Acetaminophen overdose is a leading cause of acute live failure worldwide. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), as the only antidote, is limited due to its narrow therapeutic time window. Here we demonstrated that Urolithin A (UA), a metabolite of ellagitannin natural products in the gastrointestinal flora, protected against acetaminophen-induced liver injury (AILI) and is superior to NAC in terms of dosage and therapeutical time window. Transcriptomics assay revealed that UA promotes mitophagy and activated Nrf2/ARE signaling in the liver. Consistent with that, mitophagy and Nrf2/ARE signaling were activated, with less oxidative stress in UA-treated liver. Subsequently, molecular docking and dynamics simulation study revealed a binding mode between UA and Nrf-2/Keap1 including the hydrogen-bonding network among oxygen atoms in UA with the Nrf-2/Keap1 residues Arg 415, Ser 508 and Ser 602, which in turn trigger Nrf2 nuclear translocation, subsequently leading to activation of Nrf-2 target genes (HO-1, NQO1). Of note, mitophagy inhibition failed to prevent the protection of UA against AILI, which instead was compromised with Nrf2 gene silencing both in vivo and in vitro. Collectively, our data indicate that UA alleviated acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress and hepatic necrosis via activating Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, highlighting a therapeutical potential of UA for AILI.


Characterization of the compounds present in aguamiel (A. atrovirens) by standard methods can evaluate the potential health e ect of aguamiel as a functional food or food ingredient. Aguamiel contained 89.61% moisture, 3.50% protein, 3.10% ash, and 61.31% total reduced sugars, of which 32.63% was total fructose and 28.68% was total glucose, while the fructooligosaccharides content was 15.51%. The aguamiel contained minerals such as potassium, calcium, and sodium in higher proportions, followed by iron, copper, magnesium, selenium and zinc. Were determined water-soluble vitamins B complex vitamins (B1, B2, B3 and B6) and ascorbic acid. It was found a total saponins content of 1.17 g/100 g of sample db, with anti-inflammatory activity. A total of nine essential and eight non-essential amino acids, of the 20 necessary for health, were determined in aguamiel. An additional characteristic was the phenolic compounds content, which exhibited antioxidant activity against DPPH and ABTS. The degree of polymerization of fructooligosaccharides was 5-10 determined by MALDI-TOF. The e ect fructooligosaccharides prebiotics during in vitro fermentation and the quantification of shortchain fatty acids were evaluated.


Objective The therapeutic challenge of cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula (CSDAVF) is the anatomy of the CS, which consists of a network of interconnected venous pockets, one or many of which may receive shunt arteries. Although the standard treatment of CSDAVF is coil packing, a substantial number of platinum coils are required to treat the fistulas in most cases, and the treatments may result in incomplete occlusion because of complicating venous structures. Onyx (ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer) can be penetrated and might be able to reduce the number of platinum coils. Despite inherent advantages of the liquid embolic material, the neuro- and angiotoxic effects of DMSO and clinical outcomes are still not well documented. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the single-center experience of transvenous treatment of CSDAVFs with the DMSO-based liquid embolic material, ONYX. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 52 cases whose CSDAVFs were treated in our hospital between 2005 and 2016. Four patients treated with transarterial embolization and 2 patients with transorbital embolization were excluded from this study. Their hospital records, angiograms and operation reports were reviewed. Results There were total of 46 patients (13 male and 37 female, age 32–89 years) treated transvenously using Onyx. Thirty patients had a combination of coils and Onyx and 16 patients had Onyx embolization used for treatment. Complete obliteration immediately after the treatment was achieved in 42 patients (91%). There were 5 (11%) periprocedural complications including transient worsening of cranial nerve palsy (n=2, 4%), transient worsening of eye symptoms (n=1, 2%) a transient thromboembolic event (n=1, 2%) and alopecia (n=1, 2%). No patients developed a bradycardia during DMSO injection. Conclusion In our case series, transvenous embolization of CSDAVFs using Onyx has favorable long-term clinical outcomes with low complication rates. Cranial nerve palsy and bradycardia caused by DMSO were uncommon, but should be carefully monitored. Disclosures N. Kaneko: None. S. Tateshima: 1; C; Medtronic. 2; C; Medtronic. V. Szeder: 1; C; Medtronic. F. Liang: None. A. Mowla: None. R. Jahan: 1; C; Medtronic. 2; C; Medtronic. F. Vinuela: None. G. Duckwiler: 1; C; Medtronic.


