Fluorescence and UV–visible absorption spectra of HPTS (8-hydroxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulphonic acid trisodium salt, pyranine) were measured in a variety of solvents. Fluorescence maxima (in kcal mol-1) can be correlated with the Kosower Z parameter (r = 0.901), the Dimroth–Reichardt ET(30) parameter (r = 0.900) and the Winstein Y parameter (r = 0.916) using one-parameter fits. Good correlations (r = 0.98) were obtained for HPTS fluorescence in ethanol–water mixtures using the Y, YOTs and Z parameters. Fluorescence maxima of HPTS in aqueous sulphuric acid solutions gave an excellent correlation with YOTs (r = 0.991). Multi-parameter correlations, indicating the significance of specific solvent interactions, were also studied. In addition, fluorescence maxima correlate well with maximum/minimum ratios obtained from UV–visible absorption experiments. Results can be applied in the use of HPTS as a molecular probe of solvent environments and for extension of the YOTs scale in acidic solutions. HPTS is a unique molecular probe, not only because of its photoacidic properties and its widespread use as a pH-sensitive biosensor, but also because of its relative stability in acidic environments. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This study adopts a theoretical analysis of the learnability of English word-stress. It intends to provide an Optimality-theoretic analysis of word-stress learnability among Moroccan learners of English. Language acquisition, from an Optimality Theory perspective, is a process of reordering the constraints from an initial state of the grammar to the language-specific ranking of the target grammar. To account for stress development, this paper makes use of the Constraint Demotion Algorithm (Tesar & Smolensky, 1996; 2000), which learners adopt to infer the correct hierarchy of constraints. Starting with a default hierarchy supplied by Universal Grammar, learners proceed with the recursive demotion of higher-ranked constraints until the correct ranking is reached. The algorithm, starting by initializing the hierarchy, assumes that constraints are unranked and thus hosted in the same stratum. Sixty Moroccan learners participated in the study. The informants are third-year students at Ibn Tofail University. They were administered an oral multiple-choice test that elicited their intuition about English stress patterns. The overall findings of the study reveal that learners' prior (L1) ranking influences their learnability of English stress. That is, Moroccan learners misplace stress in English words due to the initial state of their grammar. From the findings, OT is evidenced to successfully predict learning stages using CDA, wherein each demotion signals a learning stage.


Paper Abstract Introduction. Atrial fibrillation (AF) per se causes atrial endocardial dysfunction leading to local coagulation imbalance on the internal surface of the atrium, which contributes to thrombus formation in the fibrillating left atrium. Materials and methods. To test a hypothesis that blockade of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT 1-receptor) prevents the endocardial dysfunction by AF, we examined the effects of olmesartan on the expression of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), thrombomodulin (TM), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in the endocardium of the rapidly paced rat atria. Results. Rapid pacing induced a significant decrease in TFPI,TM and eNOS and an increase in PAI-1 protein in the left atrium. Pre-administration of low-dose olmesartan significantly prevented the down-regulation of TFPI,TM and eNOS and also attenuated the up-regulation of PAI-1. Immunohistochemistry identified these changes predominantly in the atrial endocardium.While the drug was without any effect on mRNA levels of TFPI,TM and eNOS, there was a significant decrease in its PAI-1 mRNA expression. Conclusions. AT 1-receptor blocker could partially prevent the atrial endocardial dysfunction by rapid atrial pacing, which would provide one theoretical basis for beneficial effects for stroke prevention in AF. Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common type of arrhythmia in adults, is associated with a five-fold increase in the incidence of ischaemic stroke.


We present a general solution of the coupled Einstein–Maxwell field equations (without the source charges and currents) in three spacetime dimensions. We also admit any value of the cosmological constant. The whole family of such Λ-electrovacuum local solutions splits into two distinct subclasses, namely the non-expanding Kundt class and the expanding Robinson– Trautman class. While the Kundt class only admits electromagnetic fields which are aligned along the geometrically privileged null congruence, the Robinson–Trautman class admits both aligned and also more complex non-aligned Maxwell fields. We derive all the metric and Maxwell field components, together with explicit constraints imposed by the field equations. We also identify the most important special spacetimes of this type, namely the coupled gravitational-electromagnetic waves and charged black holes.


IPMC (Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite) is an artificial intelligent material, and the applied low driving voltage can make it produce a large deformation. People make full use of this feature to make into a variety of biomimetic robots by IPMC materials. However, this material has creep characteristics, which does not meet the needs of the operation accuracy. Thus, this limits greatly many kinds of application life. The controller by the periodic out feedback control method is designed to control the material's stiffness, and IPMC films, with such controller, can be to effectively meet the required position accuracy. It is proved through the simulation experiment in our laboratory that such an effective controller for creep characteristics of the IPMC is feasible.


In order to analyze differential gene expression of putative prostate tumor markers we compared the expression levels of >400 cancer-related genes using the cDNA array technique in a set of prostate tumors and matched normal prostate tissues. Up-regulated expression of mammary tumor 8 kDa protein (MAT-8), complement component C1S (C1S), ferritin heavy chain (FTH1), peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase A (PPIA), RNA-binding protein regulatory subunit DJ-1 protein (DJ-1) and vacuolar ATP synthase subunit F (ATP6V1F) was determined in prostate carcinoma and confirmed by using quantitative real-time RT-PCR analyses. Furthermore, quantitative real time RT-PCR on intact RNAs from 11 paired laser microdissected epithelial tissue samples confirmed up-regulated MAT-8 expression in 6 out of 11 prostate tumors. To determine the function of MAT-8 in vitro, human PC-3 and LNCaP prostate carcinoma cells were transfected with small interfering double-stranded RNA (siRNA) oligonucleotides against the MAT-8 gene leading to a specific down-regulation of MAT-8 expression. In addition, suppression of MAT-8 expression caused a significant decrease in cellular proliferation of both prostate cancer cell lines, whereas invasive capacity and cellular apoptosis remained unaffected. Taken together, our results indicate that the human MAT-8 gene contains the potential to serve as a prostate cancer expression marker and that MAT-8 plays an important role in cellular growth of prostate carcinomas.


Experimentally the authors determine the energy levels of the 4f and 5f states in xenon as a function of laser intensity. In short-pulse (400 fs) photoelectron spectra they observe an enhancement of the seven-photon ionization yield due to resonances at the six-photon level. Two prominent peaks are attributed to the 4f and 5f states. Since the peaks are observed over a large range of wavelengths (555 nm to 650 nm), the authors follow the energy levels of these states from low to high intensity. The AC Stark shifts of these states are well described by a shift equal to the ponderomotive shift, up to the highest intensities studied (7*1013 W cm-2).


Fracture of the posterior process of the talus with concomitant subtalar dislocation is rare; thus, the mechanism of injury, appropriate treatment, and prognosis are unclear. We report the case of a 50-year-old male with a fracture of the posterior process of the talus with concomitant subtalar dislocation that was recognized early and successfully treated operatively.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Our laboratory previously discovered that aberrant NF-κB signaling and activation plays a critical role in promoting the oncogenic progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, which investigated 279 HNSCC tissue specimens, uncovered significant genomic alterations of key molecules involved in NF-κB and death signaling, including amplification of FADD and BIRC2/3, mutation of caspase-8, and altered RIPKs in HPV(-), or deletion of TRAF3 in HPV(+) HNSCC tissues. Using PRISM (Protein Interactions by Structural Matching), we modeled protein-protein interaction complexes three dimensionally and identified ∼30 proteins that potentially interact with these genetically altered molecules involved in NF-κB and death pathways. Among more than 20 major cancer types that TCGA project has investigated, we found that HNSCC ranks among the top cancers harboring alterations of these genes, which are present in more than 70% of HNSCC tumors. To further investigate and identify models for functional studies of these genetic and phenotypic alterations, we performed whole transcriptome (RNA-seq) and genome-wide exome DNA sequencing (exome DNA-seq) in 16 HPV(-) and 8 HPV(+) HNSCC lines, and compared them with three normal human oral mucosa lines and 8 matched blood samples. RNA-seq or exome DNA-seq was performed using total RNA depleted of rRNA, or exome captured genomic DNA. The samples were multiplexed, amplified, and sequenced with ABI SOLiD sequencer. Quality control of the output data was performed using FastQC, and the reads were mapped to the human reference genome (Hg19). The data were further analyzed with LifeScope2.5 and an in-house developed computation program of publicly available software and R package. RNA-seq had an average of 168 million mapped reads per sample with an estimate mean read depth of ∼44X coverage, and exome DNA-seq had an average of ∼87X coverage in each cell line sequenced. We identified amplifications, overexpression and mutations among the molecules involved in the NF-κB and death pathways in HPV positive or negative cell lines, which mimic the genetic and phenotypic defects identified in the HNSCC TCGA project. Our data are consistent with the finding from the TCGA project, and support the conclusion that genetic and expression alterations of the molecules involved in NF-κB and the death pathways are the important events leading HNSCC oncogenesis. Molecular mechanisms and targeted therapies can be further investigated in these HNSCC lines having the defined genetic and phenotypic defects associated with different HPV status.

Supported by NIDCD intramural projects ZIA-DC-000016, 73 and 74.

