Purpose: To investigate the antinociceptive effect of Asplenium nidus ethanolic extract (ANEE) using a Caenorhabditis elegans model.Methods: Sublethality assay was performed on ANEE to determine the experimental concentrations to be used for the antinociceptive assays. Antinociceptive effect of ANEE in C. elegans was investigated using mechanosensation assays in four treatment timepoints within 72 hours. Antinociceptive index (AI) was calculated for the cells treated with ANEE cells as well as morphine, paracetamol and control (1% DMSO).Results: The mechanosensation assays revealed that ANEE (104, 103, 102 μg/mL) had a significantly higher antinociceptive index (AI) (p<0.05) compared to the vehicle control (1% DMSO). The antinociceptive effects of ANEE, 2.5 μM morphine, and 0.01% mg/mL paracetamol in C. elegans were not significantly different (p>0.05). This effect of ANEE continued after four treatments within a 72-hour period.Conclusion: The findings revealed that A. nidus ethanolic extract (ANEE) possesses antinociceptive effect which validates folkloric use of A. nidus and suggest a potential for chronic therapeutic use.


Background Preoperative serum level of carcinoembryonic antigen (pCEA) is generally recognized as a prognostic factor for colorectal cancer (CRC), but the stage-specific role of pCEA in colorectal cancer remains unclear. Objective We investigated the prognostic significance of pCEA levels in different tumor stages of nonmetastatic CRC patients. Methods Six hundred and fifteen CRC patients at stage I–III were retrospectively analyzed. All of them received curative tumor resection. The X-tile program was used to generate stage-specific cutoff values of pCEA for all patients and two subpopulations (lymph node-positive or -negative). The prognostic significance of pCEA was assessed using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. A nomogram model that combined pCEA score and clinical feature indexes was established and evaluated. Results Two cutoff values were identified in the study population. At a cutoff value of 4.9 ng/mL, a significantly higher 5-year overall survival (OS) rate (82.16%) was observed in the pCEA-low group (<4.9 ng/mL) compared with 65.52% in the pCEA-high group (≥4.9 ng/mL). Furthermore, at the second cutoff value of 27.2 ng/mL, 5-year OS was found to be only 40.9%. Stratification analysis revealed that preoperative serum level of pCEA was an independent prognostic factor (OR = 1.991, P < 0.01) in the subpopulation of lymph node metastasis (stage III) patients, and the relative survival rates in the pCEA-low (≤4.9 ng/mL), pCEA-medium (4.9–27.2 ng/mL), and pCEA-high (≥27.2 ng/mL) groups were 73.4%, 60.5%, and 24.8%, respectively (P < 0.05). However, no such effect was observed in the lymph node nonmetastasis (stage I and II) subgroup. The established nomogram showed acceptable predictive power of the 5-year OS rate (C-index: 0.612) in lymph node-positive CRC patients, with an area under the curve value of 0.772, as assessed by ROC curve analysis. Conclusions Pretreatment serum CEA levels had different prognostic significance based on the lymph node metastasis status. Among stage III CRC patients, pCEA was an independent prognostic factor. Five-year OS rates could be predicted according to the individual pCEA level at the different cutoff values.


Cortical thickness varies throughout the cortex in a systematic way. However, it is challenging to investigate the patterns of cortical thickness due to the intricate geometry of the cortex. The cortex has a folded nature both in radial and tangential directions which forms not only gyri and sulci but also tangential folds and intersections. In this article, cortical curvature and depth are used to characterize the spatial distribution of the cortical thickness with much higher resolution than conventional regional atlases. To do this, a computational pipeline was developed that is capable of calculating a variety of quantitative measures such as surface area, cortical thickness, curvature (mean curvature, Gaussian curvature, shape index, intrinsic curvature index, and folding index), and sulcal depth. By analyzing 501 neurotypical adult human subjects from the ABIDE‐I dataset, we show that cortex has a very organized structure and cortical thickness is strongly correlated with local shape. Our results indicate that cortical thickness consistently increases along the gyral–sulcal spectrum from concave to convex shape, encompassing the saddle shape along the way. Additionally, tangential folds influence cortical thickness in a similar way as gyral and sulcal folds; outer folds are consistently thicker than inner.


The concentrations of iron in 1 N chloride solutions have been determined at temperatures from 400 degrees to 700 degrees C and a pressure of 1 kb for fluids in equilibrium with synthetic magnetite- or biotite-bearing granitic (quartz monzonite) compositions. K/H and Na/H ratios in solution were controlled by reactions similar to those observed in natural alteration assemblages involving alkali feldspar and plagioclase with aluminosilicate, muscovite, or montmorillonite. Oxygen fugacity was controlled by internal or external methods using hematite-magnetite, Ni-NiO, and quartz-fayalite-magnetite assemblages. Starting compositions of fluids were solutions of HCl, 2HCl:FeCl 2 , HCl:NaCl, and NaCl:KCl:FeCl 2 . Equal masses (i.e., low liquid/solid ratios) of solid and solution were used to expedite equilibration. Iron was added as synthetic magnetite, synthetic biotite, or in solution. Run times ranged from four days to several weeks.At 400 degrees C, the dominant cations in solutions are Na, K, and Ca, with Fe concentrations of 0.01 to 0.03 molal. At 500 degrees C, Na, K, and Fe are dominant with Fe concentrations of 0.10 to 0.17 molal. At 600 degrees C, the Fe concentration reaches a maximum of 0.20 to 0.25 molal and then appears to drop to between 0.10 to 0.15 molal at 700 degrees C. The effect of f (sub O 2 ) on concentration is consistent with changes in the iron-bearing assemblage from magnetite to biotite, and along with charge balance calculations, suggests that ferrous chloride is the dominant species at low temperatures. These data indicate that in natural magmatic systems, the concentration of iron in chloride solutions coexisting with magnetite or biotite is extremely high. This high solubility may explain the large quantities of iron deposited in skarns and related deposits around some mineralized granitic stocks.


The analysis in this paper gives attention to effects on firm survival which come from entrepreneurial experience. It is likely that different kinds of experience result in different firm developments and therefore in different types of firm exit. Particular emphasis is placed upon the effects of failure experience. The results provide evidence that both the kind of experience and the type of exit matter. Negative experience, namely the experience of failure, is found to heighten the risk of failing again. This finding indicates that business failures are largely not exceptions, but rather a sign of the entrepreneurs' lack of ability.


The electrical conductivities of the following fused salts were measured at temperatures up to 860°C and over a pressure range 1–1000 bar: the chlorides, bromides and iodides of the five alkali metals; silver chloride, silver bromide. The volumes ΔVΛ=–RT(∂ ln Λ/∂P)T were calculated to be independent of temperature for each salt. ΔVΛ was zero for the lithium halides, and increased as the ions were changed in the sequences Li+→Cs+ or Cl–→I–. The ΔVΛ values were used to find the temperature dependence of conductivity at constant density from that at constant pressure. The results are not consistent with the free volume theory, or with the hole theory of Bockris and Hooper. However, the observed trends are in qualitative accord with the Rice–Allnatt statistical theory of transport in liquids. This theory was used to calculate the conductivity of fused potassium chloride and its pressure and temperature dependence, using ionic pair correlation functions obtained in a computer-simulated ionic dynamics experiment. The results are in moderate agreement with experiment.


— An optimal solution for a large number of constraint satisfaction problems can be found using the technique of substitution and elimination of variables analogous to the technique that is used to solve systems of equations. A decision function f(A)=max(A 2 ) is used to determine which variables to eliminate. The algorithm can be expressed in six lines and is remarkable in both its simplicity and its ability to find an optimal solution. However it is inefficient in that it needs to square the updated A matrix after each variable elimination. To overcome this inefficiency the algorithm is analyzed and it is shown that the A matrix only needs to be squared once at the first step of the algorithm and then incrementally updated for subsequent steps, resulting in significant improvement and an algorithm complexity of O(n 3 ).


The thermal-assisted exfoliation phenomena of boehmite particles under moderate heating rates were examined. The exfoliation that generated flakes of 5–6 nm in thickness can be achieved because of the perfect cleavage on the boehmite particles that are stripped when thermal treatments bring about dehydration and γ-Al2O3 formation in sequential phase transformation of boehmite. Examinations of the exfoliation effects were carried out on calcined boehmite single crystal particles, which were about 500 nm in diameter, and obtained at three heating rates 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 °C/min with the heating schedules. The TEM techniques, BET-N2 measurements, XRD-Scherrer equation, and AFM images were employed in the examination. That the BET values increased as increasing of exfoliated flakes reflected two stages of exfoliation. In the beginning stage, during which the BET values were <40 m2/g, the exfoliation resulted from the stress produced by dehydration. In the second stage, the increased rate of surface area was due to the additional force, which originated from the γ-Al2O3 formation. Exfoliation occurred on the cleavage planes {010}, the side pinacoid of the boehmite particle. The generation of flakes resulted in the thinning of boehmite particles. Some of the flakes preserved the external form of boehmite crystals. From the surface energy evaluations of boehmite and γ-Al2O3, it can be inferred that exfoliation is a natural way of thermal treatment.


• The coagulability of the blood becomes defective in certain obstetric complications, especially in the severe forms of premature separation and after fetal death in utero. The first case here described involved severe premature separation of the placenta with intrauterine fetal death; the patient was delivered by abdominal hysterotomy and recovered after several transfusions and the intravenous administration of fibroinogen. In the second case there was spontaneous delivery of a macerated fetus, but the patient had persistent bleeding with symptoms of shock and likewise required whole blood and fibrinogen. Obstetric patients are able generally to withstand moderate losses of blood without shock; consequently, when shock does appear, it may mean that the patient is nearly exsanguinated. Detection and treatment of the syndrome of hypofibrinogenemia may be of crucial importance in such patients. If fetal death occurs, the mother should have a weekly clotobservation test. The clotting mechanism should be corrected before any obstetric procedure is completed, and this is readily accomplished by transfusion and fibrinogen.