Many myths exist concerning the needs and problems confronting adolescent fathers. Research on adolescent pregnancy has proliferated in the last decade. We now have a substantial body of empirically-based findings in this area. Unfortunately, few substantive findings are available on adolescent fathers, yet the magnitude of this problem has reached epidemic proportion. This article will provide an overview of current research on adolescent fathers and their needs and offer suggestions for appropriate intervention.


Ion channels are involved in various physiologic and pathologic processes, including the migration of tumor cells that is required for metastasis. To determine whether transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) Ca 2+ channels play an important role in the migration of tumor cells, we examined the potential function of TRPM7 channels in the migration of 5-8F human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. The migratory potential of the cells was impaired by TRPM7 inhibitors (La 3+ , 2-APB), and their migration was reduced significantly after either TRPM7 was silenced or extracellular Ca 2+ was removed. Conversely, addition of TRPM7 activator (BK) promoted the migration of 5-8F cells. Furthermore, the Ca 2+ influx regulated by TRPM7 activated release of Ca 2+ stores by a calcium-induced calcium release mechanism. This study suggests, first, that Ca 2+ influx is required for the migration of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma 5-8F cells. Second, and more importantly, it identifies TRPM7 as a novel potential-regulator of the Ca 2+ influx that allows migration of 5-8F cells. TRPM7, therefore, might have potential as a prognostic indicator and as a therapeutic target in cancer. Keywords: TRPM7; nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells; 5-8F; Ca 2+ influx; Ca 2+ ; migration. Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5282.


This work considers a partial equilibrium approach for pricing longevity bonds in a stochastic mortality intensity setting. Thus, the pricing methodology developed in this work is based on a foundational economic principle and is realistic for the currently illiquid life market. Our model consists of economic agents who trade in risky financial security and longevity bonds to maximize the monetary utilities of their trades and income. Stochastic mortality intensity affects agents' income, resulting in market incompleteness. The longevity bond introduced acts as a hedge against mortality risk, and we prove that it completes the market. From a practical perspective, we characterize and compute the endogenous equilibrium bond price. In a realistic setting with two agents in a transaction, numerical experiments confirm the expected intuition of price dependence of model parameters.


4558 The present study aimed to investigate the implications of Beta2-microglobulin (B2M) during the different steps of carcinogenesis in colorectal tumors with high level microsatellite instability (MSI-H) and to eludicate the role of B2M in the formation of distant metastasis in this cancer entity.
 The high level microsatellite instability (MSI-H) phenotype in colorectal cancer (CRC) is caused by defects of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system that result in insertion/deletion mutations in repetitive DNA sequences termed microsatellites. MSI-H CRC are considered to be a highly immunogenic cancer entity that is characterized by a dense infiltration with lymphocytes. As a consequence of immunoselection, MSI-H CRC frequently display a loss of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I surface expression caused by mutations of the Beta2-microglobulin (B2M) gene. In a recent study, we observed that B2M mutation frequency increased with progression of the local disease (adenoma, UICC stages I to III). However, no B2M mutations were observed in a small collection of CRC that had developed distant metastasis (UICC IV). These preliminary data suggested a potential role of B2M in formation of distant metastases.
 In the present study, we therefore evaluated the frequency of truncating B2M mutations in a larger set of metastasized MSI-H CRC by direct sequencing of the B2M coding region. Truncating B2M mutations were detected in 8/22 (36.4%) of UICC stage III and in 1/25 (4.0%) of UICC stage IV MSI-H CRC. The B2M mutation frequency was significantly lower in those CRC with distant metastasis (UICC IV, p=0.008), pointing towards a functional role of B2M in distant metastsasis formation of MSI-H CRC. In vitro experiments showed that B2M may enhance proliferation in different cancer cell lines. To further eludicate the potential contribution of B2M to organ metastasis formation, we examined the effects of stable retransfection of wild type B2M into B2M-deficient CRC cell lines SW48 and K073A. In detail, several immunological and tumor cell-inherent mechanisms potentially contributing to metastasis formation in MSI-H CRC were analyzed by cytotoxicity assays, proliferation and cell migration assays.
 In summary, the results of our study suggest a pro-metastatic effect of B2M expression in colorectal cancer. This observation may be of high relevance for future therapeutic strategies in the management of colorectal cancer patients.


