In this paper, inspired by a newly proposed two-dimensional nonlinear oscillator with an infinite number of coexisting attractors, a modified nonlinear oscillator is proposed. The original system has an exciting feature of having layer–layer coexisting attractors. One of these attractors is self-excited while the rest are hidden. By forcing this system with its twin, a new four-dimensional nonlinear system is obtained which has an infinite number of coexisting torus attractors, strange attractors, and limit cycle attractors. The entropy, energy, and homogeneity of attractors' images and their basin of attractions are calculated and reported, which showed an increase in the complexity of attractors when changing the bifurcation parameters.


Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an often fatal inflammatory autoimmune disease affecting connective tissue, characterized by excessive collagen deposition in skin and other organs. The Tight Skin (Tsk) 2 mouse model of disease has many features of human disease including tight skin, excessive collagen deposition, alterations in the extracellular matrix, and occurrence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) with age. Since current treatments only ameliorate disease symptoms, the Tsk2/+ mouse is crucial for the understanding of disease pathology and progression, however, the Tsk2 gene has yet to be elucidated. Our lab has recently narrowed the interval containing the gene to 2.9 megabases. Understanding disease progression in this model is essential, and histological and total protein studies have shown that increased collagen accumulation does not occur until at least 10 weeks of age in Tsk2/+ mice, despite the "tight" phenotype occurring at 2 weeks. mRNA expression levels from the skin of young mice showed that Tsk2/+ mice have an up regulation of Col1a1, Col3a1, and Col5a2, as well as a robust expression of TGF-β signatures and extracellular matrix fibers. Histological studies revealed a significant increase of elastic bundles in the dermis of 2 week old Tsk2/+ mice. Aged Tsk2/+ mice produced ANA specific to severe disease after initial fibrosis, suggesting additional progression of the disease state. Our studies reveal a novel timeline of disease progression in the Tsk2/+ mouse.


We explore the feasibility of designing an outdoor cellular network based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, which was developed originally for wireless local-area networks. For channels typical in cellular networks, we study the radio link power budget and, via simulation, the bit-error performance of three kinds of receiver: (1) the constrained RAKE, which is limited to a 1 /spl mu/s multipath span; (2) the full RAKE, which uses the full multipath channel information; (3) the ideal equalizer, the performance of which is represented by the matched filter bound. Our link budget reveals that the maximum cell radius in an outdoor 802.11 network ranges from 0.7 to 3 km, about half that supported by WCDMA and EDGE networks. For an RMS delay spread of 1 /spl mu/s, typical for urban-area cells of this size, our simulation results show that the conventional constrained RAKE receiver may yield a satisfactory performance. The improved receivers, however, yield 1-5 dB gain over the constrained implementation. Combining these results with those in a companion paper on the MAC protocol (see Leung, K.K. et al., ibid., p.595-599), we conclude that an 802.11 based cellular network with a cell radius of a few km is feasible.


Generalized projective synchronization (GPS) between two complex networks with time-varying coupling delay is investigated. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, a nonlinear controller and adaptive updated laws are designed. Feasibility of the proposed scheme is proven in theory. Moreover, two numerical examples are presented, using the energy resource system and Lü's system [Physica A 382 (2007) 672] as the nodes of the networks. GPS between two energy resource complex networks with time-varying coupling delay is achieved. This study can widen the application range of the generalized synchronization methods and will be instructive for the demand–supply of energy resource in some regions of China.


Piezoelectric transduction has received great attention for vibration-to-electric energy conversion over the last five years. A typical piezoelectric energy harvester is a unimorph or a bimorph cantilever located on a vibrating host structure, to generate electrical energy from base excitations. Several authors have investigated modeling of cantilevered piezoelectric energy harvesters under base excitation. The existing mathematical modeling approaches range from elementary single-degree-of-freedom models to approximate distributed parameter solutions in the sense of Rayleigh–Ritz discretization as well as analytical solution attempts with certain simplifications. Recently, the authors have presented the closed-form analytical solution for a unimorph cantilever under base excitation based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam assumptions. In this paper, the analytical solution is applied to bimorph cantilever configurations with series and parallel connections of piezoceramic layers. The base excitation is assumed to be translation in the transverse direction with a superimposed small rotation. The closed-form steady state response expressions are obtained for harmonic excitations at arbitrary frequencies, which are then reduced to simple but accurate single-mode expressions for modal excitations. The electromechanical frequency response functions (FRFs) that relate the voltage output and vibration response to translational and rotational base accelerations are identified from the multi-mode and single-mode solutions. Experimental validation of the single-mode coupled voltage output and vibration response expressions is presented for a bimorph cantilever with a tip mass. It is observed that the closed-form single-mode FRFs obtained from the analytical solution can successfully predict the coupled system dynamics for a wide range of electrical load resistance. The performance of the bimorph device is analyzed extensively for the short circuit and open circuit resonance frequency excitations and the accuracy of the model is shown in all cases.


Microspheres are multiparticulate drug delivery systems which are prepared to obtain prolonged or controlled drug delivery to improve bioavailability, stability and to target the drug to specific site at a predetermined rate. They are made from polymeric waxy or other protective materials such as natural, semi synthetic and synthetic polymers. Microspheres are characteristically free flowing powders having particle size ranging from 1-1000 μm consisting of proteins or synthetic polymers. . The present review highlights various types of microspheres, different methods of preparation, its applications and also various parameters to evaluate their efficiency. Microspheres are various types like Bioadhesive microspheres, Magnetic microspheres, Floating microspheres, Radioactive microspheres, Polymeric microspheres, Biodegradable polymeric microspheres, Synthetic polymeric microspheres and are prepared by methods like Spray Drying, Solvent Evaporation, Single emulsion technique, Double emulsion technique, Phase separation coacervation technique, Spray drying and spray congealing, Solvent extraction. Microspheres have wide range of applications because of controlled and sustained release. This article also focuses on the various drugs that can be formulated into microspheres for controlled and sustained release.


A case of dural arteriovenous fistula of the transverse and sigmoid sinus presenting with a pulsatile tinnitus is described. On the basis of this demonstrative case, we review the clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnostic imaging and principles of treatment of this disease. Emphasis is put on the importance of careful diagnostic evaluation because of potential cerebrovascular complications associated with dural fistulas.


Author(s): Gilmour, Morgan Elizabeth | Advisor(s): Shaffer, Scott A | Abstract: The vastness of the ocean makes it difficult to study. This is compounded by regional differences in temperature, wind patterns, underwater topography, and primary productivity that extend from the ocean's surface to depths of thousands of meters. Many organisms that inhabit the marine environment navigate many environmental changes as they move between regions in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The ability to navigate through different habitat types indicates that marine animals may be adaptable to multiple environments; however, it also suggests that they may be exposed to multiple hazards, including hazards of anthropogenic origin. Rates of anthropogenic inputs of chemicals and litter to the atmosphere and the ocean are increasing. However, many effects of anthropogenic compounds on marine life are only beginning to be understood. In this dissertation, I assessed foraging ecology, contaminants, and the effects of contaminants, in seabirds, which are unique among marine animals because they hunt for fishes and squid from the air, but breed on land. Land-based breeding enables them to be easily studied, and they are good samplers of the vast ocean because they travel tens to thousands of kilometers from the breeding colony to forage. I first tested the hypothesis that seabirds' foraging behaviors are related to local oceanographic habitats, and that they exhibit behavioral plasticity to exploit the marine environment. GPS-tracking and remotely-sensed environmental data of four species of boobies (Sula spp.) demonstrated adaptable behaviors that changed depending on the type of oceanographic habitat in which boobies foraged (e.g. based on depth, sea surface temperature and topography). Second, I measured blood-based persistent organic pollutants (POP) and mercury contaminant concentrations in boobies and two species of frigatebirds (Fregata spp.) from four colonies in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. I combined blood-based contaminant measurements with two measures of foraging ecology (blood-based stable isotopes and GPS-tracking). Boobies and frigatebirds were exposed to different contaminants depending on their foraging habitat (e.g. nearshore vs offshore). Though three of the study sites were remote and uninhabited, all birds had contaminants. Lastly, I tested the hypothesis that mercury would negatively affect seabirds' breeding. I measured breeding in Flesh-footed Shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes) and Great-winged Petrels (Pterodroma macroptera) in the Southern Ocean (Western Australia). Though Great-winged Petrels' blood mercury concentrations were the highest among all seabirds, I did not detect relationships between mercury and breeding in either species. Overall, seabirds are adaptive to their local marine environment. They traverse many habitat types while foraging, which influences the concentrations and types of contaminants that they encounter. However, they may be adapted, or tolerant, to some contaminants like mercury. Seabirds are good samplers of the marine environment, and continue to serve as good indicators of oceanographic processes and contaminants found in the ocean.


Abstract Potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), is a highly mobile aphid species that dominates aphid communities in Maine potato fields and may contribute to virus transmission between potato plants. We studied effects of simulated rain, wind, mechanical raking, fungicide application, reflective mulch, and predator [lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallast)] on the interplant movement of wingless adult potato aphids in greenhouse experimental arenas that imitated small segments of a potato field. The number of aphids dispersing from the central plant in the arena after a tested perturbation was recorded. Experiments were repeated with 3- to 4-wk-old plants with nonoverlapping canopies and with 4- to 5-wk old plants with canopies overlapping within rows. Aphids moved between potato plants even when canopies did not overlap and without any environmental perturbations. However, more aphids moved between larger plants with overlapping canopies. Rain significantly encouraged aphid movement between plants with nonoverlapping canopies. Wind, rain, and mechanical raking significantly encouraged aphid movement between plants with overlapping canopies. Regardless of canopy overlap, most aphids moved within the rows of potato plants. However, there was also considerable movement between the rows, even though the aphids had to walk over bare soil.


