Sieve dusting reduces the efficiency of molecular sieve adsorption during ethanol dehydration. As a result, the recoverable yield of pure ethanol is lowered. This study explored the contribution of congeners (acetone, ethyl acetate, and methanol) in molecular sieve dusting by varying the number of pressure cycles and congener concentrations during ethanol dehydration. A general two-factorial design with three levels was used to statistically test these factors. Degree of dusting was evaluated by measuring cumulative decrease in mass and change in crush strength of sieves. The number of pressure cycles and congener concentration had a positive effect on the decrease in mass of Type 3A molecular sieves and a negative effect with crush strength. There was an 11.20 %, 18.56 %, and 34.11 % change in crushing strength from 400, 800, and 1200 mg L-1 acetone concentration for a five-cycle dehydration run, respectively. Greatest decrease in bulk mass was found to be 0.53% (cumulative) and 0.25% (non-cumulative) for acetone and 0.60% (cumulative) and 0.31% (non-cumulative) for congener mixture. The parameters had no significant interaction towards each other; thus, the effect of the number of pressure cycle and congener concentration was additive to sieve dusting.


One strategy to solve a nonlinear eigenvalue problem $T(\lambda)x=0$ is to solve a polynomial eigenvalue problem (PEP) $P(\lambda)x=0$ that approximates the original problem through interpolation. Then, this PEP is usually solved by linearization. Most of the literature about linearizations assumes that $P(\lambda)$ is expressed in the monomial basis but, because of the polynomial approximation techniques, in this context, $P(\lambda)$ is expressed in a non-monomial basis. The bases used with most frequency are the Chebyshev basis, the Newton basis and the Lagrange basis. In this paper we construct a family of linearizations of $P(\lambda)$ that is easy to construct from the matrix coefficients of $P(\lambda)$ when this polynomial is expressed in any of those three bases. We also provide recovery formulas of eigenvectors (when $P(\lambda)$ is regular) and recovery formulas of minimal bases and minimal indices (when $P(\lambda)$ is singular). Our ultimate goal is to compare the numerical behavior of these linearizations, within the same family (to select the best one) and with the linearizations of other families based on the location of the eigenvalues with respect to the interpolation nodes.


Periodic structures are used widely in electromagnetic devices, including filters, waveguiding structures, and antennas. Their electromagnetic properties may be analyzed computationally by solving an integral equation, in which an unknown equivalent current distribution in a single unit cell is convolved with a periodic Green's function that accounts for the system's boundary conditions. Fast computation of the periodic Green's function is therefore essential to achieve high accuracy solutions of complicated periodic structures, including analysis of modal wave propagation and scattering from external sources. This dissertation first presents alternative spectral representations of the periodic Green's function of the Helmholtz equation for cases of linear periodic systems in 2D and 3D free space and near planarly layered media. Although there exist multiple representations of the periodic Green's function, most are not efficient in the important case where the fields are observed near the array axis. We present spectral-spatial representations for rapid calculation of the periodic Green's functions for linear periodic arrays of current sources residing in free space as well as near a planarly layered medium. They are based on the integral expansion of the periodic Green's functions in terms of the spectral parameters transverse to the array axis. These schemes are important for the rapid computation of the interaction among unit cells of a periodic array, and, by extension, the complex dispersion relations of guided waves. Extensions of this approach to planar periodic structures are discussed. With these computation tools established, we study the traveling wave properties of linear resonant arrays placed near surfaces, and examine the coupling mechanisms that lead to radiation into guided waves supported by the surface. This behavior is especially important to understand the properties of periodic structures printed on dielectric substrates, such as periodic microstrip lines and leaky wave antennas. We proceed to analyze twisted linear periodic arrays, consisting of particles that are sequentially and discretely rotated about the array axis by a constant angle. Such periodic structures support two transverse wave modes with distinct polarization and radiation behavior, which couple to circularly polarized sources with opposite handedness. These structures offer a new dimension of polarization control to linear waveguiding structures


A central feature of work and workplace transformations globally has been the rapid expansion of internships and educationally focused work experience. Such experiences are now widely considered foundational in facilitating 'employability' and as a pathway into a reconfigured paid labour market. The practice of unpaid work and internships is therefore a crucial, yet under-recognised dimension of debates about the future of work and employment relations. This chapter addresses three streams of research that have advanced knowledge of trends in relation to the future of (unpaid) work experience, providing a critical summary of debates in the field. These themes comprise: (1) modes and types of unpaid work; (2) the expansion and prevalence of unpaid work; and (3) the impacts of unpaid work on participants and other workers. The final section of the chapter canvasses a forward agenda for future research and practice.


In the dentures industry, materials must be chosen to have good mechanical properties in order to resist the conditions that may occur in the mouth. A study was conducted to assess tensile strength, elasticity coefficient, elongation, flexural strength, flexural modulus with impact properties of poly methyl methacrylate resin as matrix strengthened with cinnamon powder and also analysing these mechanical properties by using (OriginLab) software program. The samples of Poly Methyl methacrylate bio composites which containing 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% weight fractions of cinnamon powder and an unfilled as control sample were fabricated using "hand lay up" method. The results indicate that the addition of 8% weight fraction cinnamon powder into Poly Methyl methacrylate resin improved of ultimate tensile strength, modulus elasticity ,flexural strength, flexural modulus (62 MPa, 3.7 GPa, 96 MPa, 6.4 GPa) respectively, compared with the values of pure Poly Methyl methacrylate (51 MPa, 1.5 GPa, 78MPa, 2.0 GPa) respectively. Also can be noted that the elongation at break values decreases with an increase in weight fractions of filler, where the sample (Poly Methyl methacrylate +2% cinnamon) has the best value for elongation compared with samples reinforced (4%, 6% and 8% wt). The impact strength results observe the maximum value was present in the sample (Poly Methyl methacrylate+6% cinnamon). From the results, descriptive, One Way ANOVA statistical analysis and means comparison by used (Scheffe test and Tukey test) for all mechanical properties indicated, turns out if Sig equals 1 shows that the variance in mean is significant at the level of 0.05, whereas Sig is 0 designates that the mean variance is not significant at the level 0.05. KeywordsPoly methyl methacrylate, Cinnamon powder, tensile properties, Flexural strength, Flexural modulus, Impact strength, Origin Lab. How to cite this article: A.M. Al-Ghabban., R.A. Mohammed and J.R. Mahmood, "Analysing Some Mechanical Properties of Cinnamon Powder Reinforced with Polymeric Materials Used in Dental Application," Engineering and Technology Journal, Vol. 37, Part A, No. 3, pp. 96-105, 2019.


Mr. States has done good service in bringing up-todate our knowledge of the stage history of The Cenci,1 but the conclusions he draws are inconsistent with the implications of his opening paragraph, in which he indicates that his study will "substantiate the previous findings." His evidence does substantiate earlier findings, but his conclusions contradict them. It is his conclusions, not his material, with which I take issue. Mr. States asserts that without accomplished acting, The Cenci "seems always to fail dismally" (p. 641), and he concludes (p. 644):


Vouchers stimulate demand for health care services by giving beneficiaries purchasing power. In turn, health facilities' claims are reimbursed for providing beneficiaries with improved quality of health care. Efficient strategies to generate demand from new, often poor, users and supply in the form of increased access and expanded scope of services would help move Uganda away from inequity and toward universal health care. A reproductive health voucher program was implemented in 20 western and southwest Ugandan districts from April 2008 to March 2012. Using three years of data, this impact evaluation study employed a quasi-experimental design to examine differences in utilization of health services among women in voucher and nonvoucher villages. Two key findings were a 16-percentage-point net increase in private facility deliveries and a decrease in home deliveries among women who had used the voucher, indicating the project likely made contributions to increase private facility births in villages with voucher clients. No statistically significant difference was seen between respondents from voucher and nonvoucher villages in the use of postnatal care services, or in attending four or more antenatal care visits. A net 33-percentage-point decrease in out-of-pocket expenditure at private facilities in villages with voucher clients was found, and a higher percentage of voucher users came from households in the two poorest quintiles. The greater uptake of facility births by respondents in voucher villages compared with controls indicates that the approach has the potential to accelerate service uptake. A scaled program could help to move the country toward universal coverage of maternal health care.


Objective
Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) is an important member of the IFITM family. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its antiviral action have not been completely elucidated. Recent studies on IFITM3, particularly those focused on innate antiviral defense mechanisms, have shown that IFITM3 affects the body's adaptive immune response. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of IFITM3 proteins to immune control of influenza infection in vivo.

Methods
We performed proteomics, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry analysis and used bioinformatics tools to systematically compare and analyze the differences in natural killer (NK) cell numbers, their activation, and their immune function in the lungs of Ifitm3-/- and wild-type mice.

Results
Ifitm3-/- mice developed more severe inflammation and apoptotic responses compared to wild-type mice. Moreover, the NK cell activation was higher in the lungs of Ifitm3-/- mice during acute influenza infection.

Conclusions
Based on our results, we speculate that the NK cells are more readily activated in the absence of IFITM3, increasing mortality in Ifitm3-/- mice.


The effect of rare earth elements (R.E)(from 0.0 to 0.04%) on the microstructure formation and mechanical properties of thin-wall ductile iron castings were investigated. Tensile strength and hardness were decreased with on addition of up to 0.03% rare-earth elements. After addition of more than 0.03%, those were increased. Graphite nodule sizes were the finest, module count was the highst regardless of thickness and volume fraction of ferrite was the largest when that was 0.02%. However, the nodule count was decreased with increasing R.E. Futhermore. nodule size increased with increasing thickness and the volume fraction of ferrite decreased as that was increased. Nodularity was increased regardless of the thickness as that was increased. The castings of minium thickness up to 3 mm was possible without the formation of chill.


