Baffles provide the considerable advantage of the free surface stability that enhances the turbine's shaft longevity on the other hand it increases the energy consumption due to the flow obstruction that they introduce. So the main issue of the present study is to find a balance between both advantages and disadvantages of baffles. To do so we've investigated numerically the influence of two parameters on the power consumption. First, the baffles radius of curvature varying from Rc*=0 to Rc*=7/30 and secondly the impeller's sense of rotation of. The results were obtained thanks to the ANSYS CFX code; the Navier-Stokes equations were coupled to the standard k_e turbulence model and solved with the Multiple Reference Frames (MRF) method. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.22.3.12663


In this study, stay-in-place (SIP) formwork for structural elements subjected to aggressive environment, such as bridge columns and columns in parking structures subjected to deicing salt are developed by using prefabricated ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) elements reinforced with embedded glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) grids. Mechanical properties of UHPC and GFRP grids were determined experimentally. Novel designs of SIP formwork systems were presented and evaluated by numerical simulation in terms of strain and stress distributions and lateral deformation under gravity load and internal pressure due to concrete casting. Concrete damage plasticity model is incorporated to consider the post-cracking behavior in using the finite element analysis software ABAQUS. The proposed FRP-UHPC composite is shown to be promising for the development of lightweight, high performance, and cost-effective SIP formwork system for column elements.


The authors, in a group of 190 patients treated with curative surgery for colorectal cancer, have studied the correlation between lymph nodes positive of primary tumor and rising of liver metastases. Even if the B2 stage nodes were negative, liver metastases were found in 6.25% of the patients probably due to an understaging; in C1 + C2 stage the rate of liver metastases was 28.1%, however in this group has not been demonstrated a statistical correlation with the number of positive nodes as a predictive negative prognostic factor.


Sodium, magnesium, and aluminum adatoms, which possess one, two, and three valence electrons, respectively, in terms of 3s, 3s2, and (3s2, 3p) orbitals, are very suitable for helping us understand adsorption-induced diverse phenomena. In this work, the revealing properties of metal (Na/Mg/Al)-adsorbed graphene systems are investigated by means of the first-principles method. The single- and double-sided chemisorption cases, the various adatom concentrations, the hollow/top/valley/bridge sites, and the buckled structures are taken into account. The hollow and valley adsorptions that correspond to the Na/Mg and Al cases, respectively, create extremely nonuniform environments. This leads to diverse orbital hybridizations in Na/Mg/Al–Si bonds, as indicated by the Na/Mg/Al-dominated bands, as well as the spatial charge density distributions and the orbital-projected density of states (DOS). Out of three types of metal-adatom adsorptions, the Al-adsorption configurations produce the strongest chemical modifications. The ferromagnetic configurations have been shown to survive only in specific Mg and Al adsorptions, but not in the Na cases. The presented theoretical predictions could be verified experimentally, and potential applications are discussed. Additionally, important similarities and differences with graphene-related systems are examined.


Shortly before Vladimir Nabokov died in 1977, he left instructions that the draft for his last novel, The Original of Laura, be destroyed. But in 2008 Dmitri Nabokov, the writer's only child and sole surviving heir, contravened his father's wishes. Formed from novelistic fragments that had been hidden from the public eye for three decades, The Original of Laura is a construction based on the conjecture of the Nabokov estate, publishers, and scholars. Shades of Laura returns to the "scene of the crime," elucidating the process of publishing Nabokov's unfinished novel from its conception - the reproduction of 138 handwritten index cards - to the simultaneous publication of translations of the final text in several languages. The essays in this collection investigate the event of publication and reconstitute the book's critical reception, reproducing a selection of some of the most salient reviews. Critics condemned Dmitri's choice, but as contributors to this volume attest, there are many more "shades" and "nuances" to his decision. The book also endeavours to allow readers to understand and evaluate an incomplete novel; contributors analyze its plot, structure, imagery, and motifs. Published after prolonged public debate, Vladimir Nabokov's The Original of Laura was dubbed "the most eagerly awaited literary novel of this fledgling century." Covering the publication from a broad spectrum of perspectives, this collection reassesses the Nabokov canon and the roots of his literary prestige. Contributors include Paul Ardoin (Florida State University), Gennady Barabtarlo (University of Missouri), Brian Boyd (University of Auckland), Marijeta Bozovic (Colgate University), Maurice Couturier (University of Nice), Lara Delage-Toriel (Strasbourg University), Galya Diment (University of Washington), Leland de la Durantaye (Claremont McKenna College), Michael Juliar (Private collector), Eric Naiman (University of California, Berkeley), Ellen Pifer (University of Delaware), Anna Raffetto (Adelphi Publishing House, Milan), Michael Rodgers (University of Strathclyde), Rien Verhoef (Leiden University), Olga Voronina (Bard College), Tadashi Wakashima (Kyoto University), Michael Wood (Princeton University), and Barbara Wyllie (Slavonic and East European Review).


Infectious endocervicitis is a common disease in women of reproductive age. Itis of great clinical importance because the infection can spread over the genital tract and it can transfer both in horisontal way (sexual partner) and vertical way (foetus and new-bom). One of the most common causers for the infections endocervicitis is Chlamydia trachomatis. The aim of the study was to define the frequency of the chlamydial endocervicitis among women with desired pregnancy and examining them while pregnant and until the birth to define the possible complications.


This paper focuses on the estimation of sensitivity matrices in power grids, with applications in both transmission and distribution systems. By leveraging a low-rank approximation of certain classes of sensitivity matrices, the paper proposes a robust nuclear norm minimization method to estimate sensitivities from measurements. Relative to existing methods based on the least-squares approach, the proposed method can obtain meaningful estimates with a smaller number of measurements and when the regression model is underdetermined; the method can also identify faulty measurements and handle missing data. Furthermore, an online proximal-gradient method is proposed to estimate sensitivities on-the-fly from real-time measurements; convergence results in terms of dynamic regret are offered in this case. Tests corroborate the effectiveness of the novel approach.


【This study aimed to investigate how EFL learners perceived English writing tasks and teachers' written feedback. The subjects were 82 mixed major college EFL students aged 19-24; the majority were freshmen females. Based on the scores estimated from the essay evaluation test, they were placed into two groups (proficienand less-proficient writers) and responded to an in-class questionnaire. The results indicated that: (1) regardless of writing proficiency, a large number of the students felt that they were just fair writers, which could be derived from low confidence and high anxiety; (2) grammar and vocabulary were perceived as the main features that determined good EFL writers and also prevented the students from performing the writing task successfully; (3) they believed that teachers' feedback contributed to the development of their English writing skills because it helped them apprehend what to improve or avoid in the future, acquire better English usage, and correct their errors; and (4) the proficient writers were more willing to correct errors themselves after being provided clues than the less-proficient writers. Implications of the findings for EFL classrooms are discussed.】


According to requirements, a solution of remote PLC experiment system has been introduced, including total architecture, hardware and software design. We made a remote experiment in order to control simple mechanical equipment with S7–200 PLC. Then through CP243-1IT, mechanism, PLC, server and clients from internet are mutually connected. By visiting lab web and operating panel of console interface, students can finish required tests at any time. Exams indicate that the scheme of system is feasible.


Polymorphism is common in both in vitro and in vivo amyloid fibrils formed by the same peptide/protein. However, the differences in their self-assembled structures at the amino acid level remain poorly understood. In this study, we utilized isotope-edited vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) on a well-known amyloidogenic peptide fragment (N22FGAIL27) of human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPf) to investigate the structural polymorphism. Two individual isotope-labeled IAPf peptides were used, with a 13C label on the carbonyl group of phenylalanine (IAPf-F) and glycine (IAPf-G). We compared the amyloid-like nanofibril of IAPf induced by solvent casting (fibril B) with our previous report on the same IAPf peptide fibril but with a different fibril morphology (fibril A) formed in an aqueous buffer solution. Fibril B consisted of entangled, laterally fused amyloid-like nanofibrils with a relatively shorter diameter (15-50 nm) and longer length (several microns), while fibril A displayed nanofibrils with a higher diameter (30-60 nm) and shorter length (500 nm-2 μm). The isotope-edited VCD analysis indicated that fibrils B consisted of anti-parallel β-sheet arrangements with glycine residues in the registry and phenylalanine residues out of the registry, which was significantly different from fibrils A, where a mixture of parallel β-sheet and turn structure with the registry at phenylalanine and glycine residues was observed. The VCD analysis, therefore, suggests that polymorphism in amyloid-like fibrils can be attributed to the difference in the packing/arrangement of the individual β-strands in the β-sheet and the difference in the amino acid registry. Our findings provide insights into the structural aspects of fibril polymorphism related to various amyloid diseases and may aid in designing amyloid fibril inhibitors for therapeutic purposes.


Ever since the term 'thought experiment' was coined by Ørsted, philosophers have struggled with the question of how thought experiments manage to provide knowledge. Ernst Mach's seminal contribution has eclipsed other approaches in the Austrian tradition. I discuss one of these neglected approaches. Faced with the challenge of how to reconcile his empiricist position with his use of thought experiments, Moritz Schlick proposed the following 'Sinnkriterium': a thought experiment is meaningful if it allows to answer a question under discussion by imagining the experiences that would confi rm that the thought experimental scenario is actual. I trace this view throughout three exemplary thought experiments of Schlick's.