Citation Format: Xinping Yang, Hui Cheng, Han Si, Anthony Saleh, Emine Guven Maiorov, Jamie Coupar, Ozlem Keskin, Attila Gursoy, Ruth Nussinov, Robert L. Ferris, Wendell G. Yarbrough, Mark E. Prince, Thomas E. Carey, Carter Van Waes, Zhong Chen. Genome-wide RNA and DNA high throughput sequencing reveals proinflammatory and death gene signatures in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma lines with different HPV status. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3435. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3435


Cancer-associated inflammation contributes to tumor progression and metastasis. Defective dendritic cell (DC) function causes impaired adaptive immunity to antigens expressed by tumors. We recently found that the intra-tumor inflammatory milieu recruits and skews development of DC precursors (pre-cDC) towards a novel Gr-1+ subpopulation, which has tolerogenic properties. This transformation reduced the proliferation and expansion of antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells in tumors. We sought to identify cytokines that regulate this differentiation. Isolated pre-cDC from mice spleen was incubated with tumor-conditioned medium (TCM) derived from Lewis lung carcinoma cell line. Supernatants from cultures were collected to analyze cytokine levels. Expression of Gr-1+ on DC was monitored by flow cytometry. We found that TCM induced pre-cDC to differentiate into Gr-1+ cDC. Neutralizing anti-cytokine Ab studies revealed that IL-6 play a role in promoting Gr-1+ cDC differentiation. Pre-cDC from IL-6-/- mice showed a reduced capacity to develop into Gr-1+ cDC. TCM contained no IL-6, but it induced IL-6 secretion by pre-cDC. These findings suggested that the release of autocrine IL-6 by pre-cDC created a positive feedback loop with tumor-derived factors in TCM to promote Gr-1cDC development. Elucidation of the mechanisms by which tumor-derived factors communicate with pre-cDC will advance our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development of impaired immune response to cancer.


Policy interest in the basic income (BI) proposal is booming, but remarkably little attention is spent on systematically examining political strategies to build robust enabling coalitions in favour of BI. This article reviews two thorny problems that affect the coalition-building efforts of BI advocates: the problem of cheap political support suggests most BI support may be of little value to further its implementation, while the problem of persistent political division argues superficial agreement among committed BI advocates may mask persistent disagreement on which precise model to adopt. The article discusses the relevance of each of these problems for BI politics, employing both analytical arguments and brief illustrations taken from debates in various countries.


Every ethnographer balances participation and observation during fieldwork in their own unique way. For those whose primary role is participation, field notes represent an avenue for reflecting on trends that may not be immediately obvious when one is mired in the ethnographic setting. The author, an emergency physician and anthropologist, reflects on racial injustices and transformations in biomedical rituals to do with death and dying, from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.


This research assesses the success of collaboration agreements through changes in competitive strength rather than the longevity of the transactions or the formality and visible structure of the agreements. To establish competitive strength, as development and renewal of capabilities, the research proceeds through the review of the alliance between the Co-operative Permanent Building Society, the Co-operative Wholesaling Society, Scottish Co-operative Wholesaling Society and Co-operative Insurance Society (1943–65). This cooperative agreement allows insights into the strategy of non-banks and nonfinance participants aiming to enter British bank markets. The research also considers the rather different process at Spanish savings banks, with a particular focus on IT outsourcing (1977–95). Cases in the UK and Spain form an historical argument and are used to demonstrate how the implementation of strategy is as important as strategic visioning to achieve competitive advantage in bank markets.


The presented work is part of our long-term research goal to develop parallel SAT solving methods for large scale Peer-to-Peer Desktop Grids, which aggregate globally distributed resources. In such a parallel environment, appropriate strategies for dealing with massive parallelism are necessary. In particular, efficiency and at the same time robustness of the parallel methods must be ensured. In this paper, we report on a hybrid strategy for parallel SAT Solving, which combines exploratory and competition parallelism in an adaptive way to meet these goals.


As a result of increased funding in the past few years, carcinoma of the pancreas has received increased investigative attention. A substantial body of epidemiologic data has been recorded, which may ultimately provide leads that identify an "at risk" population. Current diagnostic techniques enable clinicians to diagnose pancreatic lesions of relatively small size. Combined with further developments in the tumor marker field, it should be feasible to screen the at-risk population for early disease. Until then, only the early pancreatic lesion permits the slightest hope of cure.


CLINICAL SCENARIO
There is a high incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in adolescents participating in pivoting sports such as soccer, basketball, and handball. Most ACL injuries in athletes are noncontact injuries, with a mechanism of sudden deceleration, change in direction, or landing from a jump. These mechanisms coupled with an increase in contraction of the quadriceps have been shown as risk factors for ACL injuries. Injuries to the ACL may require surgery, a long rehabilitation, and the potential for reinjury. Studies have shown reductions in lower extremity injury rates using training protocols that focus on landing mechanics, balance training, strength training, and/or agility training. There has been some thought that starting preventive training programs with adolescent athletes may be the most effective approach to reducing adolescent ACL injuries.

FOCUSED CLINICAL QUESTION
Can lower extremity injury-prevention programs effectively reduce ACL injury rates in adolescent athletes?


This paper is a follow up of the paper "Peculiarities of Scientific Research in High-Performance Sports as in the Case of "Formula 1". The author examines the influence of the regulations, which are not formulated in the most obvious way, on scientific research in professional sports as in the case of Formula 1. It is emphasized that the "gray zones" represent a certain gap in legal regulation, which should be negatively assessed by the participants of the competition. At the same time, since Technical Regulations restrict the freedom of scientific research, such provisions allow engineers and designers to fully demonstrate their abilities, creativity and non-standard thinking. Some of the most striking examples in the history of the "Queen of Motorsport", when a particular team used a loophole in the legal regulation, are given. The circumstances of the emergence of innovative solutions, the reaction of competitors and the International Motorsport Federation (FIA) are presented. The author analyzes the decisions of the FIA court of Appeal in cases where a dispute about the interpretation of the rules and the legality of the use of a particular design reached the court. Special attention is given to ambiguous research results that have appeared in recent years, including the Renault team brake bias system, Ferrari fuel system and power unit investigation and the Mercedes Dual-Axis Steering (DAS) system. It is emphasized that the elimination of gaps in legal regulation is carried out not only by adding or changing Technical Regulations, but also by issuing technical directives that are not subject to official publication. The author carries out a comparative analysis of the legal properties of Technical Regulations and technical directives with acts of secondary law of the European Union with similar titles (regulation and Directive) is carried out.


Summary Colourful plant images are often taken as the icon of natural history illustration. However, so far, little attention has been paid to the question of how this beautiful colouring was achieved. At a case study of the eighteenth-century Nuremberg doctor and botanist, Christoph Jacob Trew, the process of how illustrations were hand-coloured, who was involved in this work, and how the colouring was supervised and evaluated is reconstructed, mostly based on Trew's correspondence with the engraver and publisher of his books, Johann Jacob Haid in Augsburg. Furthermore, the question of standardizing colours, their uses and their recipes is discussed at two examples of the same time period: the colour charts of the Bauer brothers, arguably the most renowned botanical draughtsmen of the period, and the colour tables by the Regensburg naturalist, Jacob Christian Schaeffer. Hand-colouring botanical illustrations, it is argued, was far from a straightforward task but confronted botanists and their employees with a plethora of practical and methodological problems, to which different solutions were developed in the course of time. Analysing these problems and solutions reveals some new and interesting aspects of the practices of eighteenth-century botany and of the production of scientific illustrations in general.


The conventional solid-state reaction method was utilized to prepare a series of superconducting samples of the nominal composition Bi2-xPb0.3WxSr2Ca2Cu3O10+d with 0≤x≤0.5 of 50 nm particle size of tungsten sintered at 8500C for 140h in air . The influence of substitution with W NPs at bismuth (Bi) sites was characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dc electrical resistivity. Room temperature X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that there exists two phases, i.e. Bi-(2223) and Bi-(2212), in addition to the impurity phases of (SrCa) 2Cu2O3, Sr2Ca2Cu7OI´, Ca2PbO4, CaO, and WO. It was found that the crystallographic structure of all samples was orthorhombic. Lattice parameter values and the volume fraction of the (2223)-phase of the prepared samples were also calculated. The superconductivity transition temperature (Tc) for samples subjected to substitution with W NPs was found to be higher than that for the pure sample. The optimal value of W NPs content in (Bi, Pb)-2223 system was found to be at x=0.3.


CONTEXT
Pneumonia is a common disease worldwide that can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated properly. The gold standard for diagnosing pneumonia is the chest radiograph.

PURPOSE
A review of the literature identified the relationship between clinical and radiographic evidence of pneumonia within pediatric, adult and geriatric populations.

RESULTS
The chest radiograph was frequently found to be negative in patients suspected of having pneumonia regardless of age. Pediatric populations show distinguishing signs and symptoms when pneumonia is present. Fever and tachypnea in children are strong clinical indicators that a chest radiograph is needed. No single sign or symptom predicted pneumonia with a high degree of certainty in adult and geriatric patients.

CONCLUSION
The chest radiograph is a popular diagnostic tool in the care of patients suspected of having pneumonia but has a low diagnostic yield in many cases. The clinical utility of the chest film could be improved by careful clinical examination of the patient before obtaining the radiograph, especially in pediatric patients.


OBJECTIVE
To assess mid-term and long-term results of metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
There were 349 operations for the period 2006-2012 in our clinic. Sixty-four patients underwent a full examination. All patients underwent X-ray examination of the pelvis, MRI of hip joint with metal artifact reduction sequence (MARS). The concentration of cobalt and chromium metal ions was determined in blood serum. Each patient completed a questionnaire (Harris, Oxford, Womac, SF-36). 'Survival' of endoprostheses was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS
According to the Oxford scale, 76.6% of patients had excellent clinical and functional outcomes, 10.9% - good, 9.4% - satisfactory, 3.1% - unsatisfactory. According to the Harris scale, 57.9% of patients had excellent results, 15.6% - good, 7.8% - satisfactory, 18.7% - unsatisfactory. Inclination less than 45 degrees was noted in 77.2% of acetabular components. It is optimal installation angle. According to MRI data, effusion was the main type of periprosthetic changes (16 cases). There were no periprosthetic changes in 33 cases. Pseudotumor was diagnosed in 5 cases. Mean concentrations of cobalt and chromium ions were 1.27 (13.57-0.12) and 0.59 (0.4-0.87) µg/l, respectively. Normal concentration of chromium ions was observed in all cases. Kaplan-Meier survival rate of endoprostheses was 89% (80-97%).