Abstract Virtual Reality (VR) is currently on everyone's lips for various purposes. Although the hype is currently nearing its productive plateau, there are still uncertainties about the utilization and potential of the technology in research and educational contexts. Together with the two following articles on the subject of VR research, this article provides an overview of the inherent potential as well as remaining challenges in the use of VR as an instrument for research and education. These will be clarified and critically examined on the basis of specific academic projects. Based on this, the article concludes with a comprehensive look on the need for further discussion of ethical issues as the key for VR success in research and education.


Objective: This study aimed to get complete information about the antioxidant and antibacterial against B. subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus activities of the fractions from G. latissima Miq. stem bark methanol extract. Methods: Fractionation was performed by column chromatography. The antibacterial activities of the fractions from Garcinia latissima Miq. stem bark were assayed by inhibition zone technique, bioautography, and minimum inhibition concentration. The antioxidant activity were evaluated using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) methods. Results: Stem bark methanol extract had higher antioxidant activity (% inhibition = 95.68%) than ethyl acetate extract and n-hexane stem bark extract of G. latissima Miq. The stem bark methanol extract obtained ten fractions. The greatest of inhibition zone diameter against B. subtilis (ATCC (the American Type Culture Collection) 6633) and S. aureus (ATCC 25923) was fraction G (7.83 ± 0.46 mm and 7.43 ± 0.15 mm). The highest antioxidant activity fraction by DPPH method and FRAP method was fraction G. Phytochemical screening showed that fraction G contained flavonoid and tannin. Conclusion: The results obtained reveal that the fraction G of stem bark of G. latissima Miq. methanol extract possessed antibacterial activity against B. subtilis and S. aureus and antioxidant activity.


EFA ' 99 covered the use of light throughout 1:1 simulation. As a rule the field of light design has a closer relation with simulation in true scale. Therefore, it is surprising that a conference dealing with this field did not take place at an earlier stage which might be due to the differing approaches concerning implementation and working focus at the various laboratories. The remarkable achievements of the individual lighting companies on the market regarding research work seem very promising and necessarily are to be duly acknowledged also on the part of academic circles. Furthermore, a productive exchange of information might develop between the, somewhat incompatibly seeming, interest groups. More interaction would surely prove wise, as the stage for successful research work in the field of light design and light impact is only to be set by combining all strengths.


The past decade has witnessed the rapid evolution in blockchain technologies, which has attracted tremendous interests from both the research communities and industries. The blockchain network was originated from the Internet financial sector as a decentralized, immutable ledger system for transactional data ordering. Nowadays, it is envisioned as a powerful backbone/framework for decentralized data processing and data-driven self-organization in flat, open-access networks. In particular, the plausible characteristics of decentralization, immutability, and self-organization are primarily owing to the unique decentralized consensus mechanisms introduced by blockchain networks. This survey is motivated by the lack of a comprehensive literature review on the development of decentralized consensus mechanisms in blockchain networks. In this paper, we provide a systematic vision of the organization of blockchain networks. By emphasizing the unique characteristics of decentralized consensus in blockchain networks, our in-depth review of the state-of-the-art consensus protocols is focused on both the perspective of distributed consensus system design and the perspective of incentive mechanism design. From a game-theoretic point of view, we also provide a thorough review of the strategy adopted for self-organization by the individual nodes in the blockchain backbone networks. Consequently, we provide a comprehensive survey of the emerging applications of blockchain networks in a broad area of telecommunication. We highlight our special interest in how the consensus mechanisms impact these applications. Finally, we discuss several open issues in the protocol design for blockchain consensus and the related potential research directions.