A broad review is presented of the changes in "state of the art" in body composition between 1963 and 1983, together with suggestions for future research. Consideration is given to the development of equations to estimate body density from anthropometry with special reference to the limitations of the stepwise approach and the need to consider power functions. The advantages of the maximum R2 method and the potential of ridge regressions to extend the applicability of estimation equations is discussed. During the past decade, there has been considerable interest in selecting indices of weight and stature, with suitable powers, for use as measures of obesity. Such indices are of doubtful value in children and not all methods applied to adults have been appropriate. Many consider frame size fundamental to judgments of the normality of weight in adults. There is merit in this concept but we lack a measure of frame size that explains a considerable part of the variance in body fat unaccounted for by weight and stature. Among the many studies of adipocytes, those of size are more valid than those of number, but there are problems related to the distribution of sizes within samples and the selection of sampling sites.


1. The concentration of zinc in seminal plasma at two different ages was measured in two breeds of domestic fowl. In the heavy strain, the motility and fertilising ability of spermatozoa stored for 24 h at 4 degrees C was also studied. 2. The concentration of zinc in the seminal plasma of the breeds studied was between 1 to 3 micrograms/ml. Age had no effect on it. 3. Zinc concentrations of 1, 3 or 9 micrograms/ml in the storage medium had no effect on sperm motility but in young animals reduced the fertilising ability of stored spermatozoa at the two highest concentrations and in older animals at all three concentrations tested.


Speed-regulation characteristic of PMSM (permanent magnet synchronous motor) in marine electric propulsion system is studied in this paper. Governing method based on vector control is analyzed according to the mathematical model in two-phase rotating coordinate system. After that, a noble PID control strategy which raises dual closed-loop i.e. speed loop and stator current loop is proposed based on fuzzy control theory. Speed deviation and its rate are taken as inputs for adjustment of the PID controller. The strategy proposed in this paper improves the response of system, static and dynamic characteristics of PMSM servo system as well as anti-jamming capability. Finally, simulation results from Simulink show the correctness and realizability of our system.


Introduction During healthy pregnancy there is marked and progressive vasodilatation leading to increased blood flow to maternal organs, in particular the utero-placental circulation. While using a measure of flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) to assess endothelial function in pregnancy, we noticed vasoconstriction of the brachial artery during low-flow, induced by distal cuff occlusion. Technological improvements in measuring and analysing vascular responses to shear stress allowed us to quantify these novel changes that are so far, unique to pregnancy. Methods Endothelial function was prospectively assessed using FMD in 40 healthy, non-smoking pregnant women from 10 weeks gestation, at 4–6 weekly intervals throughout pregnancy and at 15 weeks postpartum. The distal brachial artery was occluded for 5 min and brachial artery diameter was measured continuously for 1 min prior to occlusion, during vessel occlusion and for 5 min after cuff release. Maternal heart rate was measured during this time, and blood flow and reactive hyperaemia responses were calculated. Results A novel and unexpected observation was vasoconstriction of the brachial artery at low-flow, proximal to cuff occlusion. As peripheral blood flow increased, this vasoconstriction became more marked with advancing gestation (ANOVA p<0.001) and fell postpartum. As previously observed, maternal heart rate increased and reactive hyperaemia decreased as pregnancy advanced (ANOVA p<0.001 in both cases). FMD was unchanged during pregnancy but fell postpartum. Conclusions Reducing peripheral blood flow in pregnancy leads to proximal artery vasoconstriction. This observation supports the view that high flow shear stress mediates at least part of the progressive vasodilatation of healthy pregnancy.


This paper addresses the problem of forecasting various product demands of main distribution warehouses. Demand forecasting is the activity of building forecasting models to estimate the quantity of a product that customers will purchase. It is affected from numerously different factors such as warehouse region size, customer count, product type etc. When the number of the distribution warehouses and products increases, it becomes considerably hard to estimate the demand of customers. In this study, we provide an appropriate methodology for demand forecasting which is capable of overcoming the aforementioned limitations while providing a high estimation accuracy. The proposed methodology clusters similar warehouses according to their sale behavior using bipartite graph clustering. After that, hybrid forecasting phase which combines moving average model and Bayesian Network machine learning algorithm is applied. Our experimental results on real data set show that this approach considerably improves the forecasting performance.


The development of a solid electrolyte with superb Li+ conductivity is the key to enabling safe and high-performance all-solid lithium ion batteries which are free of the safety issues associated with flammable organic liquid electrolyte. Systematic experimental work has been carried out as a follow up to our recent theoretical prediction that superb ionic conductivity could be achieved through the tuning of the lattice chemistry in the cubic argyrodite Li6PS5Cl. Remarkable enhancement of the ionic conductivity has been achieved through the combined effect of excess Li and substitution of S with Te. This leads to an alloy, Li6.25PTe0.125S5.125Cl0.75, having the superb Li+ conductivity of 4.5 mS cm−1 at 25 °C, together with a low activation energy of 0.16 eV to safeguard adequate ionic conductivity at low temperature. This current work conclusively affirms the theoretical outcome that the superb ionic conductivity is attributed to weakened bonding, an enlarged unit cell, and a softened lattice, making it easier for the long-distance diffusion of Li+. In addition, this new class of solid electrolyte based on cubic chalcogenide is electrochemically compatible with the Li anode over a large potential window up to 7 V, which is highly desirable for high performance solid lithium ion batteries.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Flexible nephroscopy is an important technique in the management of staghorn renal calculi to reach peripheral calices. In this study, we present our experience with flexible nephroscopy and fluoroscopy-guided additional access creation for staghorn renal calculi.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with staghorn renal calculi who were treated with multiple percutaneous renal tracts created with the guidance of flexible nephroscopy and fluoroscopy. Additional tracts were performed with combined flexible nephroscopy and fluoroscopy guidance. Flexible nephroscopy was used to help target the calix and ensure the safety of access.

RESULTS
Additional percutaneous renal access was achieved using combined flexible nephroscopy and fluoroscopy guidance in 26 patients with complete staghorn (n=21) and partial staghorn (n=5) kidney stones. The cumulative stone size was 59.3 mm. The mean procedure times, fluoroscopy times, and hospitalization times were 91.5 minutes, 3.4 minutes, and 2.7 days, respectively. The postoperative hematocrit drop was 4.96±3.8. Upper and lower calices were the most common primary access tracts in 11 and 15 patients, respectively. Stone-free status was achieved in 22 (84.6%) patients with a mean 2.1±0.3 tract number. Postoperative complications were observed in six (23.1%) patients.

CONCLUSIONS
In the requirement of additional access for staghorn renal calculi, use of flexible nephroscopy with fluoroscopy increases the safety of the procedure by confirmation of precise renal access.


OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to assess the biodistribution and toxicity of amphotericin B (AMB) following multiple dose administration of an oral lipid-based formulation (iCo-009).

METHODS
BALB/c female mice were used. ICo-009 was administered twice daily for 5 days at doses of 2.5-20 mg/kg. Untreated animals, oral vehicle or intravenous Fungizone® (1 or 2 mg/kg) served as control groups. The animals were sacrificed 12 h following the last administration of AMB, and blood and multiple tissues were harvested for drug analysis and histopathological evaluation. Plasma or tissue samples were analysed for concentrations of AMB or creatinine by means of HPLC-UV.

RESULTS
A dose-dependent accumulation of AMB in liver, spleen, kidney and lung tissues was found. The concentration of the drug in all these organs exceeded the corresponding concentrations in plasma at the same dose. The concentrations of AMB in heart and brain were similar to the corresponding concentrations in plasma. Creatinine concentrations were elevated above normal concentrations in the 2 mg/kg Fungizone® group only. Histopathological analysis of kidney and liver tissues revealed a normal pattern in all treated groups, except the 2 mg/kg Fungizone® group. No gastrointestinal toxicity was found in this study.

CONCLUSIONS
A multiple dose treatment regimen with iCo-009 in mice results in a gradual accumulation of AMB in tissues. Despite significant concentrations of AMB, no kidney or liver toxicity of orally administered AMB was detected in this study. Furthermore, multiple oral administration of iCo-009 or of vehicle control did not induce gastrointestinal toxicity.


Five Holstein cows with ruminal cannulas were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square design to determine the effect of replacing forage NDF with soyhull NDF and varying concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates on nutrient digestion and milk production. Diets in which NDF percentage from forage (corn silage: alfalfa hay, 1:1) was 80 (control), 70, or 60 were formulated by substituting soyhulls for forage; total forage was 43.2, 36.7, and 31.1% of the diets, respectively, but total NDF was 31%. Nonstructural carbohydrates were formulated to be 47 (control), 35, or 25% by substituting soyhulls, roasted soybeans, and Ca soaps for concentrate. Ruminal acetate: propionate ratio decreased linearly when diets lower in forage NDF were fed, but it increased quadratically when dietary nonstructural carbohydrates were reduced. Apparent digestibility of OM increased quadratically, but NDF digestibility and lactation performance were unaffected when diets lower in forage NDF were fed. Digestibility of NDF increased linearly when nonstructural carbohydrates were reduced, perhaps because of greater digestibility of soyhull NDF and smaller negative associative effects. Fat from soybeans and Ca soaps was increased as nonstructural carbohydrates decreased. Added fat probably increased fatty acid digestibility and decreased milk protein percentage. Greater FCM production without correspondingly greater feed intake or BW loss increased feed efficiency as nonstructural carbohydrates decreased. In dairy rations containing soyhulls, 60% of dietary NDF from forage should maintain lactation performance, and decreasing nonstructural carbohydrates to 25 to 35% of feed DM, coupled with adding dietary fat, may decrease negative associative effects and improve efficiency of milk production.


