The paper suggests a method aimed to improve the performance of dynamical systems with periodic uncertainties and disturbances (ac power converters are typical representatives of such systems) utilizing frequency-domain disturbance observer (DOB)-based control structure. In such control arrangement, DOB filter is the key component and should be designed so that its magnitude (phase) is as close to unity (zero) as possible at frequencies where the total uncertainty and disturbance exists. The methodology for designing DOB filters is well established mostly for systems with slow-varying uncertainties/disturbances and has been barely extended to systems with periodic excitation (such as grid-connected or stand-alone ac power converters). In this study, systematic enhancement of DOB filters, designed according to the classical methodology, is suggested based on appropriate mixing with a series multiresonant term. The proposed approach allows attaining improved periodic signals rejection capability while significantly sacrificing neither the dc gain nor the crossover frequency. Quantitative design guidelines are provided, and possible tradeoffs are revealed. The proposed methodology is validated by application to current control of LCL-filter-based inverter connected to a distorted ac grid. Feasibility and performance of the suggested approach are well supported by simulations and experiments.


The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) is a synoptic survey designed to explore the transient and variable sky in a wide variety of cadences. We use PTF observations of fields that were observed multiple times (≳10) per night, for several nights, to find asteroids, construct their light curves and measure their rotation periods. Here we describe the pipeline we use to achieve these goals and present the results from the first four (overlapping) PTF fields analysed as part of this programme. These fields, which cover an area of 21 deg^2, were observed on four nights with a cadence of ∼20 min. Our pipeline was able to detect 624 asteroids, of which 145 (≈20 per cent) were previously unknown. We present high-quality rotation periods for 88 main-belt asteroids and possible period or lower limit on the period for an additional 85 asteroids. For the remaining 451 asteroids, we present lower limits on their photometric amplitudes. Three of the asteroids have light curves that are characteristic of binary asteroids. We estimate that implementing our search for all existing high-cadence PTF data will provide rotation periods for about 10 000 asteroids mainly in the magnitude range ≈14 to ≈20.


Experimentally, diltiazem has demonstrated favorable effects on acute myocardial infarction in animals. In this study, we administered diltiazem intravenously to 11 patients with acute myocardial infarction within 24 hours from the onset and examined the hemodynamic changes. Dose was 20 minutes of 0.5 mg/min and 20 minutes of 1.0 mg/min (i.e., total 30 mg). Hemodynamic results were decrease in heart rate, blood pressure (systolic, diastolic), mean arterial pressure, double product (p<0.01), and systemic vascular resistance (p<0.05). On the other hand, stroke volume index increased (p<0.01). There were no significant changes in mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac index, and stroke work index. Serum diltiazem concentrations during intravenous administration in our study were near the steady‐state plasma concentrations in which oral multiple‐dose administration of diltiazem 60 mg twice or thrice daily resulted in 2 to 3 days. It is concluded that diltiazem can be administered safely to patients with acute myocardial infarction in acute phase and has two favorable hemodynamic effects on acute myocardial infarction. One is decrease of afterload, as evidenced by the decrease in systemic vascular resistance and in mean arterial presure. Second is the decrease of double product as an index of myocardial oxygen consumption.


This paper presents a software modeling environment for estimating the performance of distributed database systems. This tool supports a simulation language, HGPSS, which comprises various simulation primitives, contains a collection of network modules, and allows for the collection of statistics. This provides an overview of the HGPSS environment emphasizing its applicability to the modeling of distributed databases.


Severe sepsis and septic shock are major causes of morbidity and mortality in intensive care units worldwide, accounting for 250,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. Sepsis is the clinical manifestation of a dysregulated innate immune response to microbial infection. Over-activation of inflammatory mediators may result in multiple organ failure, acute circulatory failure, and death. Recognition of non-self microbial products by host cell receptors is fundamental to the innate inflammatory response. CD14 is a general pattern recognition receptor that is responsible for sensitive detection of many unique pathogen-associated toxins such as LPS, PGN, and LTA. The structure and function of CD14 has extensive implications in understanding the innate immune response and progression of the potentially fatal syndrome sepsis . However, no structural data of CD14 has been acquired; the nature of its interactions with endotoxins has yet to be characterized. Production of milligram quantities of protein is necessary for NMR structural studies of CD14. This paper discusses the endotoxin-induced innate response, treatment strategies for sepsis, and gives a protocol for the expression and purification of a 152 amino acid fragment of soluble CD14. Background Sepsis Sepsis is a condition involving an out of control host systematic inflammatory response caused by the infection of pathogenic micro-organisms in humans. As the condition progresses, it can lead to multiple organ dysfunction 'severe sepsis', and even to a state of acute circulatory failure characterized by arterial hypotension 'septic shock' and death (Levy et a\., 2003). Sepsis is the tenth most common cause of death in the United States-affecting approximately 750,000 patients annually and accounting for over 210,000 deaths per year (Hoyert et a!., 2001; Angus et aI., 2001). With the incidence of sepsis rising at rates between 1.5-8% per year despite technical improvements made in intensive care units (ICUs), and costs of approximately $16.7 billion per year burdening the US health care system, massive research efforts have been undertaken in search of improved treatments and therapy(Martin et aI., 2003). It is the innate immune response that is the first line of defense when a pathogen crosses the host's natural defense barriers, however, it is the over-activation of the innate immune system that is directly responsible for the deleterious symptoms of sepsis. Leukocytes play an important role, recognizing the pathogens and eliciting inflammatory initiators. The release of proinflammatory mediators, such as chemokines and cytokines facilitates the migration of serum-soluble components out of the vasculature and into the specific area where the microbial invasion has been detected (Glauser et a!., 1991; Mirlashari & Lyberg, 2003; Dentener et aI., 1993). This response is essential for effective combat of host microbial infection. In septic shock, the endotoxin-induced over-synthesis of pro-inflamatory cytokines and chemokines, IL-l, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, and TNF-a, and over-activation of


The deep structure of the Proterozoic Cape Smith fold-belt, which occurs at the boundary between the Superior and Churchill structural provinces of the Canadian Shield, is derived quantitatively from gravity anomalies. Basaltic rocks of the fold-belt are interpreted in part as remnant blocks of oceanic crust tectonically emplaced by obduction on shelf deposits of the ancient Superior margin. They form part of a proposed circum-Superior suture between collided Superior and Churchill cratons. The structure derived from gravity-anomaly data is compared with a conceptual model of continental convergence, collision, and suturing.


Durban area in eThekwini Municipality was recently labeled one of the 'worst xenophobia crisis zones' as 'foreign natives' of the continent swiftly became 'native foreigners' coerced either to return home or perish there. This inquiry seeks to link this with the multifaceted causal and contributory effects and realities of post-independence realities in Africa. Historically, the lack of highly skilled labour in South Africa has been linked to the legacy of apartheid education; this has resulted in poor education for the majority of the population, thus further entrenching discrimination and inequality. Considering the recent spate of xenophobic violence as a case study, this paper critically reviews the literature to assess the impact of globalization and migration in South Africa. It argues that the transformation of the country cannot be successful if local communities are continuously discriminated against and their conditions are not changed for the better. The paper adopts Bourdieu's (2006) Critical Theory, in particular, his concept of economic, cultural and social capital, in order to understand the impact of globalization and migration on local communities. The paper then recommends that African governments work in concert to stabilize their economies and create plans to combat social ills that negatively affect co-existence. Keywords : Discrimination, Globalization, Inequality, Critical theory, Community Development,


"Against the background of the existing theoretical and empirical evidence of skill-biased technological and organisational change, this paper investigates the effects of organisational change on labour demand between 1996 and 2004 using linked-employer-employee-data (LIAB) from the German Institute for Employment Research. By estimating dynamic labour demand functions for western and eastern Germany, we are able to show that the introduction of new work and/or production patterns has a positive effect on the overall employment level. In addition, we find significant shifts in labour demand at the expense of unskilled workers due to organisational change, while organisational change increases the demand for skilled workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))


This paper presents an experimental result of exhaust emission concentration at various injection timing for high compression engine fuelled with compressed natural gas engine which implements a direct injection technology called CNGDI engine. The engine implements central injection method, where the injector has been located within a certain degree of spark plug location. The experimental test was carried out using computer-controlled eddy-current dynamometer which measures the CNGDI engine performance. The Horiba analyzer uses infra-red for CO, CO2, HC and flame ionization for THC for emission measurement. Various injection timings were varied to investigate their effect of all exhaust emission species. The emission concentration level was recorded with respects to engine speed, fuel injection angle and ignition timing. The injection angle was varied in between 2500 crank angle to 3600 crank angle. Indicated power and torque of CNGDI engine were also monitored during the course. A closed loop wide band lambda sensor has been attached at the exhaust manifold to indicate the oxygen level during the exercise. The results indicate that late injection timing tends to reduce the emission level especially HC but too late of injection timing would result in increasing the emission level such as NOx and CO2. Thus, a range of limitation of injection timing is identified to obtain good agreement between the engine performance and engine emission.


An in vitro method for evaluating efficacy of ophthalmic steroid preparations was developed using bovine eyes. The method was tested using three derivatives of dexamethasone (alcohol, acetate, and sodium phosphate) and the results obtained were similar to those obtained in studies using live rabbits, although differences were noted. Bioavailability of the acetate was greatest; that of the sodium phosphate was the lowest. On the basis of this study, bovine eyes could be used as an alternative method for assessing ophthalmic steroid efficacy.