This article outlines the main guidelines of the European Society of Anesthesiologists for Perioperative Venous Thromboembolism Prevention and the basic guidelines of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) for Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean (ERAC). The search for effective methods of recovery after caesarean section, the desire to reduce the risks of postoperative complications, to shorten the length of the hospital stay led us to the introduction of the modern concept of rapid recovery. The concept of Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean is already used in the "Leleka" maternity hospital. The positive results of the implementation of the ERAC concept in obstetric practice make it necessary to modernize the traditional approach to the post-


The effects of a 12-week weight reduction program applied to obese women at a community health center were studied. Middle aged women participated in the beginning of the program, but 34 persons finished the study (85% completion). Subjects practiced belly dancing three times a week for 60 minutes (60~85% HR max) per session, and nutritional education was carried out four times during the 12 week program. The weight, %body fat, and BMI significantly decreased by 5.6%, 9.5%, and 5.6%, respectively. The concentrations of serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL-C were also significantly reduced by 13.5%, 9.5%, and 10.4%, respectively. Insulin level was reduced by 19.8%, thus lowering the HOMA-IR index. Leptin level significantly was reduced by 32.35%, adiponectin concentration. Total ROS concentration increased while total antioxidant capacity in serum remained unchanged. In conclusion, a 12-week 'Obesity Clinic Program' belly dancing and nutritional education held at a Community Center seemed to have health-promoting effects through reducing body fats, plasma lipids, and improving insulin resistance.


As a new respiratory support technique, high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) has been widely used in clinical practice in recent years. During HFNC treatment, due to the long time and continuous wearing of nasal stopper and fasteners on the patient face, it is easy to cause medical device-related pressure injury on multiple facial skin. Moreover, when the patient's position changes greatly, because there is no good fixed design at the HFNC nasal stopper, it is easy to shift or turn the nasal stopper outward, causing abnormal ventilation and failure to achieve the purpose of clinical oxygen therapy. To overcome above problems, medical staff in the intensive care unit of department of infectious diseases, Tongji Hospital Tongji Medical College of HUST designed a new type of decompression fixator to prevent HFNC face pressure injury, and obtained national utility model patent (ZL 2022 2 0754626.1). The integrated design structure of the device has the functions of decompression of facial skin and fixation of nasal stopper, which can ensure the effect of oxygen therapy and improve the oxygen therapy experience and patient comfort, which is suitable for clinical promotion.


The fitness landscape of AAV Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is an important gene therapy vector. Using tools from synthetic biology, Ogden et al. provide a comprehensive view of how sequence changes in capsid proteins affect AAV properties. After saturation mutagenesis of the AAV2 capsid gene, the resulting library was subjected to multiplexed phenotypic analyses, including virus production, immunity, thermostability, and biodistribution. The mutant distribution to major organs in mice revealed dominant trends affecting in vivo delivery. Moreover, the findings uncovered a viral accessory protein with a role in viral production. Finally, a model built from the capsid fitness landscape enabled machine-guided design of useful variants with much higher efficiency than random mutagenesis. Science, this issue p. 1139 Detailed mutagenesis analysis reveals how sequence changes affect adeno-associated virus delivery properties in vivo and in vitro. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsids can deliver transformative gene therapies, but our understanding of AAV biology remains incomplete. We generated the complete first-order AAV2 capsid fitness landscape, characterizing all single-codon substitutions, insertions, and deletions across multiple functions relevant for in vivo delivery. We discovered a frameshifted gene in the VP1 region that expresses a membrane-associated accessory protein that limits AAV production through competitive exclusion. Mutant biodistribution revealed the importance of both surface-exposed and buried residues, with a few phenotypic profiles characterizing most variants. Finally, we algorithmically designed and experimentally verified a diverse in vivo targeted capsid library with viability far exceeding random mutagenesis approaches. These results demonstrate the power of systematic mutagenesis for deciphering complex genomes and the potential of empirical machine-guided protein engineering.


We report a high-directivity plasmon-resonant terahertz (THz) emitter (PRE) incorporating a 3D-integrated antenna complex. The emitter structure is based on a high electron mobility transistor having unique doubly interdigitated grating gates as a broadband THz antenna that can convert non-radiative plasmons to radiative electromagnetic waves. Due to the sub-wavelength aperture of practical grating-antenna dimension, however, present structure of PRE exhibits undesirable diffraction effect, resulting in poor directivity. We developed a new device structure featuring a 3D-integration of tightly-coupled multiple-antenna complex to improve the directivity. The directivity of a new device was dramatically improved by a factor of 5.7 over the frequencies from 1.8 to 4.0 THz.


Molecular imprinting and phage display library technologies are rapidly being accepted as useful techniques for the generation of ligand‐selective recognition motifs. The use of molecular imprinting to produce a novel type II aldolase mimic selective for the cobalt(II)‐mediated aldol condensation of benzophenone and acetaldehyde is reported here. Furthermore, peptide motifs have been identified which are acting as 'affinity ligands' selective for the recognition of the enzyme α‐chymotrypsin using phage display techniques.


Uteroplacental insufficiency and subsequent intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) increase the risk of insulin resistance in humans and rats. Aberrant skeletal muscle lipid metabolism contributes to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator-1 (PGC-1) is a transcriptional co-activator that affects gene expression of key lipid metabolizing enzymes such as carnitine palmitoyl-transferase I (mCPTI). Because gene expression of lipid metabolizing enzymes is altered in IUGR postnatal skeletal muscle, and we hypothesized that PGC-1 expression would be similarly affected. To prove this hypothesis, bilateral uterine artery ligation and sham surgery were used to produce IUGR and control rats respectively. Western Blotting demonstrated that PGC-1 hind limb skeletal muscle protein levels were increased in perinatal and postnatal IUGR rats. Conventional RT-PCR demonstrated that PGC-1 mRNA levels were similarly increased in perinatal hind limb skeletal muscle and juvenile extensor digitorum longus (EDL), but were decreased in juvenile soleus. Because a gender specific trend was noted in PGC-1 mRNA levels, real time RT-PCR was used for further differentiation. Real time RT-PCR revealed that changes in postnatal skeletal muscle PGC-1 expression were more marked in male IUGR rats versus female IUGR rats. Down stream targets of PGC-1 followed a similar pattern of expression. We conclude that PGC-1 expression is altered in rat IUGR skeletal muscle and speculate that it contributes to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in the IUGR rat.


Laser Doppler flowmetry was used to measure the effects of local anesthesia on the thermoregulation of the tooth pulp. Heat affecting the pulp is physiologically offset by a reactive increase in blood flow. An increase in temperature from 35 degrees C to 45 degrees C results in an increase in blood flow by 100%, on an average. Local anesthetics produce a reversible block of this protective mechanism, thus eliminating more or less the reactive increase in blood flow. Under local anesthesia the defence power of the tooth pulp against noxious temperatures seems to be considerably reduced.


An effective medium theory (EMT) for calculating optical reflectance from a surface of metal-and-dielectric multilayered structures (MDMS) has been described. MDMS is a strongly-anisotropic optical medium of which the dispersion surface is cylindrical for transverse-magnetic (TM) polarized light. A coefficient of reflection has been derived by applying the dispersion surface of MDMS to the phase-matching condition and the boundary conditions at the interface between an isotropic medium and the MDMS. The reflectance calculated by this anisotropic effective medium theory has agreed with the results by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, even for oblique incidence. Moreover, transmittance and reflectance from a finite thick MDMS layer are also derived by using the effective medium theory.


Many incoming college freshman struggle with learning to study and prepare for college examinations in mathematics. High performing high school students often easily succeeded in their mathematics courses while spending minimal time studying the subject. The strategies they used do not always transfer well to the university environment, and they must learn to prepare for assessments over larger amounts of material in a shorter time period. A bridge program was implemented to support incoming freshmen whose mathematics understanding and skills were weak, based on their Mathematics Placement Exam (MPE). Surveys were conducted each week of the three-week intervention to determine student beliefs about what study strategies they believed served them well in high school mathematics, what strategies they expected to use in college, and how much time they anticipated spending on their mathematics studies in the bridge program and in college calculus courses. Students spent 36 hours during the 3-week period in small groups with an online tutor. In addition, they had online practice quizzes, instructional videos, and an online textbook. They were given the MPE again at the end of the program. If they increased their scores to meet the cut score of 22 out 33 correct, they were permitted to enroll in engineering calculus I. This study examines their responses to the surveys during the bridge program and their grades, including any correlations that exist among the variables.


Approximate signal reconstruction formulas for the class of L 2(R) signals in the fractional Fourier and linear canonical transform (LCT) domains are presented. The results make use of the finite number of nonuniform samples of the signal in fractional Fourier or LCT domains taken at the positions determined by the zeros of the Hermite polynomials. The results provide exact representation for the class of signals that can be expressed in the form of polynomials of some finite order. The truncation error bounds in the presented results are also discussed. Simulation results for some of the proposed theorems are also presented.


In the developing CNS, neurons and glia are sequentially produced from the ventricular neural progenitor cells. One fundamental question in developmental neurobiology is what signals or factors control the developmental switch from neurogenesis to gliogenesis. Here we report that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an essential role in this important developmental process. Inhibition of miRNA formation in Olig1Cre-mediated Dicer conditional knock-out mice disrupted both oligodendrogenesis and astrogliogenesis in the ventral neuroepithelial cells. By contrast, the early patterning and development of motor neurons were not affected in the mutant spinal cord tissue.