A rare case of Jarcho Levin syndrome (JLS) presenting as a lethal progressive respiratory insufficiency in early neonatal period is reported. The neonate had classical features of this syndrome including vertebral segmentation defects, typical costo-vertebral fusion defects and scoliosis resulting in small thoracic volume and limited chest expansion; all consistent with a clinical diagnosis of JLS with thoracic insufficiency. In addition, our case had a rare association of dextrocardia and acyanotic congenital heart disease.


A new hierarchical model for solid object representation is described. This model, called a hierarchical face adjacency hypergraph (HFAH), is based on a relational description of the object boundary, called a face adjacency hypergraph (FAH), which considers faces as the primary topological entities defining the object boundary. The HFAH consists of a hierarchy of FAHs describing the decomposition of the boundary of an object into form features. In this paper the HFAH is described together with its internal encoding structure. Two basic transformations, called refinement and abstraction, are defined on the hierarchical model; these allow effective and efficient modifications of the hierarchical boundary model.


Protein identification at the low nanogram level could in principle be obtained by most nanoscale LC-MS/MS systems. Nevertheless, the complex sample preparation procedures generally required in biological applications, and the consequent high risk of sample losses, very often hamper practical achievement of such low levels. In fact, the minimal amount of protein required for the identification from a gel band or spot, in general, largely exceeds the theoretical limit of identification reachable by nanoscale LC-MS/MS systems. A method for the identification of low levels of purified proteins, allowing limits of identification down to 1 ng when using standard bore, 75 microm id nanoscale LC-MS/MS systems is here reported. The method comprises an offline two-step sample cleanup, subsequent to protein digestion, which is designed to minimize sample losses, allows high flexibility in the choice of digestion conditions and delivers a highly purified peptide mixture even from "real world" digestion conditions, thus allowing the subsequent nanoscale LC-MS/MS analysis to be performed in automated, unattended operation for long series. The method can be applied to the characterization of low levels of affinity purified proteins.


This article describes the cardiac anatomy of an 18-years-old male tiger that died at a local zoo. In general, the cardiac anatomy of this animal corresponded with that described for domestic carnivores. The left atrium received four pulmonary veins. In the right ventricle the musculus papillaris magnus and m. papillaris subarterial had the same size. In the left ventricle there was a greater development of the musculus papillaris subauricularis. The trabeculae carnae had a conspicuous size in a large part of the ventricles. The left coronary artery predominated, being responsible for the irrigation of the majority of the cardiac region; it divided itself into the ramus interventricularis paraconalis and circumflexus, the latter giving off the ramus interventricularis subsinuosus.


In 2015/16 interactive public art works were installed on the sidewalks in Brooklyn and Queens by Rebecca Hackemann using ordinary city permits. The locations were chosen in order to counteract the dominant locations for public art in New York, which tend to be in Manhattan and/or in tourist concentrated areas. The works are entitled The Public Utteraton Machines and enable passersby to utter their opinions about other public art in the city as well as its role in society. The device's earpiece recorded over 100 open ended narratives and 391 responses to quantitative data questions via an integrated e-paper display screen. This public art project combines social practice with object based public art into a conceptual public art practice that forms a commons or civic art. Sound archives of the responses can be found at local libraries in Queens and Brooklyn and at http://utteraton.com/.


Experiments on mice were made to study anticonvulsive activity of the combinations of 5 tranquilizers (diazepam, chlorodiazepoxide, meprotan, trioxazin, mebicar) and 7 anticonvulsants (phenobarbital, hexamidine, benzonal, diphenin, chloracon, trimetin, carbamazepin) according to the maximal electroshock test. The data obtained form an experimental basis for the combined use of some anticonvulsants and tranquilizers in the treatment of epilepsy, since in a number of cases these combinations permit a significant lowering of the doses of both components without reducing their anticonvulsant activity.


OBJECTIVE
To assess whether management of acute Stanford type-A aortic dissection differs in patients with congenital anomalies of the aortic arch compared with standard institutional practice.

DESIGN
Retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients from 2001 through 2011.

SETTING
Quaternary referral center for surgical management of thoracic aortic disease.

PARTICIPANTS
All patients with arch anomalies who underwent surgery for acute Stanford type-A aortic dissection during the study period (n = 43).

INTERVENTIONS
Surgical management, anesthetic monitoring, and perfusion strategy were analyzed in a retrospective fashion. No new interventions were undertaken as part of this study.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Management differed most in patients with an aberrant right subclavian artery (n = 5), because the institutional standard of right axillary artery cannulation with left upper extremity arterial pressure monitoring was not possible. In patients with one of two "bovine" arch patterns (n = 32), management differed in the conduct of selective antegrade cerebral perfusion, which could include clamping above or below the takeoff of the left common carotid artery (and, therefore, produced unilateral or bilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion). All patients with a connective tissue disorder exhibited a bovine arch pattern. Management of patients with a right arch (n = 3) reflected the opposite of management for normal anatomy (for patients with traditional mirror-image branching) or opposite that of the aberrant right subclavian group (for patients who had a corresponding aberrant left subclavian artery).

CONCLUSIONS
Rational management reflected the anatomic variations observed. These results support the importance of interdisciplinary planning, especially in an emergency, to optimize outcome.


Exposure to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) produces a syndrome that resembles Parkinson's disease. To compare the biochemical abnormalities produced by this compound in human beings with those occurring in Parkinson's disease, we examined biogenic amine metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid and urine from six patients with MPTP-induced parkinsonism and eight patients with Parkinson's disease. In both forms of parkinsonism, the cerebrospinal fluid levels of homovanillic acid, the major metabolite of dopamine, were reduced, whereas the levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were normal. The cerebrospinal fluid levels of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethylene glycol (MHPG), the major metabolite of norepinephrine in the brain, after adjustment for plasma MHPG, were elevated (greater than 6.0 ng per milliliter) in MPTP-induced parkinsonism, whereas MHPG levels were reduced (less than 6.0) in Parkinson's disease. Neurons containing norepinephrine in the brain are involved in the degenerative process of Parkinson's disease, whereas they are spared in MPTP-induced parkinsonism. The selective destruction by MPTP of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons that is responsible for the movement disorder also appears to result in an increase in central noradrenergic activity, which is not possible in Parkinson's disease. Thus, differences in central noradrenergic activity, reflected in cerebrospinal fluid levels of MHPG, distinguish these two forms of parkinsonism.


Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) are increasingly being used in university degrees to showcase graduate employability. However, evidence on employers' views and use of ePortfolios has not been synthesised. This study aimed to systematically review the evidence on employer, industry representative and university educator views on the use of ePortfolios in recruiting graduates, including recommended ePortfolio content. Six databases were searched to identify original research on views and utilisation of ePortfolios published since 2000. Studies were screened in duplicate, and the full texts of 163 articles reviewed. Included studies were synthesised to reveal common themes. The 17 included studies represented a range of industries and most were conducted in the USA (n=10). Awareness of ePortfolios was low, as was use within recruitment. Perceived advantages of ePortfolios in recruitment included showcasing key skills/work; ability to comprehensively assess and differentiate between candidates quickly; and accessibility. The main disadvantages were the time taken to review, excessive information and establishing authenticity. Recommended ePortfolios content included samples of professional work, reflections, videos and photos. Inclusion of typical resume content, work experience, skills, transcripts, certificates, references, supervisor evaluations were important, as was a clear and concise structure.


Abstract Many accretion disks surrounding supermassive black holes in nearby AGN are observed to host 22 GHz water maser activity. We have analyzed single-dish 22 GHz spectra taken with the GBT to identify 32 such "Keplerian disk systems," which we used to investigate maser excitation and explore the possibility of disk reverberation. Our results do not support a spiral shock model for population inversion in these disks, and we find that any reverberating signal propagating radially outwards from the AGN must constitute <10% of the total observed maser variability. Additionally, we have used ALMA to begin exploring the variety of sub-mm water megamasers that are also predicted, and in the case of the 321 GHz transition found, to be present in these accretion disks. By observing multiple masing transitions within a single system, we can better constrain the physical conditions (e.g., gas temperature and density) in the accretion disk.


Hong Kong's tertiary education environment has changed dramatically in recent years with universities now facing specific educational challenges in the areas of critical thinking, 'life-long learning' and English language. The question exists as to what pedagogic developments will best allow the universities to address these challenges. In this paper, the appropriateness of online pedagogy as one response to these challenges is assessed through use of illustrative case-examples and post-course surveys. The potential of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) to implement this pedagogy is examined through a systematic consideration of the requirements for embedding online learning, specifically student and institutional knowledge, culture, and resources. The case examples provide empirical evidence to suggest that online environments are useful in addressing these challenges, largely as a consequence of afforded flexibility in teaching and learning, support of more student-centered learning approaches, and a high degree of student engagement. Opportunity for international collaborative teaching, with associated benefits in curriculum extension, cost-spreading and benchmarking, is also demonstrated. Within HKU, student factors appear to pose no major constraint to such development, but there exist significant inconsistencies in terms of institutional culture, pedagogic knowledge and non-hardware resources. The author concludes that small-scale online developments are viable and the cost of establishing and maintaining these need not be prohibitive. While online learning holds promise for HKU, the University will require internal institutional change to fully realize this potential.