Introduction. Urolithiasis is a widespread disease with high the frequency of recurrence. An important preventive measure is an increase in daily urine output. Patients with urolithiasis need to take into account the mineral the composition of the fluid consumed, since it can affect the formation of stones. It is especially important to pay attention to the composition of bottled water purchased in retail chains due to its significant differences. Purpose. Analyze the composition of bottled water sold in retail chains of the Northwestern federal district (NWFD). Conduct a comparative analysis of the compositions carbonated and still water, as well as compare the composition of domestic and European bottled still water. Materials and methods. An independent laboratory determined the mineral composition of 36 samples of bottled water purchased in 2 retail chains of the NWFD. Done сomparison of the compositions of 19 samples of still and 16 samples of carbonated water. Comparison of the compositions of domestic and European non-carbonated bottled water. Results. The data obtained by us on the mineral composition of the purchased water samples corresponded to the indicators declared by the manufacturers. Comparison of carbonated and still water showed no statistically significant differences in the content of calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, sulfates, hydrocarbons. Comparison of the mineral composition of domestic still and European still bottled water showed the presence of statistically significant differences in the content of calcium and hydrocarbonates, which were higher in the water of European manufacturers. Conclusions. The mineral composition of bottled water can vary significantly. It is important for patients with urolithiasis to take into account the mineral composition of the water, which they consume, so it can influence the development of relapse.


There is growing recognition that we are rapidly approaching the physical capacity limit of standard optical fiber. It is important to make better use of optical network resources to accommodate the ever-increasing traffic demand. One promising way is to introduce elasticity and adaptation into the optical domain through more flexible spectrum allocation, where the required minimum spectral resources are allocated adaptively based on traffic demand and network conditions. In this article, we discuss elastic and adaptive optical networks from the perspective of future standardization. We first overview the architecture, enabling technologies, and benefits of elastic and adaptive optical networks with the new concept of an optical corridor. We then present possible adoption scenarios from current rigid optical networks to elastic and adaptive optical networks. We discuss some possible study items that are relevant to the future standardization activities. These items include optical transport network architecture, structure and mapping of the optical transport unit, automatically switched optical network/generalized multiprotocol label switching control plane issues, and some physical aspects with possible extension of the current frequency grid.


An organic radical crystal of 4-benzylideneamino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl was found to be a bulk ferromagnet, as indicated by the divergence of the ac susceptibility at 0.18 K and by the magnetic hysteresis below this temperature. The X-ray crystal structure analysis at room temperature revealed that the crystal consisted of an almost two-dimensional network of the N-O sites.


As a tropic and subtropic fruit, pomegranate tree for which Asia Minor is the gene centre is one of the oldest cultivated agricultural products. According to 2015 statistics Turkey has 445.750 tons of total pomegranate production. Considering the total pomegranate production by the Regions in Turkey, Aegean, Mediterranean and Southeast Anatolia Regions rank first three with 234.609, 146.080 and 51.790 tons of pomegranate productions respectively as Northeastern Anatolia Region is the last with a production of 13 tons. Considering the total pomegranate production of the provinces in the our country, Antalya and Mersin provinces rank first and second with 200.938 and 105.023 tonnes respectively. In addition, this fruit species has been of great importance due to its nutrient content and positive effects on human health. In this study, through presenting the existing status of the pomegranate production, health's effects, problems and solution proposals of Turkey, it was aimed to increase the awareness and set light to decision makers for making use of and directing the existing potential in future plans.


Proliferation of the urban Internet-of-Things (IoTs) for smart cities has fuelled massive amounts of data over wireless cellular networks. Random access (RA) system of wireless cellular networks, e.g., 5G New Radio (NR), based on S-ALOHA system should cope with ever-growing IoT traffic. This work proposes S-ALOHA system with time offsets (TOs), where one slot consists of K TOs and one packet transmission time. The length of the overall TOs is a fraction of a packet transmission time. In the system users (re)transmit to the boundary of a TO randomly selected. This enables the base station (BS) to inform the users of who transmits the first and the last packets in the slot with collision so that the two users can retransmit successfully in the following two slots respectively. Our throughput analysis compared to simulations shows that adopting even with three and four TOs surpasses the throughput limit of S-ALOHA system without TOs. Additionally, we propose two Bayesian-optimized backoff algorithms for S-ALOHA system with TOs, with which users can apply throughput-optimal (re)transmission probability or uniform backoff window even in unsaturated traffic scenarios. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed backoff algorithms can achieve the throughput close to an ideal system and drastically reduce the access delay compared to S-ALOHA system.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze the immunophenotype and functional properties of synovial mast cells (SyMC) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS
Synovial tissue was obtained from 25 patients with RA and 17 patients with OA. Tissue was dispersed by enzymatic digestion using collagenase. Surface receptor expression on SyMC was analyzed by monoclonal antibodies (MAb) and indirect immunofluorescence staining. Histamine release experiments were performed using the MC agonist recombinant human (rHu) stem cell factor (SCF), the anaphylatoxin rHuC5a, and an anti-IgE antibody.