CONCLUSION
There was no correlation between female sex, young age of patients and incidence of complications. It is necessary to exclude pseudotumor in case of pain syndrome and no signs of aseptic loosening of the components of the endoprosthesis.


ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv APPROVAL SHEET v SUBMISSION SHEET vi DECLARATION vii LIST OF TABLES xi LIST OF FIGURES xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xviii CHAPTER


We introduce this issue by describing recent trends in migration and immigration policy, and the challenges faced by immigrants and by immigrant-receiving nations around the world. We then discuss the many contributions that psychology can make to understanding and optimizing the benefits of migration from the perspective of both immigrants and members of host societies. The article concludes by providing an overview of the rationale, organization, and content of the issue, including a brief description of each article. 2010 The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues


Transplantation has prolonged the survival of patients with terminal organ diseases. However, even with today's advanced immunosuppressive therapies, graft rejection remains a major concern with significant patient morbidity and mortality still being associated with immunosuppressive medications. Tolerance induction has been a goal in transplantation for many years, although it still remains elusive. Recently, interest has been renewed in a subset of T cells, the regulatory T cells (Treg) and their potential role in tolerance induction. These cells demonstrate immunosuppressive potential in experimental models. This thesis focuses on examining the role of Treg in transplantation.
 Techniques to characterise and genetically engineer Treg in vitro were developed. Our studies in over 200 transplant recipients (renal and liver) have shown: (1) percentages of CD4+CD25+ ("activated") cells and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ cells are significantly lower in RTR compared to controls; (2) percentages of "activated" cells are significantly lower in LTR compared to controls, while the percentages of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ cells are significantly higher in patients with chronic liver diseases and LTR compared to normal controls; (3) the key finding that the proportion of "activated" cells expressing Foxp3+ cells is higher in RTR and correlates with renal allograft function; (4) the proportion of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ cells do not alter at different times post-transplant; (5) a higher percentage of CD4+CD25+ cells is observed in recipients with malignancy; (6) incorporation of human Foxp3 in a human T cell line, CEM may induce a Treg-like phenotype. Collectively, the results from this project provide significant insight into the role of Treg in clinical transplantation and the role of the important Treg transcriptional regulator, Foxp3, in Treg induction and developing therapeutic strategies to facilitate graft acceptance by extending the use of Treg in the future. These findings may help to add further information regarding the mechanism of tolerance induction that may lead to graft survival without ongoing drug therapy.


Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) is a relatively frequent lymphatic system tumor in the head and neck region with both nodal and extranodal localizations. The larynx is one of the least frequent extranodal sites. The present study reports three cases of NHL with extranodal laryngeal localization that had recently come under observation. In these cases, the symptoms reported by the patients were aspecific and not particularly significant. Indirect macroscopic laryngoscopy and direct microlaryngoscopy did not prove pathognomonic while definitive histology clearly diagnosed lymphoma. The treatment of choice for primary laryngeal lymphoma is radiotherapy; combined chemo-radiotherapy is indicated in cases of high malignancy and in multifocal cases.


This article discusses a new research agenda on open source commons in life sciences and its interrelationship with development discourses. The main research question for this article is: why it is important to have a research project on open source and commons? The paper starts with a historical review of the seed germplasm characteristics and its transformation in twentieth century, followed by the rise and problems of the plant patent acts and intellectual property regimes. This is used as a background for the emergence of a new trend in knowledge production based on sharing knowledge. It is argued here that the sharing mechanism is a new trend in academic discourses and it has strong potential for facilitating innovation and inclusive technology development, as a result a systematic study is needed to investigate the potential. Moreover, sharing and commonly produced knowledge are always succumbed for private appropriation and how commonly produced knowledge remain common is also an important motivation for this project. In order to perform a research on open source and commons, Generation Challenge Programme is proposed here because of its international networking for improving crop genetic diversity, upstream-downstream connection, and development commitment. Subsequently the theoretical and methodological issues are also discussed.


A set of photoelastic experiments utilizing stress freezing and slicing techniques was conducted in order to estimate stress fields near naturally grown deep surface flaws in plates under approximately cylindrical bending fields. Geometries investigated ranged over crack depth to crack length ratios of approximately 0.25 to 0.45 and over crack depth to plate thickness ratios of approximately 0.35 to 0.45. Results were compared to an approximate theory devised by F.W. Smith. In order to achieve a comparison consistent with linear elastic fracture mechanics, the effect of the experimental non-linear zone due to finite rotations very near the crack tip was minimized by extrapolating across it. The plastic zone correction in the Smith theory was neglected. Results indicated that the Smith theory will predict the proper order of magnitude of the stresses near the crack border both in the region of maximum crack penetration and where the crack border intersects the tensile surface of the plate. However, in all tests the predicted stresses were lower than the experimental stresses in the former region and higher than the experimental stresses in the latter region. /Author/


It is reported on a 23-year-old female patient in whom at the beginning enlargements of the lymphatic nodes and a tumour of the pelvic wall were existing and in the course of the an increasing eosinophilia developed. This reached 158.95 X 19(9)/l in maximum values of leukocytes of 201.2 X 10(9)/l and a large proportion of immature eosinophilic cells. The disease which finally had to be explained as eosinophilic leukemia rendered extraordinary differential-diagnostic difficulties and had a therapeutically uninfluencible fatal course.


A two-axis, recuperated cycle micro-gas turbine (MGT) system for biomass gas is developed. The rated specifications of the MGT are as follows, pressure ratio of 2.7, turbine inlet temperature of 1120K, and output power of 5kW. The system consists of three components: the MGT power-generating system, control system and mock biomass gas supply system. The original two-stage combustor and H infinity system controller used in this system are discriminative. Since the gaseous fuel converted from biomass has a low heat quantity, the combustor is designed to achieve both high combustion efficiency and low NOx emission for lower calorific fuel. In the combustor, a stable tubular flame combustion of city gas in the first stage supplies burned gas, which has enthalpy and activated radicals, to the second stage and enables stable ignition and combustion of biomass gas and air premixture. In addition, because the gas composition of biomass gas is also affected by the sources, the gasification method, and the gasifying condition, the system controller is required to absorb fuel fluctuation while meeting the demanded output. Hence, the H infinity algorithm is employed as a system controller because of its robustness against disturbances from the unpredictable fuel component fluctuation. Using this MGT system, an operation test was carried out with mock biomass gases. The rotational speed of the power turbine could be kept almost constant with both mock fermentation gas and pyrolysis gas as the second-stage fuel, and NOx emission was 50ppm when load was increased to a rated power of 5kW. When the second-stage fuel composition changed from 100% methane to 50% methane and 50% CO2 at a certain speed, the power turbine speed could also be kept constant. The H infinity controller is compared with the 2-DOF PID controller for secondary fuel concerning the response to varying load. The former shows slightly better performance than the 2-DOF PID controller.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


A multihop architecture of a CDMA system will bring new challenges to the MAC protocol design due to its interference-limited nature. In this letter, a new rehearsal-assisted distributed MAC protocol has been proposed. This protocol makes use of a separated control channel to resolve conflictions and to gauge the multiple access interference (MAI). The rehearsal procedure tests the mutual influence between quasi- access link and other ongoing communications via distributed power control. A new link will be set up only when there is no negative feedback from the rehearsal. Thus the on-going links can be protected from deterioration due to an unregulated new access. Simulation results show a significant improvement on throughput by our protocol.


This paper represents the simulation modeling of DC-DC convertor (boost convertor) in practice there are so many design techniques available such as direct digital control, digital redesign etc. Before moving to implement such techniques we require to design our controller in continuous sdomain in order to get complete view about the parameter variation in time domain. Since converter dynamics is very important to study before the development of real-time systems. PSIM (power electronics, motor drives, and dynamic system simulation) simulation software specifically designed for power electronics simulations is a tool designed for studying the converter dynamics in an easier manner.


ABSTRACT Drawing on fieldwork interviews and analysis of opposition social media posts, this article investigates how online forms of activism have been utilised by opposition groups during Bahrain's post-Arab Spring crackdown. Arguing that the antisystem opposition in particular has embraced 'mediated mobilisation' techniques, this article highlights the popularity of hybrid campaigns as drivers of online and offline activism. Contrasting the then-legal opposition society al-Wefaq with the banned, underground youth movement known as the February 14 Coalition, this article asserts that Bahrain's decentralised and anonymous antisystem opposition enjoys a structural advantage over regime-tolerated groups in their use of online activism. This article makes the case that mediated forms of mobilisation have fundamentally altered inter-opposition dynamics in post-Arab Spring Bahrain, and have strengthened the ability of antisystem groups such as the February 14 Coalition to challenge both the government and Bahrain's more established opposition societies.


In the present study, mixed convection in a horizontal rectangular duct using Al2O3 is numerically investigated. The effects of different Rayleigh number, Reynolds number and radiation on flow and heat transfer characteristics were studied in detail. This study covers Rayleigh number in the range of 2 106 ≤ Ra ≤ 2 107 and Reynolds number in the range of 100 ≤ Re ≤ 1100. Results reveal that the Nusselt number increases as Reynolds and Rayleigh numbers increase. It was also found that the dimensionless temperature distribution increases as Rayleigh number increases.