Background. The Lichtenstein hernia repair is a widely accepted and durable treatment option for groin hernias, but acute and chronic postoperative pain for inguinal hernia repair remains a significant issue. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the benefit of a novel hernia stapler on acute postoperative pain after a Lichtenstein hernia repair. Methods. A prospective double-arm single-center trial was conducted. Nine patients underwent a Lichtenstein hernia repair using the AMID Stapler (group 1), and another 9 patients underwent a sutured Lichtenstein hernia repair (group 2). Preoperative and postoperative pain was measured on a visual analogue scale (VAS). The intraoperative pain management was either local with sedation, spinal, or general anesthesia. All patients received a local anesthesia preemptively independent of the main anesthetic method. Medication usage, pain, and any procedure related adverse event were documented on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 30. Results. There was no significant difference in demographic data, type or size of hernia, or in baseline pain severity between groups. No intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. The VAS cumulative average (±standard deviation) pain score during the first postoperative week was 126 (±9.3) and 162 (±9.4) in group 1 and group 2, respectively (P = .38). Patients in group 1 took significantly less pain medication on days 1, 2, and 3 (P < .0001, P = .004, P = .02, respectively), and there was a trend toward a lower average analgesic demand during the entire first postoperative week: 11 (±0.54) doses in group 1 and 15.4 (±0.18) doses in group 2 (P = .07). Conclusion. The Lichtenstein hernia repair using the AMID Stapler is simple and safe and resulted in lower acute postoperative pain and lower analgesic consumption as compared with the sutured Lichtenstein hernia repair. A multicenter clinical trial with a large sample size is needed to more accurately study pain reduction.


The aim — to study the role of myokines in the development of insulin resistance in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.Materials and methods. Observations involved 68 children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM 1), with the mean age 11 to 17 years. Depending on the glycemic controllevel, patients were divided into 3 research groups. The control group consisted of 20 relatively healthy children. Muscle mass, the skeletal muscles index, fat mass and the percentage of fat in the bodywere determined in all patients. The Lovett's test was used to assess the loss of muscle strength; evaluation of insulin resistance was made based onthe triglycerideglucose index (TYG). Levels of myostatin, irisin, interleukins 6 and 13were measured in blood serum.Results and discussion. It has been established that with deterioration in the level of glycemic controlin DM 1 children, the component redistribution of body composition took place with an increased fat mass proportionand decreased muscle mass. This resulted in the reduced insulin-mediatedabsorption of glucose, that was confirmed by the significant increase in TYG level compared to control group. The analysis of cytokines in the blood serum showed a significant increase in the level of myostatin and interleukin6 compared with the control group and the tendency to increased levels of the interleukins 13 and the level of irisin in the blood serum in pediatric patients with DM 1. The increased levels of myostatin in DM 1childrenassociated with an increase in the triglycerides content (r = 0.44, p < 0.05) and raised TYG index (r = 0.33, p < 0.05), testifying theclose correlation between the high myostatin levels and the development of insulin resistance.Conclusions. In children with diabetes mellitus, the reduction of muscle strength and muscle mass take place with a deterioration in the state of glycemic control, accompanying by the development of insulin resistance. The violation of myokines synthesis,along with the chronic hyperglycemia and diabetic myopathy, plays the leading role in the formation of insulin resistance in pediatric patients with DM 1. It is manifested by the increased production of myostatin and interleukin6 in the absence of activation of irisin and interleukin13synthesis.


The data were collected during Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Expeditions in the western Arctic Ocean and the marginal sea ice zone (MSIZ) of the Southern Ocean, respectively in the boreal summer from July to September of 1999 and in the austral summer from December of 1999 to January of 2000. The concentrations of CO 2 in surface water of the survey regions would mostly present lower than those in the atmosphere. A significant biological driving force could also been observed in summer waters in both of the above oceans. Air to sea CO 2 fluxes were also calculated to compare oceanic uptake capacity of CO 2 in both oceans with the world oceans using Liss, Wanninkhof, and Jacobs's methods. The averaged CO 2 fluxes of air to sea in the western Arctic Ocean or in the MSIZ of the Southern Ocean doubled that in the world oceans.


Genes are functional units in organisms' genomes that are believed to play an important role in how organisms develop their inheritable characteristics such as eye and hair colors. One of the fundamental problems in computational biology is to predict gene functions from DNA sequence data. Researchers have developed several methods, both experimental and computational, to tackle the problem and some of those methods rely on an assumption that genes that have similar functions would likely evolve in a correlated fashion and vice versa. I aim to investigate this assumption under a statistical framework.I define a measure that quantifies the dissimilarity level of the evolutions of any pair of genes. In order to properly define the measure, I use an evolutionary model to represent the evolution of each gene. The model essentially serves as an encoding of the distribution of all possible character sequences that could be observed at the leaf nodes of the model. Then the measure between any two evolutionary models is precisely defined as the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the two distributions, encoded by the models. Since computing the exact measures are not computationally tractable, I instead propose an efficient algorithm for estimating them. Genes' functions are determined based on the Gene Ontology consortium database. In the end, I apply statistical tests for clustering to verify if genes with correlated evolutions tend to have similar functions. I find that the hypothesis is not always true. There are some groups of genes whose functions are not correlated with their evolutions and there are some other groups of genes whose functions and evolutions are correlated well.In addition, the methods presented in this research lay out a framework for any studies that involve quantitative analysis on genes' or proteins' evolutions. This thesis exhibits one application in this framework, which focuses solely on genes' functions. But the methods can be applied to other type of attributes such as proteins' structures.


Homogenates of Perinereis cultrifera oocytes were found to transform GDP-D-mannose into another sugar nucleotide. Ultraviolet absorption spectra, chromatographic behaviour, gas-liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry analysis revealed that GDP-D-mannose had been converted into GDP-L-fucose. This conversion is a multi-step reaction as proved by the involvement of two intermediates identified as GDP-4-oxo-6-deoxy-D-mannose and GDP-4-oxo-6-deoxy-L-galactose, this latter being reduced by NADPH to give GDP-L-fucose. It is shown that the enzymatic activities responsible for the conversion of GDP-D-mannose into GDP-L-fucose is recovered only in oocytes and is not present in the other coelomic cells (i.e. coelomocytes). More interesting is the fact that maximum activity is recovered at a well defined stage of the hormone-controlled oogenesis. Thus, this enzymatic system appears as a biochemical marker of the oocyte maturation in P. cultrifera.


Even though corporate M&A have been widely analyzed in the academic literature, the results of those studies are highly contradicting. For this reason, M&A research is often described as a "theory of single cases." This paper turns to the intrinsic intent of acquisition as a growth strategy and investigates in-depth the key characteristics of the strategic acquisitions for growth. Based on the principles of value-based management and fundamental performance of the acquiring company it develops a framework defining the strategic acquisitions for growth and outlines how do they differ from other transactions, e.g. restructuring mergers. Additionally, it empirically analyzes how do the key fundamental determinants of the acquiring companies influence investors' reaction around the announcement and therefore, the value created through the transaction. The results show that a successful strategic acquisition is rather a matter of thoughtful financial planning. Overall, it can be concluded that the right choice of strategy based on the intrinsic pre-event performance of the acquiring firm as well as knowledge where does the value comes from, can significantly impact the outcome and profitability of transaction.


Background: Honey is a popular sweetener and a common household product throughout the world. It is nonirritant, nontoxic, easily available and cheap. It has been used from ancient times as a method of accelerating wound healing. During twentieth century, it was reported that honey as having good antimicrobial properties along with therapeutic potential in wound healing. Methods: Between Feb 2014 and December 2016, a total of 100 patients; aged between 20 and 60 years old, 56 male and 44 female patients, complaining from acute wound infection, all patients after proper investigation and proper surgical treatment with adequate drainage and or debridement under general anesthesia. Local management of the wound was done either by daily wound dressing with food bee honey or local antiseptic povidone iodine 10% solution. All patients were randomized into 2 groups. Group A (honey local dressing of acute infected wound of 50 patients) and group B (povidone iodine local dressing of acute infected wound of 50 patients). Results: Marked clinical improvement was seen in most cases of group A, using food honey local treatment of wounds, compared with group B using povidone iodine in daily wound dressing and most of the wounds were closed, clean and free of infection from 10 days to 6 weeks, except 2 cases of diabetic foot wounds needed another local drainage and debridement under general anesthesia followed by complete wound healing after about 4 weeks on daily honey local treatment and one case of diabetic male 52 years old was complaining of neglected perianal abscess complicated with scrotal Fournier gangrene and after surgical drainage and debridement and excision of about 50% of scrotal skin due to Fournier gangrene, complete healing of both, perianal wound and scrotal wound in about 8 weeks on daily wounds dressing with honey. In group B, povidone iodine local wound treatment, wound healing and closure from 2 weeks to 8 weeks, except 4 cases of diabetic foot wounds, two from them needed another local drainage and debridement under general anesthesia after 2 weeks from the first drainage and needed about 4 to 6 weeks for wound healing from the second drainage, and another two cases changed to chronic wounds and complete healing after about 3 months from the second wound drainage and debridement. Conclusion: The present investigation can conclude that the bee honey has significant efficacy in local management of infected wound compared with local conventional antiseptic povidone iodine, as shortly time of healing, economic, more patient satisfy, comfort with less pain, final better wound scare formation that is more cosmetics compared with povidone iodine.


Summary Background The use of endoprosthesis in arthroplasty requires adaptation of rehabilitation procedures in order to reinstate the correct model of gait, which enables the patient to recover independence and full functionality in everyday life, which in turn results in an improvement in the quality of life. Material/Methods We studied 33 patients following an initial total arthroplasty of the knee involving endoprosthesis. The patients were divided into two groups according to age. The range of movement within the knee joints was measured for all patients, along with muscle strength and the subjective sensation of pain on a VAS, and the time required to complete the 'up and go' test was measured. The gait model and movement ability were evaluated. The testing was conducted at baseline and after completion of the rehabilitation exercise cycle. Results No significant differences were noted between the groups in the tests of the range of movement in the operated joint or muscle strength acting on the knee joint. Muscle strength was similar in both groups. In the "up and go" task the time needed to complete the test was 2.9 seconds shorter after rehabilitation in Group 1 (average age 60.4), and 4.5 seconds shorter in Group 2 (average age 73.1)). Conclusions The physiotherapy procedures we applied, following arthroplasty of the knee with cemented endoprosthesis, brought about good results in both research groups of older patients.