In the oil-air lubrication applied to the high-speed spindle supported with a set of ball bearings, very severe sound noise is emitted so that the high-pressure air supplied through a couple of thin nozzles may collide with balls which are rolling at high speed. In this paper, the sound noise radiated from the spindle unit has been measured, changing the supplied air pressure and the number of nozzles as well as the flange shape of HSK tool holder. A special spindle supported by magnetic bearings is also used for comparison. From those experimental results, it is confirmed that the collision air causes to emit such sound noise.


The recently developed drift spectrum is extended to buildings that do not deform laterally like pure shear beams. Similarly to Iwan's drift spectrum, the proposed generalized interstory drift spectrum uses a continuous linear-elastic model to obtain estimates of interstory drift demands in buildings. However, the generalized interstory drift spectrum is based on a continuous model that consists of a combination of a flexural beam and a shear beam, rather than only a shear beam. By modifying one parameter the model used in the proposed generalized interstory drift spectrum can consider lateral deformations varying from those of a flexural beam to those of a shear beam. Hence, it permits us to account for a wide range of modes of deformation that represent more closely those of multistory buildings. The proposed generalized interstory drift spectrum is based on modal analysis techniques that are familiar to structural engineers and uses a damping model that avoids the problems that can occur in the drift spectrum. The generalized interstory drift spectrum is illustrated with various recorded ground motions. The effects of damping, higher modes, and lateral stiffness ratio are investigated and discussed.


Basis set convergence of correlation effects on molecular atomization energies beyond the coupled cluster with singles and doubles (CCSD) approximation has been studied near the one-particle basis set limit. Quasiperturbative connected triple excitations, (T), converge more rapidly than L(-3) (where L is the highest angular momentum represented in the basis set), while higher-order connected triples, T3-(T), converge more slowly--empirically, proportional to L(-5/2). Quasiperturbative connected quadruple excitations, (Q), converge smoothly as proportional to L(-3) starting with the cc-pVTZ basis set, while the cc-pVDZ basis set causes overshooting of the contribution in highly polar systems. Higher-order connected quadruples display only weak, but somewhat erratic, basis set dependence. Connected quintuple excitations converge very rapidly with the basis set, to the point where even an unpolarized double-zeta basis set yields useful numbers. In cases where fully iterative coupled cluster up to connected quintuples (CCSDTQ5) calculations are not an option, CCSDTQ(5) (i.e., coupled cluster up to connected quadruples plus a quasiperturbative connected quintuples correction) cannot be relied upon in the presence of significant nondynamical correlation, whereas CCSDTQ(5)(Lambda) represents a viable alternative. Connected quadruples corrections to the core-valence contribution are thermochemically significant in some systems. We propose an additional variant of W4 theory [A. Karton et al., J. Chem. Phys. 125, 144108 (2006)], denoted W4.4 theory, which is shown to yield a rms deviation from experimental atomization energies (active thermochemical tables, ATcT) of only 0.05 kcal/mol for systems for which ATcT values are available. We conclude that "3sigma <or=1 kJ/mol" thermochemistry is feasible with current technology, but that the more ambitious goal of +/-10 cm(-1) accuracy is illusory, at least for atomization energies.


Malignant hyperthermia susceptibility is genetically heterogeneous. The ryanodine receptor gene on the long arm of chromosome 19 represents an important candidate gene but not all families with malignant hyperthermia demonstrate ryanodine receptor mutations or linkage to this region of 19q. Linkage to chromosome 17 in the region of the adult muscle sodium channel α subunit gene has been suggested in some families; others are not linked to either of these loci. For most families the in vitro muscle contracture test remains the only reliable method of predicting susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia. We have performed linkage analysis in a large family group with malignant hyperthermia in which the in vitro muscle contracture test had been carried out using the procedure standardised by the European Malignant Hyperthermia Group. None of the published ryanodine receptor gene mutations associated with malignant hyperthermia susceptibility were detected in affected individuals but linkage to intragenic ryanodine receptor markers strongly suggest that this gene is involved in malignant hyperthermia susceptibility in this family. This enabled accurate predictive testing by DNA analysis in 11 untested subjects at 50% risk.


In this paper, we proposed a new derivative-free three-term spectral conjugate gradient (DFTTS) method via extending the direction proposed by Birgin and Mertinez [E.G. Birgin, J.M. Martinez, A spectral Conjugate Gradient Method for Unconstrained Optimization, Appl. Math. Optim. 43 (2) (2001) 117--128] to three-term together with the classical Newton's direction. One of the important properties of the proposed method is that, it generated a descent direction using inexact line search. The global convergence of the proposed algorithm was established under appropriate conditions. Numerical results for the benchmark test problems demonstrated an improved efficiency of the method over some existing ones.


Arterial hypertension (AH) is the most prevalent cardiac risk factor in old patients. Falls-related complications includes increased disability and mortality, decreased activity levels, quality of life, and overall health status. So falls are an important health problem. The aim of our study was to study falls in patients with AH 56+ years old finding fall risk factors in this population.

METHODS
We examined 146 patients. 50 patients with AH had a fall during last 6 month. 96 patients with AH had no falls during this period.

RESULTS
According to our study major risk factors for fall in population with AH are age, female sex, stratify sore value and blood pressure levels at admission. Patients who had experienced falls during last 6 month had significantly higher systolic, diastolic and pulsed blood pressure at admission without good blood pressure control. All differences in blood pressure were not reproduced in patients at discharge. So we suggest that ambulatory blood pressure control is important for fall prevention in people with AH 55+ years old.


Writing concurrent programs in languages that lack explicit support for concurrency can often be awkward and difficult. Haskell's monads provide a way to explicitly specify sequence and effects in a functional language, and monadic combi- nators allow composition of monadic actions, for example via parallelism and choice - two core aspects of Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP). We show how the use of these combinators, and being able to express processes as first-class types (monadic actions) allow for easy and elegant programming of process-oriented concurrency in a new CSP library for Haskell: Communicating Haskell Processes.


ical analysis and practical test show that the traditional ground-renected Fresnel zone calculating method has error with the actual situation. The method of calculating traditional ground-renected Fresnel zone and the error sources are studied at the beginning of this paper, Then a new calculation method of the definition of ground-renected Fresnel zone is derived from the definition of Huygens -Fresnel principle. The relation between the caculation results of propagation parameters and this new method are given, and compared to practical test. Result shows that the new method is more reasonable than the traditional method. The method will playa big role on guiding station distribution using in line-of-sight propagation at HF and Microwave band, the method also completes the theory ofsight propagation.


This paper adopts the measurement of mercury intrusion porosimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to analyze the pore system and the pore structure of coal samples, and the measurement of maceral group composition, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to obtain the organic/inorganic composition of coal samples. Gravimetric and NMR methods are both used to calculate irreducible water saturation of the samples, and qualitative and quantitative research studies are therefore conducted. The following knowledge is obtained. Coal samples can be classified as micro-trans-pore-dominated samples, meso-macro-pore-dominated samples, cleat-dominated samples, and even development samples. The main composition of the samples is organic, and a little kaolinite and pyrite can be observed. Irreducible water saturation obtained by the gravimetric method is almost close to that gained by the NMR method. The influencing parameters can be divided into two categories. The first category contains the maximum vitrinite reflectance, volumetric factor, fixed carbon yield, volatile yield, vitrinite percentage, and inertinite percentage, which have a strong correlation with irreducible water saturation. The second category includes the buried depth and median radius, and they have a weak correlation with irreducible water saturation. Multivariate regression shows that there is a linear quaternion equation between irreducible water saturation and independent variables such as maximum vitrinite reflectance, volumetric factor, volatile yield, and vitrinite percentage.


With characters in computer games and interactive media increasingly being based on real actors, the individuality of an actor's performance should not only be reflected in the appearance and animation of the character but also in the AI that governs the character's behavior and interactions with the environment. Machine learning methods applied to motion capture data provide a way of doing this. This paper presents a method for learning the parameters of a finite-state machine (FSM) controller. The method learns both the transition probabilities of the FSM and also how to select animations based on the current state.


Opinions vary as to which 'neonatal seizures' should be treated and which should not be. There is also controversy as to when therapy of seizures should be discontinued. A poll taken among a group of eleven experts in these matters concurred in the opinion that classical neonatal seizures, those well established by clinical and EEG criteria, can be treated before confirmatory EEG support is obtained. They also agreed that those movements known as subtle seizures should await EEG or video/EEG confirmation before commencing therapy. Nine of these experts now believe that therapy for seizures should be terminated at an early time. Most will stop the therapy while the patient is still in the nursery with the exception of 3 who would treat the babies for 3 months.


Despite the fact that ischemic stroke in the vertebrobasilar system (VBS) is significantly less frequent than in the carotid system, abnormalities found in Doppler and duplex examinations are about as prevalent in the VBS as in the carotid system. Because of the potentially severe clinical deficits associated with stroke of the VBS and the increased risk for stroke under conditions, such as underlying symptomatic vertebrobasilar stenosis and general anesthesia, it is highly desirable to have reliable methods available to identify pathological changes of the VBS. Furthermore, because the VBS via the circle of Willis can play a significant role as collateral blood supply system when vessels of the anterior circulation have been compromised, the knowledge of the VBS is necessary to estimate the overall integrity of the remaining blood flow to the brain.


The role of agriculture within the frame of the enlarged EU is analysed in this paper. There is a requirement to perceive the tendency towards the downgrading of the status of agriculture in the national economy of the EU countries with the respect of the differences in the importance of agriculture mainly in the countries that are the new EU members. The role of agriculture is characterised by the following indices: share of the agricultural employees in the total employment, share of the added value of agriculture in the GDP, and index of the value added per one agricultural worker. These indices are the base for the construction of the "index of economic importance of the agriculture" which are the countries ranged by. A multidimensional classification of the countries was realised by the cluster analysis that divided the countries into three clusters accordingly to their similarity with regards to the importance of their agriculture in their national economy.