PfCDPK1 [Plasmodium falciparum CDPK1 (calcium-dependent protein kinase 1)] is highly expressed in parasite asexual blood and mosquito stages. Its role is still poorly understood, but unsuccessful gene knockout attempts suggest that it is essential for parasite replication and/or RBC (red blood cell) invasion. In the present study, by tagging endogenous CDPK1 with GFP (green fluorescent protein), we demonstrate that CDPK1 localizes to the parasite plasma membrane of replicating and invasive forms as well as very young intracellular parasites and does not appear to be exported into RBCs. Although a knockdown of endogenous CDPK1 was achieved using a destabilization domain, parasites tolerated reduced expression without displaying a phenotype. Because of this, the PfCDPK1 auto-inhibitory J (junction) domain was explored as a means of achieving inducible and specific inhibition. Under in vitro conditions, a fusion protein comprising a J-GFP fusion specifically bound to PfCDPK1 and inhibited its activity. This fusion protein was conditionally expressed in P. falciparum asexual blood stages under the regulation of a DD (destabilization domain) (J-GFP-DD). We demonstrate that J-GFP-DD binds to CDPK1 and that this results in the arrest of parasite development late in the cell cycle during early schizogony. These data point to an early schizont function for PfCDPK1 and demonstrate that conditionally expressing auto-inhibitory regions can be an effective way to address the function of Plasmodium enzymes.


There is a continuous strive for digitalization of business process execution and different types of enterprise applications are used to implement business processes. The paper identifies types of enterprise applications, namely, functional applications, ERP systems, workflow management systems, serviceoriented architecture applications and SaaS and analyzes suitability of these applications for fulfilling business process execution requirements. This analysis yields a hypothesis that enterprise applications evolve cyclically and the cycles are determined by an interplay between standardization and customization tendencies in development of enterprise applications. This observation allows to structure existing developments in enterprise computing and to reason about future developments in digitalization of business processes.


Abstract. The Tetratheca hirsuta Lindl. species complex from south-west Western Australia is one of the last unresolved complexes in this Australian endemic genus, and comprises the highly variable T. hirsuta, two rare, phrase-named taxa, and the closely allied T. hispidissima Steetz. An integrative approach, incorporating multivariate morphometric analysis and molecular phylogenetic and phenetic analyses of nrDNA (ETS) and cpDNA (ndhF–trnL, rpl16, trnS–trnG5′ 2S), was used to investigate taxonomic boundaries within the complex. Morphological data showed clear divergence within the complex, and allowed several taxonomically uncertain individuals to be assigned. Phenetic and phylogenetic analyses of ETS showed substantial congruence with morphology, indicating that the groups recognised through morphometric analyses are also genetically divergent. By comparison, the chloroplast regions yielded incongruent gene trees, perhaps owing to incomplete lineage sorting, hybridisation or slow evolution of cpDNA. The present results support the recognition of the following four taxa: a morphologically and geographically expanded T. hispidissima, which is highly divergent from the remainder of the complex, and a closer grouping of T. hirsuta subsp. boonanarring Joyce & R.Butcher subsp. nov., T. hirsuta subsp. viminea (Lindl.) Joyce comb. et stat. nov. and T. hirsuta subsp. hirsuta.


The aim of this paper is to show the fluctuation on overshoots of particular term due to change in magnitude of discontinuity in the square wave function represented in Fourier series and also is to address the mathematical relation between those parameters. Along with that, some graphical plots of different terms are given to illustrate the results and to interpolate data with smooth curves using Cubic spline interpolation in MATLAB.Journal of the Institute of Engineering, 2018, 14(1): 206-215


In order to protect the environment, using light material is becoming more and more attractive within the automobile industry. Aluminum alloys are the best and lightest metallic materials used in the automotive, electron, and aerospace industries. Al alloy and SGARC were joined by cold metal transfer (CMT) welding, using AlSiMn4 as a filler. Results showed that dissimilar metals from the Al 6000 series/SGARC could be successfully joined by CMT under proper processing parameters. The micro-hardness value of 125Hv was obtained at an interface.


Being able to automatically link social media information and data to remote-sensed data holds large possibilities for society and re- search. In this paper, we present a system called JORD that is able to autonomously collect social media data about technological and environmental disasters, and link it automatically to remote-sensed data. In addition, we demonstrate that queries in local languages that are relevant to the exact position of natural disasters retrieve more accurate information about a disaster event. To show the capabilities of the system, we present some examples of disaster events detected by the system. To evaluate the quality of the provided information and usefulness of JORD from the potential users point of view we include a crowdsourced user study.


I am writing a mediocre paper on a topic you are not particularly interested in. You don't have, it seems safe to assume, a (normative) reason to read my draft. I then ask whether you would be willing to have a look and tell me what you think. Suddenly you do have a (normative) reason to read my draft. By my asking, I managed to give you the reason to read the draft. What does such reason-giving consist in? And how is it that we can do it?In this paper, I characterize what I call robust reason giving, of the kind present in requests. I distinguish it from epistemic and merely triggering reason-giving, I discuss in detail the phenomenology of robust reason-giving, and I offer an analysis of robust reason-giving in terms of the complex intentions of the reason-giver and of the normative background.


In this article I argue against Clifford Shearing's suggestion that in the age of the Anthropocene the discipline of criminology should be rethought as 'security-ology', where concerns of security as a state of being and practices of security (i.e. securitization) and not crime and criminalization dominate the agenda. My objection consists of three key points. First, contra Shearing, I argue that it is analytically weak to describe all political practices concerned with achieving greater justice and/or security as a state of being as security practices. At a minimum, I suggest, relevant actors must conceive of their own actions as security practices, for the latter to count as such. Second, by drawing on literature from Environmental Security Studies I show that elevating environmental issues to security problems does not necessarily produce a more secure environment for people. Instead the best successes – in terms of accomplishing environmental security as a state of being – have been achieved through collaborate efforts between states and key stake-holders. I suggest that Shearing's work on New Environmental Governance can be understood in these terms as it can help to produce greater actual security. Third, the age of the Anthropocene gives renewed relevance to crime and criminalization. Not only does it necessitate the rethinking of the meaning of crime, but also criminalization can be used to achieve compliance with environmental legislation.


THE WIDESPREAD USE of chest roentgenography and the rising incidence of intrathoracic neoplastic disease have combined to produce a more acute clinical awareness of lung tumors. When the chest x-ray is found to contain an abnormal shadow which blends with the mediastinum, a diagnosis of neoplastic disease is often entertained. The available nonsurgical, clinical tools used to confirm or deny this impression are bronchoscopy, fluoroscopy, laminography, I131scanning, and angiocardiography. Unless contrast visualization of the mediastinal mass is attempted, the vascular nature of some of these shadows w ill be overlooked. In this large general hospital patients have been encountered in whom a positive blood serological test for Syphilis was present, but in whom the mediastinal mass proved to be neoplastic. We have also seen patients in whom the mediastinal mass was thought to exhibit epansile pulsations but was proved to be neoplastic. we have also seen patients in whom


Water deficit stress is one of the most important growth limiting factors in crop production. Several methods have been used to detect and evaluate the effects of water deficit on plants. In the present study, remote sensing has been used. The objectives were to 1) determine the effects of water deficit on greenhouse crop using spectral indices and 2) evaluate the reflectance spectra using the classification tree method for distinguishing water deficit levels based on substrate water content. For this reason, tomato plants were grown in slabs filled with perlite: i) under no irrigation for five days and ii) continuously well-watered. A hyperspectral camera was used to remotely measure plant reflectance during the periods with normal or low substrate water content. A large number of vegetation and water indices were compiled in order to measure plant vigour and other biophysical parameters using the remotely sensed data. A significant correlation was found between the mrNDVI reflectance index and substrate water content (θ). In addition, the PRI values observed for plants of the water deficit treatment varied, once θ% rapidly decreased to 4.5%. The daily mean TCARI was linearly correlated with chlorophyll content but not with θ% variations. A classification tree was developed to investigate the relationship between the categorical data and determine the variables affecting other independent variables. The decision tree methodology could be used to build the model for the prediction of irrigation event outcomes.


A chemiluminescent system has been developed for ultrasensitive, quantitative analysis as well as visualization of the spatial distribution of biomolecules such as antigens, enzymes, antibodies, DNA probes in tissue, or cells. The system consists of a low-light imaging Vidicon videocamera connected to an optical microscope, able to measure light at the single photon level and perform 3D image analysis of the subcellular distribution of the analyte. The concentration and the spatial distribution of enzymes, or enzyme-labeled biospecific reagents can be determined using appropriate chemiluminescent substrates. Analytes are also determined with coupled enzymatic reactions terminating in light emission. Oxirane acrylic beads (250-micron-diameter macroporous particles) with immobilized horseradish peroxidase have been used as a model system to optimize the experimental conditions in terms of signal intensity and spatial resolution as a function of different chemiluminescent substrates such as luminol/enhancer/H2O2 and acridancarboxylate ester/H2O2. Localization of oxirane beads immobilized acetylcholinesterase has been also used to optimize a system in which the detection and localization of the primary enzyme involves two secondary enzymes in solution, choline oxidase and horseradish peroxidase, leading to a final light emission. Immunoenzymatic reactions for the detection of viral antigens and in situ hybridization assays for the detection of viral DNAs (cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus) have been performed in cells using peroxidase-labeled antibodies or cDNA probes and the analytical performance of different chemiluminescent substrates for the enzyme has been evaluated. The results obtained showed the possibility to sharply image the bioprobes in single cells and peroxidase is a suitable label when luminol/H2O2 system is used in conjunction with enhancer as in the ECL and SuperSignal Ultra reagents; other substrates such as Lumigen PS-3, despite adequate detectability, showed problems of localization of the signal as a result of the relatively long half-life of the excited emitting species and its diffusion in the chemiluminescent cocktail. The system has proven to be highly sensitive, able to perform quantitative analysis, and relatively simple.


Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I in rat liver mitochondria preincubated with malonyl-CoA was more sensitive to inhibition by malonyl-CoA than was the enzyme in mitochondria preincubated in the absence of malonyl-CoA. For carnitine palmitoyltransferase I in mitochondria from starved animals this increase also resulted in the enzyme becoming significantly more sensitive than that in mitochondria assayed immediately after their isolation. Concentrations of malonyl-CoA that induced half the maximal degree of sensitization observed were 1-3 microM.