The pathogenesis of pituitary tumors (PT) is unclear. Deregulation of apoptosis is one of the factors involving tumor growth. Histone deacetylases (HDAC) have an active role in multiple cellular activities. This study aims to investigate the role of HDAC in the interference with apoptosis in PT. In this study, PT samples were collected from 20 patients after surgery. The expression of HDAC and p53 was analyzed in the PT samples. PT cell line, AtT‐20 cells, was cultured to test the role of HDAC in the regulation of apoptosis in PT cells. The results showed that the high levels of HDAC11 and lower levels of p53 were detected in PT. A negative correlation was detected between the data of HDAC11 and p53. A complex of HDAC11 and HEY1, the gene transcription factor of p53, was detected in the PT cells. Less acetylated HEY1 was found in the PT cells. In addition, lower levels of HEY1 and the gene transcription activities were detected at the PT53 promoter locus. This phenomenon was mimicked by overexpression of HDAC11 in AtT‐20 cells. Knockdown of HDAC11 enhanced the p53 expression in AtT‐20 cells. In conclusion, HDAC11 interferes with p53 expression in PT cells. The fact suggests that inhibition of HDAC11 has therapeutic potential in the treatment of PT.


RNase P catalyzes the 5' maturation of transfer RNA (tRNA). RNase P from Bacillus subtilis comprises a large RNA component (130 kDa, P RNA) and a small protein subunit (14 kDa, P protein). Although P RNA alone can efficiently catalyze the maturation reaction in vitro, P protein is strictly required under physiological conditions. We have used time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer on a series of donor-labeled substrates and two acceptor-labeled P proteins to determine the conformation of the pre-tRNA 5' leader relative to the protein in the holoenzyme-pre-tRNA complex. The resulting distance distribution measurements indicate that the leader binds to the holoenzyme in an extended conformation between nucleotides 3 and 7. The conformational mobility of nucleotides 5-8 in the leader is reduced, providing further evidence that these nucleotides interact with the holoenzyme. The increased fluorescence intensity and lifetime of the 5'-fluorescein label of these leaders indicate a more hydrophobic environment, consistent with the notion that such interactions occur with the central cleft of the P protein. Taken together, our data support a model where the P protein binds to the 5' leader between the fourth and seventh nucleotides upstream of the cleavage site, extending the leader and decreasing its structural dynamics. Thus, P protein acts as a wedge to separate the 5' from the 3' terminus of the pre-tRNA and to position the cleavage site in the catalytic core. These results reveal a structural basis for the P protein dependent discrimination between precursor and mature tRNAs.


Wood construction materials were exposed to eastern subterranean termites, Reticulitermes flavipes, for 8 wk to determine termite damage and changes in thermal properties. Termite tunnels allowed heat to flow unobstructed through the sample resulting in ~35% increase in temperature (damaged vs. undamaged) despite a small amount (6.7% consumed) of damage. Once damaged (3.1% consumed) by termites, plywood was the most thermally damaged with a temperature increase of 74% (damaged vs. undamaged samples). Insulation was significantly the most damaged with ~12% of the material removed by termites. Termites excavated rigid board insulation and consumed the paper which lined the outside surface; they also scarified the aluminum foil surface. In rigid foam board insulation termites formed extensive tunnels resulting in temperature increasing ~27% (damaged vs. undamaged).


Abstract. Glaciers over the Tibetan Plateau have experienced accelerated depletion in the last few decades due primarily to the global warming. The freshwater drained into brackish lakes is also observed by optical remote sensing and altimetry satellites. However, the actual water storage change is difficult to be quantified since the altimetry or remote sensing only provide data in limited dimensions. The altimetry data give an elevation change of surface while the remote sensing images provide an extent variation in horizontal plane. Hence a data set used to describe the volume change is needed to measure the exact mass transition in a time span. In this study, we utilize GRACE gravimetry mission to quantify the total column mass change in the central Tibetan Plateau, especially focused on the lakes near Tanggula Mountains. By removing these factors, the freshwater storage change of glacier system at study area can be potentially isolated.


Objective: To determinate by the OEP the effects of deep inspiration on physiological variables and thoracic-abdominal asynchrony in patients with COPD, compared with healthy individuals matched for age.
Methods: Ten patients with COPD and 12 healthy individuals were evaluated using OEP during deep inspiration. TAA was estimated using the phase angle in a Lissajous figure for three consecutive and consistent respiratory cycles.
Results: There was significant difference (p<0.01) on the phase angle between the abdominal rib cage (RCa) and the abdomen (AB) in COPD patients compared to the control (-20.7°±26.3° vs -0.3°±8.8°). Greater compartmental contribution to the tidal volume was found in the pulmonary rib cage (RCp) in both the control group (p<0.009) and the COPD group (p<0.003). The degree of obstruction was not correlated with TAA between the different compartments.
Conclusion: During deep inspiration for assincroniatoracoabdominal in patients with COPD in relation to healthy, not sort of adding then to improves the respiratory pattern in this group of patients and the degree of airway obstruction of these patients correlates with the presence ATA.


The chromosomal localization of the genes encoding the four subunits of muscle nicotinic receptor was determined by analyzing restriction fragment length polymorphisms between two mouse species Mus musculus domesticus (DBA/2) and Mus spretus (SPE). Analysis of the progeny of the interspecies mouse backcross (DBA/2 X SPE) X DBA/2 showed that the alpha-subunit gene cosegregates with the alpha-cardiac actin gene on chromosome 17, that the beta-subunit gene is located on chromosome 11, and that the gamma- and delta-subunit genes cosegregate and are located on chromosome 1.


In spite of relatively frequent studies of the influence of environmental parameters on the microalgae communities, the processes that occur in the sandy littoral in the Black Sea region seeks for additional research. The aim of this paper was to range the environmental factors in relation to algal sandy communities and show the interaction between microalgae abundance and 14 environmental factors during field multifactoral experiment: 5 parameters describing sand grain composition, nutrients, temperature and salinity of water, hydrodynamics and water toxicity. The species composition of epipelic and epipsammic microalgae and their distribution in different habitats in summer and autumn periods were analysed. The priority factor for psammon algal community in any season is size of sand grains and siliceous oxide. Other variables depend on the season: while in summer, mineral nitrogen (nitrates and nitrites) effects the microphytes more intensively than others, in autumn it is replaced by organic nitrogen and silty fraction.


Archaeologists have been creating virtual reconstructions for over thirty years, yet despite numerous concerns with depicting these in a a photorealistic style, virtual reconstructions depicted in alternative styles are generally a rarity. This paper attempts to evaluate the potential benefits of presenting virtual reconstructions using non-photorealistic rendering (NPR): a relatively new discipline in computer graphics that aims to depict 3D graphics in artistic and expressive styles. The study described here examined how using non-photorealistic rendering techniques might overcome the various problems that have become associated with using photorealistic styles of depiction. The study also highlighted the potential benefits that non-photorealistic graphics could offer archaeologists creating virtual reconstructions. Recent multi-disciplinary research in computer graphics and psychology suggested that non-photorealistic rendering techniques can influence a viewer's psychological response to an illustration, for example, using NPR techniques can encourage conversation, influence a viewer's judgements and direct their gaze. These findings were compared to the results of an online survey that assessed how viewers' responded to archaeological reconstructions depicted in both photorealistic and non-photorealistic styles. The results suggested that choice of style clearly influences the way viewers respond to virtual reconstructions, and indicated that archaeologists should be considering the impact style has on their reconstructions, especially interpretive reconstructions where creating a strong aesthetic or a sense of engagement are not essential requirements


Between 1981 and 1987 60 village midwives from six language groups in the Southern Highlands Province have been trained. The customs of these groups and how the training course was modified to adapt to traditions are discussed. Suggestions are presented for consideration by future village midwife tutors.


This thesis examines Christianization in the ecclesiastical province of Trier from 570-630, using both traditional and more recent theoretical approaches. It begins by examining the paradigms and limitations of current approaches both to the Merovingian Church and to the concepts of 'paganism' and 'Christianization'. It then introduces the cognitive science of religion focusing in particular on Harvey Whitehouse's postulation of 'doctrinal' and 'imagistic' 'modes of religiosity' as a theoretical tool.

The subsequent section deals with the cult of saints and the figure of the bishop both in general and in the province, using Whitehouse's approach as a means of opening these up and allowing parallels to be drawn between the cult of saints and funerary feasting. At the same time, his theory is challenged by the variation within these activities in terms of participants and frequency of occurrence. The complex nature of Merovingian monasticism also presents a degree of challenge to Whitehouse's perception of medieval monasticism as monolithic. Nevertheless, the application of ideas regarding the imagistic mode to recluses opened up new avenues of discussion. A focus on the ecclesiastical province of Trier suggests that the advent of Columbanian monasticism did not produce an instant surge in the number of rural monasteries in the north-east.

Examination of church councils offered a double opportunity for the application of modes theory, both to the contents of the councils and to the institution of the councils themselves. A closer examination of councils in the context of place allows for consideration of regional variation. Modes theory is once again challenged: while councils may appear at first to be a supremely doctrinal phenomenon (involving policing and uniformity), they also involve negotiation, ingenuity and reflection.

The paucity of sources for the north east tests the regional approach taken here: but it also encourages questions to be asked regarding the spread of manuscripts and ideas. Modes theory reveals the motivations behind apparently prosaic sermon collections as sophisticated, aiming at the policing of the clergy and laity and ensuring the stability of 'correct' doctrine. The section on the Synod of Auxerre dealing with standards amongst the clergy and parish care raises questions regarding the possibility of shared beliefs. An examination of the Life of Goar reveals that although its contents might seem appealing in elucidating more details of parish care, the context of the source called its reliability into question.

Finally, an analysis of burial rites via three cemeteries in the province of Trier tested the limits of modes theory, and other cognitive approaches were recruited to examine the impact of the concept of liminality on burial practice. Presentation of geographical and archaeological evidence is discussed it is suggested that more extensive database work would enable comparative regional study, allowing for a closer examination of belief, burial and Christianization.