Leptospira bacteria infect numerous species of animals and cause serious disease in both dogs and humans. Leptospirosis is caused by many different serovars and canine vaccine protection is serovar-specific. The objetive of thisstudy was to determine the seroprevalence and serovars of Leptosira in dogs on the island of Grenada, West Indies. Serum samples from 105 dogs and were evaluated by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and by an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method adapted for canine Immunoglobulin M (IgM). Sera from 20 dogs were positive by MAT (19.0%) and 67 were positive by ELISA (64.0%). All MAT-positive sera were also ELISA-positive. Percent seropositive did not differ significantly by age, sex or health score of dog or among the 6 parishes of Grenada. Fourteen of the MET-positive samples had antibodies to multiple Leptospira serovars. All but one of the identified serovars were from the Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup and included in decreading order of frequency copenhagen, mankarso and icterohaemorrhagiae RGA. One dog was identified with antibodies to serogroup Pyrogenes serovar pyrogenes. Identification of Leptospira serovars responsible for canine exposure in Grenada will facilitate appropriate recommendations for canine vaccination on the island.


Whole slide imaging (WSI) has various uses, including the development of decision support systems, image analysis, education, conferences, and remote diagnostics. It is also used to develop artificial intelligence using machine learning methods. In the clinical setting, however, many issues have hindered the implementation of WSI. These issues are becoming more important as WSI is gaining wider use in clinical practice, particularly with the implementation of artificial intelligence in pathological diagnosis. One of the most important issues is the standardization of color for WSI, which is an important component of digital pathology. In this paper, we review the major factors of color variation and how to evaluate and modify color variation to establish color standardization. There are five major reasons for color variation, which include specimen thickness, staining, scanner, viewer, and display. Recognizing that the color is not standardized is the first step towards standardization, and it is difficult to ascertain whether the appropriate color of the WSI is displayed at the reviewers' end.


This paper presents a new distributed decentralized architecture for the organization, command, control and communication (C/sup 3/) of multiple agent system which has to execute a mission, cooperatively and autonomously. This architecture can be applied to multiple unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), to unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), as well as to unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned space vehicles (USVs) or to any other types of autonomous cooperative multiple agent systems. The rationale for autonomous cooperative operation of a multiple agent system, stems from the need to execute critical missions under time, space resources and availability constraints, which are beyond the capability of a single agent to perform successfully. If the system agents are distributed geographically, cooperative operation is a reasonable approach. It supports share of information, share of resources, efficient resource allocation, context and situation driven responsiveness, robustness and flexibility under changing conditions, as well as redundancy. A key feature of the proposed architecture is that all the agents are identical in their sensing, information processing, decision making, communication and mission related capabilities. Thus, a failed agent can be functionally replaced by a peer agent. The architecture is both distributed and decentralized. It is implemented via four major building blocks, which are embedded within each agent.


The near-edge x-ray-absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of benzo[ b]thiophene (BBT) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) in the gas phase have been measured at the carbon K-edge and sulfur LII,III-edge regions. The assignment of the spectral features has been provided by theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent generalization (TDDFT) in the linear response regime. Observed trends in computed C 1s and S 2p ionization potentials (IPs) have been rationalized in terms of both the inductive effects due to the presence of S and the increased π-electrons delocalization arising from the benzo-annulation process. The analysis of the NEXAFS carbon K-edge and sulfur LII,III-edge regions provided information on both low-lying delocalized virtual π orbitals, and higher-lying localized σ*(C-S) states. The evolution of the NEXAFS carbon K-edge spectral features along the series thiophene (T) and derivatives, BBT and DBT, is informative of a stabilizing effect due to increased aromaticity. This effect is however more pronounced in going from T to BBT compared to the introduction of a second annulated phenyl ring in DBT. The nature of the most intense sulfur LII,III-edge NEXAFS spectral features is instead conserved along the series reflecting thus the localized nature of the virtual states involved in the S 2p core-excitation process.


Author(s): Gibbons, Thomas Richard | Advisor(s): Mitchell, Douglas E | Abstract: Research in education involving sex segregation is dominated by a historic paradigm of conflict and sexual politics theory, even when these paradigms may now be inconsistent with the findings of the latest research. Utilizing the California Department of Education's Professional Assignment Information Form (PAIF) in conjunction with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data from 2001-02 to 2008-09 school years this study employs rational choice theory to explain the increases females now enjoy in obtaining the principal position throughout the broad range of schools in California. While previous work contends that women are only gaining access to the principal position in areas that would be seen as "unfavorable" to men, this study finds that women are being made principals systematically in all areas and across nearly all variables. Women are gaining in total proportion of principalships in the more desirable schools in eight of the ten variables studied. Specifically, the hiring of women into principalship positions is increasing in all categories of schools. These include high schools, rich schools, high achieving schools, schools with low pupil-teacher ratios, schools in suburbs and in small towns and in most small schools, regardless of their locations and other factors. Remarkably, these gains are being achieved by women, all while having equal or less education on average than men. However, two variables, "years in the district" and "years teaching", show that women have more years than men in holding the position of principal. The significance of the findings of this study is outlined, as well as suggestions for possible future research.


Background: Gliomas are the most common primary neoplasm of the brain. It histopathologically grades I to IV. I and II are low grade while III, IV are high grade. Low-grade gliomas are usually subject to either strict follow-up or surgery. The treatment for high grade gliomas is typically surgery, followed by concomitant radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Conventional MRI has limitations for the grading of gliomas. In addition to conventional MRI techniques, a variety of new techniques such as perfusion-weighted MRI which noninvasively measures cerebral perfusion that can be used for better assessment of glioma. This will be helpful for therapeutic approach and counseling about prognosis of the patient.
Methods: This cross sectional observational study was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University from IRB clearance to 18 months. The patients who fulfill the selection criteria were enrolled in this study. Written informed consent was taken from the patients and/or the legal guardian/ responsible family members after completely explaining to them the procedure and the purpose of the study. Patient's data was collected in questionnaire/data collection sheet. The privacy of the patient was strictly maintained and the patient's information will not be disclosed to any source. The study data will only be used for the purpose of this scientific study. This study was not causing any additional harm to the patients. All the patients were evaluated by a standard conventional contrast-enhanced study with perfusion-weighted image on Siemens 3 Tesla MRI. The histopathological grading of the tumor was done as per the WHO classification of 2007. Then correlation was done between PWI finding and WHO histopathological grading.
Results: Measurement of relative cerebral blood volume in glioma patients was done in PW-MRI preoperatively. Out of the 35 tumors evaluated, 17 were found as low rCBV and 18 as high. Histopathological examination of glioma was done postoperatively. Among 35 tumors, 19 are low grade gliomas and 16 are high grade gliomas. For the correlation between relative cerebral blood volume in preoperative PW MRI and histopathological grading of glioma, Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient Test was done. We found a significant positive coefficient value of r = 0.572 with a significant p-value of p = <0.001. A single cutoff relative cerebral blood volume value of 1.7 for low versus high grade glioma was found to be 77.8% sensitive and 88.2% specific.
Conclusion: The present study ascertains that histopathological grading of glioma is positively correlated with relative cerebral blood volume in PW MRI.
Bang. J Neurosurgery 2022; 12(1): 12-19


Wholesalers play an important role in Supply Chain Management but due to less physical activities, mental stress and more comfort level, they may suffer from many occupational health hazards. Literature reveals that with change in the lifestyle of the people there is increase in the number of patients of the coronary heart disease mainly in occupations having less physical activities. The present research work investigates occupational health hazards of wholesalers of cloths & garments market. Qualitative study was done on 64 wholesalers and 64 control group members. Due to financial and time constraints quantitative study was done on 22 members of each group. In qualitative study, data was collected through questionnaire and for quantitative study, physical examinations were performed and analyzed with statistical tests at 95% level of significance. For qualitative study, results of Pearson correlation showed that occupation having a positive correlation with hypertension, sitting having a positive correlation of with BMI, sitting also having a positive correlation of with hypertension, heart problem having a positive correlation with BMI, hypertension having a positive correlation with heart problem. For physical examination, approx. 14% more wholesalers have abnormal ECG, approx. 19% more wholesalers have obesity and overweight, approx. 27% more wholesalers have hypertension as compared to control group members. Qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed that the wholesalers were unaware about their heart problems due to their occupation. So, it is recommended that association of wholesalers must arrange at least one compulsory medical checkup camp for wholesalers within six months.


Re-deterioration of corroded RC structures after patching repair is one of the most important problems in marine environment. The different in chloride content, electrical resistivity of material, and environmental condition cause rapid corrosion of reinforcing steels both in original concrete and repaired zones. A sacrificial anode is a possible solution to prevent this problem. The effects of the concrete mix proportion, the types of sacrificial anodes and the level of chloride content in concrete on the effectiveness of corrosion protection of reinforcing steels by sacrificial anodes were studied. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) type 1 was used as a binder with water to binder ratios of 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6. Zinc alloy and Aluminum alloy were used as sacrificial anodes to study their effectiveness with respect to both the current densities distribution and the electrical potential of steel surface at different distances from the location of the sacrificial anodes. The results showed that the water to binder ratio did not affect the performance of sacrificial anodes significantly due to the wet and high chloride content of concrete. The results can be used for preparing a guideline to design the sacrificial anode system to prevent corrosion of reinforcing steels. The factor to be considered include the service life, the required weight of anode and the location of the installation based on service conditions of the RC structure. Keywords: Corrosion; Cathodic Protection; Sacrificial anode; Reinforcing Steel; Repair; Maintenance.