An overview of the most recent developments and improvements to the low-loss TriPleX Si3N4 waveguide technology is presented in this paper. The TriPleX platform provides a suite of waveguide geometries (box, double stripe, symmetric single stripe, and asymmetric double stripe) that can be combined to design complex functional circuits, but more important are manufactured in a single monolithic process flow to create a compact photonic integrated circuit. All functionalities of the integrated circuit are constructed using standard basic building blocks, namely straight and bent waveguides, splitters/combiners and couplers, spot size converters, and phase tuning elements. The basic functionalities that have been realized are: ring resonators and Mach–Zehnder interferometer filters, tunable delay elements, and waveguide switches. Combination of these basic functionalities evolves into more complex functions such as higher order filters, beamforming networks, and fully programmable architectures. Introduction of the active InP chip platform in a combination with the TriPleX will introduce light generation, modulation, and detection to the low-loss platform. This hybrid  integration strategy enables fabrication of tunable lasers, fully integrated filters, and optical beamforming networks.


0.1%C-12% Chromium heat resisting steel is being appreciated as steel for steam turbine blade etc. The uniformity of structure, among characteristics requested for blade material, is one of the most important nature as well as mechanical properties and creep rupture.Accordingly, micro segregation and Delta Ferrite are inclined to be one cause of fatigue rupture and materials having uniformed sorbite structure are requested.The present study is, following the report chiefly written about nature of materials (inner nature, mechanical properties, creep rupture) in from the 1st to 6th report, concerning improvement of structure and investigated about the rise and fall of Delta Ferrite, a big point in manufacturing 0.1%C-12% Chromium heat resisting steel mainly the effects of soaking treatment.As the results, it was found that uniform macrostructure with no segreagation and Delta Ferrite could be obtained under 1100-1200°C soaking, if was C 0.11-0.15% and Cr 11.5-12.0% and the growth of Delta Ferrite caused by temperature higher than 1200°C could be out by means of re-soaking of 1050-1200°C.It is needless to mention that the above written fact follow exactly as per the phase diagram.


Depletion of fossil fuels and the ongoing production of greenhouse gasses have led to an increased demand of renewable energy, transportation fuels and chemicals. Whereas energy can be produced by using wind and solar power, chemicals need a carbon containing source. Biomass is the only sustainable source of carbon available at the moment for producing chemicals. Lignocellulosic biomass is the woody part of biomass and is made out of three main components, being cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Lignocellulosic biomass does not compete with food and has enormous potential as a feedstock for second generation bio-fuels and chemicals. This study focuses on a specific part of lignocellulosic biomass, namely lignin. Lignin has an enormous potential for the production of fuels and bulk chemicals, due to its aromatic structure [1]. Aromatic structures are valuable, because of the high demand of phenols and benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX). This study focuses on the valorization of lignin with the use of heterogeneous catalysis and hydrogen under elevated conditions (100-160 bar and 400°C). The objective of this study was to develop an optimal semi-continuous set-up for catalytic hydrotreatment of lignin towards phenolic and aromatic products. A catalytic screening, pressure optimization and influence of reaction time were performed. Five catalysts were found to be suitable for the catalytic hydrotreatment of lignin. Total aromatic and phenolic yield was in the following order Ru/TiO2 (12.9%) (ruthenium chloride made) > Ru/TiO2 (12.0%) (ruthenium acetate made) > Cat. D (11.9%) > Ru/C (11.4%) > Pd/C (8.1%). Ruthenium on titania (ruthenium chloride made) therefore was the most suitable catalyst for maximizing the total phenolic and aromatic yield. Light oil yield is very important in semi-continuous catalytic hydrotreatment of lignin. Combining total phenolic and aromatic yield with the light oil yield, ruthenium on carbon was found to be the most suitable catalyst. At 130 bar the light oil yield for ruthenium on carbon was the highest, 15.7%. Therefore 130 bars was found to be the optimal pressure for the semi-continuous catalytic hydrotreatment of lignin with ruthenium on carbon. Reaction time had large influence on the amount of light oil produced for a ruthenium on carbon catalyst, it increased over time (2.2% at 0.5 h to 28.9% at 8 h). Water amount also increased over time, where the oil yield decreased with about the same amount (75.0% at 0.5 h to 54.0% at 8 h). Product elemental composition showed that the amount of oxygen was decreasing in the heavy oil and 0.22wt% at 8 h of reaction time. ALCELL lignin contains for 28.9wt% of oxygen. Total phenolic and aromatic yield increased with reaction time to a maximum at 4 h, from 5.3% at 0.5 h to 14.2% at 4 h.


Time-resolved charge-collection measurements performed on AlSb/InAs/GaSb resonant interband tunneling diodes (RITDs) with pulsed laser excitation exhibit complex behavior as a function of the device operating point. A model considering conventional charge-collection principles in combination with transient band-bending effects is proposed to describe the experimental results. In the proposed model, a transient distortion of the band structure of the device (transient band bending) induced by holes trapped in the GaSb valence band well modulates the DC current through the RITD. The manner in which this transient modulation is manifested in the experimental observable depends sensitively on the operating point of the device, giving rise to qualitatively different temporal signatures under different DC bias conditions.


Introduction: Eggshell membrane (ESM) is a tissue found between the eggshell and the albumen of eggs that has attractive properties for use in drug delivery systems. Aim:  To incorporate in ESM and used it as a model drug in release studies. The color change and FTIR analysis of the biopolymer proved the incorporation of nimesulide in ESM. Results: The drug uptake was 176.83 and 122.69 mg g-1 by natural and cross-linked ESM. Release studies were carried out using a spectrophotometric flow system in simulated intestinal fluid pH 7.4. The release profiles showed that after 60 minutes 54.55 and 42.58 % of the drug were released from natural and cross-linked ESM, respectively. Kinetics parameters indicated that drug release was better described by the Higuchi model and through a non-Fickian release. Conclusion: Considering these results is proved that ESM has the potential to become a polymeric matrix for drug release systems.


The force between silica surfaces in NaCl, KCl and CsCl aqueous solutions is studied at pH 5.5 using an atomic force microscope (AFM). As ion concentration is increased, more cations adsorb to the negatively charged silica, gradually neutralizing the surface charge, hence, suppressing the electrostatic double layer repulsion and revealing van der Waals attraction. At even higher salt concentrations, repulsion reemerges due to surface charge reversal by excess adsorbed cations. Adsorption grows monotonically with cation radius. At pH 5.5 the smallest ion, Na+, neutralizes the surface at 0.5-1 M, K+ at 0.2-0.5 M, and Cs+ at approximately 0.1 M. Titration with HCl to pH 4.0 shifts surface neutralization and charge reversal to lower salt concentrations compared with pH 5.5. When attraction dominates, the force curves are practically identical for the three salts, independent of their concentration.


BACKGROUND
The present study evaluated the efficacy of biphasic human insulin 30 (BHI 30) in type 2 diabetes patients who had failed in therapy with two or more oral antidiabetes drugs (OADs).

METHODS
This open-label, nonrandomized, 4-month, multicenter, clinical observational study was conducted in Shanghai, China. A total of 660 insulin-naive type 2 diabetes patients with poor glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c] ≥7.5%), despite treatment with two or more OADs for more than 6 months, were recruited and received BHI 30 monotherapy or BHI 30 plus OAD(s) (metformin only, α-glucosidase inhibitor only, or both).

RESULTS
Among the 660 subjects, 644 completed the 4-month study. At the end of the study, the median level of HbA1c decreased by 2.0% (from 9.1% to 7.0%) in the BHI 30 monotherapy group and also 2.0% (from 9.5% to 7.3%) in the BHI 30 plus OAD group. More patients achieved the HbA1c <7.0% target in the BHI 30 monotherapy group than in the BHI 30 plus OAD(s) group (47.9% vs. 35.3%, P=0.002). Compared with the expenses of the prior treatment strategy, the median daily cost decreased by 39.8% (4.5 yuan, Chinese RMB) at the end point in the BHI 30 monotherapy group but increased by 20.0% (2.2 yuan) in the BHI 30 plus OAD(s) group (P<0.0001). Moreover, patients in the BHI 30 plus OAD(s) group had fewer minor hypoglycemic episodes than in the BHI 30 monotherapy group (mean of 1.06 vs. 2.77 per patient per year, P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS
Short-term BHI 30 therapy can improve glycemic control in insulin-naive type 2 diabetes patients after failure of two or more OADs. With higher baseline glucose level, the BHI 30 plus OAD(s) group had lower pharmacoeconomic efficacy than the BHI 30 monotherapy group despite having fewer hypoglycemia events.


Studies suggest that, at the routine level, news beats function as unique "micro-cultures." Exploring this "particularist" approach in news content, we compare how the interventionist, watchdog, loyal, service, infotainment, and civic roles materialize across 11 thematic news beats and analyze the moderating effect of platforms, ownership, and levels of political freedom on journalistic role performance in hard and soft news. Based on the second wave of the Journalistic Role Performance (JRP) project, this article reports the findings of a content analysis of 148,474 news items from 37 countries. Our results reveal the transversality of interventionism, the strong associations of some topics and roles, and the limited reach of news beat particularism in the face of moderating variables.