This study concludes that the use of modes theory, together with other insights drawn from the cognitive science of religion, offers an alternative and illuminating approach to Christianization. It suggests that future research should regard this as a valid methodological tool for the analysis of medieval religion. It also suggests that a regional focus would benefit future studies of the Merovingian period.


We report the degradation study on AlGaN-based 265 nm ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) under a series of constant current stress. The failure mechanisms were investigated systematically by measuring the optical and electrical characteristics of the LEDs before and after aging. The variation of carrier concentration in the active region was analyzed by capacitance-voltage. Combining the extracted apparent charge distribution profiles with the simulation results of the devices before and after the stress, we found that the change of carrier concentration in the multiple quantum wells was related to the donor diffusion on the n-side. On the p-side, both the acceptor concentration of electron blocking layer (EBL) and the defects in p-GaN contact layer were also found to be under constant change. The reduction of the EBL doping concentration has contributed to an increase of the diode depletion width during the stress. The changes in the LEDs before and after stressing indicate a compensating effect occurred in the p-type EBL close to the quantum wells, which leads to the degradation of the optical power of the 265 nm UV-LEDs.


TALKS: 13.1 Ahkami M., Naets I., Saar M.O., Xiang-Zhao Kong: Quantification of fracture-matrix fluid exchange in fractured porous media PIV measurements 13.2 Beria H., Benoit L., Mariethoz G., Schaefli B.: Improving hydrologic model realism by using stable water isotopes 13.3 Dembélé M., Zwart S., Ceperley N., Mariéthoz G., Schaefli B.: Modelling the impact of climate change on hydrological processes in the Volta river basin 13.4 Epting J., Michel A., Affolter A., Huggenberger P.: Climate change effects on groundwater recharge and temperatures – status and development for Swiss aquifers 13.5 Ghiggi G., Humphrey V., Seneviratne S.I., Gudmundsson L.: GRUN-ENSEMBLE: A multi-forcing observationbased global runoff reanalysis using machine learning 13.6 Gong C., Wang W., Zhang Z., Brunner P.: Assessment of methods to estimate bare soil evaporation based on lysimeter data 13.7 Kinzelbach W., Wang H. & the team of the SDC China Groundwater Project: Sustainable Use of an Overpumped Aquifer: Example the North China Plain 13.8 Lanz K.: From hydrological forecasts to adapted water management 13.9 Maier F., Van Meerveld I.: Overland flow evolution on moraines in silicate and carbonate proglacial areas of the Swiss Alps 13.10 Naets I., Ahkami M., Saar M.O., Xiang-Zhao Kong: PIV examinations on the flow-path evolution induced by shear displacements in rough-wall fractures 13.11 Sikorska-Senoner A.E., Seibert J.: How many parameter sets are really needed for reliable simulation of extreme floods? 13.12 Stergiadi M., Zappa M., Bogner K., Righetti M., Borga M.: Dominant Factors Controlling Sub-Seasonal to Seasonal Hydrological Predictability in Switzerland 13.13 Thornton J.M., Mariethoz G., Brunner P.: Fully-integrated surface-subsurface hydrological modelling in steep, snow-dominated, geologically complex Alpine terrain 13.14 Wanner C., Ingold P., Cardenas M., Furrer G.: Elevated concentrations of toxic elements in high-alpine streams of the Eastern Alps: a manifestation of climate change? 13.15 Wechsler T., Zappa M., Schaefli B., Jorde K., Stähli M.: CH2018 projections for Run-of-River power production


In this contribution, I shall consider the social perceptions of politics and economy related to the interdependences between Chinese migrants and local population in Mali. Such representations give a particular shape to a large number of identity constructions. In each specific context, the spaces and groups to which Malian and Chinese residents refer, highlight social representations of the two nation-states and societies, of their present relationships. Individual and collective strategies should then be analysed from a point of view stressing the links between economic rationalities and political constructions.


The computation of low frequency scattering of electromagnetic fields by solid/hollow dielectric or conducting cylinders using the boundary element method (BEM) is considered. A general computer program has been developed for both transverse electric and magnetic cases. Numerical examples are given for conducting circular cylinders, and solid and hollow dielectric cylinders. The computational accuracy is checked by comparing the results with the analytic solution or computing an error defined from the optical theorem. In addition some problems at an interior resonance of the scatterer are discussed. The method can be directly applied to more complicated geometries.


Model inference aims to extract accurate models from the execution logs of software systems. However, in reality, logs may contain some "noise" that could deteriorate the performance of model inference. One form of noise can commonly be found in system logs that contain not only transactional messages---logging the functional behavior of the system---but also operational messages---recording the operational state of the system (e.g., a periodic heartbeat to keep track of the memory usage). In low-quality logs, transactional and operational messages are randomly interleaved, leading to the erroneous inclusion of operational behaviors into a system model, that ideally should only reflect the functional behavior of the system. It is therefore important to remove operational messages in the logs before inferring models. In this paper, we propose LogCleaner, a novel technique for removing operational logs messages. LogCleaner first performs a periodicity analysis to filter out periodic messages, and then it performs a dependency analysis to calculate the degree of dependency for all log messages and to remove operational messages based on their dependencies. The experimental results on two proprietary and 11 publicly available log datasets show that LogCleaner, on average, can accurately remove 98% of the operational messages and preserve 81% of the transactional messages. Furthermore, using logs pre-processed with LogCleaner decreases the execution time of model inference (with a speed-up ranging from 1.5 to 946.7 depending on the characteristics of the system) and significantly improves the accuracy of the inferred models, by increasing their ability to accept correct system behaviors (+43.8 pp on average, with pp=percentage points) and to reject incorrect system behaviors (+15.0 pp on average).


In this study, we examined changes in meat quality and content of muscle types during porcine growth. The influence of the longissimus dorsi muscle fiber composition on meat quality and the correlation between 2 fiber-typing methods (histochemistry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction) were examined. Type IIx and type IIb fibers accounted for most of the total number of fibers; the proportion of these fibers increased during porcine growth (75.42, 80.09, and 79.88%, respectively, at 3 different stages of growth). There was a strong positive correlation between the 2 fiber-typing methods; the correlation coefficients of type I, IIa, and IIx+IIb fiber contents were 0.65, 0.88, and 0.92, respectively. The a* value of meat color was significantly lower at 98 days and negatively correlated with white fiber content (r = -0.69, P < 0.01). Water-holding capacity decreased during porcine growth. The drip loss parameter was positively correlated with type IIx+IIb fiber content (r = 0.55, P < 0.05). Decreased pH was strongly positively correlated with type IIx+IIb fiber content (r = 0.61, P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with type IIa fiber content (r = -0.44, P < 0.05). Therefore, we found that the composition of muscle fibers influenced the establishment of meat quality and its alteration during the early postmortem period.


This paper is on control system design for visual based indoor inspection by the model helicopters. For the indoor inspection system for large structures, there are some cases where it is difficult for humans to work with. This paper introduces indoor inspection helicopter system with only inspection camera and prism for position sensing as payload. The control system is designed to help the operator of the inspection system to control the helicopter to designated position without much practice. The cases of the control by experienced and novice operators are compared and results show that the system has feasibility for indoor inspection system to be used by any kind of users.


The following article presents a novel audio-visual approach for unsupervised speaker localization in both time and space and systematically analyzes its unique properties. Using recordings from a single, low-resolution room overview camera and a single far-field microphone, a state-of-the-art audio-only speaker diarization system (speaker localization in time) is extended so that both acoustic and visual models are estimated as part of a joint unsupervised optimization problem. The speaker diarization system first automatically determines the speech regions and estimates "who spoke when," then, in a second step, the visual models are used to infer the location of the speakers in the video. We call this process "dialocalization." The experiments were performed on real-world meetings using 4.5 hours of the publicly available AMI meeting corpus. The proposed system is able to exploit audio-visual integration to not only improve the accuracy of a state-of-the-art (audio-only) speaker diarization, but also adds visual speaker localization at little incremental engineering and computation costs. The combined algorithm has different properties, such as increased robustness, that cannot be observed in algorithms based on single modalities. The article describes the algorithm, presents benchmarking results, explains its properties, and systematically discusses the contributions of each modality.


In this paper, wavelets are used in solving, by the method of moments, a modified version of the thin-wire electric field integral equation, in frequency domain. The time domain electromagnetic quantities, are obtained by using the inverse discrete fast Fourier transform. The retarded scalar electric and vector magnetic potentials are employed in order to obtain the integral formulation. The discretized model generated by applying the direct method of moments via point-matching procedure, results in a linear system with a dense matrix which have to be solved for each frequency of the Fourier spectrum of the time domain impressed source. Therefore, orthogonal wavelet-like basis transform is used to sparsify the moment matrix. In particular, dyadic and M-band wavelet transforms have been adopted, so generating different sparse matrix structures. This leads to an efficient solution in solving the resulting sparse matrix equation. Moreover, a wavelet preconditioner is used to accelerate the convergence rate of the iterative solver employed. These numerical features are used in analyzing the transient behavior of a lightning protection system. In particular, the transient performance of the earth termination system of a lightning protection system or of the earth electrode of an electric power substation, during its operation is focused. The numerical results, obtained by running a complex structure, are discussed and the features of the used method are underlined. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. PACS:02.30.Rz; 02.60.Cb; 02.70. −c; 41.20. −q; 41.20.Jb


To learn disentangled representations of facial images, we present a Dual Encoder-Decoder based Generative Adversarial Network (DED-GAN). In the proposed method, both the generator and discriminator are designed with deep encoder-decoder architectures as their backbones. To be more specific, the encoder-decoder structured generator is used to learn a pose disentangled face representation, and the encoder-decoder structured discriminator is tasked to perform real/fake classification, face reconstruction, determining identity and estimating face pose. We further improve the proposed network architecture by minimizing the additional pixel-wise loss defined by the Wasserstein distance at the output of the discriminator so that the adversarial framework can be better trained. Additionally, we consider face pose variation to be continuous, rather than discrete in existing literature, to inject richer pose information into our model. The pose estimation task is formulated as a regression problem, which helps to disentangle identity information from pose variations. The proposed network is evaluated on the tasks of pose-invariant face recognition (PIFR) and face synthesis across poses. An extensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation carried out on several controlled and in-the-wild benchmarking datasets demonstrates the superiority of the proposed DED-GAN method over the state-of-the-art approaches.