R ecently I was reminded of a memorable incident which occurred 32 years ago when I was working and living in a children's home in Melbourne, Australia. It is the story of "A Boy and His Emotions." For 19 years I worked in social welfare in the State of Victoria during which time I spent 11 years in the administration side of residential children's homes. In each of the four homes I worked in, the boys and girls were (in almost every instance) from broken homes where either the parents couldn't cope with raising their children or the marriage/partnership had broken down. Naturally many of the children were quite emotionally disturbed and, in most cases, they were wards of the state who had been placed in care with the appropriate residential children's home. This is the story of a 15-year-old boy who had severe emotional problems caused, in part, by being rejected by foster parents when his own parents became incapable of caring for him. For the purpose of the article, he will be called "Fred." Because I was the deputy administrator of the children's home, I lived on site (with my wife and two children - and our pet tabby cat and cocker spaniel) in a house provided for the purpose. Shortly after settling into my new job at the home, I built a small aviary to house some Australian finches, a pair of Chinese Quail Coturnix cbinensis, and pair of Neophema parakeets. Not long after the aviary was finished some of the birds, including the quail, began to breed. Part of my "hands-on" duties in the children's home were to work some weekends as a relief cottage parent when the regular staff (a married couple) had rostered days off. On one of those days a boy teased Fred from out- side a lounge room window and, in response Fred went to punch him (forgetting there was a window between them) and, as a result, his fist went straight through the window - missing the tormentor. Fred, who was a big strong boy (he didn't know his own strength), had arranged with his cottage parents to keep white mice in a building on campus quite near the unit he lived in. This meant he could keep his smelly pets and tend to them without causing any problems within the unit he lived in which, at the time, housed 24 boys. The only other pets in this unit was a dog belonging to the cottage parents and a pet white rabbit belonging to one of the boys. It was around this time that Fred killed the pet rahhit when, one day, he lost his temper completely and, at the same time, lost all control over his emotions. You can imagine the impact on hath the boys of the unit, and their cottage parents when they learned of Fred's cruel act. Following this I was able to gradually encourage Fred to visit my residence, which was only 100 yards from his cottage, and on such occasions I would allow him to enter my aviary to look at my small collection of birds. Eventually, as we hath gained each other's confidence, I allowed Fred to hold one of the Chinese Quail in his hands and then showed him how to gently release the bird from his hands. When the quail had a clutch of young ones, I allowed Fred to hold one of them in his hands to study the tiny chick before gently releasing it. On reflection (some 31 years later!) I think I gradually came to realize that the boy had a genuine interest in animals even though he probably had never owned a pet of any sort when he lived with his natural parents. Around the time I was encouraging Fred to appreciate birds (and other animals) a small group of students from Melbourne's Monash University Social Involvement Club were attending the children's home as tutors to the children. The main aim of the SIC students was to help the children with improving their school work and, at the same time, offer them genuine friendship - something most had never experienced from young adults aged in their late teens to early twenties. As a planned part of their program the university students took the boys from the unit Fred lived in on a weekend camp in rough bush country in the Gippsland area of Victoria. On his return from this weekend Fred brought an adult lizard hack with him and expected his cottage parents to allow him to keep it either in his room or the unit. In sheer desperation the cottage mother suggested that he walk down to my house and ask if I could solve the problem. What we agreed to was that the South-East Gippsland Water Dragon (ie, lizard), which measured 30 inches, could be kept in an appropriatelysized bird cage in a shed in my backyard and that Fred would be responsible for looking after the reptile. The finale to this story is that Fred, who went from being sadistic with animals to caring,· came to my house every morning before school to take the lizard for a walk along the concrete path that led from my backdoor to my back gate. To give the lizard its daily exercise Fred used to tie a piece of string around its neck - like a lead on a dog - so he could take if for a walk. Yes, the contact with my small aviary and its birds helped this emotionally disturbed teen-age boy to understand and appreciate the purpose - and the place - of animals in our lives.~


Corporate Social responsibility is not a new idea, the importance and needs for this ethical and social obligation is tremendously rising with its full swing. There are a number of its implications which are paying more to the institutions as well as to the communities. There is a debate that it is the core duty of firms and industrial institutions to pay their respective return to the common public and the society as a whole where they are operating. The objective of the study is threefold: i) to determine the root causes and basic needs of corporate social responsibilities; ii) to determine the effects on social and other civilizations beard without its existences, and iii) to examines the inputs and efforts which are being offered in the past. The equilibrium of demand and supply of different determinants of corporate social responsibility is discussed. Investment & expansion of Tangible/Intangible Assets, Factory Plant, Equipment, Building, Process of Manufacturing, Inventories and wastages, are also included. The main research questions is whether the contribution of industrial development having showed some positive impacts on the society? The results are not in the favour of the social society, and we have to see why firms are enhancing their activities, and who is obtaining undue benefit from these unethical business activities. This study elaborates the serious social aspects, where all participants are showing their agreement and willingness. At the end, some conclusions are provided for further development providing a spark of ideas for further studies and investigations.


This paper summarizes the results of a thorough performance study of Get Away Special (GAS) payloads that was conducted in 1986. During the study a complete list of standard and nonstandard GAS payloads vs. Shuttle mission was constructed, including specific titles for the experiments in each canister. A broad data base for each canister and each experiment was then compiled. Performance results were then obtained for all but a few experiments. The canisters and experiments were subsequently categorized according to the degree of experiment success. For those experiments that experienced failures or anomalies, several correlations and generalizations were extracted from individual subsystem performance data. Recommendations are made which may enhance the success and performance of future GAS payloads.


The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of supplementing milk replacer (MR) with NeoTec4 (Provimi North America, Brookville, OH), a commercially available blend of butyric acid, coconut oil, and flax oil, on calf growth, efficiency, and indices of immune function. In trial 1a, 48 male Holstein calves were fed either a control MR that contained only animal fat or the same MR with NeoTec4 (treatment) along with free-choice starter. The MR (28.7% crude protein, 15.6% fat) was fed at an average of 1 kg of dry matter (DM)/d. In trial 1b, weaned calves from trial 1a were all fed dry starter for 28 d without NeoTec4 (phase 1), and then half the calves were fed NeoTec4 for 28 d (phase 2). In trial 2, 40 male Holstein calves were fed a control MR with lard, coconut oil, and soy lecithin or the same MR supplemented with NeoTec4 (treatment). The MR (22.8% crude protein, 18.9% fat) was fed at an average of 1 kg of DM/d; no starter was fed. In trial 1a, NeoTec4 improved average daily gain, feed intake, and feed efficiency, reduced the number of days that calves experienced scours, and reduced the medical treatments for clostridium sickness. In trials 1a and 2, NeoTec4 altered the inflammatory response to vaccination with Pasteurella at 5 wk of age and to challenge with Salmonella toxin at less than 2 wk of age (fed NeoTec4 for 6 d), as observed by reduced hyperthermia and hypophagia, and altered the tumor necrosis factor-α response. In addition, NeoTec4 enhanced the response in IL-4 and globular protein estimates postchallenge and enhanced titers for bovine viral diarrhea and respiratory parainfluenza-3. Postchallenge serum concentrations of albumin were lower and urea nitrogen concentrations were greater in control calves than in calves fed NeoTec4. In trial 1b, performance did not differ during the first 28 d when no calves received NeoTec4, but calves receiving NeoTec4 in the second 28 d had greater average daily gain and feed efficiency. We conclude that supplementation of MR with NeoTec4 alters some immune and inflammatory responses, including increasing titers to bovine viral diarrhea and respiratory parainfluenza-3 vaccinations, reduces scours, reduces medical treatments for clostridium sickness, and improves growth rates and feed efficiency.


In this article, we explore a series of issues and tensions raised by the papers in this Special Issue of Environmental Education Research. The papers focus on developments in environmental education and ESD research in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In order to provide an alternative framework for contextualising and understanding the trends and challenges illustrated in the collection, we begin with an examination of Germany's green political movement, both at the level of national politics but also in relation to broader cultural shifts that have taken place in recent years. We then invite further debate on environmental education and ESD by focusing on three nodes within the discourse on these complex, dynamic and linked fields of theory and practice. First, we explore the themes of compatibility and compliance regarding environmental education and the 'global' as two of the key ingredients to ESD. Second, we consider the growing dominance of competency‐based approaches to ESD, primarily in terms of educational standards projects, but also in relation to images of the human therein. Third, we look into understandings of agency in relation to innovation and change, including the role of NGOs in research and policy‐making, and the sources and drivers of possible frames for future research agendas. The article ends by inviting wider discussion and critique of the achievements, tensions and challenges for research and development in environmental education and ESD, both in the three countries, and further afield.


The use of micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gained a lot of interests especially for smart city applications due to their three- dimensional (3D) mobility and flexibility. Path planning is one of the most important UAV problems that needs to be addressed. In this paper, we focus on determining the optimal routes for a fleet of UAVs in urban cities that minimize the total arrival time of all UAV swarms while respecting their energy consumption constraints and avoiding the risk of collision. Through a mixed integer linear program, we develop a safe navigation framework for realistic 3D maps where charging stations are made available to recharge UAV batteries on their ways to destination. Our results investigate different scenarios for selected system parameters and illustrate different collision avoidance techniques followed by the UAVs.