Helicobacter pylori can be found in the oral cavity and is mostly detected by the use of PCR techniques. Growth of H. pylori is influenced by various factors in the mouth, such as the oral microflora, saliva and other antimicrobial substances, all of which make colonization of the oral cavity by H. pylori difficult. In the present study, we analysed the effect of the cell supernatant of a representative periodontal bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis on H. pylori and found that the cell supernatant destroyed the H. pylori cell envelope. As P. gingivalis produces butyric acid, we focused our research on the effects of butyrate and found that it significantly inhibited the growth of H. pylori. H. pylori cytoplasmic proteins and DNA were detected in the extracellular environment after treatment with butyrate, suggesting that the integrity of the cell envelope was compromised and indicating that butyrate has a bactericidal effect on H. pylori. In addition, levels of extracellular H. pylori DNA increased following treatment with the cell supernatant of butyric acid-producing bacteria, indicating that the cell supernatant also has a bactericidal effect and that this may be due to its butyric acid content. In conclusion, butyric acid-producing bacteria may play a role in affecting H. pylori colonization of the oral cavity.


The paper presents the plans and projects implementation way in renewable energies area, in 2011-2013, at west region level, especially those that have the realization of photovoltaic parks as object and correlation of those with the targets that has to be accomplished by Romania as European Union state. Plans and programs must be according to 2001/77/CE Directive that has as transposition in national legislation the following legislation and strategies: Romania Energetic Strategy, Government Decision no. 443/2003, Government Decision no. 958/2005, Government Decision no. 1069/2007. The main objective of these legislations is to approach a significant percentage of electric energy from renewable energy, in this case, electric energy production with the help of solar energy captured with the help of photovoltaic panels. For this the main objective will be achieved through a low cost, in what it regards the need of energy, in short, medium and long term. Plans and projects in this area are approved in environmental notice phase, environmental agreement, environmental authorization, by Environmental Protection Agencies. Public involving in taking environmental final decision is very important.


In this paper we describe and analyze a two-level method for discretizing the equations of stationary, viscous, incompressible magnetohydrodynamics. The MHD equations model the ow of a viscous, incompressible, electrically conducting uid, interacting with magnetic and electric elds. These arise in plasma physics, nuclear reactor technology, and geophysics. The suggested algorithm involves solving a small nonlinear problem on a coarse mesh and then one large linear system on a ne mesh.


Introduction Increased body mass index (BMI) is a risk factor for kidney cancer. However, previous reviews on this topic included only studies that reported on mid-life BMI. We carried out an updated and more comprehensive review to describe the association between lifecourse measures of body composition and kidney cancer risk. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, ISI and four other databases in July 2010. We assessed identified studies against pre-specified criteria, and extracted data using a standard form. We used fixed and random-effects meta-analyses to derive a pooled OR and CIs for the association between kidney cancer risk and measures of body composition. Results We identified 17898 hits; 741 papers were retrieved and assessed. Seventy-three papers met inclusion criteria and will be included in updated meta-analyses. Based on results from our previous search (April 2007, 52 studies), higher BMI was associated with kidney cancer (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.30 to 1.47 per 5 kg/m2 increase), with a linear dose-response observed for most studies. Measures of body composition, including waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and weight-cycling showed a similar trend, although derived from a smaller number of studies. We are currently updating our meta-analyses with recent studies, focusing on measurements of body composition other than BMI. Conclusion The linear dose-response, across a range of BMI, suggests that even mildly overweight individuals may decrease their risk of kidney cancer via small reductions in BMI. Updating evidence on other measurements of body composition will further elucidate the relationship between body size and kidney cancer.


The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) is experiencing a nutrition transition, characterized by the emergence of overnutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies. No previous study has comparatively examined nutrient intake in adults across countries in the EMR. This review examined the adequacy of nutrients in adults living in the EMR. Moreover, it analyzed the food balance sheets (FBS) for 1961–2018 to identify the trajectory of energy supply from macro-nutrients in the EMR. A systematic search was conducted from January 2012 to September 2020. Only observational studies were retained with a random sampling design. An assessment of the methodological quality was conducted. Levels of nutrient daily intake and their adequacy compared to the daily reference intake of the Institute of Medicine were reported across the region. No studies were identified for half of the region's countries. Although nutrient energy intake was satisfactory overall, fat and carbohydrate intake were high. Intake of vitamin D, calcium, potassium, zinc, and magnesium were below that recommended. The analysis of the FBS data allowed for the identification of four linear patterns of trajectories, with countries in the EMR best fitting the 'high-energy-supply from carbohydrate' group. This systematic review warrants multi-sectorial commitment to optimize nutrient intake.


Schools are increasingly being identified as ideal settings for early intervention for anxiety and other mental health challenges; however, questions remain about whether individuals who require the most assistance will receive it in more universally applied intervention programs. This study compared targeted and universal delivery approaches of a social and emotional learning intervention for anxiety, using a mixed-methods approach. 66 upper primary aged children (50.9% male) completed a brief mindfulness-based group program, with 46 students in the universal group. The remaining participants (n = 20) were part of the targeted group, selected because they were deemed 'at risk' of social and emotional maladjustment. Significant improvements in mean anxiety scores were found for the targeted group and a subset of the universal group, who reported elevated anxiety pre-program, but not for the universal group as a whole. Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews indicated positive experiences from both methods of delivery. These results indicate that a universal delivery is appropriate for social and emotional learning programs, providing opportunities for the greatest number of students, while also supporting those students who were experiencing more significant levels of anxiety.


Mice with transgenic expression of human SOD1G93A are a widely used model of ALS, with a caudal-rostral progression of motor impairment. Previous studies have quantified the progression of motoneurone (MN) degeneration based on size, even though alpha (α-) and gamma (γ-) MNs overlap in size. Therefore, using molecular markers and synaptic inputs, we quantified the survival of α-MNs and γ-MNs at the lumbar and cervical spinal segments of 3- and 4-month SOD1G93A mice, to investigate whether there is a caudal-rostral progression of MN death. By 3-months, in the cervical and lumbar spinal cord, there was α-MN degeneration with complete γ-MN sparing. At 3-months the cervical spinal cord had more α-MNs per ventral horn than the lumbar spinal cord, in SOD1G93A mice. A similar spatial trend of degeneration was observed in the corticospinal tract, which remained intact in the cervical spinal cord at 3- and 4-months of age. These findings agree with the corticofugal synaptopathy model, that α-MN and CST of the lumbar spinal cord are more susceptible to degeneration in SOD1G93A mice. Hence, there is spatial and temporal caudal-rostral progression of α-MN and CST degeneration in SOD1G93A mice. Highlights SOD1G93A mice display a caudal-rostral progression of motor impairment. Lumbar spinal cord of SOD1G93A mice has an enhanced susceptibility to degeneration. SOD1G93A mice exhibit a caudal-rostral progression of α-MN and CST degeneration


Twenty-five isolates of beta-lactamase-negative strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae exhibiting decreased susceptibilities to ciprofloxacin (MIC, > or = 0.125 microgram/ml) were isolated from men with uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis in Cleveland, Ohio, from January 1992 through June 1993. The strains belonged to three auxotype-serovar classes: Pro-IB-1 (2 isolates), Pro-IB-2 (21 isolates), and Pro-IB-3 (2 isolates). MICs for strains were in the intermediate or resistant categories for penicillin, the intermediate or susceptible categories for tetracycline (with the exception of one strain that had acquired the 25.2-MDa TetM-containing plasmid) and cefoxitin, and the susceptible categories for ceftriaxone and cefixime (MICs, < or = 0.25 microgram/ml) and spectinomycin (MIC, < or = 256 micrograms/ml). MICs for strains were also in the susceptible category for ofloxacin (MIC, 0.25 microgram/ml) and in categories higher than susceptible for ciprofloxacin (MICs, 0.125 to 0.25 microgram/ml) and ofloxacin (MIC, 0.5 microgram/ml). The diameters of zones of inhibition for these strains ranged from 31 to 39 mm for ciprofloxacin to 28 to 35 mm for ofloxacin. The persistence of these strains over an 18-month period supports the need for routine sentinel surveillance and monitoring of gonococcal isolates, particularly posttreatment isolates, for resistance to quinolones when these agents are used for the primary therapy of uncomplicated gonorrhea.


MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase was measured every 3 hours during the first 24 hours of admission to C.C.U. and successively every 4-6 hours in the next 24-48 hours in 42 patients with acute transmural myocardial infarction. The pain-C.C.U. admission time interval was less than 6 hours in all cases. 22 patients were treated by propranolol (2 mg bolus followed by 0.1 mg/Kg/die for the next 48 hours in continuous i.v. infusion), 20 patients served as a control. Cumulated activity, peak plasma value, rate of release and total duration of release of MB-CK did not differ significantly between the two groups. In patients treated within 3 hours from pain onset (n = 12) cumulated activity, peak plasma value and rate of release of MB-CK were significantly inferior than control group. In patients treated between the 3rd and 6th hour from pain onset (n = 10) the total duration of release of isoenzyme was significantly prolonged. No treated patients developed clinical or radiologic signs of cardiac insufficiency. The incidence of ventricular arrhythmias was 17% in the treated group vs. 62% in the control group (P < 0.05). The data show that propranolol, if started early in the course of acute myocardial infarction, reduces significantly infarct size and slows down the evolution of necrotic process.