The relations between carbon and oil market is concerned by many scholars but little research has focused on the dependence between their quantiles. We use Quantile on Quantile Regression method to study the impact of WTI crude oil price and Daqing crude oil price on carbon price and use wavelet analysis to clean and decompose the time series. Results show that the impact of crude oil on carbon is heterogeneous. Research based on the original sequence shows that crude oil price has a positive impact on carbon price at all quantile levels. Research based on decomposition sequence shows that the positive impact of crude oil on carbon begins to weaken, the zero effect begins to increase, and the negative impact also begins to appear. However, the negative impact on carbon price becomes stronger with the stability of the time series data obtained from the decomposition of crude oil price series gradually improving, while the positive impact gradually weakens.


Cell differentiation in embryogenesis involves extensive changes in gene expression structural reorganization within the nucleus, including chromatin condensation and nucleoprotein immobilization. We hypothesized that nuclei in naive stem cells would therefore prove to be physically plastic and also more pliable than nuclei in differentiated cells. Micromanipulation methods indeed show that nuclei in human embryonic stem cells are highly deformable and stiffen 6-fold through terminal differentiation, and that nuclei in human adult stem cells possess an intermediate stiffness and deform irreversibly. Because the nucleo-skeletal component Lamin A/C is not expressed in either type of stem cell, we knocked down Lamin A/C in human epithelial cells and measured a deformability similar to that of adult hematopoietic stem cells. Rheologically, lamin-deficient states prove to be the most fluid-like, especially within the first ≈10 sec of deformation. Nuclear distortions that persist longer than this are irreversible, and fluorescence-imaged microdeformation with photobleaching confirms that chromatin indeed flows, distends, and reorganizes while the lamina stretches. The rheological character of the nucleus is thus set largely by nucleoplasm/chromatin, whereas the extent of deformation is modulated by the lamina.


A paradigm shift is underway in the patient-clinician relationship, driven by irreversible changes in information access, yet the model under which clinicians are trained, care is conducted, and care delivery is designed has not changed significantly even though we call it "patient centered." Humanity endured centuries in which even doctors had little idea what the patient's problem really was. Science slowly solved that, and for a century, only doctors could know what was worth knowing. Today, the rise of the internet and digital health has led to the end of that era. We are already witnessing early signs of the era of participatory health: genuinely empowered people living their lives and managing their health according to their own priorities, in partnership and consultation with physicians as needed. This may feel like a threat to the physician's sacred role, but it is no more so than when physicians adopted informed consent and then shared decision-making. In the 2010s, many pharmaceutical, medical, and health care companies started to use patient centricity as a mantra. We argue that to drive this paradigm change fully into existence, we need to shift "patient centricity" from a relatively passive process, driven by industry needs, into a far more active, collaborative process driven by both parties' needs and preferences. To build this new world of practice and workflow, we simply must engage with patients as true partners. To achieve medicine's new potential, it must be optimized around the wants and priorities of the ultimate stakeholder—the party that has the most at stake in how it all plays out: the patient. Patient design is the approach that can make it happen.


Nodulisporic acid A (NSA) has been shown previously to be safe in dogs and to deliver >90% flea control for 4 days following a single oral administration. Three newly prepared nodulisporamide derivatives were subsequently identified from an artificial membrane flea feeding system as exhibiting potency substantially greater than NSA. To determine if they have superior in vivo activity, these 3 nodulisporamides, as well as NSA, were evaluated in dogs at 15 mg/kg/os. Parasite challenges were made by placing 100 live Ctenocephalides felis fleas onto the dorsum of dogs every 48 hr and examining efficacy at each of those intervals over a 22-day period. Results showed that NSA produced >90% efficacy at day 2 and 81% efficacy at day 4, and its residual flea killing fell to ∼50% by day 6 posttreatment. All dogs treated with the 3 new experimental nodulisporamides were 100% protected from flea challenges to day 8 posttreatment, and 2 of the compounds continued to produce >90% residual activity to 2 wk posttreatment. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed that plasma profiles and half-lives of NSA and these 3 new compounds correlated closely with flea efficacy. These results demonstrate that specific substitutions to the pharmacophore of NSA can substantially increase the duration of activity against fleas.


The study describes the MetaQSAR tool, a new database engine specifically tailored to collect and analyze metabolic data. This is a plug-in embedded in the VEGA suite of programs (freely downloadable at www.vegazz.net ) and takes advantage from all cheminformatics features implemented in the software with additional tools aimed to perform statistical analyses, similarity searches, and physicochemical profiling of the stored molecules. MetaQSAR also implements a novel metabolism classification, which groups the metabolic reactions in 101 classes and can find numerous applications in metabolic analyses. The potentials of MetaQSAR are here assessed by using it to store and analyze an extended database focused on metabolism of xenobiotics, which was collected by manually curated meta-analysis of the recent literature. The database includes 1890 substrates taken from about 1500 original papers in the years 2004-2015. The database was utilized in both physicochemical analyses and similarity searches, so evidencing the notable potentialities of MetaQSAR, which can find particularly fruitful applications in developing targeted predictive approaches.


Food waste has formidable detrimental impacts on food security, the environment, and the economy, which makes it a global challenge that requires urgent attention. This study investigates the patterns and causes of food waste generation in the hospitality and food service sector, with the aim of identifying the most promising food waste prevention measures. It presents a comparative analysis of five case studies from the hospitality and food service (HaFS) sector in Malaysia and uses a mixed-methods approach. This paper provides new empirical evidence to highlight the significant opportunity and scope for food waste reduction in the HaFS sector. The findings suggest that the scale of the problem is even bigger than previously thought. Nearly a third of all food was wasted in the case studies presented, and almost half of it was avoidable. Preparation waste was the largest fraction, followed by buffet leftover and then customer plate waste. Food waste represented an economic loss equal to 23% of the value of the food purchased. Causes of food waste generation included the restaurants' operating procedures and policies, and the social practices related to food consumption. Therefore, food waste prevention strategies should be twofold, tackling both the way the hospitality and food service sector outlets operate and organise themselves, and the customers' social practices related to food consumption.


We present a brief review of recent theoretical and numerical simulation results on the acceleration of ions from various targets irradiated by high-power femtosecond laser pulses. The results include: the optimization of the laser–plasma acceleration of ions over the thickness of a solid target; a new dependence of the energy of accelerated protons from a semi-transparent foil on the incident pulse energy; a theoretical model of plasma layer expansion in the vacuum for a fixed temperature of heated electrons, describing arbitrary regimes of particle acceleration, from the quasineutral flow of a plasma to Coulomb explosion; analytic theories of the relativistic Coulomb explosion of a spherical microtarget and the radial ponderomotive acceleration of ions from a laser channel in a transparent plasma; and calculations optimizing the production of isotopes for medicine using next-generation lasers.


Abstract Background: An S3 guideline on the diagnosis and differentiated management of gestational diabetes (GDM) was published in Germany in 2011. This guideline replaced the previously applicable recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of GDM and, for the first time, compiled evidence-based recommendations for the care of patients with GDM. The new guideline has focused particularly on the counselling offered to all patients with GDM about the associated long-term health risks. In this study we investigated the state of knowledge about the guideline among gynecologists and diabetologists in Thuringia and Lower Saxony. Method: A questionnaire with 23 questions was sent out to 773 gynecologists and 76 diabetologists providing outpatient care in Lower Saxony and Thuringia. The statistical analysis was descriptive and inferential for comparisons between groups. Results: The response rate was 54 %; an average of 47.6 % of the individual questions were answered correctly in the completed questionnaires. The questions were answered correctly significantly more frequently by persons in the group with a good knowledge of the guidelines (75 vs. 61 %, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between groups when differences between federal states or medical specialties were compared. Conclusions: The results of our study show a good general state of knowledge of the guideline and point to a high level of willingness to implement the recommendations of the S3 guideline on GDM. With regard to the follow-up care provided to patients with GDM and depression, this study found a significant need for further training.


We experienced a case of fetal goitrous hypothyroidism in an infant delivered by a 33-year-old woman receiving 300 mg/day of propylthiouracil (PTU) for hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease. A large fetal goiter (maximum diameter, 60 mm) was detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 36 weeks of gestation. Initial fetal blood sampling revealed hypothyroidism with a serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) of 99 microIU/mL, free triiodothyronine (T(3)) of 1.97 pg/mL, and free thyroxine (T(4)) of 0.29 ng/dL. Consequently, a diagnosis of fetal goitrous hypothyroidism due to transplacental passage of maternal PTU was made. To reduce the risk of perinatal complications, 300 microg of levothyroxine sodium (L-T(4)) was administered into the maternal amniotic fluid twice between 37 and 38 weeks of gestation. Subsequent fetal MRI showed that the size of goiter had decreased. At 38 weeks and 5 days of gestation, a 3042-g male infant was born by cesarean section. There were no severe complications at delivery, although mild tachypnea was observed and the infant's thyroid gland was slightly enlarged. He was treated with L-T(4) for two weeks. At present, his growth and neurological development are normal. This case indicates that intrauterine therapy by the intraamniotic administration of L-T(4) can be effective in treating fetal goitrous hypothyroidism even during late gestation.


A simple, accurate, precise RP-HPLC method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous estimation of Bromhexine HCl and Enrofloxacin in their combined tablet dosage form. The combination used for the Separation is ENROLIQ-B. Separation was performed on a C18 column [Hypersil BDS C18 column, 250 x 4.6 mm], with 0.05 M KH2PO4 Buffer pH 6: Methanol: Triethylamine (70:30:0.1 %v/v/v) as a mobile phase and flow rate was kept at 1 ml/min. Good sensitivity was found with UV detection at 261.00 nm. After method development the interference with the active compounds and excipients, repeatability and linearity were investigated. ReBROMtion times were found to be 3.190 and 5.067 min. respectively, for BROM and ENR. The method was validated over the analytical range from 1.5-4.5μg/ml for BROM (r2=0.998) and 20-60 μg/ml for ENR (r2=0.999). This method showed good reproducibility and recovery with %RSD in the desired range. The proposed method can be successfully applied for the routine analysis of both drugs in their combine dosage form.