ABSTRACT Following the "green" growth tradition, the construction of lower carbon energy (renewable energy) infrastructures, such as wind power, has gained prominence in Norway. This has led to indigenous Saami herders confronting pastureland dispossession, some citizens fearing the industrialization of nature, and municipal councils losing formal governance power in favor of national agencies and private-sector project developers—justified by the urgency of the climate crisis. The purpose of the paper is to explore how energy infrastructures aimed at decarbonization have led to social fragmentation and ecological degradation alongside claims of economic revitalization potential in Åfjord. The authors draw upon fieldwork conducted within Saepmie (or Sápmi), the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi, and investigate the Fosen Vind energy project in the Åfjord Municipality. They find that lower carbon energy infrastructures, such as "wind farms," have been normalized as unavoidable, and damage to habitat and encroachment on Saami livelihoods are positioned as necessary sacrifices for the greater good of fighting the climate crisis. The authors conclude that avoiding the creation of green sacrifice zones in making low-carbon places requires a more transformative vision than the visions offered by techno-solutionism, such as degrowth.


The mechanism of VO2+ + H2 reaction in the gas phase was investigated by using density functional theory (DFT) at the CCSD//B3LYP/6-311G(2d, p) level. According to our calculation results, the different reaction mechanisms were found for the singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces (PESs). Especially, the crossing points (CPs) among different PESs were located by means of the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) approach presented by Yoshizawa et al., and the structures and energies of the corresponding minimum energy crossing points (MECPs) were obtained by the mathematical algorithm proposed by Harvey et al. Finally, the frontier molecular orbital (FMO) interaction analyses about MECP1 and MECP2 were used to prove our calculation results.


In this article, the author argues that the relevance of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) materials for tax treaty interpretation depends on which interpretive community is engaged. Some, but not all, frameworks for treaty interpretation by domestic courts, advisors and policymakers have shifted in the post-BEPS era. Selected questions of treaty interpretation are analysed with reference to the historical and current working methods of the OECD, as well as the plural nature of BEPS materials produced by the OECD, UN, IMF, etc.


Research on caregiver burden and related psychological distress has been widely studied. However, little research has focused on perspectives and experiences of older family caregivers of persons with heart failure on engaging in physical exercise to improve their health and wellness. We investigated barriers and facilitators influencing physical activity engagement for older family caregivers of persons with heart failure through a qualitative descriptive study design utilizing participant interviews. The social cognitive theory framework guided the thematic analysis. Identified themes and subthemes that emerged were centered around the framework's interrelated personal, environmental, and behavioral factors. Self-efficacy emerged as a central construct facilitating engagement in physical activity. The older family caregivers embraced technology for physical activity interventions more readily since the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged increased technology use. The age-related and caregiving barriers to physical activity found in this study highlight considerations for an older family caregiver and guide interventions for future family caregivers' engagement.


Uniform motion of internal stress sources, point defects and dislocations, is discussed in continuum model of solid. It is investigated how far the lattice structure of the medium can act in such as way, that stress sources behave regular also, if their motion will be faster than characteristic velocities of the medium. In supersonic region the radiation power will be calculated.


In this paper, we design and analyze a growable multicast ATM switch. It can grow to a large size since both cell routing and contention resolution are designed to distribute over the switch elements, and the switch structure is modular. The output ports are partitioned into groups to permit sharing of routing paths. The concept of group routing helps reduce an order of magnitude of switch elements. A two-stage switch architecture is described to illustrate our design principle. The switch can be easily expanded to a larger size by using more stages. The performance analysis of the switch in terms of cell loss rate, cell delay, mean queue length, mean waiting time, and throughput is conducted using the M/Geom/1 model. Experimental results show that the proposed ATM switch not only meets the ATM performance requirements either for unicasting or multicasting but also uses fewer switch elements and has less delay than other comparable switches.


In this paper, a serious crack phenomenon of Backward Compatible Assembled BGA joint with reflow and waving process was found and solved by the optimization of soldering process. The quality of BGA solder joints was confirmed after optimization. The mechanism of such cracking was illustrated.


The authors evaluated 30 interval cancers consecutively observed from 1989 to 1991 and compared them to 98 screening-detected cancers observed in the same period. Interval cancers have a more advanced stage (stage I = 13 lesions, stage II + = 17 lesions) with respect to screening-detected cancers (stage 0 = 10 lesions, stage I = 61 lesions, stage II + = 27 lesions). This finding seems unrelated to an intrinsically higher aggressivity of interval cancers (length biased sampling) which do not differ significantly from screening-detected cancers as far as histopathologic characteristics of prognostic value are concerned. Diagnostic delay due to technical or reading error (9 cases), to radiologically occult cancer in clear (10 cases) or dense parenchymal areas (11 cases) is most likely. This seems to be confirmed by the low frequency observed among interval cancers of easily visible lesions such as isolated microcalcifications (3% vs. 35%) or stellate opacities (13% vs. 31%), and by the higher frequency of opacities with irregular margins (57% vs. 26%) which are more likely masked by dense parenchyma. The chances of reducing interval cancer rate by attempting to increase sensitivity or by increasing screening frequency are discussed, as well as the possible negative consequences of such protocols in terms of cost-effectiveness.


Current developments in inertial sensors based on Microelectromechanical Systems technology allows us to design wearable devices for human movements automatic detection. Detection of human movements in natural environments needs detailed inertial signals processing. These activities are detected using human short movements detection. In this paper a method is proposed for continuous human tiny movements based on inertial signal processing. In the proposed method, at first linear acceleration and earth gravity signals are calculated using inertial navigation algorithms. Then discriminant features are extracted using a combination of these to signals. Innovation of this paper is introducing a new classification algorithm for continuous tiny movements recognition named Conditional Models. Each model belongs to a class of micro movement which performs some operations for generating a logical expression set and classifying the samples in that class. The proposed method uses the Particle Swarm Optimization to finding the optimized logical expression for each model. In order to evaluating, this method is tested on prayer micro movements recognition. Running the algorithm on the population of prayers and comparing with well-known micro movements classification models demonstrates the accuracy and high recognition of the proposed method.


Summary The construction of sections is essential to the analysis of rock bodies. Qualitative sketch sections and block diagrams help to unravel stratigraphy within complex polyphase structures. They also provide a method of summarizing information. Present methods of constructing quantitative sections, being only applicable to parallel folds, are of limited value. A new method of constructing quantitative sections is described. In this the rate of change of fold shape with depth is measured, rather than assumed as previously. On profile sections of folds, this rate can be described by constructing stratification isogonal lines joining points of constant dip. Their orientation can be used to classify folds. In cylindrical folds, such isogonal lines lie upon stratification isogonal surfaces, the location of which can be found from structural maps, either by graphic construction, or by using a digitizer and an electronic computer. This information is used to construct, on any section plane, stratification isogonal lines which sub-divide the section into dip zones, and provide control for constructing sections to the depth of topographic or structural relief. Applications of the method to recognizing faults and palaeoslopes, and to classifying folds and constructing sections in areas of noncylindrical and polyphase deformation, are described. These methods make fuller use of structural data and provide quantitative descriptions of folds. This could lead to the definition of structural facies and to a better understanding of displacements within the continental crust.


PURPOSE
It is imperative to provide quality end-of-life (EOL) care for patients with cancer. Although rates of hospice use within the Veterans Health Administration have improved, antineoplastic administration and intensive care unit (ICU) admission at the EOL, indicators of aggressive care, have not clearly declined over recent years.

METHODS
We identified 32,665 veterans diagnosed with stage IV lung, colorectal, or pancreatic cancer who died between 2009 and 2016 using a novel EOL Dashboard Tool created from Veterans Administration Cancer Registry data. This EOL tool reports the incidence of antineoplastic drug use in the last 14 days of life, ICU admission in the last 30 days of life, and hospice admission or consult. Change from 2009 to 2016 was assessed using a repeated measures one-way analysis of variance with post hoc test for linear trend of time for individual cancers and two-way analysis of variance for all cancers combined.

RESULTS
Antineoplastic use in the last 14 days of life declined from 6.8% in 2009 to 4.4% in 2016 (P = .03). ICU admission in the last 30 days did not change significantly, from 13.3% in 2009 to 14.7% in 2016. The exception was patients with stage IV lung cancer, in whom ICU admissions increased from 12.9% to 16.2% (P = .01). Patients using hospice services increased from 32.4% to 52.6% (P < .01).

CONCLUSION
Although antineoplastic administration at the EOL is declining for veterans with stage IV cancer, ICU admissions are unchanged and becoming more common in stage IV lung cancer despite increasing hospice use.


Background: Cosmetics use is very popular in our all over the world and in some parts of Arabian countries, some of the cosmetics as Kohl is part of their culture and traditions, and is used since very young ages. This makes detection of heavy metal content in cosmetics marketed in Egypt and other Arabian markets of crucial importance. Objective: To evaluate the levels of heavy metals content among different cosmetic products in the Arabian market. Methods: Different brands of; anti-freckle creams, eye shadows, eyeliners, facial powders, foundation, henna and lipsticks were purchased from open markets in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Sample preparation and analysis was conducted, to estimate levels of twelve different metals (Pb, As, Cd, Ag, Ba, Al, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results: The mean concentration of some studied metals as Aluminium, lead, arsenic, copper and nickel were higher than permissible levels for cosmetics in some of the studied samples. Para- Phenylenediamine (PPD) was detected in all the studied 7 Henna samples. Conclusion: In conclusion, cosmetic contamination with metals above permissible levels is very common in most of the products available in the developing world and Arabian markets. Physicians and users must be aware of the probable toxicity of these elements and of the clinical signs of systemic poisoning. Considering popular use of cosmetics by different age groups, the hazardous cumulative effects of prolonged exposure to low concentrations of metals like; Aluminium, lead, Arsenic, nickel and copper especially in children, cannot be ruled out. Further studies are recommended in addition, cosmetic market control and legislation procedures should be thoroughly implemented.