Nickel (Ni) is a common cocontaminant at many waste sites where the soils and sediments often are acidic, thereby influencing metal availability. Growth of Burkholderia cepacia PR1301 was not affected at 3.41 mM Ni at pH 5, but was inhibited by 73.2% at pH 6 and inhibited completely at pH 7 compared to growth without Ni. This pH effect was not observed in the Niresistant strains, Ralstonia metallidurans CH34 and 31A. Predicted Ni speciation did not explain the observed toxicity trends. Sorption of Ni to PR1 increased with increasing pH (1.49, 1.12, and 3.88 mg Ni/g dry weight at pH 5, 6, and 7, respectively), but was low at all three pH values, and most likely does not explain the observed pH effect. Growth inhibition of PR1 with increasing pH also was observed for other divalent cations, with growth observed at 4.24 mM Co, 2.22 mM Cd, and 3.82 mM Zn at pH 5 and 6, but totally inhibited at pH 7. These studies suggest that, at circumneutral pH, PR1 would be considered sensitive to Ni and other divalent cations, in spite of the ability to grow in higher concentrations at lower pH values.


The area of Civitavecchia (Lazio region, Central Italy) has been a reason of concern in the past because of environmental air contamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between air pollution from different sources and respiratory symptoms and lung function in the population. A sample of 1177 residents underwent medical examination and lung function tests. Information on individual characteristics, histories of exposure and medical history were collected through a validated questionnaire. Long-term exposure to industrial, harbour, biomass combustion emissions (PM10) and urban traffic (NOx) at residential address was assessed using a Lagrangian dispersion model. The associations between exposure and wheezing and dyspnea were assessed using logistic regression models, while modified Poisson regression models were used to evaluate cough with phlegm. Relationships between exposure and lung function were analysed using linear mixed-effects models and cross-correlation. PM10 emissions from the harbour were associated with lower lung function parameters (FEV1: β = –0.12, 95% CI –0.21 –0.03; p = 0.02; FEV1/FVC: β = –1.67, (–3.10 –0.23); p = 0.02. This association was observed also in healthy subjects, but not in females. We found, even if at low exposure level, an effect of environmental PM10 exposure from harbour on lung function.


This paper reports the results of a case study of the strategies used by Arabic-speaking undergraduate simultaneous interpreter (SI) trainees while interpreting in booths under test conditions. The study was discourse-based as it adopted the main premise of the Information Processing approach to SI (Hodzik & Williams 2017, p. 2) which considers interpreting a language-dependent activity. The data consisted of a sample of the aforementioned trainees' recorded interpretations of a video lecture on solar energy. The data analysis was based on Barik's (1975, 2002) model of omission, addition and phrasing changes. The results show that the most frequent errors made and/or strategies used by the study subjects are delay omission and comprehension omission. This paper also presents a discourse-based module for SI training. The module is based on the premise that SI comprises an analysis of the comprehension phase of the source speech and the production phase of source speech messages in the target language. The material utilizes the main tenets of Setton's (1993, 1998, 2002) model of comprehension and production and Seleskovitch's (2008) model of teaching interpreting. This study thus sought to integrate research on SI into classroom practices.


The Authors describe the first 118 admissions of inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation following heart and/or lung transplantation for 86 patients. Over 20% of all transplantation case at St. vincents Hospital in Sydney required inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation. The inpatient program is uniquely designed to provide multidisciplinary rehabilitation to a population who require intense medical and surgical monitoring for rejection and side effects of anti rejection drugs. This is done with close cooperation with the transplant surgical and medical teams. Outcomes including FIM change, FIM efficiency, discharge destination, mortality, interruption to therapy and length of stay are presented together with physical therapy outcome measures such as the 6 minute walk test. Complexities in managing these patients are described, such as the up skilling of nursing staff to manage cardiac and respiratory assistive devices, the management of chronotopic incompetence of the denervated heart and the psychological sequelae of transplantation are discussed. To our knowledge this is the first Australian and international descriptive study of inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation for heart and lung transplantation.


In this paper, we study the outcome of using ngram based algorithm for Bangla text categorization. To analyze the efficiency of this methodology we used one year Prothom-Alo news corpus. Our results show that n-grams of length 2 or 3 are the most useful for categorization. Using gram lengths more than 3 reduces the performance of categorization.


The Economic Community of West African States launched the name of its proposed currency, eco, in June, 2019 for its proposed monetary union. The Regional body stipulated certain convergence criteria to be met before member countries could be admitted to the proposed union. One such criteria is that the budget deficit-to-Gross domestic product ratio be less than or equal to three percent. Available data for the past two decades indicate the non-compliance of many of these West African countries to this condition despite having control over both fiscal and monetary policies. This study investigates the sustainability of fiscal deficits in a group of six countries known as the West African Monetary Zone. This study has two objectives: First, to investigate the sustainability of deficits in the West African Monetary Zone and secondly, to examine the absence or presence of fiscal policy persistence. Fiscal deficits are sustainable when an increase in public debt is associated with a corresponding increase in the primary surplus. Using panel data, a fiscal reaction model was estimated. The findings of this study showed that deficits are weakly sustainable and fiscal policy is highly persistent. The implication of weak sustainability is that they are easily vulnerable to external shocks and the possibility of becoming unsustainable is very high. Meanwhile, a highly persistent fiscal policy leaves little or no room for fiscal policy discretion and this is a high risk because it means government won't respond swiftly as at when due. Based on these findings, the study recommends a suspension of the proposed single currency union


The aim of the study was to complete a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the self-harm awareness training delivered in the HSE South and West in order to identify whether the training changed participants' knowledge, attitudes and confidence in relation to people who self-harm. The objective was then to identify the resources, indicators, barriers to the successful implementation of the training programme.

Participants (N=532) who had completed the self-harm awareness training programme received a self-report questionnaire for the purpose of the training evaluation. Of those contacted, 120 returned a completed questionnaire.

The study revealed significant positive changes post training in terms of increased knowledge, enhanced positive attitudes towards and confidence in dealing with people who engage in self-harm.


In a range of different scientific fields, deterministic calculations for which there is no analytic solution must be approximated numerically. The use of numerical approximations is necessary, but introduces a discrepancy between the true solution and the numerical solution that is generated. Bayesian methods are used to account for uncertainties introduced through numerical approximation in a variety of situations.\\
To solve problems in Bayesian sequential experimental design, a sequence of complex integration and optimisation steps must be performed; for most problems, these calculations have no closed-form solution. An approximating framework is developed which tracks numerical uncertainty about the result of each calculation through each step of the design procedure. This framework is illustrated through application to a simple linear model, and to a more complex problem in atmospheric dispersion modelling. The approximating framework is also adapted to allow for the situation where beliefs about a model may change at certain points in the future.\\
Where ordinary or partial differential equation (ODE or PDE) systems are used to represent a real-world system, it is rare that these can be solved directly. A wide variety of different approximation strategies have been developed for such problems; the approximate solution that is generated will differ from the true solution in some unknown way. A Bayesian framework which accounts for the uncertainty induced through numerical approximation is developed, and Bayes linear graphical analysis is used to efficiently update beliefs about model components using observations on the real system. In the ODE case, the framework is illustrated through application to a Lagrangian mechanical model for the interaction between a set of ringing bells and the tower in which they are hung; in the PDE case, the framework is illustrated through application to the heat equation in one spatial dimension.


Kinematic graphs play an important role in students' understanding of basic physics' concepts dealing with motion. Often these graphs are difficult for students to interpret and connect with the real world. This project investigated how video analysis software and an educational video game could assist students' understanding of these graphs. While students did increase their understanding of kinematic graphs, further improvement can be made.


Background: Breast cancer (BC) is considered one of the most diversified types of tumors, characterized by a high mutational burden in the tumor milieu and a lack of immune cell makeup. The programmed death receptor-1 (PD -1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD -L1) axis has been identified as a new target in the field of immunotherapy because, when activated, they worsen the future scenarios of the disease by helping tumor cells (TC) to escape immune surveillance. This study aims to investigate the expression of PD-L1 in BC tissues from Sudanese women and correlate the expression with clinicopathological features and the infiltration of CD8+T lymphocytes by immunohistochemistry (IHC).
Methods: One hundred and fifty archived BC blocks were collected from the National Public Health Laboratory from January 2019 to August 2020. Data regarding age, TNM staging, grade, and hormonal status were considered. Tissue sections were examined using IHC to determine the expression of PD-L1 and CD8.
Results: Among one hundred and fifty BC samples, 73 (48.7%) were TNBCs, and 77 (51.3%) were hormone-positive BCs. PDL-1 was significantly associated with BC subtypes, especially TNBCs (P = 0.001), a similar significant association was shown with CD8 infiltration (P = 0.006). None of the clinicopathological features was associated with PD-L1 expression.
Conclusion: PD-L1 expression is strongly associated with TNBC's and linked to CD8+ cells infiltration to the tumor milieu. Moreover, no correlation has been observed between the expression of PD-L1 and clinicopathological features in this study.