The near-surface plasma produced upon irradiation of an aluminium target by two successive laser pulses with nonresonance and resonance wavelengths is studied by the spectroscopic and probe-assisted methods. The feasibility of increasing the ion fraction in the laser-produced plasma in double-pulse ablation modes is demonstrated. The conditions are determined under which processes on the surface as well as selective excitation and ionisation in the plasma have a determining effect on the formation of its ionisation state.


Objectives Superficial erosion of coronary plaques due to endothelial loss causes acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a macrophages product can induce endothelial apoptosis. Disturbing (ER) function results in ER stress and unfolded protein response, which tends to restore ER homeostasis but switches to apoptosis when ER stress is prolonged. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether prolonged ER stress is induced by exogenous HOCl and its underling mechanisms. Methods Apoptosis were determined by Annexin V-PI double staining assay and TUNEL assay. The phosphorylation of Ire1a and PERK, expression of XBP1, GRP78 and CHOP were measured by western-blot. And the nuclear translocation of ATF6 was studied by immunofluorescence. Results The results showed that HOCl induced endothelial cell apoptosis and ER stress, characterised by the activation of ER stress sensors (phosphorylation of Ire1a and PERK, nuclear translocation of ATF6) and of their subsequent pathways (eukaryotic initiation factor 2a phosphorylation, expression of XBP1 and KDEL chaperones GRP78). Otherwise, exogenous HOCl can also induce apoptosis protein-CHOP and caspase-3 expression. All these effects of HOCl were inhibited by GRP78 gene silencing. The caspase-3 inhibitor DEVD-CHO significantly inhibited HOCl-induced endothelial cell apoptosis, but had no effect on ER stress sensors and CHOP generation. Conclusions Collectively, these findings suggest for the first time that ER stress plays a critical role in HOCl-induced endothelial cell apoptosis.


Wikidata is one of the most important sources of structured data on the web, built by a worldwide community of volunteers. As a secondary source, its contents must be backed by credible references; this is particularly important, as Wikidata explicitly encourages editors to add claims for which there is no broad consensus, as long as they are corroborated by references. Nevertheless, despite this essential link between content and references, Wikidata's ability to systematically assess and assure the quality of its references remains limited. To this end, we carry out a mixed-methods study to determine the relevance, ease of access, and authoritativeness of Wikidata references, at scale and in different languages, using online crowdsourcing, descriptive statistics, and machine learning. Building on previous work of ours, we run a series of microtasks experiments to evaluate a large corpus of references, sampled from Wikidata triples with labels in several languages. We use a consolidated, curated version of the crowdsourced assessments to train several machine learning models to scale up the analysis to the whole of Wikidata. The findings help us ascertain the quality of references in Wikidata and identify common challenges in defining and capturing the quality of user-generated multilingual structured data on the web. We also discuss ongoing editorial practices, which could encourage the use of higher-quality references in a more immediate way. All data and code used in the study are available on GitHub for feedback and further improvement and deployment by the research community.


Labyrinth weirs have a longer crest length compared to linear weirs to increase the discharge capacity for a given water head. Generally, the plan shape of labyrinth weirs is triangular, trapezoidal, and rectangular. In this regard, several studies have been published regarding determining the hydraulic characteristics of labyrinth weirs. However, the effect of changing the plan shape if other parameters such as the same length and height have not been addressed in the current literature. To fill this gap, this study aims to compare the hydraulic characteristics of flow over triangular, trapezoidal, and rectangular labyrinth weirs with the same length of the crest i.e. 230 cm length. Experiments study were conducted in a flume with a length of 16 m and a width of 95 cm. Three experimental models in this study were used. The results of this study indicated that changing the plan shape from trapezoidal to triangular increased the discharge coefficient ( C d ) by about 38,0% on average. Furthermore, changing rectangular to triangular increased the C d by about 64,5% on average. Thus, it can be concluded that the triangular model was the most efficient hydraulically compared to the others while the rectangular model was the least efficient.


Swarm robots have the potential to be utilized as a part of various applications due to the obvious advantages they offer, namely their resilience, their adaptability to different environments, and their reduced reliance on humans, particularly for hazardous or laborious tasks such as search and rescue operations (SaR). Several particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms have been proposed and developed for controlling a robot swarm to achieve the desired behavior in SaR operations. In this paper, we present an implementation of the previously proposed Robotic Darwinian Particle Swarm Optimization (RDPSO); an exploration algorithm which overcomes the limitation of convergence on multiple targets. A simulation of a SaR mission is presented using Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo, with a visualization in Rviz using intensity maps that mimic real-world scenarios, such as victim identification by voice/sound intensity mapping, localization of fire source by temperature intensity mapping, and identification of sources of radioactive leaks by radiation intensity mapping and experiments were conducted using RPSO and RDPSO algorithms for two scenario missions, that is, scenario with two victims and another with four victims. Experimental result shows that RDPSO has better performance compared to RPSO for multiple target SaR operations.


We recently reported the enhanced immunogenicity of a peptide epitope when it was presented as a fusion protein with hepatitis B core antigen. In those experiments the fusion protein was expressed in vaccinia virus. We have now refined the system so that large amounts of highly immunogenic particles can be produced using a simple bacterial expression system. We describe the expression of three different viral epitopes as chimeric particles that induce good antibody responses to each epitope after one dose of low amounts of antigen. Finally we demonstrate that the immunogenicity is a reflection of both T helper cell sites within the core protein and also the particulate nature of the immunogens.


IntroductionOur question is: can collective wisdom save civilization? On one rendition this question is rather straightforward and can be empirically answered. For if 'collective wisdom' is understood as the collective knowledge of a society or culture and 'civilization' is associated with a certain level of social or technological advancement, then our question concerns whether collective knowledge can help create or maintain certain kinds of social structures or technologies, certain levels of urbanization or kinds of civil infrastructural technology.Characterized this way, the answer to our question is an obvious, and perhaps trivial, "yes." But both 'collective wisdom' and 'civilization' have alternative definitions, which render our question less trivial and more important, though more difficult to answer.'Collective wisdom' may not refer merely to the collective knowledge of a particular society or culture, but can refer instead to wisdom understood as a collective interpretation of human experience, of what kind of intellect, knowledge, experience, and judgment is required to live a good and successful human life as such.'Civilization,' although often associated solely with certain levels of social and technological advancement, can also refer to the moral status and level of development of an action or individual as when we refer to specific actions or persons as "civilized" or "uncivilized" in a distinctly normative moral sense.1 To be 'civilized' in an individual moral sense is what Aristotle called to be eleutherios, to have the individual disposition to be concerned with virtue (arete) in both thought and action as the result of proper education and habituation.2With these alternative definitions, our question becomes: Can collective interpretations of human experience, interpretations of the thoughts and skills required to live a good and successful human life as such, create or maintain individual dispositions to be concerned with virtue?This essay is an attempt to answer our question thus formulated. I argue that, in one sense, yes, collective wisdom can save civilization. But in a more important sense, collective wisdom should be understood as a form of civilization, as the result and expression of a moral civilizing-process that comes about through the creation and transmission of collective interpretations of human experience and the concomitant skills to be developed.Collective wisdom traditions function in this manner by providing an interpretation of what it means to be human and what thoughts, skills, and actions are required to live a successful human life at the most general level of analysis. Collective wisdom can have a civilizing effect on individuals, and indirectly on societies, by providing a type of orienting theoretical and practical framework for understanding the proper relationship between the self, others, and the world. Such traditions in effect provide a "blueprint" for the successful human life as such, by providing guidance on thought and action, on what is appropriate to think, feel, desire, and do in theoretical and practical contexts.A wise individual will be a 'civilized' individual in this moral sense, an individual who is properly habituated and educated so as to now reflectively endorse and desire thinking and acting in morally civilized ways.However, this understanding of collective wisdom and civilization is in many ways today controversial and met with justified critiques and skeptical criticisms. To defend this way of approaching and answering our question against these critiques, I turn first to ancient wisdom traditions from civilizations in ancient India, China, and Greece as paradigms for understanding exactly how collective wisdom can achieve the end of civilizing humanity. Based on this analysis, I sketch the outlines of a revitalized wisdom tradition able to civilize individuals today. But any such tradition must be updated to reflect the advancement of modern natural science and to meet the demands of living in our diverse, pluralistic, and globalized world. …


We compute the in-medium partial decay widths of the bottomonium states to open bottom mesons ($B\bar B$) using a field theoretical model for composite hadrons with quark constituents. These decay widths are calculated by using the explicit constructions for the bottomonium states and the open bottom mesons ($B$ and $\bar B$), and, the quark antiquark pair creation term of the free Dirac Hamiltonian written in terms of the constituent quark field operators. These decay widths in the hadronic medium are calculated as arising from the mass modifications of the bottomonium states and the $B$ and $\bar B$ mesons, obtained in a chiral effective model. The decay amplitude in the present model is multiplied with a strength parameter for the light quark pair creation, which is fitted from the observed vacuum partial decay width of the bottomonium state, $\Upsilon (4S)$ to $B\bar B$. The effects of the isospin asymmetry, the strangeness fraction of the hadronic matter on the decay widths, arising due to the mass modifications due to these effects, have also been studied. There is observed to be appreciable effects from density, and the effects from isospin asymmetry on the parital decay widths of $\Upsilon \rightarrow B\bar B$ are observed to be quite pronounced at high densities. These effects should show up in the asymmetric heavy ion collisions in Compressed baryonic matter (CBM) experiments planned at the future facility at FAIR. The study of the $\Upsilon$ states will, however, require access to energies higher than the energy regime planned at the CBM experiment. The density effects on the decay widths of the bottomonium states should show up in the production of these states, as well as, in dilepton spectra at the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) energies.