Child protection is a highly consequential social institution that simultaneously supports and regulates marginalized families. This dissertation shows that child protection systems are largely a product of the institutional environments in which they are enmeshed. Rates of child welfare intervention are closely tied to the character of a state's social policy regime. Places with aggressive police forces and punitive criminal justice systems are likely to produce higher volumes of reported child abuse and neglect , and are likely to place more children into foster care. Places that exhibit high levels of racial inequality in their criminal justice systems are also likely to exhibit high levels of racial inequality in their foster care systems. Places with relatively generous social welfare systems are likely to place fewer children into foster care, and are likely to institutionalize fewer children in their foster care system. Taken as a whole, these findings show that child protection is sensitive to both feedback effects from criminal justice and welfare systems and to the political and institutional forces that guide policy design and implementation.


The concept of cloud computing is introduced as a new computing technology based on different computing techniques such as virtualization, which implements applications on virtual machines procreated on physical machines. The deployment of cloud computing can be of different types based on the implementation of the service model and the availability of cloud services to the end users. One of the challenges need to be faced by cloud computing is related to the data interoperability and portability. Here we have established a mechanism for flexible resource allocation between the cloud service providers based on SLA mapping and clustering techniques to propose an interoperable cloud computing environment. This interoperability is made possible with the use of multiple techniques such as Adaptive Dimensional Search Algorithm (ADS), Clustering and SLA mapping.


A Gaussian sum estimation algorithm has previously been developed to deal with noise processes that are non-Gaussian. Inherent in this algorithm is a serious growing memory problem that causes the number of terms in the Gaussian sum to increase exponentially at each iteration. A modified Gaussian sum estimation algorithm using an adaptive filter is developed that avoids the growing memory problem of the previous algorithm while providing effective state estimation. The adaptive filter is comprised of a fixed set of estimators operating in parallel with each individual estimate possessing its own corresponding weighting term. A simulation example illustrates the new non-Gaussian estimation technique. >


Breast cancer is rarely seen in male patients. All the histological types of female breast cancer can be seen in male patients. Invasive papillary carcinoma is a rare breast cancer type. We hereby report the case of a 67-year-old male patient who underwent modified radical mastectomy because of invasive papillary carcinoma. The patient presented to our clinic with the complaint of a painless mass in his right breast. Tru-cut biopsy guided by imaging was performed. The pathological results of the biopsy were in line with invasive papillary carcinoma. We performed modified radical mastectomy on the patient. No recurrences were seen in the 24-month follow-up period.


Purpose: To create a nomogram for the insertion of intrastromal corneal ring segments (ICRS) (Intacs® ) in eyes with keratoconus. Setting: Tertiary eye care center in South India. Materials and Methods: This prospective, non-randomized, interventional case series used a self-designed decision-making nomogram for the selection of ICRS in keratoconus patients based on the centration of the cone, mean refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE), and mean keratometry (Km) values. The 3, 6, and 12 months clinical outcomes were compared to historical controls. Primary endpoints were improvement in uncorrected and best-corrected vision and change in the keratometric values. Results: Group A comprised of 52 eyes of 50 patients that followed the nomogram, while Group B comprised of 25 eyes of 23 non-nomogram historical controls matched for baseline parameters. In Group A, the uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) improved from 0.16 ± 0.15 to 0.25 ± 0.16 (P < 0.001), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) from 0.58 ± 0.2 to 0.69 ± 0.21 (P = 0.022), MRSE from -5.41 ± 4.94 to -1.71 ± 2.88 (P < 0.001), Km from 51.77 ± 5.45 to 48.63 ± 4.37 (P < 0.001), and astigmatism reduced from 5.86 ± 2.61 to 4.91 ± 2.72 diopters (P < 0.001).In Group B, improvement in the average MRSE was from -6.44 ± 5.32 to -3.26 ± 2.82 (P < 0.013) and in the average Km from 53.64 ± 5.32 to 50.31 ± 5.02 (P < 0.001). Other parameters did not improve significantly. A statistically significant difference was present in the percentage of patients achieving a good clinical outcome between the two groups (P < 0.001; Chi-square). Conclusion: The nomogram provides a means to choose the appropriate ICRS, hence improving the outcome in patients with keratoconus.


Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), a glucosuric agent initially approved for use as an antidiabetic agent, was unexpectedly found to confer cardio-and reno-protective effects in individuals with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus. Despite mounting evidence suggesting that SGLT2i provides cardio- and reno-protective benefits in both diabetic and non-diabetic and in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients in the general population, reservations for its use in the transplant setting persist due to concerns for increased risk of genital mycotic and urinary tract infections. A comprehensive review of the literature on the efficacy and safety of SGLT2i use in diabetic kidney transplant recipients is herein presented followed by authors' opinion on its optimal use in this patient population.


Bacteriophage display of antibodies provides a method for the generation of immunological reagents against rare and uncharacterized antigens. To ascertain the usefulness of this approach for the characterization of inner-ear proteins, we produced a bacteriophage-displayed antibody-fragment library directed against proteins from the bullfrog's sacculus. This library was probed for bacteriophage that bound to proteins present in a lysate of hair cells, the sensory receptors of the inner ear. The predominant bacteriophage clone after selection expressed an antibody fragment that recognized a single protein in the inner ear. This antigen occurred in both the nonsensory and sensory epithelia of the sacculus. The specificity of the antibody fragment indicates that our bacteriophage-displayed library provides a useful source of immunological tools that should facilitate the identification and biochemical characterization of novel proteins in the inner ear.


Automatic code generation is to generate the program code according to the given natural language description. The current mainstream approach uses neural networks to encode natural language descriptions, and output abstract syntax trees (AST) at the decoder, then convert the AST into program code. While the generated code largely conforms to specific syntax rules, two problems are still ignored. One is missing program testing, an essential step in the process of complete code implementation; the other is only focusing on the syntax compliance of the generated code, while ignoring the more important program functional requirements. The paper proposes a CodeGen-Test model, which adds program testing steps and incorporates program testing information to iteratively generate code that meets the functional requirements of the program, thereby improving the quality of code generation. At the same time, the paper proposes a new evaluation metric, test accuracy (Test-Acc), which represents the proportion of passing program test in generated code. Different from the previous evaluation metric, which only evaluates the quality of code generation from the perspective of character similarity, the Test-Acc can evaluate the quality of code generation from the Program functions. Moreover, the paper evaluates the CodeGen-test model on a python data set"hearthstone legend". The experimental results show the proposed method can effectively improve the quality of generated code. Compared with the existing optimal model, CodeGen-Test model improves the Bleu value by 0.2%, Rouge-L value by 0.3% and Test-Acc by 6%.


The ideal therapy for HIV infection requires a method to eliminate all HIV-harboring cells in the infected individual. The authors are developing an HIV-specific promoter to drive the expression of suicide genes that would induce cell death specifically in HIV-infected cells. The authors constructed a promoter that is 100-fold more responsive to the HIV transcriptional activator, Tat, than cellular transcription factors, using a plasmid expressing luciferase under the control of the mutated LTR promoter.


Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) defines a formal concept as a pair of sets: objects and attributes, called extent and intent respectively. A rough set, on the other hand, approximates a concept using sets of objects only (in terms of FCA). We show that 1) a formal concept can be composed using a set of objects and its complement, 2) such object-based formal concepts are isomorphic to formal concepts based on objects and attributes, 3) upper and lower approximations of rough sets give generalization of formal concept, and 4) the pair of positive and negative sets (sensu rough set theory) are isomorphic to complemental formal concepts when the equivalence of the rough set gives positive and negative sets unique to each of the formal concepts. Implications of this are discussed.


Long-term musical training is an enriched multisensory training environment that can alter uni- and multisensory substrates and abilities. Amongst these altered abilities are faster reaction times for simple and complex sensory tasks. The crossed arm temporal-order judgement (TOJ) task is a complex tactile task in which TOJ error rate increases when arms are crossed. Reaction times (RTs) for this task are typically proportionate to the difficulty of the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) and increase more when the arms are crossed than when uncrossed. The objective of this study was to study the impact of musical training on RTs and accuracy for the crossed arm TOJ task. Seventeen musicians and 20 controls were tested. Musicians had significantly faster RTs for all crossed arm conditions and half of the uncrossed conditions. However, musicians had significantly more TOJ errors for the crossed posture. We speculate that faster musician TOJ RTs leave little time to consolidate conflicting internal and external task-related information when crossing the arms, leading to increased incorrect responses. These results provide novel insights on the potential mechanisms underlying the increased TOJ error rates when arms are crossed. Moreover, they add to the growing literature of altered sensory ability in musicians and propose an unexpected consequence of faster reaction times.