Abstract. Soil moisture is a vital parameter for environmental research such as agriculture, hydrology, natural resources, environmental hazards, etc. It is essential to have timely soil moisture maps prepared with high accuracy, speed, and low cost. Therefore, in this study, an attempt was made to evaluate the efficiency of Sentinel 1 and 2 sensor images in some cases to prepare a soil moisture map. For this study, soil moisture was sampled at 24 points in the common area of the two images in the south of Malard city, Tehran province (Iran) was obtained by survey. After pre-processing the images, the values of bands 1 to 7, 11, and 12 of the Sentinel-2 and applying filters (Gaussian, Laplacian, Majority, Morphology, and rank) to the Sentinel-1 soil moisture were calculated. Moreover, R, R2, and RMSE were calculated using soil moisture obtained from sample points. Furthermore, Maps of data used by sentinel-1 and sentinel-2 images were obtained. Using maps of data shows the potential of applied filters to sentinel-1 and bands used for sentinel-2 in the estimation of soil moisture. According to the results, the highest coefficient of determination (R2) for the Sentinel-2 is related to band 6 with 84%. The result of Sentinel-1 demonstrated that the highest coefficient of determination was related to the Rank filter (54%). The highest correlation of the Sentinel-2 and the Sentinel-1 is related to band 6 with 74% and the Rank filter with 46%, respectively. The lowest RMSE in Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 is related to band three (1.64 %) and rank filter (1.03 %), respectively. According to the obtained results, band 6 in the Sentinel-2 and filter in Sentinel-1 have better performance among the data and methods used. However, it is emphasized that using more samples can be tested for improving results.


Quantum control can be employed in quantum metrology to improve the precision limit for the estimation of unknown parameters. The optimal control, however, typically depends on the actual values of the parameters and thus needs to be designed adaptively with the updated estimations of those parameters. Traditional methods, such as gradient ascent pulse engineering (GRAPE), need to be rerun for each new set of parameters encountered, making the optimization costly, especially when many parameters are involved. Here we study the generalizability of optimal control, namely, optimal controls that can be systematically updated across a range of parameters with minimal cost. In cases where control channels can completely reverse the shift in the Hamiltonian due to a change in parameters, we provide an analytical method which efficiently generates optimal controls for any parameter starting from an initial optimal control found by either GRAPE or reinforcement learning. When the control channels are restricted, the analytical scheme is invalid, but reinforcement learning still retains a level of generalizability, albeit in a narrower range. In cases where the shift in the Hamiltonian is impossible to decompose to available control channels, no generalizability is found for either the reinforcement learning or the analytical scheme. We argue that the generalization of reinforcement learning is through a mechanism similar to the analytical scheme. Our results provide insights into when and how the optimal control in multiparameter quantum metrology can be generalized, thereby facilitating efficient implementation of optimal quantum estimation of multiple parameters, particularly for an ensemble of systems with ranges of parameters.


A Prospective, Randomised, Double-Blind Comparative Study of IV Granisetron Vs Dexamethasone as Antiemesis Prophylaxis in Patients Undergoing Elective Abdominal Laparoscopic Surgery. Introduction: This prospective, randomised, double blind study compared the efficacy and adverse effects of injection Granisetron and Dexamethasone for prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery. Methods: Sixty patients of either sex, aged 18-60 years, ASA grade I/II, posted for elective laparoscopic surgery were administered either Granisetron 40 μg/kg intravenously, or Dexamethasone 160 μg/kg intravenously just before the induction of Anaesthesia. The effic acy of study medication was assessed in terms of number of episodes of emesis, percentage of emesis free patients, percentage of nausea free patients for 24 hours post operatively. Results: Sixty patients were randomized into group G (n = 30) and group D (n = 30). Total five patients (16%) had nausea and one patient (3.3%) had vomiting in group G. Whereas five patients (16%) had nausea and two (6.7%) had vomiting in group D at first four hours postoperatively. In 4 to 24 hours postoperatively , Granisetron proved to have superior antiemetic effect than Dexamethasone in which three patients (10%) had nausea and six patients (20%) had vomiting as compared to none with granisetron. Discussion: The single dose of 160 μg/kg of dexamethasone is economical , without any known adverse effects and is equally effective as granisetron in first 4 hours postoperative but Granisetron 40 μg/kg is more effective in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting with minimal adverse effect and will prove cost effective in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries.


We have developed a simple method for the direct analysis of two‐dimensional trabecular structure. Using this method, we have compared the structure of the left and right iliac crest and the second lumbar vertebra and studied the relationship between two‐dimensional trabecular structure and the ultimate compressive stress of bone samples from the second lumbar vertebra. Transverse cores were taken from the left and right iliac crests and second lumbar vertebrae of 35 subjects (12 females) who died suddenly. The trabecular structure was subdivided into nodes (node count) and free ends (free end count), which were expressed per square millimeter of cancellous space. A node was defined as the point of junction between two or more trabeculae; a free end was defined as the end of a trabecula that was unconnected in the plane of the section to any other trabecular element. The following struts were defined by drawing a line between the nodes and the free ends: node to node, node to free end, free end to free end, and cortex‐derived struts. Strut lengths were measured and expressed as a percentage of the total strut length and per square millimeter of cancellous space. Intra‐observer variation was generally low, with coefficients of variation for repeat measurements in the range 3.9–17.8%. There was no statistically significant difference between left and right iliac crests for any of the variables measured. With the exception of cortex‐derived struts, there was no statistically significant correlation between crests for any variable. When compared to the second lumbar vertebra, the iliac crest had a greater node count and node‐to‐node strut length, indicating a higher degree of connectedness. There was a significant correlation between the lumbar vertebra and iliac crest for node count and node‐to‐node strut length. Variables measured in the second lumbar vertebra correlated well with ultimate compressive stress, the strongest correlations being with free end‐to‐free end strut length (r = ‐0.75, p < 0.0005) and node‐to‐free end strut length (r = 0.76, p < 0.0002). In both the second lumbar vertebra and iliac crest, node count, node‐to‐node strut length, and free end‐to‐free end strut length correlated significantly with age. The method reported here requires inexpensive equipment and is reproducible. Two‐dimensional trabecular structure in the iliac crest has greater connectedness compared to that in the second lumbar vertebra, although there is a relationship between the two sites. The structural variables measured in the lumbar vertebra are indicative of ultimate compressive stress at that site. Similar relationships between the structural variables and age are seen in the iliac crest and second lumbar vertebra. This type of analysis should provide important quantitative information concerning the changes in trabecular structure with age and in disease, as well as the ability of different drug treatments to improve trabecular structure.


Chrysophytes are a diverse group of protists belonging to the Stramenopiles. They encompass a broad range of nutrition strategies (phototrophy, mixotrophy and heterotrophy) and morphological forms (unicellular, colonial, branched, non-scaled to silica-scaled). However, taxonomy, identification and delineation of genera and species are hampered by the polyphyletic origin of several morphotypes and the low resolution of morphological features; moreover, description of these features requires in many cases special equipment like TEM or SEM. To test the congruent phylogeny, genetic resolution and to reveal the genetic diversity of chrysophytes, we evaluated in this study different gene markers, in particular SSU and LSU rRNA genes, ITS, and COI in terms of phylogenetic clustering, separation of phylogenetic lineages and genetic distances within and between clades. Our results showed that the general topology of the SSU rRNA gene phylogeny is similar to that of the LSU rRNA gene phylogeny, with a higher genetic divergence for the latter. The topology of the COI phylogeny differed from the ribosomal data, and showed the highest genetic divergence within groups and between groups for all compared markers. The 5.8S rRNA gene offered only a limited phylogenetic resolution with low genetic divergence. ITS showed a high genetic divergence, but phylogenetic analyses were hampered by high variance in sequence lengths between clades.


: A case of a rare association between pregnancy and the development of Cushing's syndrome is discussed. A 29-year-old woman developed Cushing's syndrome, characterized by hypokalemia, a high level of urinary 17-hydroxycorticoids not suppressed by dexamethasone therapy, a high level of plasma 11-hydroxycorticoids which did not show diurnal variation and failed to show suppression after dexamethasone therapy, and a high level of urinary 17-ketosteroids, within 12 weeks of her first pregnancy. Clinical and biochemical abnormalities disappeared rapidly after dilatation and curettage. No evidence of an ectopic ACTH-producing tumor or an adrenal cortical tumor was found. Abnormalities did not reappear with administration of HCG or with sequential estrogen-progestogen treatment.


This study aims to analyze and classify distribution of urban vegetation as plant communities in Anatolian Side of Istanbul Turkey. The study was carried out in all districts of the Anatolian side excluding Şile and in total, 223 quadrates were recorded during 2004-2009 vegetation periods. Braun-Blanquet method was used for classification. As a result of the study, a total of 13 plant communities distributed in the study area was found. The plant groups were; Sarcopoterium spinosum, Erica manipuliflora, Tordylium apulum, Sinapis arvensis, Rapistrum rugosum, Carduus pycnocephalus, Carduus nutans, Centaurea iberica, Centaurea solstitialis subsp. solstitialis, Rumex crispus, Ammi visnaga, Cichorium intybus and Parietaria judaica. The floristic, ecologic and syntaxonomic analyses of these plant groups were realized and their distributions in the study area were given. Additionally, some soil properties such as maximum water holding capacity, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, CaCO3, P2O5, K2O and texture (sand, silt and clay) were analyzed. The formation and development conditions of them were described and discussed at the end of the paper. Protection against damage of this vegetation or at least protection of the existent situation was presented as suggestions.


BACKGROUND
Radiofrequency-induced heating of dermal and subdermal tissue promotes skin contracture; however, the temperature threshold for inducing an epidermal burn is lower than the therapeutic temperature thresholds required for collagen remodeling, and therefore, there is the possibility of epidermal burn. Herein, we evaluate a radiofrequency treatment that provides novel real-time subdermal and epidermal temperature monitoring.

METHODS
A retrospective chart review of 18 subjects undergoing thermistor-controlled subdermal skin tightening via percutaneous radiofrequency was conducted. During the treatment, epidermal temperature was concurrently monitored by a handheld infrared laser thermometer and a forward looking infrared camera system and peak temperatures readings were reported and evaluated.

RESULTS
Mean temperatures of 43.6 and 38.2°C were reported for the infrared camera and infrared thermometer. The Bland-Altman plot analysis reported a bias of 5.38°C and 95% limits of agreement between 0.60 and 10.15°C. Additionally, the mean difference or bias of 5.38°C was statistically significant (P<0.0001.