The fast growing use of Information and Communication Technology has created a new environmental problem, electronic-waste (e-waste).Addressing this concern requires proper management plans and strategy, which in turn requires reliable estimates of e-waste generation in the present as well as future. In this study, a material flow model for the analysis of e-waste generation from computer equipment in Kaduna and Abuja in Nigeria has been developed and compared with that of Lagos which has been studied earlier. Data used to develop the models are the sales data from major distributors of electronics in the study areas, usage time of computer equipment and transfer coefficients of the electronics from one stage to another. The analysis of individual flows of computer from the material flow model showed that the fate of obsolete computer equipment were storage (27-41%), reuse (35-61%) and direct disposal (12-24%). It was also found that after four years of the last inflow considered, averagely 935,686, 399,769 and 101,142 computer equipment would be in storage in Lagos, Kaduna and Abuja respectively; 998,861, 458,202 and 152, 305 computers respectively would be under reuse and 674,492,247,858 and 76,419 computers respectively would be disposed. A sensitivity analysis for an error of 0.1 in each of the transfer coefficients (TC) used in the model showed a variation of ±10% in e-waste generation. The results also indicated that computer equipment would continue to remain in either storage, re-use or gradually disposed off for 10, 8 and 11 years respectively after its inflow into the consumption phase. This delay or staggering in e-waste disposal would reduce the amount of e-waste disposed yearly and thus afford the country the time to make plans to accommodate and manage the e-wastes generated more efficiently.


Abstract---The demand for on-line courses continues to rise in academia because (1) on-line courses remove time barriers that would otherwise restrict a student from pursuing academic endeavors, (2) they remove the distance barriers for academia in reaching potential students and (3) they can to some extent alleviate budgetary and physical constraints on the academia in imparting education to students. The on-line instruction mode rather easily accommodates courses in some disciplines such as history, sociology, and political science. However, it posits significant adoption challenges for courses that require hands-on computing experimentation such as computer networking, system administration, web application development and database administration. Nevertheless, given the demand for on-line courses, there is a need to devise strategies that would allow students to conduct computing experiments through remote access. This paper presents an approach to transform traditional computer labs into a virtual lab environment. Such transformation allows students to remotely conduct experiments that involve software and hardware interaction. The methodology presented here can be applied to a large number of computing courses encountered in Management Information Systems and Computer Sciences disciplines.


Chinese Cyber Nationalism offers the first comprehensive examination of the social and ideological movement that mixes Confucian cultural traditions and advanced media technology. Over the past decade, the Internet has increasingly become a communication center, organizational platform, and channel of execution by which Chinese nationalistic causes have been promoted throughout the world.


This study aimed to investigate the impact of structural and psychological empowerment on organizational commitment from the perspective of a sample of academic staff working within selected Jordanian governmental universities. It also aimed to assess the mediating role of motivation between these constructs. Samples of 500 questionnaires were distributed via an electronic questionnaire and 287 were completed and returned for analysis. Three significant relationships were found between structural empowerment and motivation; psychological empowerment and motivation; and between psychological empowerment and organizational commitment. It was found, however, that employee motivation does not have any mediating effect on these relationships. Future research may benefit from exploring the hypotheses in this study different contexts and industrial settings. Furthermore, investigation into which approaches to employee empowerment generate the greatest levels of organizational commitment would provide some practical insight for organizations and human resource practitioners.


Obesity is epidemic worldwide as the results of excessive energy intake or inefficient energy expenditure. It is promising to utilize the thermogenic function of brown adipose tissue for obesity intervention. However, the mechanisms controlling the efficacy of norepinephrine-induced thermogenesis in brown adipocytes remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the proton ATPase activity of mitochondrial complex V is a key factor, which antagonizes proton leak by UCP1 and determines the efficacy of norepinephrine-induced thermogenesis in brown adipocytes. Furthermore, to avoid unnecessary and undesired heat production, we reveal that ATP as a sympathetic cotransmitter is necessary for the high efficacy and specificity of norepinephrine-induced thermogenesis in brown adipocytes by upregulating the ATP synthase activity of complex V. Thus, we demonstrate the modulation mechanism of thermogenic efficacy in brown adipocytes. These findings imply new strategies for efficiently utilizing brown adipocytes thermogenic capacity, and therapeutic targets for the treatments of obesity and diabetes. Highlights 1. Norepinephrine (NE) induces heterogeneous responses in brown adipocytes 2. NE activates the H+-ATPase activity of mitochondrial complex V 3. Mitochondrial complex V is a key factor in NE-induced thermogenic efficacy 4. ATP as a sympathetic cotransmitter enhances the NE-induced thermogenic efficacy


: Unstable grid frequency impedes grid power system security, reliability and stability. Frequency outside the predefined range results to overheating, increases vibration, and destroys turbine shaft & blades. Under-frequency destroys equipment of consumers. Load-frequency controller is used to create the balance between load and generation of each control area by means of speed control. In this work, frequency deviation problem associated with load frequency control is analyzed by Genetic Algorithm (GA) tuned proportional integral controller (PID) for Afam two area power system. MATLAB codes were developed for GA based PID controller tuning, the results of which were used to study the system step response. Three cases were considered during the load perturbation and the system frequency performances based on the settling time, rise time and % peak overshoot were analyzed. Initially the system was run without the use of the controller (i.e., with all the PID gains = 0) and with a load change of 10% in area 1, and it is found out that the system is unstable. But the introduction of GA tuned PID controller improved the power system dynamic responses as zero ACE was achieved. It is observed from the result that frequency reached steady state value within reasonable time (around 12 sec), peak overshoot was well below 25%, and rise time was around 0.5seconds. This illustrates that the improved technique (GA tuned PID controller) provides a lasting solution to the frequent grid frequency instability, caused by mismatch between load demand and generation, which threatens system security, reliability and stability.


Steam are a major energy consumer. Optimising process operating conditions can considerably improve turbine water rate, which in turn will significantly reduce energy requirement. Various operating parameters affect condensing and back pressure turbine steam consumption and efficiency. The industrial sector is the largest energy consumer, accounting for about 30 % of total energy used. Fuel and energy prices are continuously rising. With the present trend of energy prices and scarcity of hydrocarbon resources lowering energy requirement is a top priority. Energy conservation benefits depend on the adopting minor or major modifications and using the latest technology. Turbines are designed for a particular operating conditions like steam inlet pressure, steam inlet temperature and turbine exhaust pressure/ exhaust vacuum, which affects the performance of the turbines in a significant way. Variations in these parameters affects the steam consumption in the turbines and also the turbine efficiency. The present study was done to improve the power output of the turbine, thermal efficiency and specific steam consumption in conventional steam power plants. Three cycles i.e regenerative cycle, superheater cycle and cogeneration cycle are considered to formulate the data and obtain a better result in steam turbine power plants.


Cooperatives aim to improve the welfare of members in particular and society in general, as well as participate in building the national economic order, to achieve this, of course, cooperatives must be independent and more developed with the support of active comprehensive participation from their members. Cooperatives are expected to be independent, resilient and efficient so that they will be able to face various economic problems. Cooperatives must be improved so that income distribution and poverty alleviation, especially for members, can be realized. Cooperatives require an active role of their members in all cooperative activities, this active role is created when there is a feeling of belonging so that they can effectively take part in cooperative decision making. However, a cooperative whose business is in the service sector is certainly not easy to invite participation in all aspects of activities, it requires an appropriate and appropriate strategy, one strategy that can be used to increase member participation is Cooperative Education. This study aims to determine how much influence Cooperative Education has on member participation in Women's Cooperatives (Kopwan) in Tulungagung Regency.
Keyword: Member Participation, Cooperative Education


A generic and novel approach for integrating airport map information with sensor measurements in the track estimation process is proposed and evaluated. The surface restrictions imposed by the network of roads, taxiways, and runways, represented by a simplified geometric model, are included in both the target observation and the dynamic models, to derive the target state estimates. The performance of the methods proposed is illustrated in representative airport surface scenarios, taking as a reference for comparison other tracking alternatives such as VS-IMM (variable structure interacting multiple model estimator) ground target tracking, or standard ones that do not make use of ground information.


On the 18th of March 1656 the States General issued the Marriage Regulation Act for all the territories which were placed under the immediate authority of the Right Honourable Lords in the Hague. To these also belonged the Lands of Overmaas even though the sovereignty over these territories was not quite clear. Other relevant questions would be settled in the Partage Treaty of 1661(3). Nevertheless the Marriage Regulation Act was enforced in all the places where the States General had a say from 1656 onwards. But in Vaals the Act could only be promulgated in 1663. The aim of the Marriage Regulation Act was to control marriage and marital life of all its citizens in every detail of life. This was especially true of the contract itself. Roman Catholic priests were rigorously forbidden to interfere. Official recognition, also of Roman Catholic marriages, was made conditional on the marriage contracted before the Ministers of the Reformed Church and the councils of the parishes concerned. But it was also made possible to contract a marriage before a civil authority called the court of aldermen. Going by the written documents of the time less use than was expected was made of this possibility. Of these civic contracts in the Lands of Overmaas separate registers have been kept of Margraten and Vaals only. In this article an investigation is made on the part both authorities have played in the marriage contract of the Roman Catholic citizens in both places. It covers the period of 1656-1795. In the latter year the French Republicans made an end to the Government of the States General in the Lands of Overmaas.