Background Post-polio syndrome is characterised by symptoms of fatigue, pain and new-onset neuromuscular weakness, and emerges decades after the initial poliovirus infection. We sought to evaluate the only post-polio syndrome specific self-management programme in the United Kingdom. Methods This was a retrospective study of patients who had completed a residential self-management programme led by a multi-disciplinary clinical team. Following a confirmed diagnosis of post-polio syndrome by rehabilitation and neurology specialists, patients were offered to participate in the programme. Although group-based, patients also received individually tailored support on physical exercise and fatigue management. Physical effects, physical function, psychosocial well-being measures were assessed at baseline and 6 months follow-up. Knowledge was tested at baseline and immediately following the programme. Statistical comparisons were made using paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test according to the data distribution. Results Over a period of 17 years, 214 participants (median age 61.3 years old, 63% female) attended 31 programmes. At 6 months the following post-polio syndrome specific symptoms improved significantly: fatigue, as measured by the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale [37.6 (7.1) vs. 34.2 (9.3), P=0.005]; and pain [15.0 (6.1) vs. 13.1 (6.7), P=0.001], atrophy [10.0 (8.0–12.0) vs. 9.0 (7.0–11.0), P=0.002] and bulbar symptoms [3.0 (1.0–5.0) vs. 2.0 (0–4.0), P=0.003] as measured by the Index of Post-polio Sequelae scale. Knowledge related to post-polio syndrome also significantly increased [14.0 (11.0–16.0) vs. 17.0 (16.0–19.0), P=0.001]. Participants were able to walk at a faster speed over 10 meters [0.77 (0.59–1.00) vs. 0.83 (0.67–1.10) m/s, P=0.003] and walked longer distances during the 2-minute walk test [76.9 (31.7) vs. 82.0 (38.4) m, P=0.029]. Depression and anxiety scores did not change over time [PHQ-9, 2.0 (0.3–10.8) vs. 2.0 (0.3–6.8), P=0.450; GAD-7, 2.0 (0–7.0) vs. 1.0 (0–3.0), P=0.460] nor was there change in self-reported quality of life {60 [50–70] vs. 60 [55–70], P=0.200}. Conclusions This study suggests that a post-polio syndrome self-management programme led to improvement in symptoms, knowledge and walking speed, but not quality of life. Anxiety and depression scores remained low.


We study round-robin and elimination tournaments with three players where one player is dominant, i.e., he has a higher value of winning than his weaker opponents. In every stage, a pair-wise match is modelled as an all-pay auction. We demonstrate that the expected payoff of the weak players in the round-robin tournament is higher than or equal to their expected payoffs in the elimination tournament. On the other hand, the expected payoff of the dominant player in the elimination tournament could be either higher or lower than in the round-robin tournament. We also show that if a contest designer wishes to maximize the dominant player's probability to win he should organize a round-robin tournament. However, if he wishes to maximize the players' expected total effort, then if the asymmetry between the players is relatively low, he should prefer the elimination tournament, while if the asymmetry is relatively high, he should prefer the round-robin tournament.


Longmen Shan is located the special joint be-tween Tibetan Plateau inland in the west and Yangtze craton in the east. Consisting of a se-ries of parallel imbricated thrust, it develops, from the west to the east, the Maoxian- Wenchuan, Beichuan-Yingxiu and Pengxian- ﹡This research was supported by China National Natural Science Foundation grant 40841010, 40972083 and China National Science and Technology supporting Plan Foundation grant 2006BAC13B02-07, 2006BAC13B01-604. Guanxian faults. The Wenchuan earthquake is a thrust with strike-slip type, and thre surface ruptures are located on the Beichuan-Yingxiu fault zone and Pengxian-Guanxian fault zone. The surface rupture on the Beichuan-Yingxiu fault shows the thrust and dextral slip charac-teristic. The maximum vertical displacement of the surface rupture is about 10.3 m and the maxi-mum right-lateral displacement is about 5.85m. Though the vertical displacements and the hori-zontal displacements in the different segments have certain differences, as a whole, the ratio of the vertical displacement and the horizontal dis-placement is close to 1:1. The surface rupture on the Pengxian-Guanxian fault shows thrust and dextral characteristic. The rates of vertical dis-placements and the horizontal displacements ones on the most other segments are between 1:3 and 1:2. So the Beichuan- Yingxiu fault is a dextral-slip and thrust fault and the average ver-tical displacement is equal to the average hori-zontal displacement, while the Pengxian- Guan xian fault is thrust fault with a little dextral-slip component. The total intensity area above Ⅵ de-gree of the Wenchuan earthquake is about 333000 km2. The high earthquake intensity line stretches to N40-50°E along Longmen Shan tectonic belt. The rate of the long axis and the minor is betw- een 8:1 and 10:1. Three Ⅺ intensity regions are isolated in distribution. It presents a multipoint instantaneous characteristic of the rupture.


Report of a lecture by Mr Koh Kikuchi, Chairman of Yaskawa Electric Corporation of Japan, which reviews the development of mechatronics by Yaskawa. It traces the history of the company in its involvement with robotics from the first simple single‐function hand in the 1960s to the latest supermechatronic robots used in semiconductor manufacture. Details are given of two new robots designed for operation in clean rooms down to Class 1. An account is also given of the activities of Yaskawa's UK company which, in common with the majority of Yaskawa's overseas operations, started as a joint venture partnership. The lecture concluded with a plea to encourage international co‐operation to solve the current global problems, particularly the effect of manufacturing on the environment.


In today's education environment, decision making based on data-driven evidence has become part of expected professional practice. If teachers and principals can interpret the data to identify learning needs, then it becomes possible to adapt teaching in a highly targeted way. However, analysing and interpreting quantitative data in the context of a school setting is not easy, and teachers now require a level of statistical competence not expected in the past. Teachers do not necessarily need the deep knowledge of statistical algorithms required of statisticians, but they certainly need appropriate levels of statistical literacy: sufficient understanding of numeracy, statistics, and data presentation to make valuable use of quantitative data and summary reports in a personal or professional setting. A research project has examined the statistical literacy that teachers require to make sense of the statistical reports now provided to schools by education systems. The project has also examined teachers' attitudes towards the data, in particular the extent to which they see it as a means to improve student learning.


The findings of language attitude studies amongst learners of English have consistently demonstrated that native speakers of English are accorded higher evaluations in terms of status/prestige, whereas non-native speakers of English are often rated high in terms of social attractiveness/solidarity. For the majority of language attitude studies, the inclusion of native speakers of English in speech evaluation experiments has served as useful for investigating the complex attitudes towards English speech among English language learners. However, over the past two decades there has been a growing argument that the unprecedented spread of English language learning has led to questions over the ownership of the English language and the functions for its study, with many arguing that English is no longer learned primarily to communicate with native speakers of English, but as a means to communicate between those that do not share the same first language. Despite this, few studies have focused solely on attitudes held by English language learners in the expanding circle towards one another. Moreover, informants in language attitudes studies amongst English language learners have often been limited to informants of homogenous national groups, thus making direct comparisons between the multitudes of language attitude studies across national groups difficult.


Background: Both comorbidities and physical inactivity have been shown to impair quality of life, contribute to hospitalizations and mortality in COPD patients. We hypothesized that comorbidities have a significant impact on the level of daily physical activity in COPD. Methods: In 228 patients with COPD (76% men; median (quartiles) age: 63 (57/68) years; FEV 1 % pred.: 43 (31/64)) comorbidities were assessed by medical history, clinical interviews, clinical examination and blood analysis. Physical activity level (PAL) was measured by an activity monitor (SenseWear Pro™). The association between PAL and comorbidities was investigated by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Results: 79% of the COPD patients had at least one additional chronic comorbidity, 56% had 2 or more and 35% had 3 or more comorbidities. In univariate analysis BMI, number of pack years and having at least one additional comorbidity was negatively associated with PAL while there was a positive nonlinear association between FEV1 and PAL. The presence of at least one additional comorbidity was independently associated with PAL irrespective of airflow limitation. Conclusion: In this cohort almost 80% of COPD patients had at least one additional chronic comorbidity. The presence of comorbidities may compromise physical activity in patients with COPD irrespective of airflow limitation.


ABSTRACT Spud-cans are used for fixing jack-up rigs on seabed. The spud-can needs to be inserted up to the required depth during the installation process in sand to secure enough soil resistance and prevent overturning accidents. In the clay case, its penetration depth is much larger and it typically takes long time to extract it from the large burial depth. In both cases, water jetting is needed to make it possible or expedite the process. To achieve such goals, spud-can may be equipped with water-jetting system including monitoring and control. In this regard, authors developed a numerical simulation tool by using a commercial FE (finite element) program ANSYS and the extended Drucker–Prager (EDP) equation involving water-jetting effect. Authors also conducted small-scale (1/100) physical model tests to validate the developed analytical/numerical model. By comparing the numerical model against experiment, essential physics are drawn with calibrated soil properties including the effects of water jetting. Then, by using the tuned soil properties, the numerical simulations reproduced the essential characteristics and behaviours of the model tests with sand and K(kaolin)-clay. Finally, for further verification, the cases of sand/K-clay multi-layer with and without water jetting are cross-checked against experimental results to show reasonably good agreement.


The objective of this study is to use standard testing methods to characterize the currently available synthetic mesh fabrics in terms of their chemical, physical, mechanical, and morphologic properties. Three commonly used surgical mesh fabrics, Mersilene (Ethicon), Marlex (Davol), and Teflon (USCI), were used, and the tests reveal that they differ from one another chemically as well as configurationally. The experiment included an identification of the structure of the yarn and fabrics; a measurement of the porosity, pore size and shape; and a determination of tensile and bursting strength, flexural rigidity, and wrinkle recovery. A wide variation in structure and performance was observed among the three mesh fabrics. Mersilene mesh fabrics have the highest relative porosity, while Marlex and Teflon meshes have an equivalent, but lower value. Marlex meshes have the highest tensile and bursting strength followed by Teflon and Mersilene meshes. All three meshes have one common strength characteristic--a distinctive difference in tensile strength between the wale and course directions. Marlex mesh fabrics exhibit an immense flexural rigidity and poor wrinkle recovery, due mainly to the monofilament structure of the yarn. Mersilene and Teflon mesh fabrics have similar but considerably lower, flexural rigidity than Marlex. Thus, it is evident that the chemical nature of the constituent fibers, as well as the yarn and fabric structure, have a great effect on the performance of the resulting mesh fabrics. The availability of this characterization data can serve as the basis for a surgeon's selection of the most appropriate commercial surgical mesh fabric for each case, as well as to provide a foundation for the subsequent comparison of their in vivo performance.