CONCLUSION
Our preliminary data supports a superior form of thermoregulation for the purposes of skin tightening that integrates continuous subsurface and epidermal temperature monitoring.


The major target of this research is the classification of pyrite types using fractal and stepwise factor analyses in the Chah Zard ore deposit, Central Iran. The ore occurs within a breccia/vein type and the major ore mineral hosting gold mineralization is pyrite. In this study, data were selected using optical, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and backscattered electron observations as well as laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP–MS) analysis. Conventional interpretations represent four gold-bearing pyrite types of various textures including fractured and porous Py1, oscillatory-rimmed and simple-zoned Py2, colloform Py3 and inclusion-rich Py4. The stepwise factor process was performed on the centred log ratio (clr) transformed data in two phases and Au was grouped with As, Te, Ni and Co in the second factor from the second stage (F2-2). Also, C-N fractal modelling was performed on the As, Au, Te and F2-2 values, all of which demonstrate multifractal nature. Four populations were separated based on F2-2 values and the C-N log–log plot. The main gold mineralization starts from 32 ppm, 2.8%, 7.94 ppm and 1.26 for Au, As, Te concentrations and F2-2, respectively, based on the C-N fractal modelling. These values are correlated with inclusion-rich Py4 and simple-zoned and oscillatory-rimmed Py2. The results obtained in this study show that fractal interpretation of LA-ICP–MS data by stepwise factor analysis may provide a suitable tool for the recognition of ore mineralization in epithermal gold deposits.


Body condition can affect coloration of traits used in sexual selection and parent--offspring communication by inducing rapid internal changes in pigment concentration or aggregation, thickness of collagen arrays, or blood flux. The recent "makeup hypothesis" proposes an alternative honesty-reinforcing mechanism, with behaviorally mediated deposition of substances on body surfaces ("cosmetics") generating covariation between body condition and coloration. In birds, the uropygial gland wax is actively spread on feathers using the bill and changes in its deposition rate may cause rapid changes in bill and plumage coloration. Using tawny owl nestlings, we tested 3 predictions of the makeup hypothesis, namely that 1) quantity of preen wax deposited accounts for variation in bill coloration, 2) an immune stimulation (induced by injection of a lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) impairs uropygial gland wax production, and 3) different intensities of immune stimulations (strong vs. weak stimulations induced by injections of either LPS or phytohemagglutinin [PHA], respectively) and high versus low food availabilities result in different bill colorations. We found that 1) preen wax reduced bill brightness, 2) a challenge with LPS impaired uropygial gland development, and 3) nestlings challenged with LPS had a brighter bill than PHA-injected nestlings, whereas diet manipulation had no significant effect. Altogether, these results suggest that a strong immune challenge may decrease preen wax deposition rate on the bill of nestling birds, at least by impairing gland wax production, which causes a change in bill coloration. Our study therefore highlights that cosmetic colors might signal short-term variation in immunological status. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.


In this paper, an on-line deterioration prediction and residual life prediction method is proposed for maintenance of rotating equipment in thermal power plants. Condition of rotating equipment is inspected by vibration measurement. A mathematical model for the deterioration of the rotating equipment is derived in order to predict future condition of the rotating equipment. Residual life of the rotating equipment is predicted by deterioration prediction using on-line estimation of model parameters with forgetting factor. The effectiveness of the residual life prediction method is assured by applying it to actual vibration data of rotating equipment.


The earthquake is one of the natural disasters that should be watched out for. The impact of the disaster was not only a material loss but also a loss of life. The most vulnerable earthquake victims are infants, toddlers, and children. This is because of their weak and bad protection abilities. What is caused by the main earthquake is physical trauma and psychological trauma to the victim. Trauma has a more fatal effect on child victims. The need for special actions to handle it.


Installment purchase occured and oftern widely circulated around society in this era, because society's necessity directly in good whereas the paymen transaction cannot be settled at the same time, just like buying house, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc. The buyers sometimes cannot buy those goods for cash in the concept of this transaction has a consequence that installment price is higher than the cash price, because of addition price on deferred payment. This trading product has unknown yet by the society, especially in Muslim community. Muslim community hesitates about how is the law of this trading: some people said it is prohibited because consist of  riba  (usury) while others said allowed ( halal ).  Based on the phenomenon above, this paper will discuss on the installment purchase according to fiqh which based on Islamic Sharia clearly and truly, by explaining the propositions ( dalil ), condition, ethics for both buyers and sellers and also explaining the excess and the deficiencies of it. By the purpose to avoid the hesitancy and piece of the self-confidence, so we can do buying and selling transaction in accordance to the Sharia principles. This paper is literature study with normative approach to achieve the have way purposed. The writer collects the primary and secondary data source by the observation and documentation rules. Afterward, the writer analyses those data with inductive method which based on the special principles and arranged in general formulation and deductive method in order to take the conclusion which explaining by descriptive and critical analysis.


Carbonate reservoirs comprise fractures, vugs, and cavities. Vugs have a large contribution to reserves of oil and gas, and the fractures provide effective paths for fluid flow in the reservoir. The triple-porosity (TP) model is an effective conceptual method for capturing rock matrix and vugs and the microfractures connecting them. However, these fractures and vugs are always nonhomogeneous. Macrofractures and vugs cannot be handled with a continuum scheme because of their low density and high conductivity.
 In this approach, the TP conceptual model is implemented to characterize rock matrix, microvugs, and fractures. To capture the heterogeneity of fractures and vugs, macrofractures and vugs are represented explicitly with the discontinuum model. The boundaries of macrovugs and macrofractures are discretized into several elements. The boundary-element method (BEM) is used to handle flow into macrofractures and vugs. The finite-difference method is applied to handle flow within macrofractures. The flow within macrovugs is assumed to be pseudosteady state.
 With a simple discretization of the boundaries of macrovugs and macrofractures, the proposed model is shown to efficiently simulate the behavior of fractured carbonate reservoirs with heterogeneity. The computational accuracy is demonstrated using an analytical model and numerical simulation. On the basis of the proposed model, the effect of the heterogeneity of macrofractures and vugs on pressure-transient behavior is analyzed. The results show that macrofractures and vugs cannot be handled with triple-continuum models analytically. There will be several "dips" on the derivative of the pressure curve if macrovugs are discretely handled. Also, discretely handling the fractures and vugs will make the calculated dimensionless pressure and the derivative pressure lower than those calculated with the triple-continuum models. After increasing the porosity of macrovugs, the pressure and the derivative will go down in the flow regimes dominated by macrovugs. The conductivity of macrofractures has a great impact on almost all the flow regimes except for boundary-dominated flow. Finally, a field case is used to show the application of the proposed semianalytical model.
 The novelty of the new model is its ability to model the transient behavior of carbonate reservoirs with nonhomogeneous fractures and vugs. Furthermore, it provides an efficient method for characterizing the heterogeneity of multiscaled fractures and vugs.


Six novel copper(ii) complexes of [CuCl]ClO4 (), [Cu(acac)]PF6 (), [CuCl]2(PF6)2 (), [CuCl]2(PF6)2 (), [Cu(acac)]PF6 () and [Cu(acac)]PF6 (), ( = 1-naphthyl-N,N-[bis(2-pyridyl)methyl]amine, = R/S-1-naphthyl-N,N-[bis(2-pyridyl)methyl]ethanamine, acac = diacetone) were synthesized to serve as artificial nucleases. All complexes were structurally characterized using X-ray crystallography. The crystal structures showed the presence of distorted square-planar CuLCl (, and ) and distorted tetragonal-pyramidal CuL(acac) (, and ) geometry. The interaction of these complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was researched by means of several spectroscopy methods, which indicated that the complexes were bound to CT-DNA by an intercalation binding mode. DNA cleavage experiments revealed that the complexes exhibited remarkable DNA cleavage activities in the presence of H2O2, and single oxygen ((1)O2) or hydroxyl radicals may serve as the major cleavage active species. In particular, the in vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes on four human cancer cell lines (HeLa, MCF-7, Bel-7404 and HepG-2) demonstrated that the six compounds had broad-spectrum anti-cancer activity with low IC50 values. The stronger cytotoxicity and DNA cleavage activity of the chiral enantiomers compared with chiral analogues verified the influence of chirality on the antitumor activity of complexes. Meanwhile, the protein binding ability was revealed by quenching of tryptophan emission with the addition of complexes using BSA as a model protein. The results indicated that the quenching mechanism of BSA by the complexes was a static process.


Buspirone, a partial agonist of 5-hydroxytryptamine autoreceptors, selectively blocks presynaptic nigrostriatal D2 dopamine (DA) autoreceptors. At doses which antagonised action of apomorphine in biochemical presynaptic nigrostriatal D2 DA autoreceptor test systems buspirone neither induced catalepsy nor antagonised apomorphine-induced turning behaviour in rats indicating that at these doses buspirone does not block postsynaptic striatal D2 and D1 DA receptors. This study determines whether at high doses buspirone blocks postsynaptic striatal D2 and D1 DA receptors and provides behavioural evidence for selective blockade of presynaptic nigrostriatal D2 DA autoreceptors by smaller doses of buspirone. We investigated in rats whether buspirone induces catalepsy and effect of its pretreatment on DA agonist induced oral stereotypies and on cataleptic effect of haloperidol and small doses (0.05, 0.1 mg/kg, ip) of apomorphine. Buspirone at 1.25, 2.5, 5 mg/kg, ip neither induced catalepsy nor antagonised apomorphine stereotypy but did potentiate dexamphetamine stereotypy and antagonised cataleptic effect of haloperidol and small doses of apomorphine. Buspirone at 10, 20, 40 mg/kg, ip induced catalepsy and antagonised apomorphine and dexamphetamine stereotypies. Our results indicate that buspirone at 1.25, 2.5, 5 mg/kg blocks only presynaptic nigrostriatal D2 DA autoreceptors while at 10, 20, 40 mg/kg, it blocks postsynaptic striatal D2 and D1 DA receptors. Furthermore, buspirone at 1.25, 2.5, 5 mg/kg by selectively blocking presynaptic nigrostriatal D2 DA autoreceptors, increases synthesis of DA and makes more DA available for release by dexamphetamine and during haloperidol-induced compensatory 'feedback' increase of nigrostriatal DAergic neuronal activity and thus potentiates dexamphetamine stereotypy and antagonizes haloperidol catalepsy.


