 32 tumors and CSF specimens showed amplification of c-myc. All tumors with amplification of c-myc were resistant to therapy and had a fatal outcome (mean survival time, 9.3 months). Tumors that displayed LOH of chromosome 17p were associated with metastatic disease. The prognosis of these tumors was worse only when associated with amplification of c-myc. Three of three patients with LOH of 9q22 relapsed.

CONCLUSION
In our study, amplification of c-myc was a poor-prognosis marker in PNET. LOH of chromosome 17p was associated with metastatic disease. Molecular analysis of primary tumors using these markers may be useful for stratification of children with PNET in future prospective studies. The other aberrations investigated were not of significant prognostic value, but may provide an entry point for future large-scale molecular studies.


The aragonese dominican Martin de Ateca is mostly known thanks to the works of Arnau de Vilanova.This paper edits, translates and analyzes one of the most significant fragments (hitherto unpublished)of Arnau de Vilanova's Antidotum contra venenum effusum per fratrem Martinum de Atheca. Martinannouncement. The aragonese dominican appears to be the first Thomist from the Crown of Aragon tohave been explicitly designated as such.


In this article the author makes use of certain evidence from the Rotunda  of St. George, Thessaloniki, in order to propose a more accurate restoration  of the original form of the building in the years of the Tetrarchy. The evidence presented includes the recesses on either side of the large, rectangular  niches, whose existence implies a post and lintel interior facade with two columns in front of each niche. A more complete restoration of the interior, as  well as a portico at the entrance, is further proposed, based on the evidence of  comparative structures.


The Equatorian Daule and Babahoyo rivers combine into the tidal Guayas River with the largest estuary on the Pacific coast of South America. The city of Guayaquil, located along the Guayas, is the main port of Ecuador but at the same time the planet's fourth most vulnerable city for future flooding due to climate change, after Guangzhou, Mumbai and Kolkata. Fluvial sedimentation is seen as one of the factors contributing to the risk of flooding. It increases water levels, it blocks the drainage from urban flooding and water treatment plants, it deteriorates navigation conditions, and it produces a mid-channel bar called "Islota del Palmar". This bar attracts birds that hinder air traffic around the nearby airport. The growth of this bar pushes currents against the erodible bank along the Samborondon residential area. Sedimentation rates have increased in recent years, which is locally perceived as a result of deforestation in the upper catchment. The planning and design of effective mitigation measures, however, require a more precise understanding of what causes sedimentation. Therefore we carried out a systematic analysis using the new flexible-mesh version of the Delft3D modelling system. We found that sedimentation in the Guayas has no relation with upstream deforestation. Rather, the sediment originates from the downstream estuary instead of the upstream catchment. This complies with the presence of marine sands in the river as reported by a dredging company. We could explain the import of sediment from the asymmetry of the tide, and the recent increase in sedimentation rates to land reclamation and to a decrease of episodic flushing by river floods due to upstream dam construction. Only the deposition of silt and clay in connected stagnant water bodies could perhaps be ascribed to upstream deforestation. These insights will guide the planning and design of effective solutions.