Flexible magnetic nanocomposite fibers were produced by an electrospinning method using a polymeric solution containing poly(acrylonitrile) and magnetite nanoparticles. The educational objective of this study was to demonstrate nanomanufacturing to undergraduate students in the College of Engineering at Wichita State University (WSU). Magnetic nanoparticles (∼10 nm) were prepared using a chemical co-precipitation of ferric and ferrous chloride salts in the presence of an ammonium hydroxide solution. The effect of magnetic particle concentrations (e.g., 0%, 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) on nanocomposite fibers, distribution, and morphology were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This experimental study indicated that the average diameter of the magnetic nanocomposite fibers ranged from 400 nm to 1.0 μm. The magnetic responses were found to increase linearly with increasing percent loading of the magnetic nanoparticles.


We study whether institutional investors trade on stock market anomalies. We condition our analysis on whether information about the anomalies is readily available to investors through academic publication and the release of necessary accounting data. Using 14 well-documented anomalies, we observe an increase in anomaly-based trading among institutional investors, especially hedge funds and transient institutions, following the publication of research on anomalies. We directly relate this increase in trading to the observed decay in post-publication anomaly returns. In contrast to recent evidence, our findings support the role of institutional investors in the arbitrage process and in improving market efficiency. JEL Classification: G12, G14, G23


In this paper we will propose a simple approach to simulating Heston model efficiently and accurately. All existing simulation schemes so far directly work with the mean-reverting square root process of the variance in Heston model, instead we transform the variance to an equivalent volatility which follows a mean-reverting Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. We will show it is more convenient to simulate the transformed volatility process than the original variance process since the new Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process does not have any term of square root, and is not restricted to any parameter restriction. Based on the transformed volatility process, we suggest a simple and exact scheme for the simulation of Heston model. Numerical examples show that the new scheme and Andersen's QE scheme perform very closely, and outperform other schemes such as log-normal scheme. While QE scheme suffers from the problem of "leaking correlation", transformed volatility scheme does not, and therefore, provides a high-quality alternative to the existing simulation schemes for Heston model.


Due to the recent popularization of digital web cast systems, delivering continuous media data, i.e. audio and video, has been attracted great attention. In node relay-based web cast, the server has better load balance by receiving data concurrently from other several nodes. Conventional methods reduce waiting time by sharing channels and receiving data from them. However, since the number of nodes by which the user can receive the data is one, occupation time of available bandwidth of the node increases. In this paper, we propose a scheduling method to reduce the waiting time for node relay-based web cast. In our proposed method, by considering available bandwidth of each node and producing an effective schedule, the waiting time is reduced.


The analysis of the relationship between exchange rate fluctuations, common equity and return on equity is of high importance to be able to improve adequate policies with the purpose of maintaining stability in foreign exchange rate, when it is taken into consideration that mentioned fluctuations lead to the loss in bank capital and profitability. Hence, the studies in the related literature have been increasing in great amount recently. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between real effective exchange rate, common equity and return on equity in the period of 2014:01 - 2018:09. The unit root properties of the series are tested by using Carrion-i Silvestre et al.(2009) unit root test and the cointegration relationship between the series is investigated by employing Maki(2012) cointegration test. Both tests take into account multiple structural breaks. The results indicate that there is only a long run relationship between real effective exchange rate and return on equity for Turkish Banking Sector with structural breaks.


In 2005, Spoornet (now known as Transnet Freight Rail) lost R21-million because of an ageing train fleet and a general lack of customer orientation. An urgent recovery plan needed to be put in place. Raymond Campling and Steven O'Sullivan investigate the multi-faceted turnaround strategy and what it involves.


In the Russian economy, science and the academic community are traditionally responsible for creating innovations, which various research institutes and educational organizations graduate and train employees for. The most significant is the postgraduation institute, which has become the third step in the higher education system in the Russian Federation in 2014, also known as highly qualified scientific personnel training. The article discusses the problems of postgraduate study as an institution for the training of highly qualified scientific personnel. The authors examine the relationship between the graduation of scientific personnel and changes in technological patterns, accompanied by ups and downs in economic development. A retrospective analysis of the mechanisms, procedures and tools for training scientific personnel in the Soviet period is carried out, problems and current trends in the functioning of this institution are identified. According to statistics, every year the number of postgraduate students, and especially postgraduate students who has received a Ph.D. degree, is steadily decreasing. The authors of the article have substantiated the relationship between the change of technological modes and the number of highly qualified personnel released and tried to find the explanations for this phenomenon, as well as outline possible solutions to the problem.


Patients with IDDM and NIDDM tend to develop signs of macrovascular disease. Increased plasma glucose levels, hyperlipidaemia, the endothelial cell changes and functional disturbances, abnormal hemostasis are responsible for the development of macrovascular disease. There is a number of explanations that link plasma glucose concentrations and macrovascular diabetic disease: direct toxic effects of glucose on cell function, toxic effects of glucose on cell function and structure through glycation products, oxidative stress and effects on endothelium. Elucidation of the pathophysiology of the diabetic macrovascular complications helps to develop the effective, and preventive treatment for macrovascular disease.


Nowadays in Algeria, the recent trend to decentralize educational powers has wheeled an increasing need for innovation in classrooms and at universities and because of Virus Corona too. As a result, one recommendation was proposed that higher education should make greater use of technology and each teacher should use a projector in his lectures, each student should have access to a portable computer and all the teachers are obliged to post their lectures on the site of their universities from March 15th, 2020 to their students. In this period all the universities and institutes are closed. Therefore, students must take and understand their lectures from universities' sites. In the South of Algeria exactly in Bechar where the department of foreign languages fails to address the needs of students properly in learning languages and many inspectors of education criticize students of English for their lack of professional training and the resulting inability of students to discharge professional duties that lie ahead because  most of the students find it difficult to attend classes and there seems to be a need of Flipped Classrooms for greater flexibility in the course delivery. Since the flipped classroom is a hot topic not only among educators but also among the general public especially in this period of the universal virus which is COVID-19. Hence, this study aims to reflect on the use of Flipped Classrooms in higher education in Algeria by investigating its current status, assessing its pedagogical viability in higher education; exploring its different forms; identifying different options to implement the Flipped Classroom concept and related advantages and disadvantages, and considering technical and cost-related constraints of the Flipped Classroom. To fulfill this objective, the researcher used a questionnaire addressed to students and conducted an interview with the teachers of Bechar University. The finding of the research revealed that all the students are against technology; they prefer the handout (copies) which is the primitive way. They are against closing universities; they think it is just political ideas and they believe that Corona Virus cannot reach the Sahara of Algeria.


The base of the iono-exosphere is defined as the level where the mean free path of ionized particles in a horizontal direction equals the scale height for the ionized gas. It is assumed that an ionized particle moving upward from this base level spirals up along a line of magnetic force without suffering any collision until it returns back to the starting base or goes across the equatorial plane and reaches its conjugate base on the other hemisphere. Due to external forces such as the gravitation, an ion with low velocity at the base can not pass across the equatorial plane but turns back at a certain point on the line of force. The critical velocity at the base for an ion which turns back at any given point on a line of force is calculated as a function of pitch angle and the magnetic latitude assuming a dipole magnetic field. Thus, ionized particles with velocities exceeding the critical velocity at the base contribute to the ion density at farther points. The computed result shows a steeper vertical gradient of the ion density at the equator than at a high latitude. The ion density at 5 earth radii in the equatorial plane is estimated to be about 9 ions cm-3.


This paper examines trade reforms of uncertain duration undertaken in economies subject to real foreign and domestic shocks. These reforms induce consumption and import booms regardless of whether they succeed or fail and of the degree of intertemporal elasticity of substitution. If tariff revenue is rebated, a recession follows the boom, but without rebates a boom or a recession may follow depending on the outcome of the reform. Consumption fluctuations reflect imperfect credibility and real shocks, and the credibility component depends on the mean and risk of real asset returns. Thus, observed booms are a noisy signal of imperfect credibility. Quantitatively, lack of credibility produces sizable consumption cycles, but generally smaller than those induced by real disturbances.