Using the electrospinning technique, we have prepared [Ru (pic) 2 (dmso) 2 ] doped-polyethylene oxide nanofibers for ultraviolet sensing. The diameter of the as-prepared fibers is in the range of 1μm-100nm. These fibers change color from pale yellow to orange when exposed to ultraviolet light (wavelength∼350nm) and return to their original color after approximately 2-3 days. The intensity of the color increases with an increased time of exposure to UV. The color changing behavior in the nanofibrous mat is almost the same as that in cast films prepared from the same solutions. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies of the fibers show that the morphology of the fibers remains unchanged after exposure to UV.


Based upon failure data (date and odometer reading) in the early operating time, a public transportation company is interested in checking the actual reliability of the door opening system of its subway trains before their warranty expires. We consider non‐homogeneous Poisson processes with a double scale because both time and kilometres are recorded for each failure. Different choices to model the relation between operated time and kilometres run are possible: in this paper the kilometres run are incorporated within the intensity function as a random function of time, modelled as a gamma process. Furthermore a periodic component is introduced to deal with the seasonality in the data. Bayesian inference is then carried out via Monte Carlo simulation, obtaining prediction intervals for the expected number of failures during periods of desired length, using only part of the data. The predictions are then compared with the observed data. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


There are important sex differences in the brain that seem to arise from biology as well as psychosocial influences. Sex differences in several aspects of human behavior and cognition have been reported. Gonadal sex steroids or genes found on sex chromosomes influence sex differences in neuroanatomy, neurochemistry and neuronal structure, and connectivity. There has been some resistance to accept that sex differences in the human brain exist and have biological relevance; however, a few years ago, it has been recommended by the USA National Institute of Mental Health to incorporate sex as a variable in experimental and clinical neurological and psychiatric studies. We here review the clinical literature on sex differences in pain and neurological and psychiatric diseases, with the aim to further stimulate interest in sexual dimorphisms in the brain and brain diseases, possibly encouraging more research in the field of the implications of sex differences for treating these conditions.


The government has funded various types of projects to promote small and medium companies` computerization for several years. Most of these government-supported funds have been free and given small and medium firms good opportunities. The government has made various effects to manage results of these government-supported projects. We have not seen any noticeable research on the performance evaluation of government-supported projects for small and medium companies` computerization. This research proposes an approach that performance evaluations are made in different time based on evaluation area of government-supported information policy. The empirical study has been made by correlation analysis and has shown that the correlations among measurement factors are significant enough. The performance evaluation for government-supported information policy has been made differently in time depending on evaluation subjects such as organizational strategies, internal operations, supporting processes. Th experimental study shows that performance evaluations on organizational strategies, internal operations, supporting processes should be made respectively in long term(step3), mid term(step2), and short term(step1).


Background: Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) is a novel biomarker of inflammation for various chronic systemic diseases. Since periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease, this study explores the association of A-FABP with periodontal disease parameters and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels in gingival crevicular fluid in periodontal health and disease. Materials and Methods: This original research article describes a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Periodontics, M. R. Ambedkar Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore, India. This cross-sectional investigation was conducted on sixty subjects which were divided into three groups of twenty subjects each – healthy, gingivitis, and chronic periodontitis. Clinical parameters – plaque index, bleeding index, probing depth, and clinical attachment loss were recorded. Gingival crevicular fluid samples were analyzed for A-FABP and TNF-α levels using ELISA. One-way analysis of variance was used to find the significance of study parameters on a continuous scale between three groups. Pearson's correlation has been used to find the relationship between Gingival crevicular fluid concentration of markers and periodontal parameters. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to the study. The statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05. Results: Mean concentration of A-FABP (6.43 ± 2.51) and TNF-α (3454.82 ± 1566.44) was highest in the periodontitis group, and the difference among the groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between clinical attachment loss and the two markers among all groups. The correlation between A-FABP and TNF-α in periodontitis groups was positive and statistically significant (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression model was statistically significant (P < 0.05) indicating that there is a significant relationship between the set of predictors and the clinical attachment loss. Conclusion: A-FABP and TNF-α levels in GCF were significantly elevated in the presence of inflammation. A-FABP has a probable stimulatory effect on TNF-α; however, its role needs to be explored. A-FABP could serve as a novel inflammatory biomarker of periodontitis and the scope of using A-FABP inhibition as a treatment modality could be investigated with interventional studies.


A review of the knowledge management experiences of BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Paragon Engineering Services, BHP, Marathon Oil, and Murphy Oil identified two major types of knowledge management practices: applications of information and communications technology to the management of explicit knowledge and the use of person-to-person knowledge management techniques to facilitate the transfer of tacit knowledge. The study pointed to the challenges of converting tacit into explicit knowledge and the importance of knowledge management initiatives that combined the enthusiasm of bottom-up initiatives with strong top-down support from senior management.


Semidefinite programs (SDPs) are convex optimization programs with vast applications in control theory, quantum information, combinatorial optimization and operational research. Noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) algorithms aim to make an efficient use of the current generation of quantum hardware. However, optimizing variational quantum algorithms is a challenge as it is an NP-hard problem that in general requires an exponential time to solve and can contain many far from optimal local minima. Here, we present a current term NISQ algorithm for solving SDPs. The classical optimization program of our NISQ solver is another SDP over a lower dimensional ansatz space. We harness the SDP based formulation of the Hamiltonian ground state problem to design a NISQ eigensolver. Unlike variational quantum eigensolvers, the classical optimization program of our eigensolver is convex, can be solved in polynomial time with the number of ansatz parameters and every local minimum is a global minimum. We find numeric evidence that NISQ SDP can improve the estimation of ground state energies in a scalable manner. Further, we efficiently solve constrained problems to calculate the excited states of Hamiltonians, find the lowest energy of symmetry constrained Hamiltonians and determine the optimal measurements for quantum state discrimination. We demonstrate the potential of our approach by finding the largest eigenvalue of up to 2 1000 dimensional matrices and solving graph problems related to quantum contextuality. We also discuss NISQ algorithms for rank-constrained SDPs. Our work extends the application of NISQ computers onto one of the most successful algorithmic frameworks of the past few decades.


The association of Budd-Chiari Syndrome (BCS) and Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS) has been previously described in literature. We report the case of a 46-year-old woman who was admitted to our Unit of Hepatology for upper abdominal quadrant pain, asthenia and edema of the left upper arm. Her familiar history told about predisposition to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) whereas her personal story showed a continuous use of oral contraceptives during the six years preceding diagnosis and the absence of episodes of obstetric complications. At the admission, a Doppler Ultrasound examination showed complete thrombosis of venous axis of the left upper arm and thrombosis of subclavian artery (with the aspect of "subclavian steal syndrome"). Abdominal ultrasonography revealed hepatic lesions (characterized by an abdominal Computed Tomography as ischemic injuries) at seventh and eighth segments and the presence of significant amount of ascites. Abdominal and thoracic Computed Tomography confirmed pleural effusion and pointed out a radiologic pattern of Budd-Chiari Syndrome. To verify the presence of concomitant pericardial effusion, an echocardiogram was performed. It allowed reaching the diagnosis of polyserositis. In order to investigate all potential causes of thrombotic diathesis, specific laboratory tests were performed. Normal level of protein C, S and antithrombin II, absence of JAK-2 mutation and negativity of Ham's test were observed. Positivity was found for anti-SSA (60 kDa) and for antibodies routinely tested for Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS), i.e. Lupus-Anticoagulant, Anticardiolipin and Beta2- Glycoprotein I. After the introduction of oral anticoagulant and diuretics a significant improvement of clinical condition of the patient was reached. To conclude, the exact role of oral contraceptives as triggering factor of an undetected APS need to be emphasize, as well as the potentiality of this disease to evolve in a " to happen" SLE in patients with positive familiarity for autoimmune diseases.


Large‐eddy simulation (LES) provides three‐dimensional, time‐dependent fields of turbulent refractivity in the atmospheric boundary layer on spatial scales down to a few tens of meters. These fields are directly applicable to the computation of electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation in the megahertz range but not in the gigahertz range. We present an approximate technique for extending LES refractivity fields to the smaller scales needed for calculating EM propagation at gigahertz frequencies. We demonstrate the technique by computing refractivity fields through 1283 LES, extending them to smaller scales in two dimensions, and using them in a parabolic equation EM propagation model. At 0.263 GHz the very small scale structure in the extended fields has a negligible effect on the predicted EM levels. At 2 GHz, however, it increases the predicted levels by 15–25 dB. We relate these results to the refractivity structure sampled by EM waves at 0.263 and 2 GHz. We also show that at long range an EM field calculated through an LES‐based refractivity field is generally less coherent and significantly weaker than one computed from a "plywood" (i.e., stratified, range‐independent) model of the small‐scale refractivity field. We give a physical explanation for the differences in the EM fields computed in these two ways. Finally, although the plywood model gives results that fit the EM levels observed in the recent Variability of Coastal Atmospheric Refractivity (VOCAR) experiment, it is not physically realistic. The instantaneous top of the atmospheric boundary layer is known to be sharp and horizontally varying, and we show that using such a top also yields a fit to the VOCAR data.