A new concept of wave energy device (CECO) has been proposed and developed at the Hydraulics, Water Resources and Environment Division of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). In a first stage, the proof of concept was performed through physical model tests at the wave basin (Rosa-Santos et al., 2015). These experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of the concept to harness wave energy and provided a preliminary assessment of its performance. Later, an extensive experimental campaign was conducted with an enhanced 1:20 scale model of CECO under regular and irregular long and short-crested waves (Marinheiro et al., 2015). An electric PTO system with adjustable damping levels was also installed on CECO as a mechanism of quantification of the WEC power. The results of regular waves tests have been used to validate a numerical model to gain insight into different potential configurations of CECO and its performance (López et al., 2017a,b).
 This paper presents the results and analyses of the model tests in irregular waves. A simplified approach based on spectral analyses of the WEC motions is presented as a means of experimental assessment of the damping level of the PTO mechanism and its effect on the WEC power absorption. Transfer functions are also computed to identify nonlinear effects associated to higher waves and to characterize the range of periods where wave absorption is maximized. Furthermore, based on the comparison of the present experimental results with those corresponding to a linear numerical potential model, some discussions are addressed regarding viscous and other nonlinear effects on CECO performance.


A raised serum concentration of an industrial chemical known to be toxic in laboratory animals is associated with thyroid disease in the human population in the United Sates, say researchers based at the UK's Exeter University.

Reporting their findings in the February issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives (http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/home.action), the researchers say that women whose blood concentrations of perfluoro-octanoic acid were in the top quarter (≥5.7 ng/ml) were roughly twice as likely to have thyroid disease as those in the bottom quarter (≤4 ng/ml) (P=0.002). Thyroid disease is commoner in women than men, and although men showed a similar trend the difference in their case was not significant.

Perfluoro-octanoic acid …


People with intellectual disabilities who are deaf face obstacles participating in social environments that do not take into account their need for accessible visual communication. In the present case series, we describe the development of the adaptive skills profiles of eight participants in a fully inclusive therapeutic living community, designed specifically for people with developmental disabilities who are deaf and focused on supporting communication, social relationships, conflict resolution, and work satisfaction. Adaptive skills ratings collected at enrollment and twelve years later suggest increases in social awareness and community living, whereas personal care and homemaking showed relatively little change.


In the context of nationals' attitudes toward immigrants, three studies investigated the moderating role of normative context and justification for prejudice on licensing effects. Justification for prejudice was either assessed (Studies 1 and 2) or experimentally induced (Study 3). The normative context (egalitarian vs. discriminatory) and the possibility to obtain (or not) credentials as a nonprejudiced person were manipulated in all studies. A licensing effect (i.e., greater prejudice in the credentials as compared to the no-credentials conditions) was observed only in the egalitarian norm condition when justification for prejudice was high. Thus, credentials appear to provide a way for establishing a normative self-image as nonprejudiced when justification for prejudice is high, which reduces conformity to an egalitarian norm.


We investigated the effects of selective and non-selective endothelin (ET) antagonists on warm ischemia-reperfusion injury of the early phase in the murine liver under propofol anesthesia. We examined portal pressures, O2 consumptions and liver enzymes to estimate injuries using perfused isolated murine liver model. Experiment 1: we compared the perfusate only group, the soy oil (as vehicle) group, and the propofol group without ischemic loading to determine whether propofol and its vehicles themselves have any effect. Experiment 2: we determined the effects of ET antagonists on reperfusion injury after warm ischemia of 40 minute's cutoff of perfusate under propofol anesthesia and compared five groups up to 90 min after reperfusion; the propofol only group (control; 4 mg.l-1), the BQ-485 group (20 microM), the BQ-788 group (50 microM), the bosentan group (40 microM), and the BQ-485 + BQ-788 group. The soy oil group showed significantly more liver damage, and the propofol group showed no damage. In addition, propofol did not alter the effect of ET antagonists on reperfusion injury. Clinical dose of propofol did not seem to alter the effects of ET antagonists on the murine liver in the early phase of ischemia-reperfusion injury.


A design and new theoretical model of a quantum dot (QD) microcaity laser operating at 1 THz is proposed based on a semiconductor QD gain medium, where the lasing occurs through discrete conduction states. Our calculations show that a significant population inversion and frequency as low as 1 THz can be reached can be achieved. It is concluded that it maybe serve as a terahertz laser.


Abstract Simulations of a cylinder undergoing externally controlled sinusoidal oscillations in the free stream direction have been performed. The frequency of oscillation was kept equal to the vortex shedding frequency from a fixed cylinder, while the amplitude of oscillation was varied, and the response of the flow measured. With varying amplitude, a rich series of dynamic responses was recorded. With increasing amplitude, these states included wakes similar to the Kármán vortex street, quasiperiodic oscillations interleaved with regions of synchronized periodicity (periodic on multiple oscillation cycles), a period-doubled state and chaotic oscillations. It is hypothesized that, for low to moderate amplitudes, the wake dynamics are controlled by vortex shedding at a global frequency, modified by the oscillation. This vortex shedding is frequency modulated by the driven oscillation and amplitude modulated by vortex interaction. Data are presented to support this hypothesis.


Although several studies have reported the multiple systemic effects of betel nut (BN) chewing, analyses performed on the colonic system have been few. To analyze the association between BN chewing and diverticulosis, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 5,586 eligible participants who underwent colonoscopy at a medical center in Taiwan from 2010 to 2016. BN chewing was recorded based on an assessment of personal history. Diverticulosis was categorized based on whether colonoscopies had been performed during health examinations by trained physicians at Tri-Service General Hospital. The association between different exposures, including cigarette, alcohol, BN, and diverticulosis, was also analyzed. Our study included 3,161 males and 2,425 females, and males have significantly higher prevalence rates of BN chewing than females (11.1% versus 0.3%, respectively). In the male group, BN chewing had an adjusted odd ratio (OR): 1.65(95% confident interval (CI): 1.12–2.44) with the presence of diverticulosis. Among the combination of exposures of cigarette, alcohol, and BN, the group with BN chewing combined with smoking and drinking showed significant association between diverticulosis with adjusted OR: 1.909 (95% CI, 1.188–3.065). Further subgroup analysis displayed adjusted OR: 2.310 (95% CI, 1.245–4.287) in obesity and OR: 2.406 (95% CI, 1.205–4.803) in elderly male. Thus, BN chewing is independently associated with diverticulosis in male.


Laser cladding crack repair of austenitic stainless steel vessels subjected to internal water pressure was evaluated. The purpose of this investigation was to develop process parameters for in-situ repair of through-wall cracks in components or vessels which contain water under pressures of up to 2 bar. Successful crack sealing of 4.5 mm and 6.0 mm plate thickness @ 2.0 bar water pressure was achieved under worst case conditions. Positional cladding trials were also performed for 4 mm bead width at various cladding positions. Calculated powder efficiencies ranged between 87 and 93 percent.


In his poem "Job" Leo the Philosopher mentions as models for imitation not only Job but also philosophers, poets and other historic personalities. The abundance of Hellenistic allusions in the poem makes a strong feeling that this piece of work was created for people whose mind is more used to Hellenistic rather than Christian cultural symbols. Speaking of virtues, Leo clearly prefers to take examples from the life of ancient philosophers. Plato and the Stoics are for him the teachers of virtue, and he places Socrates among the "people of a high divine life" along with Christian saints. Although the poem makes plenty of appeals to bear grief and poverty, in the end the author asks God not to send too much suffering to anyone but give a chance to lead an undisturbed life, enjoying "some of riches and properties." In general, Leo in his poem appears more like a humanist and Hellenist, than as a Christian traditionalist.


The study sets out to find out the level of job burnout and job involvement and examines the relation between the sub-dimensions of job burnout and job involvement. Maslach burnout inventory was used to measure the level of job burnout. To find out the level of job involvement for the practitioners of accountancy "job involvement scale" by Kanungo (1982) was employed. Opinions of the participants for each statement for job involvement and job burnout were analyzed through frequency, percentage, arithmetic average and standard deviation. The relation between job involvement and job burnout for the practitioners of accountancy was determined using Pearson correlation coefficient. The results suggest that there is a negative-direction relation between job involvement and job burnout of the practitioners of accountancy.


The Sojuko field was discovered in 2001 in the eastern shallow offshore area of the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Three (3) exploration wells have so far been drilled in the field, two (2) of which are reasonably vertical and the third highly deviated. Three (3) key reservoirs which are laterally continuous across the wells have been identified with proven oil and gas reserves. Pore pressure data from repeat formation test (RFT) measurements acquired in the deviated well show that the wells are entirely hydrostatic to true depth (TD). This research focuses on investigating how seismic amplitudes change with offset/angle of incidence in relation to varying pore pressure regimes at the shale-hydrocarbon sand and shale-brine sand interfaces using well data. The aim is to aid quantitative interpretation in an on-going field-wide exploration drive to de-risk hydrocarbon exploration in the deeper plays in the area which are below TD, and are expected to be overpressured. The study is hinged on end-member shale elastic parameter substitution in which the shales are subjected to varying overpressure regimes while keeping the reservoirs (sands) at in situ (hydrostatic) condition. The end-member shale property substitution simulated shale compaction dis-equilibrium as the main overpressure generation mechanism in this study. The results show that top gas sands, top oil sands and top brine sands would be visible on seismic in the deeper plays where pore pressures are expected to be very high, but with distinctive seismic amplitude with offset/angle behavior. The top gas sands are visible as blue loop with small positive reflection coefficients at the near offsets/angles, but with polarity reversal to red loop with negative reflection coefficients which become more and more negative at the far angles at hard overpressure regimes. Top oil sands are recognized as blue loop with large positive reflection coefficients at the near angles; the coefficients becoming less and less positive at the far angles/offsets. The top oil sands may not be detected on seismic at the far angles/offsets unless at very hard overpressures. Brine sands have similar seismic response as oil sands at hard overpressures, but can be distinguished from oil sands based on their much higher amplitudes over the entire offset/angle range. The study is also aimed at removing uncertainty in seismic-based pore pressure quantification at the deeper targets where there is absence of well data for calibrating pore pressure effects at varying conditions.