Emotion has become one of the most popular—and popularized—areas within organizational scholarship. This chapter attempts to review and bring together within a single framework the wide and often disjointed literature on emotion in organizations. The integrated framework includes processes detailed by previous theorists who have defined emotion as a sequence that unfolds chronologically. The emotion process begins with a focal individual who is exposed to an eliciting stimulus, registers the stimulus for its meaning, and experiences a feeling state and physiological changes, with downstream consequences for attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions, as well as facial expressions and other emotionally expressive cues. These downstream consequences can result in externally visible behaviors and cues that become, in turn, eliciting stimuli for interaction partners. For each stage of the emotion process there are distinct emotion regulation processes, that incorporate individual differences and group norms and that can become automatic with practice. Although research often examines these stages in relative isolation from each other, I argue that each matters largely due to its interconnectedness with the other stages. Incorporating intra-individual, individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels of analysis, this framework can be a starting point to situate, theorize and test explicit mechanisms for the influence of emotion on organizational life. Emotion in Organizations 3 "We keep coming back to feelings, I'll have time for feelings after I'm dead. Right now we're busy." NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, speaking about the historic Independence Day 2006 launch of the space shuttle Discovery, after discussing the horror and sadness at losing the Columbia space shuttle in 2003, the worry leading up to the launch of Discovery, and the relief and pleasure at watching Discovery succeed (Boyce, 2006). This is an exciting time to be a researcher interested in emotion in organizations. In the wake of best-selling popular books (e.g., Goleman, 1995), as well as the resurgence of decades-old investigations of worker sentiments (Hersey, 1932), there has been heightened—indeed, often hysterical—enthusiasm from practitioners and academics alike. This popularization has tended to elevate the status and legitimacy of emotion as a topic of scholarly inquiry, and has lead to a near explosion of research on the topic (Barsade, Brief, & Spataro, 2003; Brief & Weiss, 2002; Rafaeli & Worline, 2001), which represents a large-scale reversal of lay beliefs that the best way to manage emotions in the workplace is not to have any. Frederick Taylor's (1911) scientific management focused on machine-like efficiency, and discounted emotion because it was seen as irrational, personal, and feminine (Mumby & Putnam, 1992)—as typified in the opening quote. By contrast, researchers now celebrate the infusion of emotion into organizational life (Fineman, 1996)—with implications for individual, group, and even firm performance, as well as intricate connections to organizational phenomena as varied as justice, diversity, power, creativity, stress, culture, and others. The explosion of research in this area has been a boon but it has also been a mess. Popularization has led to many sweeping—yet often poorly substantiated (e.g., Goleman, 1995)—claims about the power of emotion to be harnessed for the bottom line. The academic literature has been extensive, but often only a loosely connected body of work with disparate themes all included under the banner of emotion. Often research takes existing topics within management and divides them into purportedly emotional vs. nonemotional versions. At some extremes, arguments nearly claim that everything is emotion, that it now Emotion in Organizations 4 encompasses every phenomenon heretofore studied across management and organization. One question, then, is how to articulate boundaries because, for emotion to mean anything, it cannot mean everything. Another question is how to integrate the study of emotion into a coherent whole. The present chapter is the first to organize a review of the research literature on emotion in organizations around an integration of psychologists' conceptions of the emotion process. At this point a definition of emotion may—or may not—be necessary. Although we tend to think that we know emotion when we see it, researchers have proposed a wide variety of definitions, the most widely held that emotions are adaptive responses to the demands of the environment (Ekman, 1992; Scherer, 1984; Smith & Ellsworth, 1985). However, Fridlund (1994) argued that there is no formal definition of emotion that is not tautological in some way, and ultimately suggested that emotion is merely a social convention for discussing behavioral intentions. At its core, most theorists agree that emotion is a reaction to a stimulus and has a range of possible consequences (Frijda, 1988). Whereas emotions typically refer to discrete and intense but short-lived experiences, moods are experiences that are longer and more diffuse, and lack awareness of the eliciting stimulus. Moods can be created by stimuli of relatively low intensity, or can be left behind by emotions that fade so that the initial antecedent is no longer salient (e.g., Cropanzano, Weiss, Hale, & Reb, 2003; Schwarz, 1990). Affect is an umbrella term encompassing mood and emotion (Forgas, 1995). I. The Emotion Process The integrated process framework presented here draws on processes detailed by distinguished theorists of emotion and social judgment, including Brunswick (1955), Buck (1984), Frijda (1986; Frijda & Mesquita, 1994), Fridlund (1994), Ekman (1972), Gross (2001), Scherer (1984, 1995), Weiss and Cropanzano (1996), and others who have argued for theoretical models of emotion as an interrelated series of processes that unfold chronologically. It incorporates important contributions from psychology and allied fields such as sociology and organization studies. Emotion in Organizations 5 The goal of this chapter is to review the existing research literature on emotion in organizations systematically in terms of this process framework. Although it is beyond the scope of the chapter also to review the entire underlying literature on emotion, where possible it includes that which is illustrative or directly relevant. It would be an overly ambitious claim for any model to account for absolutely every aspect of emotion studied within organizational settings. However, at the risk of failing, this is a first attempt to move away from characterizing the vast literature as discrete topics, and to integrate it into a single framework. To the extent that this attempt falls short, it is a starting point for further development. Insert Figures 1 and 2 about here The emotion process begins in Figure 1 with intrapersonal processes when a focal individual is exposed to an eliciting stimulus, registers the stimulus for its meaning, and experiences a feeling state and physiological changes, with downstream consequences for attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions, as well as facial expressions and other emotionally expressive cues. Further, Frijda (1988) argued that emotions automatically trigger secondary controlled responses to regulate the emotion, which Figure 1 illustrates in the gray shaded area. At each stage, regulation processes allow for individual and group norms to override automatic processing (e.g., Frijda, 1986; Grandey, 2000; Gross, 2001), although this distinction can blur when practice at any of these regulated processes renders them over-learned and, thus, automatic (Campos, Frankel, & Camras, 2004; Gross, 1998). Moving from intrapersonal to interpersonal processes, the downstream consequences of emotional experience can result in externally visible behaviors and cues that become, in turn, the eliciting stimulus for interaction partners, as depicted in Figure 2. Each step of the emotion process is presented in more detail in the sections below. Although common wisdom considers emotion to be chaotic and disorganized, the emotion process is orderly, carefully sequenced, and governed by empirical regularities (Frijda, 1988). Emotions unfold chronologically through a rule-governed sequence of automatic components depicted in the figures (Frijda, 1986, 1988; Gross, 2001). The controlled components in the gray box arise at specific Emotion in Organizations 6 stages, but are optional and can end at any point. Not every path is possible, and the arrows in the figures identify links previously theorized and empirically documented. These steps unfold so quickly that they can appear together to represent a single phenomenon. However, for conceptual clarity I prefer to treat emotion more as an adjective than a noun: each piece of the process is emotional, but no single piece on its own is emotion. Although the stages are often studied in relative isolation from each other, I argue that each process matters largely because the other processes matter with which it is interconnected. For example, we care about the ability to recognize emotional cues only because an emotional expression suggests something about another person's emotional experience, which suggests something about the other's evaluations of the stimuli in his or her environment. Likewise, we care about leaders' emotional expressions because followers interpret these expressions as important stimuli. The focus on individual and dyadic processes evidenced in Figures 1 and 2 is in no way intended to discount the emotional role of groups, organizations, and societies. Indeed, their crucial role is infused throughout the framework, first within the norms inherent in the regulated components and second within the dyadic processes that can occur en masse. Thus, the framework captures multiple levels of analysis, including intra-individual, individual differences, interpersonal, and organizational p


The application of wavelet and ridgelet transforms in pattern recognition is still in its infancy; while their use in denoising has been a very hot topic in recent years. The aim of this thesis is to study these two important problems. In the area of pattern recognition, we develop a handwritten numeral recognition descriptor using multi-wavelets and neural networks. We perform multiwavelet orthonormal shell expansion on the contour to get several resolution levels and the average. Then we use the shell coefficients as features to input into a feed-forward neural network to recognize the handwritten numerals. We also present two novel descriptors for feature extraction by using ridgelets. Fourier spectrum and wavelet cycle-spinning are used to achieve rotational invariance. The descriptors are very robust to noise even when the noise level is high. Experimental results show that the new descriptors are excellent choices for pattern recognition.
In the area of denoising, we first study multiwavelet thresholding by incorporating neighbouring coefficients. Experimental results show that this approach outperforms neighbour single wavelet denoising for some standard test signals and real life images. Then, we propose a wavelet image thresholding scheme by incorporating neighbouring coefficients. Experimental results show that translation invariant (TI) denoising with neighbour dependency is better than VisuShrink and the TI denoising method developed by Yu et al. Finally, we propose to use Simulated Annealing to find both the customized wavelet filters and the customized threshold for the given noisy image at the same time. The results we obtained are promising compared to other results published in the literature.


Summary
Variation in altitude seemed to have little influence upon the percentages of parasites. The small number of persons studied in Recuay may account for the observed variations in this instance. Dwarf tapeworm was especially frequent and the first hundred persons examined all carried Giardia lamblia, which gave the investigators the impression (later proved false) of having found a population with 100 per cent incidence of this infection. Heterodera seemed to increase with lower altitudes, perhaps due to the increased consumption of vegetables of the collard family. A high incidence of Ascaris was noted among the Quechua Indians as well as of Balantidium which was also frequent in the jail inmates. Hookworm was present in the outlanders in the jail and in the police force. Taenia was not as common as expected and only one case of Bodo and one of Enteromonas were found, both among the Vicos people, and one case of Haemonchus at Carhuas. Four cases of Isospora and five of unidentified species of intestinal nematodes were found irregularly distributed throughout the valley. No correlation between the parasite population of an individual and his eosinophile count was discovered.


Background: In January 2013, a continuous and severe haze event affected one third of the major cities in China, including Jinan. Objectives: We investigated whether medical emergency calls (for nonaccidental emergencies) and calls for Central Nervous System (CNS) syndromes increased during this episode compared with the previous winter months (January, February, and December) in 2011 and 2012. Methods: Daily emergency calls were obtained from Jinan Medical Emergency Center. Sentinel CNS syndromes from nonaccidental emergency calls included seven symptoms: headache, dizziness, syncope, coma, convulsions, paralysis, and epilepsy. Particles with aerodynamic diameter <10 µm (PM10) were used as the indicator of air pollution. A generalized linear model based on quasi-Poisson regression was used to evaluate the effects on nonaccidental emergency calls and calls for CNS syndromes and each symptom, separately, during this episode. Results: Markedly higher mean daily concentration, 332 &mgr;g/m3 of PM10, during this episode versus reference months was found. Obviously increased effects on nonaccidental emergency calls and calls for CNS syndromes were observed during this episode, with relative risk (RR) value 1.3 (95% CI = 1.2, 1.3) and 1.2 (95% CI = 1.1, 1.3). Four of seven CNS symptoms were also increased during this episode: RRs values for dizziness, convulsions, paralysis, and epilepsy were 1.4 (95% CI = 1.2, 1.7), 1.4 (95% CI = 1.1, 1.6), 1.6 (95% CI = 1.2, 2.1), and 1.5 (95% CI = 1.1, 2.0), respectively. Conclusions: A noticeable increase in medical emergency calls and calls for Central Nervous System syndromes were observed during a severe air pollution episode on January 2013, in a large Chinese city.


Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS) is a liver support system widely employed in the treatment of liver failure. The method is normally well tolerated. To develop a liver support system combining high efficiency and tolerability, we modified the MARS albumin circuit with the insertion of double adsorption units in parallel. Four patients have been treated with this modified method (high-efficiency MARS, HE MARS): two had very high serum bilirubin and two had very high total bile acids. After a single MARS session bilirubin was reduced more with HE MARS than standard MARS (from 27.6 to 52.3% in patient A and from 27.9 to 49.1% in patient B), and bile acid reduction increased from 40 to 59.8% in patient C and from 39.9 to 60% in patient D. The results of this preliminary investigation in only a very small number of patients do support the possibility of developing a liver support system that combines good tolerability and high efficacy.


The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of sperm motility enhancers and different IVF times on cleavage, polyspermy, blastocyst formation, embryo quality and hatching ability. In Experiment 1, sex-sorted X chromosome-bearing Bos taurus spermatozoa were incubated for 30min before 18h fertilisation with hyperactivating factors, namely 10mM caffeine (CA), 5mM theophylline (TH), 10mM caffeine and 5mM theophylline (CA+TH); and untreated spermatozoa (control). In Experiment 2, matured B. taurus oocytes were fertilised using a short (8h) or standard (18h) fertilisation length, comparing two different fertilisation media, namely synthetic oviducal fluid (SOF) fertilisation medium (SOF-FERT) and M199 fertilisation medium (M199-FERT). Cleavage and blastocyst formation rates were significantly higher in the CA+TH group (77% and 27%, respectively) compared with the control group (71% and 21%, respectively). Cleavage rates and blastocyst formation were significantly lower for the shortest fertilisation time (8h) in M199-FERT medium (42% and 12%, respectively). The SOF-FERT medium with an 8h fertilisation time resulted in the highest cleavage rates and blastocyst formation (74% and 29%, respectively). The SOF-FERT medium produced the highest embryo quality (50% Grade 1) and hatching rate (66%). Motility enhancers did not affect polyspermy rates, whereas polyspermy was affected when fertilisation length was extended from 8h (3%) to 18h (9%) and in M199-FERT (14%) compared with SOF-FERT (6%). We conclude that adding the motility enhancers CA and TH to sex sorted spermatozoa and Tyrode's albumin lactate pyruvate (TALP)-Sperm can improve cleavage and embryo development rates without increasing polyspermy. In addition, shortening the oocyte-sperm coincubation time (8h) resulted in similar overall embryo performance rates compared with the prolonged (18h) interval.


Past research on guppies, Poecilia reticulata , has found that female guppies tend to prefer brightly colored males over other colors and male guppies are attracted to larger females that will lead to their increased fitness. Since it has been heavily researched that male guppies prefer larger females, the purpose of our experiment was to test the effects of color on sexual selection by males. Our choice in color comes from information about female mating preference to determine if the male guppies will prefer the same colors. Over ten trials the guppies spent very little time with our brightly colored model and a substantial amount more with the neutral-colored model even though no mating behaviors were observed. The results of our experiment suggest that the bright colors did not attract the male guppies and neither model prompted the display of courtship behaviors.


In Nepal, the number of IDPs appeared to have increased mainly due to the decade long CPN (Maoist) insurgency that hit the country since 2052 BS (1995 AD). Apparently, the IDPs are compelled or forced to undergo the critical circumstances due to the very condition of their displacement. Likewise, mostly, the incidents of excesses such as murder, torture, rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, forceful recruitment in the army are perpetrated against the IDPs. So, different causes make the people to be displaced. Towards this, natural disaster, human-made circumstances and disasters, armed conflict and situation of violence and fears having created there from, persons and families are forcefully displaced from their homes or places of their habitual residence. Hence, the fact is that internally displaced persons are compelled to spend traumatic lives because of internal displacement and at the same time various new problems are, owing to pressure of displaced persons, arising even in the places where they are spending displaced lives. Therefore, the state is required to play a lead role to prevent internal displacement, provide security to displaced persons, protect human rights, make provisions for immediate relief and necessary humanitarian support and service as well as facility and also make appropriate provisions for their return to their place of habitual residence or settling them voluntarily in other places in the country.


We report a case of a thrombosed dissecting aneurysm of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Although the aneurysmal sac was not shown on an angiogram on the day of the onset, 3D CT performed immediately after angiography revealed the aneurysm. The patient was successfully treated by endovascular occlusion.


Harmon Craig, one of the great pioneers of isotope geochemistry died on 14 March after suffering a massive heart attack at his home in La Jolla, California. He was one day shy of his 77th birthday. Through an academic career of more than fifty years, Craig—or simply "Harmon," as he was known throughout the world of geochemistry—made a remarkable number of fundamental and far-reaching contributions in a wide range of important areas concerned with the chemical and physical processes by which the solid Earth, the oceans, the atmosphere, and the solar system interact. While his research was broad in scope, it was also characterized by a strong emphasis on meticulous field and laboratory work, and on original and insightful interpretations of the resulting observations.


OBJECTIVE
To find out the effective anticancer drugs from bacterial products, petroleum ether extract of Corynebacterium xerosis.

METHODS
Antiproliferative activity of the metabolite has been measured by monitoring the parameters like tumor weight measurement, tumor cell growth inhibition in mice and survival time of tumor bearing mice, etc. Hepatoprotective effect of the metabolites was determined by observing biochemical, hematological parameters.

RESULTS
It has been found that the petroleum ether extract bacterial metabolite significantly decrease cell growth (78.58%; P<0.01), tumor weight (36.04 %; P<0.01) and increase the life span of tumor bearing mice (69.23%; P<0.01) at dose 100 mg/kg (i.p.) in comparison to those of untreated Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) bearing mice. The metabolite also alters the depleted hematological parameters like red blood cell, white blood cell, hemoglobin (Hb%), etc. towards normal in tumor bearing mice. Metabolite show no adverse effect on liver functions regarding blood glucose, serum alkaline phosphatases, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase activity and serum billirubin, etc. in normal mice. Histopathological observation of these mice organ does not show any toxic effect on cellular structure. But in the case of EAC bearing untreated mice these hematological and biochemical parameters deteriorate extremely with time whereas petroleum ether extract bacterial metabolite receiving EAC bearing mice nullified the toxicity induced by EAC cells.

CONCLUSION
Study results reveal that metabolite possesses significant antiproliferative and hepatoprotective effect against EAC cells.


Abstract Spinoza's metaphysical thesis that there is only one substance in the universe but a plurality of modes, each of them falling under an attribute, raises a crucial question. How are modes of thinking, i.e. ideas, related to modes of extension? This paper intends to show that there are at least two answers, depending on an understanding of the equivocal term 'idea'. If ideas are taken to be mental acts, they are identical with modes of extension. If, however, they are understood in the "objective" way, namely as the conceptual content of mental acts, they correspond to modes of extension. It is argued that this method of disambiguating the term 'idea' not only helps to understand Spinoza's famous doctrine of parallelism but that it also provides a solution to two puzzling problems: the possibility of "active affects" and the existence of an eternal mind.


Physical contact is not necessary for male rats to display penile erection when placed in the vicinity of females in estrus (noncontact erection, NCE). The modality and reception of sensory stimuli for the induction of NCE were analyzed. Olfactory bulbectomy eliminated NCE, and destruction of olfactory mucosa by zinc sulfate solution caused a significant suppression of NCE, whereas removal of the vomeronasal organ had no effect. Fresh urine collected from estrous females, but not fresh feces, induced NCE. Neither devocalization of estrous females by cutting the inferior laryngeal nerve nor deprivation of visual cues by placing an opaque barrier between the subjects and stimulus females disrupted NCE. The results indicate that olfactory cues emitted by estrous females induce NCE via the olfactory epithelium. Contrary to what had been suggested by previous experiments, vomeronasal inputs are not indispensable for the induction of NCE.


The incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in northeastern Manitoba was investigated by examining all 745 live births occurring in Thompson General Hospital in 1994. Birth records were screened with criteria designed to capture all potential FAS cases. Cases were then eliminated if follow-up records indicated the child was not developmentally delayed or no longer had the small head or body size identified at birth. Cases still meeting criteria were personally examined. Five cases of FAS were identified among the 46% of eligible children screened at age 2, roughly an incidence of 7.2/1,000. However, because only 46% of the high risk cases were personally examined, incidence could be as high as 14.8/1,000. Only 1/5 FAS cases had been identified prior to our investigation. The results indicate the incidence of FAS in northeastern Manitoba is very high and that much greater effort needs to be made in its prevention and early detection.


Using large scale molecular dynamics simulations, we study the orientational dynamics of a heated Janus particle which exhibits self-propulsion. The asymmetry in the microscopic interaction of the colloid with the solvent is implemented by choosing different wetting parameters for the two halves of the sphere. This choice leads to a different microscopic Kapitza resistance across the solid-fluid boundary of the two halves of the sphere, and consequently a gradient in temperature is created across the poles of the sphere. It is this self-created temperature gradient which leads to a self-propulsion along the direction of the symmetry axis. In this article, we look at the orientational dynamics of such a system, as well as the subsequent enhancement of the translational diffusivity of the heated Janus colloid at late times. The orientational correlation of the symmetry axis is measured from the simulation and provides a direct access to the rotational diffusion constant. The heating leads to an increase in the rotational diffusivity of the colloid. We quantify this increase in rotational diffusion D r against the temperature difference δT ≡ T(R, 0) - T(R, π) across the poles of the Janus sphere as well as the average surface temperature difference ΔT ≡ T(R) - T(∞) from the ambient fluid. Since the rotational diffusion is determined by the complete flow field in the solvent, we illustrate that comparing D r against δT is misleading and is better quantified when compared against ΔT. The later quantification results in a data collapse for different choices of the microscopic interaction. The average propulsion velocity is also measured for different choices of the wetting parameter. The directionality of self-propulsion changes depending on the microscopic interaction. We show that whenever the attractive interaction of the colloid with the solvent is switched off, the phoretic mobility changes sign. Furthermore, the propulsion velocity is zero for heating below a certain threshold value. This is also corroborated by the probability distribution of the angle between the displacement vector Δr(t) ≡ r(t) - r(0) and the symmetry axis. Finally, we combine the measured propulsion velocity and the rotational diffusion time τ r = 1/2D r to estimate the enhancement in the long time diffusion coefficient of the particle.


Endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) with a trapped cluster size larger than four are rather scarce. Inspired by a recent experimental observation, we explored the possibility of encapsulating an unusual Sc(3)NC unit in three representative fullerene cages, namely, C(68), C(78) and C(80), by means of density functional computations. The geometries, electronic and electrochemical redox properties of the corresponding EMFs, Sc(3)NC@C(2n) (2n = 68, 78 and 80), were investigated. These novel EMFs all have very favorable binding energies, implying a considerable possibility for experimental realization. The recently observed m/z = 1121 peak in the mass spectroscopy was characterized as Sc(3)NC@C(80). Notably the lowest-energy isomer of Sc(3)NC@C(78) has a non-IPR C(78) outer cage, the possibility to accommodate five atoms inside a fullerene as small as C(68) is also intriguing. Moreover, the intracluster and metal-cage covalent interactions were revealed by a quantum theory of atoms in molecules study. Infrared absorption spectra and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were also computed to assist future experimental characterization.


ABSTRACT Adenovirus (Ad) types 2 and 5 encode at least five proteins within the E3 transcription unit that help the virus evade the immune system. Two such proteins, RIDα (formerly E3-10.4K) and RIDβ (formerly E3-14.5K), form the RID (receptor internalization and degradation) complex (formerly E3-10.4K/14.5K). RID mediates clearance from the cell surface and lysosomal degradation of a number of important members in the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily and the receptor tyrosine kinase receptor family. Affected receptors include Fas, TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) receptor 1 (TR1), TR2, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Degradation of Fas and TRAIL receptors protects Ad-infected cells from apoptosis. To investigate the mechanism of action of RIDα, 14 mutant RIDα proteins, each containing a three- to five-amino-acid deletion, were constructed and then expressed from the E3 region of a replication-competent recombinant Ad in the same context as wild-type RIDα. Each mutant protein was characterized with regard to five physical properties associated with wild-type RIDα, namely, protein stability, proteolytic cleavage, insertion into the membrane, complex formation with RIDβ, and transport to the cell surface. Additionally, the mutant proteins were tested for their ability to mediate internalization and degradation of EGFR and Fas and to protect cells from Fas-mediated apoptosis. The majority of mutant RIDα proteins (8 out of 14) were physically similar to wild-type RIDα. With regard to functional characteristics, the cytoplasmic domain of RIDα is largely unimportant for receptor internalization and degradation and the extracellular domain of RIDα is important for down-regulation of EGFR but not Fas.


Abstract Integrated construction processes are stochastic systems. For these cases a computer simulation is used. This paper presents the design and construction of an integrated construction process, i.e., the production-transportation-consumption of fresh concrete. When creating a model in an Extend v4, modelling techniques and a general knowledge of construction are used. Data obtained from actual processes is used for the model parameters and input variables. The main contribution is a simulation model developed for the process for the optimization and selection of variants. This approach complements the heuristic methods of the assessment of construction processes and exact methods, where the decisive body will have the values of the individual decision-making criteria.


This study examines two winter storms and associated lightning activity in central Oklahoma in 2007 and 2009. These events produced significant ice and snow totals as well as blizzard conditions across the state. Total VHF lightning data from the Oklahoma Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) and cloud-to-ground (CG) data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) are examined for each of the events. The flash rate, charge structure and CG lightning polarity are compared to precipitation amounts and signatures from the KOUN WSR-88D polarimetric radar located in Norman, OK. Individual lightning flashes, though infrequent during most of the events examined, quite often extended more than 15-20 km in length. This was possibly due to an increased build-up of charge over an extended period of time before lightning initiation. The differential reflectivity, correlation co efficient, and specific differential phase signatures of region s containing VHF sources are examined to determine if the lightning occurred only in mixed-phase regions and if there are differences in the ice crystal alignment before and afte r a lightning flash.


Midcervical Quadriplegia is a well-known complication of posterior fossa surgery performed with the patient in the sitting position. The case of a 24-year-old man with a fourth ventricular choroid plexus papilloma is described. The patient developed reversible quadriparesis after surgery in the sitting position; postoperative magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a hyperintense area within the cervical cord at C5-C6 on T2-weighted images, which was considered to represent "midcervical flexion myelopathy." It is suggested that the prolonged stretch and compression of the cervical cord is the pathogenesis of this serious complication.


The data generated within the construction industry has become increasingly overwhelming. Data mining technology presents an opportunity to increase significantly the rate at which the volumes of data generated through the maintenance process can be turned into useful information. This can be done using classification algorithms to discover patterns and correlations within a large volume of data [13].This study uses the C5.0 DT algorithm which is an improved version of C4.5 and ID3 algorithms to diagnose the machine status and detect the failure of unhealthy machines in vibration signals database which contained of vibration amplitude and frequencies at three planes (horizontal, vertical and axial) of centrifugal pumps. In addition the result compared with some popular classifiers like QUEST, CART, CHAID to evaluate the result and showed the C5.0 performance is remarkably better than others. In this paper C5.0 identifies all three classes of machine status with 92.08% accuracy in test subset and furthermore it detects 4 failures classes of 5 with 73.2 accuracy.


Selective growth inhibitors of Sphaerotilus natans were detected in the culture broths of several strains of Streptomyces. Anslimins A and B were isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces oganonensis by adsorption on resinous adsorbent followed by elution with 50% aqueous acetone. The A and B components were then separated by cellulose powder chromatography. Physicochemical parameters of anslimins A and B revealed that these compounds are new peptide-containing structures. Anslimins A and B inhibited growth of S. natans at 0.78 and 0.39 μg/ml, respectively, but showed no activity against any of the other test microorganisms at 100 to 200 mg/ml. The anslimins had no harmful effect on guppies at a concentration of 100 mg/liter.


Techniques for off-line recognition of handwritten words commonly require a form of character segmentation. We present an approach based on training of a neural network for segmentation. Using a large database of hand-segmented images we can successfully train the network to segment images. Results indicate that the approach is promising in situations where context cannot be employed as an aid to segmentation.


Among the inhibitors with a benzamidine moiety, 4-amidinophenyl esters of aromatic carboxylic acids that possess the structure of "inverse substrates" exhibit special kinetic characteristics. These compounds behave like substrates of trypsin-like enzymes, but acylation is much more rapid than deacylation. The result is accumulation of a comparatively stable acyl-enzyme, which may be easily isolated. By the use of 4-amidinophenyl esters acyl-derivatives of various trypsin-like enzymes can be prepared. In vivo, an acyl-enzyme behaves as an inert form of the enzyme and is protected from being inactivated by inhibitors. It is slowly reactivated in the circulation and has stimulated growing interest as a potential pro-drug.


A wide-band frequency synthesizer with low phase noise is presented. The frequency tuning range is from 474 to 858 MHz which is compatible with U-band CMMB application while the S-band frequency is also included. Three VCOs with selectable sub-band are integrated on chip to cover the target frequency range. This PLL is fabricated with 0.35 m SiGe BiCMOS technology. The measured result shows that the RMS phase error is less than 1 and the reference spur is less than -60 dBc. The proposed PLL consumes 20 mA current from a 2.8 V supply. The silicon area occupied without PADs is 1.17 mm 2 .


certainly possible to improve the results of medical treatment in our present state of knowledge. First the diagnosis of ulcer should be established as early as possible after symptoms begin and thorough treatment with bed rest should be given at the onset; how rarely does one see a patient in a hospital bed with an ulcer history of less than a year? It is in this respect that our professional colleagues so often have the advantage over the hospital patient. Secondly, the diet prescribed should be palatable; in spite of dietitians how many hospitals can be said to provide this? Moreover, some attempt should be made to instruct not only the patients themselves but also their wives in the methods of preparation of such a diet. Finally, the social circumstances of the patient must be considered and every help given to enable him to adjust himself to the difficulties and responsibilities of his daily life.


While dietary energy supply has improved, diets in Ethiopia remain low in diversity and provide insufficient amounts of protein, vitamin A, and zinc. Poor dietary quality contributes to the multiple burden of malnutrition in the country, with 38% stunting among children under five years and 24% anemia and 8% overweight among adult women. Recent Ethiopian government policies and programs call for sustainable food systems approaches aimed at achieving better nutrition for all. Such food systems approaches imply actions that include but also go beyond agriculture to consider the many processes and actors involved in food production, processing, storage, transportation, trade, transformation, retailing, and consumption. In this paper, we identify research streams to support the operationalizing of such food systems approaches in Ethiopia. To this end, we engaged with stakeholders, reviewed the literature, and applied a food systems framework to research priorities in the Ethiopian context. We develop an initial food systems profile of Ethiopia and identify 25 priority research questions, categorized into three main areas. A first area focuses on diagnosis and foresight research, for example, to further characterize dietary gaps and transitions in the context of the variety of Ethiopian settings, and to understand and anticipate which food system dynamics contribute positively or negatively to those trends. A second area includes implementation research and focuses on building a base of evidence on the dietary impact of combined demand-, market-, and supply-side interventions/innovations that focus on nonstaples; potential trade-offs in terms of economic, social, and environmental outcomes; and interactions between food system actors. A third area focuses on institutional and policy processes and explores enabling factors and private or public anchors that can take food systems approaches for healthier diets to a regional or national scale. The paper contextualizes the case of Ethiopia within global food systems thinking and thereby aims to stimulate in- and cross-country learning.