The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of job characteristics, internal communications, and transformational leadership on employee job satisfaction at PT. Citraciti Pacific Pekanbaru. The population in this study were all employees at PT. Citraciti Pacific Pekanbaru totaling 98. While the sampling technique using census method. Analysis of data using multiple linear regression with SPSS program. Based on the results of data analysis known that the job characteristics, internal communications, and the simultaneous effect of transformational leadership on employee job satisfaction at PT. Citraciti Pacific Pekanbaru, job characteristics partial effect on employee job satisfaction, internal communication partial effect on employee job satisfaction, leadership transformational partial effect on employee job satisfaction. So to maximize employee satisfaction, the company should give a salary appropriate and balanced with the workload on the responsibility of employees, to maximize the characteristics of the job, workers will always contribute to the resolution of existing problems in the company, to maximize internal communications, expected leaders improve surveillance systems No order to work properly, and to maximize the transformational leadership, it is expected the company to provide sanctions for employees or leaders who do not arrive on time, especially when there are meetings and so forth.


The Palaeogene volcanic succession in the northern part of the Nuussuaq Basin in West Greenland comprises three formations: the Vaigat and Svartenhuk Formations of Paleocene age (61–58 Ma) and the Naqerloq Formation of Eocene age (57–54 Ma). In this study, we formalise and describe the volcanic stratigraphy on Svartenhuk Halvø and the areas with lavas that flowed across the basin boundary onto the adjoining basement areas in the north and east. The Vaigat Formation comprises three members. The Kakilisaat and Nerutusoq Members are of minor volume and consist of, respectively, crustally contaminated basalts and chemically enriched basalts with relatively high contents of incompatible trace elements. They are overlain by the voluminous Nunavik Member of tholeiitic picrites (MgO ≥12 wt%) and subordinate magnesian basalts. The oldest volcanic deposits are commonly foreset-bedded hyaloclastites, and the overlying subaerial lavas are mainly thin, grey, crumbling flows. Eruption sites were mainly within the basin, with depocentres in the south and hyaloclastite and lava transport directions towards the north. Thicknesses vary from up to at least 2000 m in the south to ≥380 m in the northernmost exposures close to 72°N. The Svartenhuk Formation comprises four members. The lowest, Kuugaartorfik Member, is up to 100 m thick and consists partly of quartzofeldspathic and partly volcanogenic sediments; it is restricted to northern Svartenhuk Halvø and the Innerit peninsula. The overlying volcanic Tunuarsuk, Nuuit and Skalø Members are voluminous and widespread, with a combined thickness of up to 1800 m. They consist of tholeiitic basalts with similar chemical compositions but with correlatable stratigraphic variation patterns. The Tunuarsuk Member consists of interspersed flow groups of thin, grey flows and massive, brown flows; the Nuuit Member comprises mainly massive brown flows, and the Skalø Member is dominated by light grey flows. The Svartenhuk Formation oversteps the Vaigat Formation on the basement in the north and east. In these distal areas the Tunuarsuk and Nuuit Members constitute the major volumes, and preserved thicknesses are up to 1400 m. In northern and eastern Svartenhuk Halvø and also farther to the north and east, foreset-bedded hyaloclastites indicate transport directions towards the north and possibly east from eruption sites within the basin. The Naqerloq Formation comprises one member, the Arfertuarsuk Member, consisting of flows of brown basalt with relatively enriched chemistry and a single trachyte flow. The member is only found in western Svartenhuk Halvø and on Skalø, where it conformably overlies the older lavas with up to 350 m thickness preserved after erosion. Dykes of all three formations are present. The distribution of dykes of the Naqerloq Formation suggests that this originally extended much farther east. Picrites and basalts of the Vaigat and Svartenhuk Formations are geochemically related; the picritic lavas represent erupted primitive magmas, whereas the basaltic lavas represent fractionated melts formed in deep magma chambers. The melts formed from a geochemically depleted but heterogeneous mantle; in addition melts from enriched sources were occasionally incorporated. The enriched basalts of the Naqerloq Formation arose from another mantle source. Low contents of V, Cu and Ni in some crustally contaminated lavas indicate that accumulation of these elements may be present at depth.


A novel rheometer plate was used to measure radial pressure profiles during cone-and-plate and parallel-plate shearing flows of a concentrated colloidal dispersion of poly(methyl methacryalate) spheres suspended in dioctyl phthalate. There is a long history of using suspensions of this type as a model rheological system. The measured pressure profile can be used to calculate N1 and N2, and also provides a check on the flow field in the rheometer. At shear rates just below onset of shear thickening, our measurements show that N1 is positive as predicted by Stokesian dynamics simulations of model Brownian hard spheres, but we are unable to determine the sign of N2. After the onset of thickening, we find that in both flow geometries the pressure increases sharply with radial position. This is in striking contrast to the pressure profiles ordinarily observed for viscoelastic liquids (with the exception of certain liquid crystal polymers), for which the pressure decreases with radial position. Under these cond...


The diagnosis of cutaneous adnexal neoplasms, a heterogeneous group of entities, is often perceived by practising pathologists as challenging. A systematic approach to diagnosis is necessary for classification of these lesions, which establishes the tumour differentiation (follicular, sebaceous, sweat gland or apocrine) and evaluates histological features differentiating between benign and malignant entities. Consideration of clinical history is a necessary adjunct in evaluation of the adnexal neoplasm, as characteristic anatomical sites are described for many adnexal lesions. In some instances, immunohistochemical studies may also be employed to aid the diagnosis. The differential diagnosis between primary cutaneous adnexal neoplasms and cutaneous metastases from visceral tumours may also be difficult. Clinical, radiological, histological and immunohistochemical characteristics will be further discussed, considering that the correct diagnosis has a significant impact on the patient's management and prognosis.


A core-shell composite of TiO2 particles encapsulated in a hollow silica was fabricated, and the core-shell composite showed size-selective photocatalytic activity for decomposition of organics without reducing the intrinsic activity of the naked TiO2 core.


In this talk, some recent developments in the advanced optical imaging systems in our group will be discussed. We will first present the development of various nanoparticles for sensing the pH value in cellular environment. By surface functionalization schemes, it is possible to control the location of nanoparticles in cells allowing us to track the local pH value around the nanoparticles inside cancer cells. The acidification process of nanoparticles in the endocytosis process can be recorded. Such technique can be extended to detect the local chemical reaction inside living cells [1]. As for in vivo imaging, we have utilized the multi-photon microscopy to investigate the disease models with the help of nanoparticles. We will discuss the changing biodistribution of nanoparticles in a mouse model of inflammation. Since inflammation alters basic physiology, increases vessel permeability and modulates the immune system, we theorized that systemic inflammation would alter nanoparticle distribution within the body. We have found that inflammation affects nanoparticle distribution by multiple mechanisms, in a size dependent manner [2]. On our multi-photon platform, it is possible to track the movement of various types of cells including platelets, white blood cells, red blood cells, tumor stem cells and nanomaterials in mouse models using surface modified nanoparticles at a frame rate as high as 100 frame/s.


Abstract Forest herbs differ greatly in their capacity to recolonize secondary forests established on former agricultural land. We investigated whether interspecific differences in recruitment or growth can account for differences in colonization success. Seeds and adults of two species with limited colonization capacities (Anemone nemorosa and Primula elatior) and two species with high colonization capacities (Ranunculus ficaria and Geum urbanum) were introduced in ancient and recent forest sites within the Muizen forest (Belgium). At all sites, half of the plots were also cleared of above-ground vegetation. Seedling establishment was similar in recent and ancient forest sites. However, both the number and subsequent survival of seedlings of the two hemicryptophytes (G. urbanum and P. elatior) were significantly lower when vegetation cover was present, while seedling number and survival of the two geophytes (A. nemorosa and R. ficaria) were less influenced by vegetation cover. Adult performance of P. elatior and G. urbanum was significantly better in the nutrient enriched recent forest stands and in the absence of vegetation cover. Performance of A. nemorosa and R. ficaria was not affected by any of these factors. We conclude that the extent of seed limitation is probably the main cause for the different colonization capacities of the species investigated. Nomenclature: Lambinon et al. (1998). Abbreviations: GLM = General linear model; PPI = Plant performance index.


Abstract Numerous studies have found evidence for the restorative effects of nature, in which exposure to natural elements can improve both well-being and cognitive performance. The present study investigated whether the restorative effects of nature could be captured within the context of a university learning environment. Undergraduate students were split into two groups and listened to a short lecture. One group was taught within an environment that lacked any natural presence (the "artificial" condition) whereas the other group was taught within a classroom containing some simple natural elements (the "nature-infused" condition). Knowledge retention and mood were assessed. At the end of the lecture, participants in the nature-infused environment scored significantly higher on the test of knowledge than those in the artificial environment. This trend persisted 1 week later but was nonsignificant. Mood was not affected. These findings indicate that incorporating nature into learning environments could h...


A new cornulitid species, Conchicolites crispisulcans sp. nov., is described from the Wenlock of Gotland, Sweden. The undulating edge of C. crispisulcans sp. nov. peristomes is unique among the species of Conchicolites. This undulating peristome edge may reflect the position of setae at the tube aperture. The presence of the undulating peristome edge supports the hypothesis that cornulitids had setae and were probably related to brachiopods.