The effect of furosemide-induced weight loss on the energetic responses of horses to running was examined in a 3-way crossover study. Eight 2- to 3-year-old Standardbred mares received, in random order, 10 ml of saline solution 4 hours before running on a treadmill (control trial, C); or, during 2 trials, 1 mg of furosemide/kg of body weight, i.v., 4 hours before running. During one of the trials when the horses received furosemide, they carried weight equal to that lost over the 3.75 hours after furosemide administration while running (furosemide-loaded, FL), and during the other trial they did not carry weight equal to that lost after furosemide administration (furosemide-unloaded, FU). Horses performed an incremental exercise test on a treadmill during which rates of oxygen consumption (VO2) and carbon dioxide production (VCO2) were measured, respiratory exchange ratio was calculated, and blood samples were collected for determination of mixed venous plasma lactate concentration and arterial and mixed venous oxygen saturation. Furosemide treatment caused significantly (P < 0.001) greater weight loss than did saline administration; mean +/- SEM weight loss (exclusive of fecal loss) was 1.6, 8.8, and 10.2 kg (SEM = 2.0) for C, FL, and FU trials, respectively. The speed at which peak VO2 was achieved was 9.31, 9.56, and 9.50 (SEM = 0.16) m/s, respectively, time to fatigue was 547, 544, and 553 (SEM = 26) seconds, respectively, and the highest speed attained was 10.3, 10.2, and 10.2 (SEM = 0.2) m/s, respectively. Mean peak rate of oxygen consumption was 130.7, 129.6, and 129.6 (SEM = 1.9) ml/min/kg, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We investigated the responses of serum testosterone (T) and human growth hormone (hGH) concentrations to a bout of heavy resistive exercise and the responses of T, hGH, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) to a 16 wk progressive resistive training program in 13 men (60 +/- 4 yrs). Body composition via hydrostatic weighing and muscle strength using a 3 repetition maximum (3RM) test on 6 variable resistance exercise machines were assessed before and after the training program. Fasting blood samples were drawn on 2 consecutive days prior to training and again on 2 consecutive days after the last day of exercise. Blood was also drawn immediately before and approximately 10 min after a single exercise session during the first wk of training, and after an exercise session of the same relative resistance during the last wk of training. The training program resulted in a 37% increase in upper body strength and a 39% increase in lower body strength (both p < 0.01). Lean body mass increased significantly (61.8 +/- 2.1 vs 63.7 +/- 7.8 kg; p < 0.001) while % fat decreased (26.5 +/- 1.5 vs 24.9 +/- 6.0%; p < 0.01) as a result of training. Serum T concentration was unchanged, but GH increased approximately 18-fold in response to a single bout of resistive exercise before (0.24 +/- 0.08 vs 4.60 +/- 1.35 mg/l) and after (0.26 +/- 0.06 vs 4.66 +/- 1.46 mg/l; p < 0.01) training. Baseline serum concentrations of T, hGH, and IGF-I were unaffected by the training program. We conclude that an acute bout of resistive exercise causes a substantial hGH response in older men, but 16 wks of progressive resistive training does not affect baseline concentrations of the anabolic hormones.


Abstract: This essay first examines how Lebanese Hezbollah's wars have changed the content and saliency of its several identities. It then focuses on the role of these identities on the group's moral conception of using force. The analysis includes Hezbollah's conflicts against Israel and its more recent military involvement in the Syrian conflict. The essay argues that Hezbollah exhibits five different identities: Islamic, Shiite, Lebanese, Arab, and resistance. Each has played a significant role in the group's legitimizing of its war decisions, which in turn has provided Hezbollah the grounds to remain an armed non-state actor in the Middle East.


Maps such as concept maps and knowledge maps are often used as learning materials. These maps have nodes as key concepts and links as relationships between key concepts. From a map, the user can recognize the important concepts and their interrelationships. To build concept or knowledge maps, domain experts are needed and the cost of map creation is high. This study developed a model which automatically builds a domain knowledge map (K-map) from a set of documents about a specific topic using text mining techniques. To build K-map, keywords are extracted from a set of documents using the TF/IDF algorithm and keyword pairs are ranked according to number of appearances in a sentence and number of words in a sentence. K-map was implemented to evaluate learning performance. The experiments analyzed both sentence recall and identification of important sentences, in comparison to document-based learning methods. The results show that Kmap provides a mechanism with high recall and can distinguish the more important information, in comparison to document-based learning.


This study has analyzed the scale, location, resource potential and feasibility of offshore wind farm scientifically and systematically based on the national wind map and GIS (Geographic Information System). For long-term wind power development, this study pursues siting strategy building, selection of target area and deciding development priority as well as the presenting a basis for assessment that are necessary for policy decision making by making theme layers under GIS environment. According to the analysis after organizing technological development by stages, even if only the most suitable sites are developed among the area of offshore wind farm candidates that can be developed under the current technological standard, it has been evaluated as being able to develop about 3 times of the wind power dissemination target until 2012. It is expected that about 5% of territorial water area can be developed in a short-term future while the southern offshore area possessing relatively favorable wind resource than the western offshore has been identified as the most feasible site. While about 23% of territorial water area has been classified as potential area for offshore wind farm development in a long-term future, even Jeju Island and offshore of Ulsan possessing excellent wind resource have been analyzed as feasible sites. The feasibility assessment of offshore wind farm development established by this study is expected to assist national strategy building for accomplishing the wind power dissemination target.


Abstract Glyphosate is the most widely used active ingredient of Glyphosate Based Herbicides (GBHs), and which has environmental mobility towards water by its physicochemical characteristics. These properties determine its low availability in living organisms (log Kow < 0), which is increased by the presence of co-adjuvant activators in GBHs and its biodegradation (metabolites). Eco-toxicological studies have determined that glyphosate affects to several aquatic trophic-levels (freshwater/marine environments), being more toxics GBHs. Therefore, its potential environmental risk has promoted the development of conventional (biological and physicochemical) and non-conventional (Advanced-Oxidation-Processes or AOPs, combined processes) treatment strategies. Biological processes will generate incomplete degradation (metabolites generation), and variable removal efficiencies (25–99%). Physicochemical processes will be efficient (approx. 90%) but transferring the glyphosate from water to the adsorbent material (dangerous waste generation). Currently, AOPs will arise as a rapid (minutes) and effective alternative for glyphosate removal (>90%), depending on operational conditions, and without generation of intermediate metabolites. Moreover, new strategies (electrochemical) will avoid the hazardous waste production. Other combined processes (biological + physicochemical) will also reach glyphosate efficiencies removal above 90% but needing large spaces. However, their physical characteristics would make them feasible to be applied in agricultural areas.


On January 7, 2022 Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the CDC, went on Good Morning America to discuss the state of Omicron. While explaining that more than 75% of those who died after receiving the full series of Covid-19 vaccines were people who had at least "four comorbidities" Walensky concluded, "So really, these are people who were unwell to begin with. And yes; really encouraging news in the context of Omicron" (Dodge 2022). This statement inspired the viral hashtag #MyDisabledLifeIsWorthy, started by Imani Barbarin. The goal of the hashtag, like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter before it, was to push back against the rhetoric that it is ok if chronically-ill and disabled people are dying or discriminated against. The hashtag raises awareness toward the high prevalence of chronic illness and disability in the United States while also critiquing discourse which dismisses these lives as expendable. While abled people were quick to argue that this was not Walensky's intention, the hashtag brings to light how an inattention to disabled life perpetuates a system of harm. In this presentation, I analyze how the hashtag was strategically utilized by chronically ill and disabled people to push back on rhetoric which implies their lives are acceptable losses in a pandemic. This moves beyond the common declaration of the disabled community, "nothing about us without us," to a new demand of "nothing without us."


Separation of concerns is a well-established principle of software engineering. Nevertheless, the failure to separate concerns effectively has been identified as a continuing cause of the ongoing software crisis. This failure arises in part because most programming and modeling formalisms enforce a dominant decomposition that allows only a few concerns to be separated, whereas software in reality is subject to multiple simultaneous, overlapping, and crosscutting concerns.Several approaches to "advanced separation of concerns" have been proposed, including subject-oriented programming, aspect-oriented programming, and Hyperspaces. These focus mainly on coding but take a multidimensional view of concerns that applies across the software life cycle. To support such approaches, we are developing Cosmos, a general-purpose concern-space modeling schema. Cosmos distinguishes logical and physical concerns. Logical concerns include classifications, classes, instances, properties, and topics, physical include instances, collections, and attributes. Cosmos also identifies four categories of relationship, including categorical, interpretive, mapping, and physical. Cosmos can support software development activities such as rationale capture, impact analysis, compositional development, change propagation, customization, and reuse.


The level of knowledge about COVID-19 varies among students in the field of healthcare. In this study, it was aimed to compare pharmacy students' level of knowledge about COVID-19 before and after an educational seminar. This study was conducted in the first wave of COVID-19 and just at the beginning of the pandemic. A seminar on COVID-19 and protection ways was presented by an infectious disease physician to the pharmacy students in a faculty of pharmacy from Ankara. Before and after the seminar, a questionnaire about COVID-19 consisting of 17 multiple-choice or open-ended questions was applied to the students. A total of 114 pharmacy students (46.5% female) attended the seminar and all of them participated in the study. The most common information resources in terms of COVID-19 that were used by the participants was internet (non-scientific resources) (n=90, 78.9%), classical media (TV, newspaper) (n=79, 69.3%) and social media (n=77, 67.5%). The rates of knowing that the coronavirus is a zoonotic virus (p<0.001) and awareness of cough and dyspnea, which are symptoms of COVID-19, showed a statistically significant increase after the seminar (p=0.039 and p<0.001, respectively). The students' knowledge of protection from the disease such as covering the nose and mouth with tissue paper, using eyeglasses, and wearing protective clothing was significantly improved after the seminar (p=0.043, p<0.001, p<0.004, respectively). Although the knowledge of pharmacy students about the new pandemic was not insufficient, it had also increased significantly after the seminar. It is thought that determining and improving their knowledge about the pandemic will contribute to pandemic management.