Remotely sensed hyperspectral imaging allows for the detailed analysis of the surface of the Earth using advanced imaging instruments which can produce high-dimensional images with hundreds of spectral bands. Supervised hyperspectral image classification is a difficult task due to the unbalance between the high dimensionality of the data and the limited availability of labeled training samples in real analysis scenarios. While the collection of labeled samples is generally difficult, expensive and time-consuming, unlabeled samples can be generated in a much easier way. This observation has fostered the idea of adopting semi-supervised learning techniques in hyperspectral image classification. The main assumption of such techniques is that the new (unlabeled) training samples can be obtained from a (limited) set of available labeled samples without significant effort/cost. In this paper, we develop a new approach for semi-supervised learning which adapts available active learning methods (in which a trained expert actively selects unlabeled samples) to a self-learning framework in which the machine learning algorithm itself selects the most useful and informative unlabeled samples for classification purposes. In this way, the labels of the selected pixels are estimated by the classifier itself, with the advantage that no extra cost is required for labeling the selected pixels using this machine-machine framework when compared with traditional machine-human active learning. The proposed approach is illustrated with two different classifiers: multinomial logistic regression (MLR) and a probabilistic pixel-wise support vector machine (SVM). Our experimental results with real hyperspectral images collected by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Airborne Visible Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and the Reflective Optics Spectrographic Imaging System (ROSIS), indicate that the use of self learning represents an effective and promising strategy in the context of hyperspectral image classification.


When the United Nations declared "health care for all" (at the conferences at Alma-Ata in 1978 and the Ottawa Charter in 1986)(1) the declarations were largely premature to impact the upcoming HIV/AIDS epidemic. These UN declarations still apply today as multitudes of humanity continue to die from what amounts now to be a treatable chronic disease. Can the wealthier industrialized countries stand by and watch the decimation of the populations of the developing world by HIV / AIDS? The global "health 9/10 gap" relates that only 10 percent of global heath resources go to developing countries - i.e. those having 90 percent of the poorest world populations. (2) The World Bank/World Health Organization has been at the forefront of providing resources for the global HIV/AIDS epidemic (3) but for many countries of the developing world (especially Sub-Saharan Africa) it may be too little too late. This work explores the application of an ecological model to global policy against HIV/AIDS highlighting access to antiretroviral drugs (ARV). ARV distribution is constrained by patents and laws protecting the intellectual property rights of the international pharmaceutical corporations. In response to this situation more questions arise. Will governments in the developing world invoke compulsory licensing (patent-breaking) in their negotiations with the international pharmaceutical corporations to provide medications against HIV/AIDS in their countries? Can international political and financial negotiations with these pharmaceutical corporations speed the growing push for a solution to this solvable crisis? The answers may lie in the "Brazilian model" that is a developing world government using all means available to provide ARV drugs for all its citizens with HIV/AIDS. The basis of this model includes negotiating with the pharmaceutical corporations over patent rights and importation of copied drugs from the Far East.


In order to explore better treatment process of oily sludge, the field scale experiments were conducted using the sludge containing 12.68% oil. The performance of microbe preparation bio-augmentation (MPB) and compost treatment with manure (CTM) was compared. For the first experiment, 10 L solution containing 150 g microbe preparations and the nutrition were sprayed onto the MPBC cell. The initial oil content of final mixture amounted to 12.12%. The initial oil content of CTM after final mixture approximated to 10.14%. During the experimental period, same quantities of the microbe preparation and nutrient solution were sprayed on MPB at the 15th and 30th day separately. At the same days, the 10 kg manure was added to CTM cell. The degradation effect of MPB was more obvious, oil content dropped to 6.42% with a 47% removal rate of oil. The oil content in control decreased slightly to 10.15% after 56 days, while in CTM it fell down to 6.98% with a total removal rate of 31%. The pH in control fluctuated slightly between 8.28 to 7.93 while that in MPB, from 7.33 to 8.08, which might due to the addition of microbe preparation. The microbial count was analyzed weekly, which represented the adaptation ability of microbe in sludge. Temperature of compost increased rapidly up to 54 degrees C in the presence of manure. The differences of two kinds of methods were identified by GC-MS and the hydrocarbons with less 21 carbons were degraded easily.


Effective and efficient information sharing in a warfare environment is a key feature of the Network Centric Warfare (NCW) concept, and a combat simulation model should reflect this key feature. Most existing combat simulation models adopt a simplified communication model, which may lead to overestimating an actual level of communication performance. On the other hand, while providing accurate assessment of communication performance, a low-level, detailed, engineered model for communication tends to be overly sophisticated and computationally intensive to incorporate in typical combat models. In this paper, we propose a communication model in the context of an engagement-level of NCW combat simulation. In particular, we use a propagation loss model to determine a success or failure of individual communication attempts. We also define a set of model parameters to characterize various communication networks deployed in a battlefield. Preliminary simulation experiments and their results are presented to illustrate the proposed modeling framework.


The decay of picosecond-laser-induced thermal gratings in rather thin liquid crystal films is investigated. It is shown that, in contrast to the case samples several tens to hundreds of micrometres thick, the relaxation of thermal gratings in liquid crystals of about 2 mu m thickness, stacked between two semi-infinite glass substrates, is mainly determined by transverse heat transport processes through the cell surfaces instead of longitudinal diffusion in the direction of the grating wavevector. Experimental observations are compared with theoretical considerations and numerical solutions of the heat flow equation.


Introduction: Pancreatobiliary abnormalities in patients with opium addiction have not been widely evaluated by endoscopic ultrasonography before. Materials and Methods: Patients without any pancreatobiliary disease or symptom during 10 months were enrolled in this study. Common bile duct (CBD), pancreatic duct (PD) and portal vein (PV) diameters, gallbladder wall thickness and surface area of the papilla and abnormalities were evaluated in both groups by endosonography. Results: In total, 199 patients were evaluated. 36 (18.1%) cases were addicted to opium. Mean age of the patients was 56.0 ± 14.2 years. Opium users had a statistically significant higher (all P < 0.001) mean diameters of distal CBD (4.6 ± 1.9 vs. 3.1 ± 1.0 mm), middle part of CBD (7.5 ± 3.1 vs. 4.6 ± 1.6 mm), PD in head (3.3 ± 1.3 vs. 2.3 ± 0.7 mm) and PV (10.3 ± 2.3 vs. 8.9 ± 2.1 mm). However, the difference in the diameters of PD in the body of pancreas and gallbladder wall thickness did not reach statistical significance. The size of the papilla as measured by the surface area of the papilla of Vater was also significantly larger in opium users (40.6 ± 17.1 vs. 29.9 ± 13.5, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Opium addicted persons have larger diameters of CBD, PV and a larger surface area of the papilla of Vater. Dilated PD only in the head of the pancreas might be an important clue to differentiate opium-induced CBD dilation from periampullary tumors and chronic pancreatitis. The clinical significance of these findings warrants further investigation.


Grid integrated wind energy conversion system is highly known among all renewable energy sources. Grid integrated wind farm undergoes many technical challenges. Wind farms need long transmission line for the grid integration. As long transmission line exhibits high inductive reactance, capacitive series compensation is required to improve the transmission capacity. Insertion of capacitive compensation in a line causes Sub Synchronous Resonance (SSR) Oscillations in the system. These oscillations may lead to a permanent damage in the turbine-shaft system. This paper proposes a novel fuzzy based adaptive controller for Rotor Side Converter (RSC) and Grid Side Converter (GSC) for damping SSR oscillations in a grid connected DFIG based wind farm. The paper describes the development of a mathematical model of the proposed system in detail and small signal stability for SSR oscillations is analyzed using Eigen value approach. Oscillation. Performance of the proposed controller is tested under varying operating conditions and it has been observed that the fuzzy based controller adopts the changes in the system operating conditions and gives satisfactory performance compared with conventional PI controller.


We revisit a question asked by Dyson:"Is a graviton detectable?"We demonstrate that in both Dyson's original sense and in a more modern measurement-theoretic sense, it is possible to construct a detector sensitive to single gravitons, and in fact a variety of existing and near-term gravitational wave detectors can achieve this. However, while such a signal would be consistent with the quantization of the gravitational field, we draw on results from quantum optics to show how the same signal could just as well be explained via classical gravitational waves. We outline the kind of measurements that would be needed to demonstrate quantization of gravitational radiation and explain why these are substantially more difficult than simply counting graviton clicks or observing gravitational noise in an interferometer, and likely impossible to perform in practice.


The existence of unidirectional retrograde preexcitation or concealed bypass fibers and their role in paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia have been known for a long time. However, the exact anatomic and physiological nature of this retrograde limb remains unclear. We report here on a patient who had a concealed accessory pathway (AP) with circus movement tachycardia. After His bundle catheter ablation the AP had the property to conduct in the antegrade direction. The absence of antegrade conduction over the AP before ablation is likely due to its decremental properties of conduction and to repetitive retrograde concealed conduction from the normal pathway.


With the advent of mainstreaming, several different business models operate within the fair trade system. These differences are discussed in terms of how the value chain is governed, suggesting the need for a more nuanced understanding of fair trade in the mainstream. Institutional governance, that is, the structures and standards of fair trade, is also discussed. It is argued that if fair trade is to be more than just another consumer standard, it needs to address both value chain and institutional governance. Policy implications, especially with respect to fair trade institutions, particularly Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International, are set out. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Modern computers typically make use of 64-bit words as the fundamental unit of data access. However the decade-long migration from 32-bit architectures has not been reflected in compression technology, because of a widespread assumption that effective compression techniques operate in terms of bits or bytes, rather than words. Here we demonstrate that the use of 64-bit access units, especially in connection with word-bounded codes, does indeed provide the opportunity for improving the compression performance. In particular, we extend several 32-bit word-bounded coding schemes to 64-bit operation and explore their uses in information retrieval applications. Our results show that the Simple-8b approach, a 64-bit word-bounded code, is an excellent self-skipping code, and has a clear advantage over its competitors in supporting fast query evaluation when the data being compressed represents the inverted index for a large text collection. The advantages of the new code also accrue on 32-bit architectures, and for all of Boolean, ranked, and phrase queries; which means that it can be used in any situation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.