In many classification tasks, training data have missing feature values that can be acquired at a cost. For building accurate predictive models, acquiring all missing values is often prohibitively expensive or unnecessary, while acquiring a random subset of feature values may not be most effective. The goal of active feature-value acquisition is to incrementally select feature values that are most cost-effective for improving the model's accuracy. We present an approach that acquires feature values for inducing a classification model based on an estimation of the expected improvement in model accuracy per unit cost. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach consistently reduces the cost of producing a model of a desired accuracy compared to random feature acquisitions.


This is a subject guide for the BA Modern History and for students working on project concerning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.


In the criminal justice system, as in everyday life, strategies of self-presentation play a critical role. This article examines the accounts convicted white-collar offenders provide while explaining their illegal behavior to federal probation officers. Accounts are described and classified; then, after a scale reflecting the degree to which they conform to judicial preferences regarding post-conviction explanations is defined, the role accounts play in the sentencing process is identified. Although the content and quality of defendants' stories do not affect sentencing decisions directly, they do materially influence the probation officers' evaluations of defendants. These evaluations are, in turn, a significant factor in the decision to sanction.


Most of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) body burden accumulated by lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from the Laurentian Great Lakes is from their food. We used diet information, PCB determinations in both lake trout and their prey, and bioenergetics modeling to estimate the ef ficiency with which Lake Michigan lake trout retain PCBs from their food. Our estimates were the most reliable estimates to date because (a) the lake trout and prey fish sampled during our study were all from the same vicinity of the lake, (b) detailed measurements were made on the PCB concentrations of both lake trout and prey fish over wide ranges in fish size, and (c) lake trout diet was analyzed in detail over a wide range of lake trout size. Our estimates of net trophic transfer efficiency of PCBs to lake trout from their prey ranged from 0.73 to 0.89 for lake trout between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. There was no evidence of an upward or downward trend in our estimates of net trophic transfer efficiency for lake trout ...


To the Editor We read with interest the report by Basil T. Darras et all describing the use of evoked potentials in the diagnosis of globoid cell leukodystrophy. Aside from the abnormalities seen on the neurophysiological studies, the authors also describe the computed tomographic (CT) appearance of their patient. I would like to bring to the readers' attention that we have published the neuroradiologic findings (CT and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) and their progression in Krabbe's disease.2 In that report, we documented the


Economic inequality has been a matter of concern for policy makers and citizens. Evidence-based policies around important topics such as inequality need to rely on systematic, robust data and indicators. For that reason, the OECD and Eurostat have developed methodology and engaged in several rounds of data collection to measure disparities in line with national accounts (DNA). These estimates complement existing indicators on economic inequality by providing more comprehensive measures of inequality, by extending the analysis from income to consumption and saving, and by providing results that are fully consistent with macroeconomic aggregates, also ensuring a high degree of international comparability. This paper presents the latest developments of the DNA work.


Silvopastoral systems (SPS) are an environmentally and economically beneficial alternative to single grass systems for livestock production. The incorporation of trees, especially legumes, in pastures has been shown to have several positive effects on soil properties and nutrient cycling, while creating a favourable microclimate for the animals and increasing the productivity (i.e. milk and meat). The inclusion of legumes or legume-trees in the pastures systems leads to improved nutrient cycling and increased biological activity creating fertility islands within the SPS. Soil macrofauna has been considered as bioindicator of soil quality because of the direct effect on soil properties and on soil organic matter fragmentation and nutrient dynamics. The present study was performed in an experimental block designed (n=3) (silvo)pastoral trial located at CIAT (Colombia) and aimed to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of the herbaceous legume (Canavalia brasiliensis) and both herbaceous and shrub legume (Leucaena leucocephala) respect to the Brachiaria cv. Cayman monoculture on a set of biological and physical parameters. We measured the abundance and diversity of soil macrofauna, macroaggregate morphology and soil aggregation, as well as their spatial heterogeneity in relation to the trees in the SPS. Soil samples were collected at three different distances from the Leucaena doble-row as follows: i) between the rows, ii) at 1.5m and iii) 5.5 m from the trees. Results obtained showed that the inclusion of legumes has a positive effect on soil macrofauna with the highest abundance found at 1.5 m distance from Leucaena. On the contrary, reduction of total abundance was found around the trees corresponding to higher soil compaction areas probably due to the animal grazing preference and search for shade. This phenomenon was reflected in higher proportion of physicogenic aggregates and lower amount of large water-stable macroaggregates. In addition to increased productivity of legume-based pastures and the potential to sustain higher densities of animals, our results highlight the importance of an integrated evaluation of spatial heterogeneity within SPS and discuss possible consequences for the management of trade-offs. Multivariate statistics of forthcoming data will reveal possible role of soil macrofauna as a reliable soil quality indicator. Contact Address: Eduardo Vazquez, Technical University of Madrid, School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering, Dept. of Agricultural Production, Av. Puerta de Hierro, 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain, e-mail: eduardo. email@example.com


Colony stimulating factors (CSF) are widely prescribed to avoid febrile neutropenia (FN) among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, but studies show their use is often not consistent with practice guidelines. In addition, there is limited high quality evidence assessing benefits and harms of primary prophylactic-CSF (PP-CSF) in the setting of chemotherapy that poses an intermediate risk of FN. To address these issues, with funding from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the National Cancer Institute's Community Oncology Research Program, SWOG is sponsoring a prospective, cluster randomized controlled pragmatic trial of an automated order entry protocol for PP-CSF among patients with breast, lung and colorectal cancer receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy, with a nested randomized controlled trial of PP-CSF for patients receiving intermediate risk chemotherapy. Primary outcomes include adherence to practice guidelines, overall rates of FN and rates of FN among persons receiving intermediate risk chemotherapy. The study, the first pragmatic trial in the National Cancer Institute's cancer cooperative clinical trials network, will provide critical evidence to inform physician and patient decision-making around PP-CSF use and practice policies regarding automated orders in cancer components.


In recent years, the morbidity of infections in traumatic wounds has been on the increase. There are not many kinds of drugs for clinical treatment of infections, and their efficacy and safety are limited. Plant antimicrobial drugs are increasingly popular in mainstream medicine due to the challenges of traditional antibiotics abuse. Berberine has a scavenging effect on infections, however, berberine was restricted from using as a drug preparation with poor stability and bioavailability. Due to the low toxicity of nanoparticles, the green-synthetic, size-controlled approach of nanoparticles has been paid more attention. Therefore, based on the intermolecular disulfide bond network platform built earlier, we designed and developed a strategy to assemble molecular bovine serum albumin into large-sized nanostructures through the reconstructed intermolecular disulfide bond and hydrophobic interaction, and berberine with poor water solubility was encapsulated in it. Nanoassembly with bovine serum albumin increased biostability of berberine and significantly improved its activity against Staphylococcus Aureus (S.aureus) activity, which gives some new insights into the preparation and development of anti-infectives for Chinese medicine.


Yang, J. Y., Huffman, E. C., Drury, C. F., Yang, X. M. and De Jong, R. 2011. Estimating the impact of manure nitrogen losses on total nitrogen application on agricultural land in Canada. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 107-122. About 1 million tonnes (1 Tg=1012 g) of livestock manure N are applied to farmland in Canada each year. Comprehensive information on manure N production and losses from manure during on-farm storage, handling and field application is scarce, especially at a regional scale. However, manure N losses during storage and land application are of considerable concern with respect to nitrogen use efficiency and environmental pollution of air, soil and water. In this paper, manure N production, manure N losses during storage and land application and manure N mineralization from organic manure and the resultant manure N available for annual crops were estimated using the Census of Agriculture database, Farm Environmental Management Survey data and manure N loss factors obtained from the literature. A database of fertilizer N application rates for field crops was developed at the regional scale based on recommendations provided in agronomic extension bulletins and fertilizer N sales. Fertilizer N and available manure N (i.e., total manure N produced minus N losses plus N mineralized from manure applied in previous years) were allocated to each of 24 crops at the regional scale from 1981 to 2006. The amount of manure N produced in Canada increased by 18.7% from 0.928 Tg in 1981 to 1.102 Tg in 2006. We estimated that 35.6% of the manure N produced was immediately available to crops, 25.6% was lost during storage and land application and 38.8% was carried over to the next year as organic N. The amount of fertilizer N applied to crops increased dramatically from 0.928 Tg in 1981 to a peak level of 1.68 Tg in 2000. There were significant changes in manure N production and application to farmland both on a regional and a temporal basis.


Career choice that determines the role of individuals in the society, is the most critical decision for students who will graduate with diploma and bachelor's degree. Three aspects of self-efficacy; past performance, vicarious learning, and physiological and emotional reaction, were examined to affirm the positive relationship between undergraduate students' self-efficacy and career choice. In this study, the relationship of self-efficacy and undergraduate students' career choice consideration in a private institution in Malaysia was investigated. This research implemented mixed methods to study the aspects of self-efficacy towards the career decision making of 200 undergraduate students from a private university in Malaysia and 10 students were selected for an interview session to find the factors influencing career choice. It was found that physiological and emotional reaction is the strongest contributor to students' decision in choosing career, followed by students' sympathetic experience or vicarious learning and the least is the previous or past performance that students achieved. The results indicated that the relationship of self-efficacy and students' career choice is positive and that universities play a huge role in providing guidance and support for the undergraduates in choosing a career pathway.