CONTEXT
- Small lung biopsies (core needle biopsies and transbronchial biopsies) are the most common-and often the first-lung sample obtained when a radiologic abnormality is detected and tissue diagnosis is required. When a neoplastic diagnosis cannot be made but pathologic abnormalities are present, it is useful for pathologists to have a list ("menu") of specific nonneoplastic diagnoses that can be made in these samples.

OBJECTIVE
- To provide surgical pathologists and pathology trainees with menus of nonneoplastic entities that can be diagnosed in small lung biopsies, and to briefly describe and illustrate some of these entities as they appear in small lung biopsies.

DATA SOURCES
- Published literature and the authors' experience with small lung biopsies for diagnosis of nonneoplastic lung diseases.

CONCLUSIONS
- Although sampling error imposes some limitations, core needle biopsies and transbronchial lung biopsies can contribute to the diagnosis of a variety of nonneoplastic lung diseases and reduce the need for invasive surgical intervention.


Background: Menarche signals reproductive maturity and the earlier the menarche, the earlier the initiation of sexual activity with the implication of increase in teenage sexuality and its complications. Aim: To determine the age at menarche among girls in Benin City and to establish its biosocial determinants. Method: This was a cross – sectional descriptive study of secondary school girls in Benin City. Data was collected with the aid ofself-administered questionnaires. Biophysical parameters of the study population were also obtained. Age at menarche was compared with biosocial indices. Results: Of the 1830 respondents, 1322 (72.2%) had attained menarche. The mean age at menarche of the population was 12.72  ± 1.24 years. The menarcheal age was lowest in social class 1 (12.3  ± 1.16) and highest in social class 5 (14.09  ± 0.85), P = 0.000. Girls from polygamous homes had significantly higher age at menarche compared to girls from monogamous homes (13.22  ± 1.25 vs 12.62  ± 1.22 years, P = 0.000). As the number of siblings increased, there was significant increase in the age at menarche (P = 0.000). Post menarcheal girls had significantly higher mean body weight, height, BMI and mid arm circumference. Conclusion: The age at menarche in Benin City school girls is 12.72  ± 1.24 years. The socioeconomic and nutritional status influence the age of menarche. Keywords: Menarche, age, determinants, biosocial


Microorganisms manufacture prolifically bioactive compounds. For example, fungi produce antibiotics and mycotoxins. However, many are difficult to identify and classify. Methods which rely on nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) are increasingly being used for this purpose where strains are grown in liquid or agar culture and often subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses. It has not been considered that self-produced mutagenic and inhibitory secondary metabolites (SM) affect DNA analysis of the target fungi. The most obvious mycotoxins and fungi to consider in this regard are aflatoxins (AFB) and Aspergillus, as AFB are the most mutagenic natural compounds. Many other fungi and SM are relevant and fungi act as a model for bacteria and plants. In fact, fungi repair damaged nucleic acid (NA) and are capable of removing toxins by employing transporter proteins. Nevertheless, these could be inhibited by bioactive metabolites. Mutagenic effects may involve inhibition of DNA stabilising enzymes. In addition, PCR is subject to false negative results. Samples of fungi with the genes of interest (e.g. a mycotoxin) may be categorized as negative and safe as a consequence. Internal amplification controls (IACs) will ameliorate the situation and need to become mandatory. These are conventionally NA that posses a sequence which will provide a PCR product (a) using the same primers employed for the target gene and (b) that will not coincide on the gel with the product of the target gene. Inhibitors and mutagens in cultures need to be minimized, and SM are an obvious source. This is a crucial issue in developing diagnostic and phylogenetic methods. The conclusions are (a) previous reports are compromised because IACs have not been employed in PCR and (b) mutagens and inhibitors may affect the very stability essential for NA analyses used in diagnostics and phylogenetics.


Open cell microporous bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) films are made by a novel, solvent-free processing: drawing PC in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The pore size is less than 1.0 m, and the porosity is in the range of 20-70% and is highly tunable. The porous film has mechanical properties nearly as high as the original film. The influence of temperature and pressure on drawability, porosity, and mechanical integrity are systematically studied.


Purpose/Background: Paclitaxel (PTX) has been widely used in the clinic to treat breast cancer. However, its poor water solubility and intolerable toxicity greatly reduce the efficacy and medication safety. In this paper, a curcumin derivative (CUD) synthesized by the research group was used as a carrier to prepare a new type of PTX nanodrug delivery system (CUD-PTX-LN), thereby improving the safety of PTX medication and enhancing the anti-tumor effect.Methods: CUD-PTX-LN was prepared by solid dispersion technology and the dialysis method was adopted to investigate the release behavior of CUD-PTX-LN in vitro. Meanwhile, the dynamic process of nanoparticles in vivo was analyzed by pharmacokinetic experiments. Hemolysis experiment, acute toxicity and cumulative toxicity were conducted in mice to evaluate the safety of CUD-PTX-LN. Subsequently, the anti-tumor activity of CUD-PTX-LN was investigated using in vitro and in vivo breast cancer cell models.Results: The average particle size, PDI, and Zeta potential of CUD-PTX-LN were 238.5 ± 4.79 nm, 0.225 ± 0.011 and -33.8 ± 1.26 mV, respectively. CUD-PTX-LN had an encapsulation efficiency (%EE) of 94.20 ± 0.49% and an achievable drug loading (%DL) of 10.98 ± 0.31%. This nanoparticle was stable for up to half a year when the lyophilized powder was stored at room temperature. Cytotoxicity test on MCF-7 cells demonstrated the stronger cytotoxic activity of nanoparticles in comparison to free PTX. CUD-PTX-LN significantly prolonged the half-life and retention time of PTX. The area under the curve (AUC) of CUD-PTX-LN was 14.72 mg/L × h, which was 6 times that of the free PTX group (2.38 mg/L × h). In anti-tumor experiments in vivo, CUD-PTX-LN possessed the advantages of improving the antitumor efficacy and reducing the toxic side effects of drugs. Importantly, CUD-PTX-LN is safer than free PTX in terms of assessing hemolytic, acute and cumulative toxicity.Conclusion: A novel PTX nanodrug delivery system constructed based on CUD as a carrier holds great potential in improving breast cancer treatment.


Introduction In April 2017, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) was notified of an increase in the number of persons newly diagnosed with HIV in eastern Tennessee in the same month. Two were identified as persons with a history of injection drug use (IDU) and named each other as syringe-sharing partners, prompting an investigation into a possible HIV cluster among persons with a history of IDU. Materials and Methods TDH and public health staff members in eastern Tennessee collaborated to implement procedures outlined in TDH's HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) Outbreak Response Plan, including conducting enhanced interviewing and using a preestablished database for data collection and management. To complement contact tracing and enhanced interviewing, TDH partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct molecular HIV analyses. Results By June 27, 2017, the investigation had identified 31 persons newly diagnosed with HIV infection; 8 (26%) self-reported IDU, 4 of whom were also men who have sex with men (MSM). Of the remaining 23 persons newly diagnosed with HIV infection, 10 were MSM who did not report IDU, 9 reported high-risk heterosexual contact, and 4 had other or unknown risk factors. Molecular analysis of the 14 HIV-1 polymerase genes (including 7 of the 8 persons self-reporting IDU) revealed 3 distinct molecular clusters, one of which included 3 persons self-reporting IDU. Practice Implications This investigation highlights the importance of implementing an established Outbreak Response Plan and using HIV molecular analyses in the event of a transmission cluster or outbreak investigations. Future HIV outbreak surveillance will include using Global Hepatitis Outbreak Surveillance Technology to identify HCV gene sequences as a potential harbinger for HIV transmission networks.


Abstract The local liquid structure around heterovalent cation impurities in molten alkali chlorides is discussed in relation to spectroscopic data on solutions of transition metals ions. A tightly packed, low co-ordination shell is shown to be favoured by Coulomb ionic interactions for physically reasonable values of the size of the impurity. A competition between these forces and "crystal field" interactions favouring octahedral co-ordination is thus to be expected for many transition metal ions, as suggested by Gruen and McBeth. The transition observed for some transition metal ions from higher to lower co-ordination with increasing temperature is attributed primarily to entropy differences, that are roughly estimated in a solid-like model.


The comprehension principle of second order arithmetic asserts the existence of certain species (sets) corresponding to properties of natural numbers. In the intuitionistic theory of sequences of natural numbers there is an analoguous principle, implicit in Brouwer's writing and explicitly stated by Kripke, which asserts the existence of certain sequences corresponding to statements. The justification of this principle, Kripke's Schema, makes use of the concept of the so-called creative subject. For more information the reader is referred to Troelstra [5]. Kripke's Schema reads There is a weaker version The idea to reduce species to sequences via Kripke's schema occurred several years ago (cf. [2, p. 128], [5, p. 104]). In [1] the reduction technique was applied in the construction of a model for HAS. On second thought, however, I realized that there is a straightforward, simpler way to exploit Kripke's schema, avoiding models altogether. The idea to present this material separately was forced on the author by C. Smorynski. Consider a second order arithmetic with both species and sequence variables. By KS we have (for convenience we restrict ourselves in KS to 0-1-sequences). An application of AC-NF gives Of course ξ is not uniquely determined. This is the key to the reduction of full second order arithmetic, or HAS, to a theory of sequences. We now introduce a translation τ to eliminate species variables. It is no restriction to suppose that the formulae contain only the sequence variables ξ1, ξ3, ξ5, … Note that by virtue of the definition of τ the axiom of extensionality is automatically verified after translation. The translation τ eliminates the species variables and leaves formulae without species variables invariant.