The spirit beverages of vodka and gin are often produced from a neutral spirits base. These neutral spirits are derived from the distillation of fermented carbohydrates of agricultural origin. The fermentations in the production of these beverages are not often reported in great detail and to some extent are shrouded in mystery. The roles of fermentation and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are essential to the complete process, and without fermentation there would not be alcohol to distil. Nevertheless, it is not the yeast that is perceived to contribute to the distinctive consumer experiences, which are associated with these beverages. However, there are opportunities for the development of new strains of S. cerevisiae for the production of neutral spirits, which have a high ethanol yield, are tolerant of ethanol stress, and produce low levels of congeners.


COVID-19 has exposed the grim underbelly of a fragmented, regionalized, costly, and inefficient approach to health service that is an engine for health workforce burnout. A matrix framework that defines the nature of system-level structural determinants of burnout and their relationship to service-level wellness can serve as a useful tool to understand workforce burnout causality, and guide meaningful intervention. This could inform a constructive system-level approach to health workforce burnout through the establishment of harmonized principle-based interventions across health sector jurisdictions and stakeholders.


Anemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular events in patients with CKD, is a common problem following transplantation and has been reported in up to 40% of kidney transplant recipients (KTRs).1–3 It is well established that post-transplant anemia (PTA) is associated with poor clinical outcomes. PTA is associated with increased mortality (18% versus 10% over 4 years), an increased risk of acute rejection (24% versus 12% over 4 years), and an increased risk of graft loss (17% versus 6% over 4 years).4–6 Despite such a high prevalence and association with adverse sequelae, only a small minority of KTRs with anemia are treated with erythrocyte stimulating agents (ESAs).1–3,7 Undertreatment of PTA may be secondary to a lack of convincing evidence regarding the risks and benefits of treatment in this particular population, as few randomized controlled trials have examined the safety and efficacy of ESAs for treatment of PTA.

Small studies in KTRs show improvements in levels of hemoglobin and quality of life with ESA-based correction of PTA.8,9 In addition, a small single-center retrospective study by Becker et al.10 suggested that treatment of PTA with ESAs may delay progression of renal allograft dysfunction. In nontransplant patients with CKD, however, recent trials (Correction of Hemoglobin and Outcomes in Renal Insufficiency [CHOIR], Trial to Reduce Cardiovascular Events with Aranesp Therapy) demonstrate increased rates of adverse cardiovascular outcomes with ESAs targeting normal or higher hemoglobin levels.11,12 Whether these findings can be extrapolated to KTRs is unclear, as the pathogenesis of anemia and response to ESAs in this population is likely to be different from the general CKD population, given the presence of an allograft and the ongoing need for immunosuppressive therapy. In a retrospective study of 1794 KTRs, Heinze et al.13 reported higher mortality in patients receiving ESAs compared with patients who did not. When specifically examining the ESA group, however, the authors found that mortality was increased at levels of hemoglobin above and below 12.5 g/dl.13 As in the general population of patients with CKD, the therapeutic target hemoglobin in KTRs has not been established, and the safety of ESA-based correction of anemia is uncertain.

In this issue of JASN, a study by Choukroun et al.14 challenges current concepts of anemia management with respect to the kidney transplant population. The Correction of Anemia and PRogression of Renal Insufficiency in Transplant Patients (CAPRIT) study is a 2-year, randomized, controlled, open-label, French multicenter trial of epoetin-β (EPO) treatment in anemic kidney transplant recipients with moderate graft dysfunction. The primary endpoint was change in estimated GFR (eGFR; calculated by Cockcroft-Gault) from baseline to 24 months, and secondary outcomes included Nankivell and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease estimation of eGFR, doubling of serum creatinine (Cr), and proteinuria. In addition, graft survival and progression to ESRD, cardiovascular event rate, and patient survival were analyzed. One hundred twenty-five patients with an eGFR between 20 and 50 ml/min and hemoglobin < 11.5 g/dl were randomized to either achieve a hemoglobin target of 13.0–15.0 g/dl (complete correction of anemia) or 10.5–11.5 g/dl (partial correction of anemia) and were followed for progression of renal disease. The baseline characteristics and immunosuppressive regimens of both groups were similar. The higher target group achieved hemoglobins of 12.9±2.1 g/dl and the lower target group achieved hemoglobins of 11.3±1.1 g/dl by the end of the study at 24 months. As expected, more patients used EPO in the higher target group (89.1% versus 60.9%; P<0.05). The mean weekly EPO dose was higher in the higher target group throughout the study. The investigators found that patients randomized to the lower hemoglobin target suffered a greater reduction in renal function over the 2-year follow-up period compared with the group of patients randomized to the higher hemoglobin target (eGFR decline of 5.9±1.1 versus 2.4±1.1 ml/min; P=0.03). Furthermore, fewer patients in the higher hemoglobin group progressed to ESRD (4.8% versus 21.0%; P<0.01). Importantly, there was no difference in mortality or overall adverse events between groups, but the low hemogloblin target group experienced an increased number of cardiac disorders (specifically acute cardiac failure, arrhythmia, and myocardial infarction, 8% versus 0%; P=0.03), which is in stark contrast to studies of normalizing hemoglobin in nontransplant patients with CKD and similar to hemodialysis patients with naturally high hemoglobins.15 The authors conclude that targeting hemoglobin ≥13 g/dl is associated with a reduction in the rate of progression to chronic allograft nephropathy in kidney transplant recipients.

The findings of the CAPRIT study are perhaps unexpected, but undoubtedly provocative in the current climate of black box warnings for ESAs. Thus far, national and international guidelines for anemia management have grouped kidney transplant recipients with the general CKD population. The results of the CAPRIT study, however, pose a challenge to the one size fits all approach of anemia management in CKD. The kidney transplant population may represent a unique cohort of patients that may benefit from individualized therapy. While encouraging, the results of CAPRIT must be interpreted with caution given the underlying limitations of the study. The sample size of the study was quite small compared with studies of ESAs in the general CKD population, and the overall rate of death and cardiovascular events in the study population was low. In comparison, the CHOIR study reported a nearly 30% overall mortality in the 16 months of median follow-up for all patients enrolled.11 Hence, CAPRIT may be underpowered to adequately assess cardiovascular events and mortality, or the patients in the study may simply represent a relatively healthier, "low-risk" group. These findings may not be generalizable to a population at higher risk for cardiovascular events, such as the CKD or kidney transplant population in the United States.

Furthermore, the underlying mechanism by which correction of anemia with ESAs preserves renal function is unclear, because no mechanistic or functional studies were performed. The CAPRIT investigators postulate that correction of anemia minimizes hypoxia and thus hypoxia-induced tissue injury to the graft. Other potential mechanisms by which correction of anemia may delay graft dysfunction include correction of left ventricular hypertrophy and improved cardiac function. While it has been assumed that any beneficial impact of ESAs is due to their known effects on stimulating red blood cell production, erythropoietin receptors are widely expressed,16–18 and recent evidence suggests that EPO has immunomodulatory functions. Several animal models and suggestive human data indicate that EPO is inhibitory toward immune responses,19–21 a phenomenon that would be highly relevant in the context of a transplanted organ. Further studies will be required to investigate these possibilities.

Nonetheless, the idea of potentially prolonging graft survival in kidney transplant recipients by correcting anemia is exciting. Despite advances in immunosuppression over the last 2 decades, long-term kidney transplant survival has not improved.22 Strategies to prolong allograft survival, including the use of ESAs to treat PTA, warrant aggressive investigation.


This article departs from the discussion by Stephen Castles on the migration-asylum nexus by focusing on the political and cultural effects of the summer of immigration in 2015. It argues for a conceptualization of the asylum-migration nexus within the framework of Anibal Quijano's "coloniality of power" by developing the analytical framework of the "coloniality of migration." Through the analytical framework of the "coloniality of migration" the connection between racial capitalism and the asylum-migration nexus is explored. It does so by first focusing on the economic and political links between asylum and migration, and how both constitute each other. On these grounds, it discusses how asylum and migration policies produce hierarchical categories of migrants and refugees, producing a nomenclature drawing on an imaginary reminiscent of the orientalist and racialized practices of European colonialism and imperialism. In a second step, it focuses on migration and asylum policies as inherent to a logic of racialization of the workforce. It does so by first exploring the racial coding of immigration policies within the context of settler colonial-ism and transatlantic White European migration to the Américas and Oceania in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and second, by discussing migration policies in post-1945 Western Europe.


A CFD analysis of a low pressure nuclear rocket concept is presented with the use of an advanced chemical kinetics, Navier-Stokes code. The computations describe the flow field in detail, including gas dynamic, thermodynamic and chemical properties, as well as global performance quantities such as specific impulse. Computational studies of several rocket nozzle shapes are conducted in an attempt to maximize hydrogen recombination. These Navier-Stokes calculations, which include real gas and viscous effects, predict lower performance values than have been reported heretofore.