INTRODUCTION: Oral-AZA was approved in the United States in September 2020 for continued treatment (Tx) of adult patients (pts) with AML in first remission after intensive chemotherapy (IC). The phase 3 QUAZAR AML-001 trial showed that Oral-AZA significantly improved overall and relapse-free survival (OS/RFS) vs placebo (PBO) and was generally well-tolerated (Wei, NEJM 2020). In the phase 3 HOVON97 trial, subcutaneous (SC) AZA maintenance Tx significantly improved disease-free survival vs observation, but did not show an OS benefit (Huls, Blood 2019). Although Oral-AZA and SC AZA contain the same active drug, they are not bioequivalent. Oral administration allows extended exposure to lower drug concentrations, which could increase the number of diseased progenitor cells exposed to AZA and maximize therapeutic effects (eg, drug incorporation into RNA leading to apoptosis), and may improve tolerability by decreasing AZA-related exacerbations of existing cytopenias.
 In the absence of head-to-head trials, a matching adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC), which adjusts for potential Tx effect modifiers, was previously conducted to evaluate the relative OS benefit with Oral-AZA vs SC AZA (Chen, EHA 2021). This MAIC was performed to determine the relative safety profile and health care resource utilization (HCRU) with Oral-AZA vs SC AZA maintenance therapy in pts with AML in first remission after IC.
 METHODS: Anchored MAIC analyses of serious Tx-emergent adverse events (SAEs) and HCRU were performed using individual pt data (IPD) from QUAZAR AML-001 to match to baseline (BL) summary statistics from HOVON97. IPD from QUAZAR AML-001 were removed when a pt did not meet HOVON97 eligibility criteria. Remaining QUAZAR AML-001 pt data were weighted using a method-of-moments propensity score model. Matched and adjusted variables were BL age, platelet count, neutrophil count, ECOG performance score, cytogenetic risk, and response status. Analysis endpoints were times to first SAE, hospitalization, and platelet or red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. In HOVON97, pts could receive SC AZA for up to 12 cycles; therefore, QUAZAR AML-001 outcomes were limited to the first 12 cycles of Tx. Hospitalizations for SC AZA administration only in HOVON97 were excluded from analyses.
 Endpoints are adjusted for pt-years of drug exposure and compared between studies by calculating relative risks (RR). Exposure to SC AZA in HOVON97 was imputed based on the number of pts entering each Tx cycle, and relies on the assumption that events/censoring happened at the end of the cycle and led to Tx discontinuation. Sensitivity analyses of model robustness relaxed these assumptions, comparing only the difference in cumulative hazard vs PBO/observation using a cloglog link binomial model.
 RESULTS: IPD for 398/469 pts (85%) in the QUAZAR AML-001 safety population (Oral-AZA n=203, PBO n=195) met the eligibility criteria of the HOVON97 population and were adjusted to the comparator. For all endpoints, rate ratios for Oral-AZA vs PBO were less than those for SC AZA vs observation (Table). MAIC-weighted safety comparisons showed the risk of SAEs was reduced by 65% for patients treated with Oral-AZA vs SC AZA (RR 0.35 [95% CI: 0.18-0.68]). Similarly, the risks of hospitalization requirements, platelet transfusion, and RBC transfusion were reduced with Oral-AZA vs SC AZA by 59% (RR 0.41 [95% CI: 0.24-0.71), 54% (RR 0.46 [0.23-0.93]), and 47% (RR 0.53 [0.28-1.00]), respectively. All findings were robust to the sensitivity analyses relaxing assumptions of imputed Tx exposure in HOVON97, which showed pts treated with Oral-AZA are 70% less likely to experience SAEs than pts treated with SC AZA (hazard ratio: 0.30 [95% CI: 0.09-1.02]), and hazard reductions for hospitalization and transfusions ranged from -51% to -58% (Table).
 CONCLUSIONS : These data suggest that in controlled clinical trials with pts in first remission after IC, Oral-AZA maintenance therapy not only significantly improves OS, but also provides a better safety profile and requires less HCRU than SC AZA maintenance therapy. Interpretation of results should be limited to the differences in the rate to first SAE while on Tx, as stronger generalizations are limited by competing risks and informative censoring.
 Figure 1 Figure 1.

 Chen: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Huls: Universaity Medical Center Groningen: Current Employment. Cameron: Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy. Suero: Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy. Vasconcelos: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Gaugler: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Beach: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.


The paper presents the results of residual stresses modelling and experimental stress measurements after quenching of AISI 4140 heat-treatment steel specimens. In the research, cylindrical specimens of ? 40 ? 160 mm in size were used whereas in modelling specimens of the same diameter, i.e., ? 40 mm, but of infinite length were employed. One quenching agent was selected, i.e., a 15% polymer water solution. The influence of residual stresses due to martensitic transformation and temperature differences was investigated with different initial specimen temperatures above and under TAC1. Two different temperatures were chosen in order to reveal the nature and quantitative properties of temperature- and transformational-induced residual stresses. Analytical work was made by mathematical modelling of heat treatment which supposes that the rheological model of a continuum is thermo-elasto-plastic material. Austenitic-martensitic transformations are described with Koistinen-Marburger equation. Related experimenta...


This thesis focuses on the coagulation and flocculation processes of cohesive sediments under the influence of polyelectrolyte. For this study clay particles and anionic and cationic flocculants were used. The influence of the shear stresses on the flocculation demonstrated that the shear stress is the parameter that influences the most the break-up and re-grow of the aggregates. Fine sediment management requires the necessity of understanding what happens between clay particles and flocculant as it affects their flocculation, settling, and the formation of the bed. A good quality soil requires a good de-watering, meaning a quick removal of water, and it should have enough strength at the end of consolidation. This knowledge is of importance for dredging management and end-uses like mining industries, sanitary engineering, dredging engineering will benefit for it and mining industry in which they need to re-use the slurry from their manufacturing.


In online detection, the objective is to detect the start of an action in a video stream as soon as it happens. It is an important yet challenging problem. In many realistic scenarios, we need to detect the action before the action is completed. For example, in the autonomous driving system, it is crucial to detect whether the pedestrian is crossing the street well in time in order to make a decision to stop or to reduce the velocity. Online action detection is a very challenging task in many aspects. It is very hard to predict the start of action for three reasons: First, the background is very diverse. Moreover, there is only a few action instance in a very long video. Last but not least, the model only observes part of the action to predict. To address those challenges, we propose a framework for online action detection and simulate experiments on a large-scale untrimmed video dataset. With the proposed method we have obtained very competitive performance. We also proposed a new evaluation metric for online detection models: Point mean Average Precision (Point mAP), a more appropriate metric than the existing evaluation metrics that have been designed for action detection in an offline setting. We have conducted experiments on THUMOS'14 dataset of video analysis where our proposed model achieved the state-of-the-art performance on the online action detection task.


Eccrine spiradenoma is a benign tumor of sweat gland origin. Malignant eccrine spiradenoma is a rare neoplasm which almost always arises from a pre-existing spiradenoma lesion. In this article, we present a patient with malignant eccrine spiradenoma of the auricula with a prior diagnosis as benign eccrine spiradenoma. Although malignant transformation is usually associated with aggressive behavior, we did not detect recurrence or metastasis in four years of follow-up after performing wide excision.


We study the charge oscillation in the triangular quantum dots symmetrically coupled to the leads. A strong charge oscillation is observed even for a very small level difference. We attribute this oscillation behaviour to the many-body effect in the strongly correlated system instead of the physical scenarios based on the mean-field approach in the previous works for the two-level dot. The level difference induces the difference of the occupations between different dots, while the symmetry of the many-body states favours the homogeneous distribution of the charge density on the three dots. The interplay of these two factors results in the charge oscillation.


We report a Si K-edge X-ray absorption fine structures (XAFS) study of silicon monoxide (SiO), the starting material for silicon nanowire preparation, its silicon nanowires, and the residue after the preparation of the starting material. The silicon nanowires were condensed onto three different substrates, (i) the wall of the furnace quartz tube, (ii) a porous silicon substrate, and (iii) a Si(100) silicon wafer. It was found that the Si K-edge XAFS of SiO exhibits identifiable spectral features characteristic of Si in 0 and 4 oxidation states as well as in intermediate oxidation states, while the SiO residue primarily shows features of Si(0) and Si(4). The XAFS suggest that SiO is not exactly a simple mixture of Si and SiO2. The silicon nanowires produced by the process exhibit morphology and luminescence property variations that depend on the nature of the substrate. X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) at the O K-edge suggests an efficient energy transfer to the optical decay channel. The results ...


Current study focuses on the effect of multiple heat release mode interactions on the amplitude of unsteady pressure oscillation for a partially premixed radial swirl burner, which uses methane as fuel. A range of operating conditions based on inlet airflow rate and global equivalence ratio is considered for this purpose. The pressure time series shows amplitude modulation at the dominant frequency for all the conditions considered. Continuous wavelet transform based analysis illustrates the presence of heat release rate fluctuations at multiple frequencies other than the dominant mode of pressure oscillation, with this more pronounced at low frequencies. Spectral Proper Orthogonal Decomposition performed on time-resolved CH* chemiluminescence images reveal four dominant spatial modes, chosen based on the dominant wavelet coefficients for the same. The identified frequencies correspond to the duct-acoustic mode, helical mode (spectrally close to acoustic mode), low-frequency axisymmetric mode and low-frequency helical mode. The low-frequency helical mode (considered as the result of non-linear interaction between acoustic and helical mode) and the low-frequency axisymmetric mode (considered to have independent existence) have similar spectral content. Amplitude modulation of unsteady pressure is found to be a result of the superposition of duct-acoustic mode and low-frequency axisymmetric mode, whereas reduction in overall pressure amplitude with the decrease in global equivalence ratio is a result of an increase in the dominance of low-frequency helical mode. The relative dominance of low-frequency helical mode over dominant pressure mode reduces the overall pressure amplitude.