Under laboratory conditions while applying angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction, the information depth in steel is usually restricted to less than 10 μm. Access to residual stresses induced by mechanical, chemical, or both types of surface treatment in deeper regions requires either the application of the layer removal method or an analysis with highly penetrating X rays and synchrotron radiation, respectively. Successive layer removal yields the actual residual stress depth profiles σij(z) up to any depth below the surface, but this is time consuming and semidestructive. High-energy X-ray diffraction performed in the energy-dispersive mode avoids these drawbacks, but it provides only the Laplace stresses, σij(τ), which have to be transformed back into the real space in order to obtain the actual stress-depth profile σij(z). Using an example of a uniaxially ground steel specimen, it is shown that the layer removal method and the energy-dispersive diffraction method for X-ray stress analysis when performed in reflection geometry yield comparable results in the case of the in-plane stress components σ11 and σ22. However, significant differences were observed concerning the out-of-plane stresses, which can be attributed to the boundary conditions that the σi3 components must satisfy at the free surface. It is demonstrated that stress redistribution at the newly generated surfaces after successive layer removal leads to an underestimation of the shear stresses σ13. The analysis of the out-of-plane normal stress component σ33 is shown to require nondestructive measurements.


An understanding of the multiple factors affecting young gymnasts is required to assist in optimizing performance and injury prevention. We aimed to determine the effects of participation level (international and national level gymnasts), apparatus (beam and floor) and training phase (pre-competition and competition) on estimates of training load in 25 female artistic gymnasts (mean age 9.5, SD = 1.6 years, training age 1.9, SD = 0.7 years). Video analysis was used to determine frequency of observed gymnastic-specific movements involving estimates of ankle and wrist impacts, landings, balance-related skills, and rotations. To further estimate training load, 16 gymnasts performed sport-specific skills, on a portable force platform. Results from a series of ANOVAs showed training load differences between the two groups. Compared with national level gymnasts, international gymnasts demonstrated increased hours of training, and a greater frequency of observed impacts (independent of time). Differences were also observed between the two phases of periodised training in both participation levels however, international gymnasts followed a more refined training program. No between group differences were evident for ground reaction forces on the beam and floor. Periodisation and training load should be monitored objectively to assist in ensuring the longevity of athletes and ideally minimising injury risk.


Digitalklang unites the world of digital (IT knowledge) and the world of Klang (the German word for sound) into one integrated customer experience. At digitalklang, highly-qualified sound designers and programmers develop individual solutions for adding sound to the Internet and other digital media, while significantly enhancing user experience. The interactive sound player (ISP), digitalklang's groundbreaking product, adds highly scalable and customizable interactive audio to Websites and CD-ROMs.


In elementary school science, one learns that matter is composed of solids, liquids and gases. True to form, crude oils obey this basic tenet with constituent solids (asphaltenes), liquids, and hydrocarbon (and other) gases. Modeling of gasliquid properties of reservoir crude oil such as gradients of GOR, saturation pressure, etc. can be accomplished using standard cubic equations of state (EoS). Moreover, the new technology downhole fluid analysis (DFA) enables measurement of these corresponding gradients of reservoir fluid properties. When these DFAmeasured fluid gradients are shown to be in equilibrium, that is, properly modeled by a cubic EoS, then reservoir connectivity is implied. Equilibration of reservoir fluids requires massive fluid flow throughout the reservoir and is inconsistent with intervening sealing barriers. In contrast, modeling the solid-fluid equilibria of reservoir crude oils had been precluded until now because of the lack of understanding of asphaltene fundamentals. For example, there had been a ~6 orders of magnitude debate about asphaltene molecular weight. Without knowing the asphaltene size, gravity and other terms cannot be determined and proper asphaltene modeling in reservoir crude oils is precluded. Major advances in asphaltene science have been made, codified in the modified Yen model and are based on extensive laboratory and oilfield studies. This new understanding enables proper modeling of solid-fluid equilibria of asphaltenes correcting perhaps the greatest limitation of petroleum science. Using DFA-measured asphaltene (and GOR) gradients coupled with this new asphaltene nanoscience, it is now possible to model heavy-end distributions of reservoir fluids from heavy oils to condensates. Moreover, for low GOR crude oils, the GOR is homogenous; thus, only the heavy end gradients are useful for reservoir connectivity analysis. The new technology of DFA coupled with new asphaltene science is shown in numerous case studies to greatly broaden the understanding of reservoir crude oils and represents a powerful new tool to address reservoir connectivity.


A knight's tour on a board is a sequence of knight moves that visits each square exactly once. A knight's tour on a square board is called magic knight's tour if the sum of the numbers in each row and column is the same (magic constant). Knight's tour in higher dimensions (n > 3) is a new topic in the age-old world of knight's tours. In this paper, it has been proved that there can't be magic knight's tour or closed knight's tour in an odd order n-dimensional hypercube. 3 \times 4 \times 2n-2 is the smallest cuboid (n \geq 2) and 4 \times 4 \times 4n-2 is the smallest cube in which knight's tour is possible in n-dimensions (n \geq 3). Magic knight's tours are possible in 4 \times 4 \times 4 \times 4 and 4 \times 4 \times 4 \times 4 \times 4 hypercube.


The application of machine learning approaches to diagnose gliomas from magnetic resonance image data is becoming increasingly common as machine learning algorithms are being refined and inexpensive, high power computing resources are readily available. Most current glioma detection techniques involve a biopsy which is invasive and often has several long-lasting negative impacts. Many different classification techniques have been tried for image classification of scans containing gliomas including traditional models such as K-nearest neighbors and Random Forest. Deep learning models, specifically convolutional neural networks and pre-built models, have also been applied to the situation. This study applied 2 traditional machine learning models, Support Vector Machine and logistic regression classifier, to a publicly available dataset containing over 1200 brain scans of healthy and diseased patients. After normalization, 854 images were used to train the two models and 367 images were used to test the models. They were then evaluated on the parameters of: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and sensitivity to determine which model performed better. Both models had similar AUC scores, but the SVM model had much higher sensitivity. Considering the possibly fatal ramifications of incorrectly diagnosing a patient who has been infected with glioma, it was determined that the SVM was better equipped to handle the classification task. Computer aided diagnosis of the tumor will hopefully be able to increase the survival rate of people diagnosing with gliomas.


Living in knowledge-based world and increasing competition between companiesespecially in IT-based companiesin determining the best knowledge strategy lead to more attention to this concept. The purpose of this paper is to review previous studies on knowledge strategy and its dimensions. Then, after categorizing these dimensions, a popular multi-criteria decisionmaking (MCDM) methodAHPin Fuzzy environment is used to evaluate dimensions of knowledge strategy (KS). The results show that knowledge sourcing, learning sourcing, learning speed are more effective dimensions of knowledge strategy. As every organization has a leading dimension in KS, ITbased companies should focus on these dimensions for better developing knowledge strategy.


PERICARDITIS, complicating meningococcal meningitis, is extremely rare. The exact incidence is not known, but in a series of reviews 1-5 totaling 9,714 nonfatal cases of meningococcal infections during the sulfonamide era, this complication was found only twice. Sporadic cases 6-14 have also been reported during this time, but unfortunately these reports give no information as to frequency. This paper will report another patient with pericarditis complicating meningococcal meningitis. The patient is the youngest with this complication reported to date and, in addition, her pericarditis was purulent and was massive enough to produce life-threatening cardiac tamponade. Report of a Case A 3-year-old white girl was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital on Sept 16, 1962, in semicoma. Apart from a mild "cold" one week earlier, the child was well until two days before admission when she developed fever, vomiting, and headache. Her symptoms persisted and she became increasingly lethargic. She was then


A series of novel benzyl/arylphosphonates were synthesized by the BF3.Et2O catalyzed Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction where by the reaction of 3-trifluorobenzylbromide/5-bromonicotinic acid with various trialkyl phosphites in the N2 atmosphere. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by their spectral analysis. The title compounds were screened for their anti-oxidant activity DPPH and Superoxide radical scavenging activities. The compounds 3d, 3i and3j were exhibited the good consequences.


Various patterns of ankle fractures that are not accounted for by common classification systems have been the subject of case reports. The first difficulty with these variant patterns is recognizing all associated pathology, followed by the successful application of stable fixation. The purpose of this study was to describe the common morphologic features and ligamentous injuries of a unique variant fracture pattern, as well as the surgical treatment technique and the short-term functional and radiographic outcomes. Of 121 consecutive unstable ankle fractures over a 2-year period, 7 patients were found to have a similar constellation of injuries around the ankle. A vertical shear fracture of the posteromedial tibial rim was the main feature. Six of the 7 also had a fracture of the posterior malleolus. On magnetic resonance imaging, the deltoid and posterior tibiofibular ligaments were intact in all cases. Fractures were treated with open anatomic reduction of the posteromedial and posterior fragments with antiglide plate fixation. All fractures healed at 2 months without loss of reduction, fixation failure, or surgical complications. The average American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons lower extremity score was 79 at an average of 8 months' follow-up. The common radiographic and morphologic features associated with this posteromedial fracture indicate that it likely occurs through a common mechanism that involves hyperplantarflexion. The characteristics of this fracture pattern have not been fully described previously, but this ankle fracture variant may occur in up to 6% of cases. Unstable ankle fractures should be evaluated carefully for evidence of posteromedial involvement so appropriate treatment may proceed.


The public switched telephone network (PSTN) was designed for high reliability and availability and has achieved an impressive record of service over its history. People today expect continuous telephone service, even in emergencies such as the loss of commercial power or construction cable cuts. The PSTN, however, was not designed for survivability in the face of malicious or catastrophic faults that cause total failure of one of its subscriber-line switching offices. Such a failure could potentially disrupt phone service to thousands of customers for days or weeks, depending on the extent of the damage. Fortunately, modern switching equipment is designed for distribution over a wide geographic area and several subscriber-line architectures are available to address survivability issues. This paper defines the issue of subscriber-line survivability and identifies architectures that improve survivability.


Much has been said about the involvement of private out-of-state actors, from outside the continent, in African wars. In this article, however, the focus is on vigilantes, civil defence forces (CDFs) and militia groups as aspects of the privatisation of war and the security debate in Africa. In essence, this article is concerned with indigenous, private self-defence units that provide security and engage in warfare on the continent. These groups are mobilised to defend their communities against violence, but as is discussed, they are also complicit in much of the violence and armed internal conflicts, causing massive loss of life and widespread damage.