A trial was designed to investigate impacts of omega-3 fatty acid feeding regimes on bovine immunization responses. Dietary supplements contained either fish oil or microalgae as omega-3 fatty acid sources, and cattle were divided into 2 feed management systems; they either grazed pasture or were kept in barn tie stalls and fed total mixed rations (TMR). Cattle were immunized with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), a standard T cell dependent antigen. Dietary supplements and feeding systems influenced the response of cattle to immunization with KLH. Anti-KLH IgM, IgG and IgA antibody levels in serum were significantly higher in cattle grazing pasture than those fed TMR. Cattle consuming microalgae had consistently higher anti-KLH IgG2 and IgM antibody levels compared to cattle fed fish oil. Effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplements and TMR versus pasture-based diets were also apparent in cytokine profiles from spleen and cecal tissues. Levels of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) were highest in cecal tissue of pasture-grazing cattle (P < 0.0001), and spleen TGF-β levels were highest in pasture-grazing cattle consuming microalgae (P = 0.0073).These findings suggest that effects of omega-3 supplements on bovine immunity are influenced by the feed management system, with heightened effects on antibody production observed with a pasture system relative to a confinement and TMR-based diet.


In Norway the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber harvest is quota-regulated. Once the annual quota for each municipality has been determined it is distributed to landowner-organized beaver management units. Municipal wildlife managers can choose between two distributional models: the traditional "areal model" whereby each management unit receives its portion of the municipal quota based on the relative area of beaver habitat within the township that it contains, or the more recently developed "linear model" based on the relative length of beaver-utilized shoreline it contains. The linear model was developed in an attempt to increase the precision of the quota distribution process and is based on the fact that beaver occupy landscapes in a linear fashion along strips of shoreline rather than exploiting extensive areas. The assumption was that the linear model would provide a more precise and just method of distributing the municipal quota among landowners. Here we test the hypothesis that the length of beaverutilized shoreline is a better predictor of beaver colony density than the area of beaver habitat on 13 beaver management units of typical size (794 – 2200 hectares) in Bo Township, Norway, during 2 years. As hypothesized, the number of beaver occupied sites on management units correlated significantly (p≤ 0.001) with the length of beaver-utilized shoreline, but not with the area of beaver habitat. Therefore municipalities should employ the linear model when a precise distribution of quotas is necessary. The density of Eurasian beaver colonies at the landscape scale (>100 km 2 ) in south-central Scandinavia averages approximately 1 occupied site per 4 km 2 . This figure can be employed by municipal wildlife managers to estimate the colony density in their townships, and to calculate municipal quotas, when more precise census information is lacking.


The article is devoted to the problem of influence of the family and personal qualities of the parents on forming anticipational inconsistency of the drug addicts. We made the theoretical analysis of the concepts "anticipational consistency", "prognostic competence", "prognostic abilities", "probabilistic prediction". We present the results of the empirical research of the prognostic abilities (or anticipational consistency) of the drug addicts and their parents, that was held by V.D.Mendelevich within the anticipational concep-tion of neurogenesis. We establish that the parents prediction strategies are the factors that form the chil-drens prognostic competence. We reveal that the steady pathogenic pattern exists in the families of the drug addicts, and it determines the dependant forms of behaviour.


A stylized feature of high-dimensional data is that many variables have heavy tails, and robust statistical inference is critical for valid large-scale statistical inference. Yet, the existing developments such as Winsorization, Huberization and median of means require the bounded second moments and involve variable-dependent tuning parameters, which hamper their fidelity in applications to large-scale problems. To liberate these constraints, this paper revisits the celebrated Hodges-Lehmann (HL) estimator for estimating location parameters in both the one- and two-sample problems, from a non-asymptotic perspective. Our study develops Berry-Esseen inequality and Cram\'{e}r type moderate deviation for the HL estimator based on newly developed non-asymptotic Bahadur representation, and builds data-driven confidence intervals via a weighted bootstrap approach. These results allow us to extend the HL estimator to large-scale studies and propose \emph{tuning-free} and \emph{moment-free} high-dimensional inference procedures for testing global null and for large-scale multiple testing with false discovery proportion control. It is convincingly shown that the resulting tuning-free and moment-free methods control false discovery proportion at a prescribed level. The simulation studies lend further support to our developed theory.


In this study, the stiffness method solution based on the first order shear deformation theory is used for the purely out-of-plane (out-of-plane bending and torsional) free vibration analysis of symmetric cross-ply laminated beams. A beam element has six degrees of freedom. The influence of the rotary inertia terms is included in the solution. Accounting for the shear deformation effects, the exact numerical element stiffness matrix is obtained based on the transfer matrix method. The element inertia matrix consists of the concentrated masses. The sub-space iteration and Jacobi's methods are employed in the solution of the large-scale general eigenvalue problem. The out-of-plane vibration mode shapes associated with the first eight natural frequencies of the vibration composite beam with several boundary conditions are illustrated. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The hosts of Pteromalidae include Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Siphonaptera, Hymenoptera, Dermaptera and Homoptera. Pteromalidae attack eggs, larvae, pupae or, rarely, adults. The main contribution of pteromalids towards insect control is in relation to muscoid flies, especially house flies and stable flies (Gauld and Bolton, 1988 ; Hanson and Gauld, 1995 ).The adults of some species of the family Muscidae are vectors, through their bite or in a passive manner, for the pathogens of diseases such as typhoid fever, dysentery, anthrax and African sleeping sickness. House flies overwinter in either the larval or pupal stage under manure piles or in other protected locations. This is the most common insect family found on pig and poultry farms, in horse stables and on ranches (Renaud et al., 2012).Synthesiomyia nudiseta (Van der Wulp, 1883) (Diptera: Muscidae) is a fly with Neotropical geographical distribution. In Brazil, it shows preference for inhabited areas, which makes this fly a potential vector for pathogens (Greenberg, 1971; Aruna et al., 2011; Velasquez et al., 2013).Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Rondani, 1875) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is to be a solitary parasitoid that controls a great number of Diptera in the families Anthomyiidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Sarcophagidae, Tachinidae and Tephritidae. This species presents diversified (cosmopolitan) distribution and it has been found in North America and Africa (Hanson and Gauld, 1995).The objective of this paper was to report a new host for the parasitoid P. vindemmiae, which was collected in the urban region of Goiânia, in the central part of the state of Goias, Brazil.The experiment was conducted in the urban area of Goiânia, in the central part of the state of Goias, Brazil. The flies were collected by using traps, made of dark cans measuring 19 cm in height and 9 cm in diameter, with two openings resembling blinders, located in the lowest third of the can, to allow flies to enter. The top of the can was connected to a nylon funnel that was open at both ends, with the base pointing down. This was wrapped in plastic bags, so that when they were removed, the flies and parasitoids could be collected. The following items were used as baits: human feces, cattle kidneys, cattle liver, chicken and fish which were placed inside the cans, over a layer of earth. Five traps were used and they were hung on trees at a height of one meter above the ground, two meters apart from each other.The insects collected were taken to the laboratory, sacrificed with ethyl ether and kept in 70% alcohol for further identification. To obtain the parasitoids, the contents of the traps were placed in plastic containers with a layer of sand for use as a substrate for transformation of the larvae into pupae. This sand was sifted after being in the fields for 15 days and the pupae were extracted from it and were individually placed in gelatin capsules (number 00) in order to obtain the flies and/or parasitoids.The species were stored in the Biology Laboratory of Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health. The species identification was performed by one of the authors.The total percentage parasitism was calculated by means of the number of pupae parasitized, divided by the total number of pupae collected, and multiplied by 100.Between January and May 2014, two specimens of P. vindemmiae were collected from 26 pupae of S. nudiseta. The percentage parasitism observed was 7.7%. The percentage parasitism can also be correlated with the parasitoid's search capacity and with the availability of resources.These dipterous insects are potential mechanical vectors for etiological agents such as viruses, bacteria, protozoan cysts and helminth eggs (Greenberg, 1971; Marchiori, 2006). The occurrence, distribution and prevalence of these dipterous insects in metropolitan areas are factors of great public health importance. In rural areas, these insects can cause decreased egg production and animal diseases, and they constitute a nuisance for human populations close to the breeding sites (Couri and Barros, 2010 ; Ekanem et al., 2013; Marchiori, 2007; Marchiori et al., 2014).Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae is considered a parasitoid of pupae of a great number of Diptera, including species of the genera Anastrepha, Calliphora, Ceratitis, Chrysomya, Drosophila, Fannia, Haematobia, Hylemya, Lucilia, Megaselia, Musca, Ophyra, Ornidia, Oxysarcodexia, Palaeosepsis, Paratheresia, Phaenicia, Phormia, Poecilosomella, Peckia,


Uterine exteriorization during fetal surgery permits hysterotomy away from anterior placental implantations. We employed this technique in two cesarean deliveries for anterior placenta previa-accreta, facilitating selective uterine incisions. Exteriorization of the near-term gravid uterus may be a useful adjunct to cesarean delivery for anterior placenta previa-accreta.


In LTE-A cellular networks there is a fundamental trade-off between the cell throughput and fairness levels for preselected users which are sharing the same amount of resources at one transmission time interval (TTI). The static parameterization of the Generalized Proportional Fair (GPF) scheduling rule is not able to maintain a satisfactory level of fairness at each TTI when a very dynamic radio environment is considered. The novelty of the current paper aims to find the optimal policy of GPF parameters in order to respect the fairness criterion. From sustainability reasons, the multi-layer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) is used to map at each TTI the continuous and multidimensional scheduler state into a desired GPF parameter. The MLPNN non-linear function is trained TTI-by-TTI based on the interaction between LTE scheduler and the proposed intelligent controller. The interaction is modeled by using the reinforcement learning (RL) principle in which the LTE scheduler behavior is modeled based on the Markov Decision Process (MDP) property. The continuous actor-critic learning automata (CACLA) RL algorithm is proposed to select at each TTI the continuous and optimal GPF parameter for a given MDP problem. The results indicate that CACLA enhances the convergence speed to the optimal fairness condition when compared with other existing methods by minimizing in the same time the number of TTIs when the scheduler is declared unfair.