In the past three decades, special education has been subjected to extensive critique and reform of practices. These critiques have been based on notions of social justice and equity. However, the field has suffered from inadequate attention to assumptions about social justice. Social justice is essentially a contested concept. Rather than representing a unitary and universally shared concept, social justice has variable meanings. Differing views of social justice can be seen to underlie apparent contradictions in continuing practice in response to pressures for reform. Reforms predicated on individual rights have been undermined by deep commitments to meritocratic practices in U.S. schools. Reforms based on more communitarian principles, however, ignore the need for structure and the tendency for communal values to marginalize people with disabilities. Special education reform today requires a different basis in a relational definition of the self, structures to support the qualities of relationships, and a belief in the mutability of social justice.


The Community Service aims to empower the local potential of Paser Regency through the development and application of science and technology in the food sector. The partners are the Forest Farmers Group (KTH) and the Tahura Lati Petangis Farmer Women's Group (KWT) of Paser Regency. The main problem is that the potential of toman fish (Channa micropeltes) has not been maximized to become feature products and unique processed products of the Paser regency. The method used to achieve the objective is training and mentoring in the manufacture of shredded toman fish through tutorials and demonstrations. The result shows that the partners have understood and have entrepreneurial skills, especially shredded toman fish. At the end of the activity, the service team donated floss production equipment.


The paper depicts impact of SO2, NO2, ozone and CO in chosen road plants of Saharanpur and Herbertpur regions in Indian dominion. Plant species falling in and around the area of modern territory and street side were chosen for examining purpose. Different morphological attributes and impact of business and vehicular residue on chlorophyll shade were contemplated and noticed the impact of residue molecule on development of the plant species (Ficus religiosa, Mangifera indica). In the examination the impacts of residue on chosen tree species was noticed and which will help in overseeing advancement of green belt to lessen the air contamination in the investigation area. Treatment with dust fundamentally expanded the fixation on leaves and the impacts were more extreme in significant degree of residue medicines. Contrasted with control, chlorophyll and porphyrin in substance were essentially diminished in the residue treated gatherings. This investigation propounds that business and vehicular residue statements affect photosynthetic shades, with broad impacts on development and improvement of plant.


We report a simple but highly cooperative ensemble with CdS and MoS2 nanocrystals dispersed on graphene sheets: it is demonstrated that CdS nanocrystals can capture light energy and facilitate excited electron transfer to MoS2 for catalytic hydrogen production via the 2-D graphene which plays a key role as an efficient electron mediator.


Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne single-stranded RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family with four serotypes (DENV1, DENV2, DENV3, and DENV4) circulating many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Endemic in more than 100 countries, DENV results in over 400 million cases annually, a subset presenting with severe or life-threatening illnesses such as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). While no specific treatments outside of supportive management exist, vaccines are an area of major research with two vaccines, Dengvaxia® (CYD-TDV) and Denvax® (TAK003), recently licensed for clinical use. CYD-TDV is highly efficacious in children 9 years or older who have had prior DENV infection due to the high risk of severe disease in seronegative children aged 2–5 years. Meanwhile, TAK003 has shown efficacy at 97.7% and 73.7% against, DENV2 and DENV1, respectively, in phase 3 clinical trials across Latin America and Asia in healthy children aged 4–16 with virologically confirmed dengue. Other vaccines including TV003 and TV005 continue to be developed across the world, with the hopes of entering clinical trials in the near future. We discuss the current state of vaccine development against dengue, with a focus on CYD-TDV and TAK003 as promising novel vaccines to target this neglected tropical disease (NTD).


i. The present study is an attempt to investigate the question, How and to what extent do newspaper presentations of crime and other anti-social activities influence the growth of crime and other types of anti-social activity? That is, do people get the idea of, or the impulse to, committing criminal and other anti-social acts from the reading of such acts or similar acts in the newspapers? It is not necessary at this point to define criminal acts any further than to say that, altlhough they vary somewhat in different states and at different times, penal codes adequately define them as "an act or omission to act forbidden by law and punishable upon conviction." The expression, "other anti-social acts" refers to activities not technically criminal, but perhaps immoral in character, and detrimental to group life, which have not yet, and may never, become incorporated in penal codes. It is not possible, of course, to make a catalogue of these acts here. The following definitions of the term anti-social will mnake its meaning, as here used, clearer. The Century Dictionary and Encyclopedia, quoting Giddings,' defines anti-social as, "Specifically in sociology, pertaining to a class of persons devoid of normal social instincts and showing criminal tendencies," and also, anti-sociality as "A quality, act, or habit of an individual, class, or group which is antagonistic to social feeling, habit, or interest. Extreme anti-sociality is crimi-


The thesis examines the Communist Party in Moscow between 1925 and 1932. Its structure, role and membership are studied, together with its relationship with the population of Moscow. A study is also made of politics in the period, with special reference to the oppositions of the 1920's. Four broad problems are discussed. The first is the relationship between the central Party leadership and the Moscow Committee. Second is the role of the grassroots activist in political life. Thirdly, the failure of the oppositions is studied in detail. Finally, popular influence over the Party is examined with a view to discussing how far the revolution had been 'betrayed' in this period. It is found that the Moscow Committee was less autonomous than other regional organs, but that grassroots initiative played an important part in political life. In general, people were reluctant to engage in formal opposition. This largely explains the defeat of the Left and Right oppositions, who failed to attract significant support. The majority of Muscovites remained apathetic or hostile to the Party, but a core of committed activists within it was responsible for many of the period's achievements. To the extent that they supported and even initiated policy, Stalin's 'great turn' included an element of 'revolution from below'.


Video Summarization (VS), is one of the recent attractive research studies in huge amount of video contents news, sports videos, TV reality shows, Movie reviews etc., Based on user's facial expression, VS is the challenging task in digital video technology. An automatic recognition of facial expressions is the necessary task in VS used in behavioural science and in clinical practice. The reliable recognition of facial expression by a machine is the critical compared to by a human. The non-uniqueness and the deformations in the human face require the toleration in human action recognition system. This paper proposes an effective toleration of facial variations themselves and addresses the problems in facial expression and video summarization and focuses the Multi-user Facial Expressions for Video Summarization (MFE-VS). The utilization of quantitative measures in proposed work estimates the user's viewing interest based on the human emotional perspective. Initially, Gaussian filter eliminates the unnecessary things in an input image. Then, Viola-Jones face detector detects the face and eye regions. The utilization of Histogram of Gradients (HoG) and the Local Land scape Portrait (LLP) for extraction of shape and texture features. Once the labelling of features is over, the Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) classifier predicts the exact expression of the user in the frames. Based on the obtained expression, the proposed work extracts the interesting frames and summarizes them that constitute final stage. The variations of facial expressions of viewers constitute attention states and the classification of positive and neutral states constitutes emotional states. The comparative analysis of proposed method with the traditional methods on the parameters of success rate, precision, recall, and interest scores assures the suitability of MFE-VS in facial expression based video summarization.


Religious groups have laid thousands of hospital cornerstones, but today's business bent is forcing hard choices about how best to minister to the poor and sick. Hospitals owned by religious communities are both numerous and endangered, with as many as half expected to change hands.


In this article a new method to evaluate, effects of moisture absorption on dielectric constant and dissipation factor in function of temperature and frequency are presented. The development of method is based on the experimental measurements and the use of ring resonator structures implemented to FR4-type material. The experimental measurement procedure was carried out at frequency range from 1 GHz to 10 GHz. The used temperature points were 23/spl deg/C and 85/spl deg/C. The results gained by the presented method were observed to be reproducible and consistent with the amount of the absorbed moisture. The method can be applied to different printed circuit board materials.


BACKGROUND: Alveolar echinococcosis is an epidemic disease caused by the parasitism of Echinococcus multilocularis (Em) larvae in the intermediate or final host. OBJECTIVE: To identify and analyze B-cell and T-cell (Th1, Th2, and Th17) epitopes of the Em antigen protein thrombospondin 3 (TSP3). METHODS: The amino acid sequence of TSP3 was obtained, and the secondary structural characteristics of TSP3 were predicted using bioinformatics software to further predict its potential T-cell and B-cell epitopes. The spleen lymphocytes of BALB/c mice, which were immunized with the TSP3 protein, were collected for co-culture with B-cell and T-cell antigen small peptides. The B-cell epitopes and T-cell epitope subtypes Th1, Th2, and Th17 were identified as having good immunogenicity. RESULTS: After identification, it was found that the predominant epitopes of B cells existing in TSP3 were T18-33, T45-55, and T110-122. Furthermore, the predominant epitopes of T cells existing in TSP3 were T33-42, T45-55, T80-90, and T110-122 in the T1 subtype, T45-55, T68-77, and T92-104 in the Th2 subtype, and T53-63 and T80-90 in the Th17 subtype. CONCLUSIONS: Six T-cell and eight B-cell dominant epitopes of the TSP3 antigen were revealed; these results may be applied in the development of a dominant epitope vaccine.


This special edition of the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship (JCES) is the result of a 2-year effort to identify, compile, and publish scholarly research about military-to-civilian transitions conducted by service members, veterans, and their families (SMVF). It gives these SMVF voices center stage by representing a lived experience that speaks a truth to the scientific literature that bears careful and thoughtful consideration. This special edition was inspired by the awareness that many of the programs, policies and processes intended to facilitate social readjustment, transition, and mental health intervention for the SMVF community are largely based upon clinical research. Yet this research has historically limited the participation of individuals with lived experience in SMVF social worlds. As a result, scholarly representations have left out the full nature and diversity of the veteran community and the voices of the oft forgotten military family. As the project continued, we came to understand another compelling reason to publish this work. Scholarship reflecting the experiences of military veterans and their families (as a largely marginalized population) also holds valuable lessons for a society that struggles broadly with issues of identity, values, and belonging, including the balance between unity and diversity.