. Digital radio detection of cosmic-ray air showers has emerged as an alternative technique in high-energy astroparticle physics. Estimation of the detection efficiency of cosmic-ray radio arrays is one of the few remaining challenges regarding this technique. To address this problem, we developed a new approach to model the efficiency based on the explicit probabilistic treatment of key elements of the radio technique for air showers: the footprint of the radio signal on ground, the detection of the signal in an individual antenna, and the detection criterion on the level of the entire array. The model allows for estimation of sky regions of full efficiency and can be used to compute the aperture of the array, which is essential to measure the absolute flux of cosmic rays. We also present a semi-analytical method that we apply to the generic model, to calculate the efficiency and aperture with high accuracy and reasonable calculation time. The model in this paper is applied to the Tunka-Rex array as example instrument and validated against Monte Carlo simulations. The validation shows that the model performs well, in particular, in the prediction of regions with full efficiency. It can thus be applied to other antenna arrays to facilitate the measurement of absolute cosmic-ray fluxes and to minimize a selection bias in cosmic-ray studies.


Background and Aims

Grape marc (GM), a byproduct of winemaking, contains significant amounts of substances that are not efficiently used. This study investigated the effect of solvent systems on the extraction of phenolic substances and antioxidant capacity (AC) from the Carignan grape (Vitis vinifera L.) marc, as well as from the peduncle, skin and seed of Carignan.

Methods and Results

The solvent systems tested were (v:v): methanol (MeOH) : water (6:4, 7:3 and 9:1), MeOH : water : acetone (ACE) (3:3.5:3.5) and ethanol (EtOH) : water (6:4, 7:3 and 9:1). The highest extraction of phenolic substances and flavonoids was obtained with EtOH : water (6:4 and 7:3) and MeOH : water : ACE (3:3.5:3.5) followed by MeOH : water (7:3). The highest AC was obtained with MeOH : water : ACE (3:3.5:3.5) followed by EtOH : water (6:4 and 7:3). The concentration of phenolic substances varied from 4.72 to 7.05 g catechin equivalents (CE)/kg fresh mass (FM) for seed extracts, 2.72–3.55 g CE/kg FM for skin extracts and 2.03–2.11 g CE/kg FM for peduncle extracts. Catechin, epicatechin, rutin, myricetin, quercetin, epicatechin gallate, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, quercetin 3-O-hexoside and malvidin 3-hexoside were found in the marc.

Significance of the Study

The best solvent systems for extracting phenolic substances with high AC from Carignan GM were MeOH : water : ACE (3:3.5:3.5) and EtOH : water (6:4 and 7:3). The main phenolic substances that remained in wine marc after fermentation were myricetin, catechin and epicatechin. The results of this study suggest that Carignan GM, considered an industrial waste, is a natural resource of antioxidants.


The American Social Health Association (ASHA) can look back on 80 years of service as the only national nongovernmental organization devoted exclusively to prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The valuable contributions made by physicians since the agency's founding in 1914 are noted and gratefully acknowledged. To commemorate its 80th anniversary, ASHA recently published a history that discusses the movements leading to ASHA's founding, the organization's work with the military during the World Wars, the changing face of STD control once penicillin became widely available in the 1940s, and the response to newly identified infections in recent decades. It also lists ASHA's founders, board presidents, executive directors, and recipients of the William Freeman Snow Award for outstanding contributions in the field of sexually transmitted diseases. The history was written by Kay Flaminio and David Klaassen of the ASHA Archive. This article summarizing ASHA's history was written especially for the Journal by Sam A. Nixon and Kay Flaminio. Nixon, a long-time member of the Southern Medical Association, recently retired as an associate network medical director of BlueCross BlueShield of Texas. He has maintained an interest in STD prevention and the work of the ASHA for many years, currently serving as the vice chair of ASHA's board of directors. Kay Flaminio is a member of the staff of ASHA.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

This work was supported by foundation ARC and INSERM, France.

Introduction and Objective: Despite recent improvements in therapeutic management of osteosarcoma, ongoing challenges in improving the response to chemotherapy warrants the development of new strategies to improve overall patient survival. Among new therapeutic approaches, Heat shock protein (HSP) 90 is a molecular chaperone involved in the maturation and stability of various oncogenic proteins leading to tumor cells survival. In this study, we assessed the in vitro and in vivo antitumor properties of a novel synthetic HSP90 inhibitor, PF-04942847 both in vitro and in vivo in osteosarcoma.

Methods: The effects of the HSP90 inhibitor were evaluated in vitro on U2OS, SaOS2, MNNG/HOS, KHOS, MG63, G292, CAL72, SJSA1 and 143B cell growth and apoptosis. The signaling pathways were analyzed by western blotting. The consequence of HSP90 therapy in vivo was evaluated in athymic mice bearing MNNG/HOS xenografts. The effect of PF-04942847 on osteoclastogenesis was assessed in vitro on purified human CD14+ monocytes.

Results: In our panel of osteosarcoma cell lines, PF-04942847 inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 ± 50nM) and induced apoptosis with an increase of sub-G1 fraction and PARP cleavage. These biologic events were accompanied by decreased expression of Akt, Erk, MYC, c-MET, STAT-3, and modulation of HSP expression. When administered orally 3 times/week (25mg/kg) to mice bearing osteosarcoma tumors, PF-04942847 significantly inhibited tumor growth by 40% and prolonged survival compared to controls. Moreover, in contrast to 17-AAG, the novel PF-04942847 compound inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro.

Conclusions: Targeting HSP90 using PF-04942847 inhibited osteosarcoma tumor growth in vitro and in vivo and appears to inhibit osteoclastogenesis. All these data provides a strong rationale for clinical evaluation of PF-04942847 in osteosarcoma.

Citation Format: Marc Baud'Huin, Benjamin Ory, Franck Verrecchia, Dominique Heymann, Francoise Redini, Francois Lamoureux. Preclinical efficacy of Hsp90 inhibition by using PF-04942847 in osteosarcoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1750. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1750


One year has passed since I started serving as the ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology editor-in-chief, and it is time for a retrospective assessment and a tuning of the prospective editorial plans. In 2019, ACM TOSEM published 23 regular papers in the four quarterly issues, with an increase of almost 40% from the 17 papers published in 2018. The healthy increase of published papers is the result of a growing number of new submissions, improved review turnaround times, and reduced author revision turnaround times. In 2019, ACM TOSEM received 209 regular papers, 156 of which were submitted for the first time, with an overall increase of more than 10% from 2018 and a strong increase of more than 30% in the second quarter of 2019 over the previous three quarters. In 2019, ACM TOSEM papers benefited from an average review turnaround time of 54 days, an improvement of almost 50% over 2018. The board of distinguished reviewers, the fast-impact track, and the first continuous special section on AI and SE largely contributed to this success. Distinguished reviewers guarantee a steady response time and help us reduce the overall review time. The fast-impact track assures an upper-bound response time for journal-first papers of limited length, and it gives authors the opportunity to quickly publish new results. The ICSE journal-first track and the newly launched ACM TOSEM social media presence give early visibility to the new ideas presented in fast-impact papers. The authors of the 49 fast-impact papers submitted to ACM TOSEM in 2019, since the new workflow's inception in June 2019, were witnesses to the success of the track. The continuous special section on AI and SE has already attracted 13 fast-impact papers since its start in September 2019 and is growing fast in 2020. In 2020, we will work to strengthen the board of distinguished reviewers, start new special sections on hot topics that show an emerging, relevant role in software engineering, and fine-tune the review process to avoid the delays that affected few papers in 2019. Our aim is to keep up the good growth of high-quality submissions and great published papers. The excellent performance of ACM TOSEM would not be possible without the invaluable contribution of the many reviewers, the dedication of the distinguished reviewers, the enthusiasm and work of the editors, and the invaluable work of the support team.


Abstract This is an extended interview with Jonathan Powell, former Chief of Staff for the Blair government from 1997 to 2007, about the Northern Ireland peace process and the negotiations and talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and a power‐sharing Assembly led by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin in 2007. The interview seeks to reveal what Powell and the British considered as key motivations and intentions in the peace process, such as choreography, momentum and ambiguity, as well as bring to light other perhaps less acknowledged but equally important factors, such as inter‐personal relations and trust. The interview is necessarily wide‐ranging in order to highlight the extent of considerations which came into play in order to keep the peace process on track. As such, it serves as a useful point of reference for further studies about the politics of conflict management and transformation, inviting us to think about the importance of individual forces at work, but within a context of multiple influences and pressures.


Measurements in a test facility for a complex interior flow are provided as a data basis for CFD code evaluation. For forced convection flows the three time averaged components of the velocity vector and all components of the Reynolds stress tensor are measured in selected cross sections. Special attention is given to the inflow into the main flow section since it is the important part of the boundary condition for a numerical solution.Copyright © 2002 by ASME


This paper develops a conceptual framework to explain employees' technology usage within organizations. Much of the prior information systems literature has assumed an underlying relationship between "facilitating conditions" for information technology (IT) adoption (e.g., user training, technical support, resource availability) and employees' technology use. Although these facilitating conditions are important, they do not provide a complete explanation of employees' IT usage. The reality of working in organizational settings suggests a different model of IT adoption and usage. Drawing from research on social information processing theory, and acknowledging the role of other individuals within the work context that shapes employees' learning, values, and behavior, we propose a framework to explain employees' adoption of IT and their level of usage within organizations, featuring both individual-level factors and factors related to the social information processing influence of coworkers. Our results show that an employee's coworkers exert an important influence on IT usage, whereas individual-level factors exhibit more modest effects.