Background Previous studies exploring the association between toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) polymorphisms and open angle glaucoma (OAG) presented inconsistent results. We aimed to investigate the association between TLR4 polymorphisms and OAG. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library up to 31 December 2018. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated, followed by stratification analyses according to ethnicity and glaucoma subtype. Results TLR4 rs7037117 polymorphism had significant associations with increased risk of OAG in allelic model (OR=1.25; 95%CI: 1.09-1.44; P=0.002) and recessive model (OR=1.49; 95%CI: 1.08-2.04; P=0.01). With regard to rs10759930, rs12377632, and rs2149356, the results showed significant increased risks in all genetic models (all P<0.05), whereas, for rs1927914, rs11536889, and rs7045953, no significant associations were identified in any genetic model (all P>0.05). Furthermore, the association of rs1927911 with OAG risk was found to be significant in recessive model (OR=1.34; 95%CI: 1.06-1.71; P=0.02). As for rs4986790 and rs4986791, meta-analyses were not performed due to the limited number of studies and the ethnic differences. Subgroup analysis indicated that the above polymorphisms with significant differences might increase the susceptibility in POAG patients. As for the ethnicity, rs7037117, rs10759930, and rs1927911 might increase the risk in Asians, while rs12377632 and rs2149356 might increase the risk in Asians and Mexicans. Conclusion The meta-analysis highlighted that certain mutations of some TLR4 polymorphisms might increase the susceptibility of OAG. However, TLR4 polymorphisms are still far from being candidate genetic biomarkers for OAG. Additional researches involving larger scale epidemiological studies are warranted to validate our results.


In ontogenesis of rats, similar to many other animals, in the development of the spontaneous motor activity two qualitatively different stages are observed. The first one is characterized by periodic, mainly sensor-independent generalized motor excitation which at the second stage is substituted by stereotypic specialized motor programs (locomotion, grooming). Both stages exhibit similar age dynamics: the increase in the activity, its maximum and subsequent inhibition with a shift of the corresponding phases for about two weeks. This dynamics is mainly associated with heterochronous maturation of excitatory and inhibitory systems of regulation of the nervous activity. Change in the stages depends on changes of functional role of motor activity in ontogenesis from mainly morphogenetic one (and promotion of a necessary level of vegetative functions) to directional behavior. Inhibition at the first stage results in deep functional rearrangement in the central nervous system serving as a background for the onset of specialized behavioural activity. The development of the latter is also excessive, the subsequent inhibition being less deep and reversible.


We report on the fabrication of, high quality, monocrystalline relaxed Germanium with ultra-low roughness on insulator (GeOI) using low-temperature direct wafer bonding. We observe that a two-step epitaxially grown germanium film fabricated on silicon by reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition can be directly bonded to a SiO2 layer using a thin Al2O3 as bonding mediator. After removing the donor substrate silicon the germanium layer exhibits a complete relaxation without degradation in crystalline quality and no stress in the film. . The results suggest that the fabricated high quality GeOI substrate is a suitable platform for high performance device applications.


CIRCUM-ARCTIC MINERALOGY & PAN-ARCTIC CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY OF LATE PLEISTOCENE SEDIMENTS: DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE AGE MODEL FOR THE WESTERN ARCTIC OCEAN USING UNIQUE ICE-RAFTED SIGNALS Wesley Blake Myers Old Dominion University, 2019 Co-Directors: Dr. Dennis A. Darby Dr. David J. Burdige To improve understanding of geographic mineral distribution from the circum-Arctic Ocean, samples from the Arctic periphery were collected and analyzed for (semi-) quantitative mineral composition. Most samples were collected from the North American region of the Arctic Ocean, a region which has had limited mineral investigation. In addition, more than 1000 published clay mineral data points were gathered to provide the most comprehensive clay mineral distribution map to date. The identification of a smectite source within the Canadian Arctic may reduce the usefulness of this mineral as a unique provenance signal for the Eurasian region. Smectite speciation may be useful in maintaining the use of this mineral for provenance determinations. Pyrophyllite, tridymite, zeolite and feldspar species were identified as potentially useful mineral provenance indicators. Strongly contrasting feldspar phases between North America and Eurasia provide an empirical signal for discerning sediment inputs to the Central Arctic. Similarities between ratios of potassium feldspar to plagioclase and quartz to total feldspar indicate that basin-wide sedimentation events likely occurred in the past. These basin-wide sedimentation events, if sufficiently constrained, could be useful for correlations between the eastern and western Arctic basins. An age model for a sub-Arctic core from Yermak Plateau (JPC22) is developed using oxygenisotope stratigraphy. The model is based on similarities between the global oxygen-isotope model and a unique paleomagnetic signal. This model identified several periods of rapid sedimentation that, if occurred over broad spatial scales, could be used as correlative tie points for the transfer of ages to central Arctic sediment records. Central Arctic sediments have long been poorly understood due to the lack of age control. Using the newly developed oxygen-isotope stratigraphy from JPC22 (Yermak Plateau) an age model was developed for a central Arctic core from Mendeleev Ridge (JPC9). Based on this model, sediment transport mechanisms were interpreted in the context of glacial and interglacial environmental changes. Periods of rapid sedimentation are identified in the JPC9. Identification of these rapid events is typically hindered in central Arctic sediments due to reduced overall accumulation rates and reduced resolution. The timing of these unique depositional events appears to be coincident with Greenland stadial and interstadial events, therefore their origin may be related to Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles and other similar or related phenomena.


A Wavelength-Modulated Differential Laser Photothermal Radiometer (WM-DPTR) technique was used for non-invasive blood glucose monitoring in the mid-IR range, where the prominent absorption peak is glucose specific and isolated from other interfering peaks in human blood. The WM-DPTR method consists of the out-of-phase modulated excitation at two discrete wavelengths 9.5 μm and 10.4 μm (near the peak and the baseline of glucose absorption), generated from two quantum cascade lasers (QCL) and the differential emission detection through a thermal-wave upconversion process via a HgCdZnTe (MCZT) detector (2-5 μm). The differential method suppresses the background signal and reduces source-detection interference, thus enhancing glucose detection sensitivity. The results from aqueous glucose phantom (0–440 mg/dl) measurements demonstrate that both amplitude and phase of the WM-DPTR signal can be used for glucose detection. The dynamic range and the sensitivity of the glucose detection are influenced greatly by the laser intensity ratio and modulation frequency. The optimal intensity ratio for high sensitivity is ~1. Other laser intensity ratios increase dynamic range but reduce sensitivity. Sensitivity increases with frequency.


The mobile broadband revolution with its rapidly increasing traffic volumes has resulted in a number of challenges, including ubiquitous network coverage, high bandwidth, and reliable services for reasonable price, etc‥ To address these challenges, the Evolved Packet System is proposed as the evolution of the packet core network. While resource management and load balancing issue in Evolved Packet System (EPS) is mentioned in standard, relatively little discussions focus on the scheme design for load information monitoring and evaluation. Furthermore, as the system utility is one of the major considerations for system service provider, how to design the load balancing algorithm to maximize the joint system utility in the integration scenario of multiple access gateways and heterogeneous access networks is an important issue worthy of study. In this paper, an IASA load balancing mechanism is proposed which performs load status monitoring and evaluation for access gateways and heterogeneous networks and an optimal load balancing algorithm to maximize the joint utility of integrated heterogeneous networks is also proposed. The system utilities of access networks are modeled mathematically and the optimal handoff user number is obtained through solving the optimization problem. Numerical results demonstrate the network utility varying with the number of users in it, and the optimal handoff user number can be obtained corresponding to the maximum of the joint network utility.


In this article we analyze and compare such notions, as intelligentsia, intellectuals and elite. This work explains not only the semantic relations and interdependence of these notions, but we also precisate their sense. The author of this article consider, that the representatives of these groups are translators of the highest cultural norms and values, and this phenomenon contribute to the growth of the cultural level of all the society and his progress.


WOMEN AND WORK: POSITIVE ACTION FOR CHANGE Edited by ANGELA COYLE and JANE SKINNER Macmillan Education Ltd (Basingstoke) 1988. Hardback. 194 pp. ISBN 0 333 42129 9 £25.00 The authors claim throughout this book that many factors have caused women to have problems in pursuing senior managerial positions n their organisations The main factors are identified as sex roles and sex stereotypes The stereotypes are said to produce certan images about what can be viewed as 'male' and'female' occupations The other man factors claimed to impede women's progress are organisational ones It is explaned that organisations and their structures have been dominated by male values It is claimed that social relationships n hierarchical organisations become elitist in nature, and that elitist club is composed of men It follows that women's values and expenences will be ignored


Abstract. Positive thermal anomalies about one month before the 3 September 2010 Mw = 7.1 New Zealand earthquake and "coincidental" quasi-synchronous fluctuations of GPS displacement were reported. Whether there were similar phenomena associated with the aftershocks? To answer it, the following was investigated: multiple parameters including surface and near-surface air temperature, surface latent heat flux, GPS displacement and soil moisture, using a long-term statistical analysis method. We found that local thermal and deformation anomalies appeared quasi-synchronously in three particular tectonic zones, not only about one month before the mainshock, but also tens of days before the 21 February 2011 Mw = 6.3 aftershock, and that the time series of soil moisture on the epicenter pixel had obvious peaks on most of the anomalous days. Based on local tectonic geology, hydrology and meteorology, the particular lithosphere-coversphere-atmosphere coupling mode is interpreted and four mechanisms (magmatic-hydrothermal fluids upwelling, soil moisture increasing, underground pore gases leaking, and positive holes activating and recombining) are discussed.