There were scientists who believed that the beginning of the universe that cosmology speaks about should be identified with the moment of creation by God. One of them was Edmund Whittaker, who was convinced that the Big Bang provides a kind of scientific proof of the creation 'ex nihilo' and consequently of the existence of God. The present paper gives a short account of his natural theology. In the first chapter, Whittaker's philosophy of mathematics is presented - this is his point of departure: rational and mathematical character of the world is - in his opinion - a source of our knowledge of God. Chapters two and three give an account of Whittaker's natural theology; the stress is put on the Big Bang as a moment of the world's creation. In chapter four, the relevance of cosmology for the understanding of the Five Ways to God of St. Thomas is discussed. The last chapter deals with the problem of determinism and free will as seen by Edmund Whittaker.


Improvements in the performance of processors and networks make it both feasible and interesting to treat collections of workstations, servers, clusters, and supercomputers as integrated computational resources, or Grids. However, the highly heterogeneous and dynamic nature of such Grids can make application development di.cult. Here we describe an architecture and prototype implementation for a Grid-enabled computational framework based on Cactus, the MPICH-G2 Grid-enabled message-passing library, and a variety of specialized features to support e.cient execution in Grid environments. We have used this framework to perform record-setting computations in numerical relativity, running across four supercomputers and achieving scaling of 88% (1140 CPU's) and 63% (1500 CPUs). The problem size we were able to compute was about five times larger than any other previous run. Further, we introduce and demonstrate adaptive methods that automatically adjust computational parameters during run time, to increase dramatically the efficiency of a distributed Grid simulation, without modification of the application and without any knowledge of the underlying network connecting the distributed computers.


Context. Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that exhibit weak or no eruption signatures in the low corona, known as stealth CMEs, are problematic as upon arrival at Earth they can lead to geomagnetic disturbances that were not predicted by space weather forecasters.
Aims. We investigate the origin and eruption of a stealth event that occurred on 2015 January 3 that was responsible for a strong geomagnetic storm upon its arrival at Earth.
Methods. To simulate the coronal magnetic field and plasma parameters of the eruption we use a coupled approach. This approach combines an evolutionary nonlinear force-free field model of the global corona with a MHD simulation.
Results. The combined simulation approach accurately reproduces the stealth event and suggests that sympathetic eruptions occur. In the combined simulation we found that three flux ropes form and then erupt. The first two flux ropes, which are connected to a large AR complex behind the east limb, erupt first producing two near-simultaneous CMEs. These CMEs are closely followed by a third, weaker flux rope eruption in the simulation that originated between the periphery of AR 12252 and the southern polar coronal hole. The third eruption coincides with a faint coronal dimming, which appears in the SDO/AIA 211 Å observations, that is attributed as the source responsible for the stealth event and later the geomagnetic disturbance at 1 AU. The incorrect interpretation of the stealth event being linked to the occurrence of a single partial halo CME observed by LASCO/C2 is mainly due to the lack of STEREO observations being available at the time of the CMEs. The simulation also shows that the LASCO CME is not a single event but rather two near-simultaneous CMEs.
Conclusions. These results show the significance of the coupled data-driven simulation approach in interpreting the eruption and that an operational L5 mission is crucial for space weather forecasting.


The article discusses the capabilities of the Loginom analytical platform for processing long-term field experience data; such software components are used as data transformation (row filter, sorting, grouping, cross-table, cross-diagram, sliding window); preprocessing (editing emissions, smoothing), research (correlation analysis, factor analysis), Data Mining (self-organizing network, clustering) to identify the effect of crop rotations, soil liming, application of various combinations of mineral and organic fertilizers, weather conditions on yield of oats and barley.


Explainability of deep learning systems is a vital requirement for many applications. However, it is still an unsolved problem. Recent self-attention based models for natural language processing, such as the Transformer or BERT, offer hope of greater explainability by providing attention maps that can be directly inspected. Nevertheless, by just looking at the attention maps one often overlooks that the attention is not over words but over hidden embeddings, which themselves can be mixed representations of multiple embeddings. We investigate to what extent the implicit assumption made in many recent papers - that hidden embeddings at all layers still correspond to the underlying words - is justified. We quantify how much embeddings are mixed based on a gradient based attribution method and find that already after the first layer less than 50% of the embedding is attributed to the underlying word, declining thereafter to a median contribution of 7.5% in the last layer. While throughout the layers the underlying word remains as the one contributing most to the embedding, we argue that attention visualizations are misleading and should be treated with care when explaining the underlying deep learning system.


The hydrogen atom in a weak magnetic field is studied for some infinite families and separate eigenstates in a special form of perturbation theory connected to a 'non-linearization' method. Explicit formulae for energy and wavefunction corrections up to second order are found for the states with the Coulombic quantum numbers: (nr=0, mod m mod =l, l-1), (nr=1, mod m mod =l), 3p0 and 4d1. Energy corrections are in agreement with the calculation of Grozdanov and Taylor (1986). Special attention is paid to nodal surface deformations under a magnetic field deviation and an attempt to explain the bifurcatory nature of nodal surface pictures is made. The functional structure of arbitrary correction to the wavefunction is analysed.


The efficiency of the solar PV panel decreases significantly as the PV panel's operating temperature increases. There are many cooling techniques might be suitably deal with this problem to enhance the solar panel efficiency. The presented cooling technique used for solving the PV panel's temperature elevation is an active close loop cooling system, accomplished using two water glazing chambers made from acrylic glass placed at the PV panel surfaces (rear and front). These champers are utilized for cooling down the PV cell's temperature, as well as filtering the useful sunlight spectrum. The results show that the PV cell's temperature reduction by 50.06% with using the cooling system, this leads to an average increase in the maximum output power and consequently electrical efficiency of the PV panel by about 12.69% and 14.2%, respectively.


The paper presents data for regular and random wave interaction with a single flexible cylinder. The model cylinder was designed to exhibit dynamic characteristics of a TLP riser or tendon in approximately 1000 m of water. Experiments were conducted in a deep water basin, the model was instrumented to provide detailed information on the cylinder response. The cylinder response was analyzed to provide some physical insight into the complex wave- flexible cylinder interaction phenomenon. The transverse response was analyzed as a function of Keulegan-Carpenter number to allow comparison with previous studies in oscillating flow. The complicated multi-frequency response for large Keulegan-Carpenter numbers is explained by introducing the depth dependence of the Keulegan-Carpenter number, resulting in a multi-frequency, wave- induced transverse loading. Variation in response as a function of depth is also presented for various wave conditions. A relationship between transverse response and high frequency content of the inline response is illustrated for both regular and random waves.


SUMMARY In 1999 Union, Virginia, was officially recognized as a "historically black community" by the National Register of Historic Places. A short history was written in connection with official recognition—a narrative that is "accurate" as far as the facts are concerned but which reflects very little of the histories that Union's African-American residents narrate themselves or, indeed, how history is shared among them in the first place. This article focuses on one historical narrative—the Moonshine Story—that did not make it into the official history but which was shared with some frequency among Union residents. Ethnographic research demonstrates that the social space in which people share knowledge determines not only what information is exchanged but how. In formal interview settings Union residents offered narratives that echo the structure and form of Union's official history. In informal settings, however, residents produced "thick" histories—three-dimensional and dynamic narratives that are continually produced, that are patently conscious of their relationship to the present, and that affirm a shared sense of community among the speakers.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of mutations and sequence variations of glucokinase gene GCK in Chinese early-onset diabetes population.

METHODS
The study was conducted in 174 unrelated Chinese residents, including 80 nondiabetic controls, 94 probands of early-onset diabetes pedigree. Direct sequencing was performed to screen all 10 exons of glucokinase gene, including promoter and exon/intron junctions.

RESULTS
No mutations were identified in coding region, but several previously reported sequence variants were identified. 5'-untranslated region of exon 1a, 84 bp upstream of the translation initiation site GGCGG to GGGGG(early-onset diabetes group G allele frequency 0.106 vs control group 0.075, P=0.355); IVS1b+12 (A-->T) (early-onset diabetes group T allele frequency 0.005 vs non-identity of this variation in control group); IVS 5+29 (G-->T) (early-onset diabetes group T allele frequency 0.027 vs control group 0.019, P=0.731); IVS 9+8 (T-->C) (early-onset diabetes group C allele frequency 0.585 vs 0.694, P=0.044). A novel variation IVS 9+49 (G-->A) (early-onset diabetes group A allele frequency 0.011 vs control 0.006, P=1.000) was identified. There were no significant relationships of the exon 1a 5'-untransted region -84 bp(C-->G), IVS 5+29 (G-->T), IVS 9+8 (T-->C) and IVS 9+49 (G-->A) variants of GCK gene to the clinical variables such as plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide and fasting lipid profile.

CONCLUSION
The prevalence of structural mutations in glucokinase gene responsible for early-onset diabetes appears to be rare among Chinese patients.


A two-step photoionization strategy of an ultracold rubidium beam for application in a focused ion beam instrument is analyzed and implemented. In this strategy the atomic beam is partly selected with an aperture after which the transmitted atoms are ionized in the overlap of a tightly cylindrically focused excitation laser beam and an ionization laser beam whose power is enhanced in a build-up cavity. The advantage of this strategy, as compared to without the use of a build-up cavity, is that higher ionization degrees can be reached at higher currents. Optical Bloch equations including the photoionization process are used to calculate what ionization degree and ionization position distribution can be reached. Furthermore, the ionization strategy is tested on an ultracold beam of 85Rb atoms. The beam current is measured as a function of the excitation and ionization laser beam intensity and the selection aperture size. Although details are different, the global trends of the measurements agree well with the calculation. With a selection aperture diameter of 52μm, a current of (170±4) pA is measured, which according to calculations is 63% of the current equivalent of the transmitted atomic flux. Taking into account the ionization degree the ion beam peak reduced brightness is estimated at 1×107 A/(m2sreV).