RESULTS
In both groups of patients (RA and OA), SyMC were found to react with MAb to IgE, SCF receptor (c-kit, CD117), as well as CD antigens likewise expressed in lung MC (CD9, CD29, CD33, CD43, CD44, CD45). However, a significantly increased proportion of SyMC from RA patients reacted with MAb against C5a receptor (C5aR; CD88), compared with SyMC from OA (mean +/- SD percentage of SyMC reacting with CD88 MAb S5/1 in RA 27.5 +/- 8.6% versus 0.0% in OA, and with CD88 MAb W17/1 in RA 58.3 +/- 15.2% versus 12.5 +/- 15.0% in OA; P < 0.05). Furthermore, in RA, significant histamine release from SyMC above control was induced by rHuC5a, anti-IgE, and rHuSCF, whereas SyMC in OA released histamine after stimulation with anti-IgE and rHuSCF, but not rHuC5a.

CONCLUSION
SyMC exhibit phenotypic and functional properties similar to MC in other tissues. In patients with RA, but not OA, SyMC express significant amounts of C5aR (CD88) and release histamine in response to rHuC5a. These results indicate a role for SyMC and C5a/C5aR in the pathogenesis of RA.


This continuing series will be a valuable resource for both experienced and novice users of handheld computer technology. Topics will include how to evaluate hardware and software, clinical and business applications, and the development of a "digital peripheral brain." The authors will also discuss PDA organization skills that can maximize professional and personal efficiency.


Based on the 2005-2011 data from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), this study conducted analysis on aerosol optical properties over Beijing during different air-pollution episodes (biomass burning, CNY firework, dust storm). The aerosol optical depth (AOD) showed notable increases in the air-pollution episodes while the AOD (at 440 nm) during dust storm was 4. 91, 4. 07 and 2.65 times higher as background, biomass burning and firework aerosols. AOD along with Angstrom exponent (alpha) can be used to determine the aerosol types. The dust aerosol had the highest AOD and the lowest alpha. The alpha value of firework (1.09) was smaller than biomass burning (1.21) and background (1.27), indicating that coarse particles were dominant in the former type. Higher AOD of burnings (than background) can be attributed to the optical extinction capability of black carbon aerosol. The single scattering albedo (SSA) was insensitive to wavelength. The SSA value of dust (0.934) was higher than background (0.878), biomass burning (0.921) and firework (0.905). Additionally, the extremely large SSA of burnings here maybe was caused by the aging smoke, hygroscopic growth and so on. The peak radius of aerosol volume size distributions were 0.1-0.2 microm and 2.24 -3.85 microm in clear and polluted conditions. The value of volume concentration ratio between coarse and fine particles was in the order of clear background (1.04), biomass burning (1.10), CNY firework (1.91) and dust storm (4.96) episode.


Methimazole (MMI) increases thyroglobulin (Tg) mRNA levels in FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells. The increase reflects a transcriptional action of the antithyroid agent and is inhibited by cycloheximide, as is the transcriptional action of TSH. It takes several hours to be apparent, is maximal between 24-48 h, and is specific, in that thyroid peroxidase and beta-actin mRNA levels are not increased simultaneously. The increased mRNA levels are associated with increased recovery of immunoprecipitable Tg in the medium of cells exposed to [35S]methionine. The MMI effect appears to be independent of the action of TSH or its cAMP signal, since the MMI-induced increase in Tg mRNA levels is evident in cells treated with TSH or maintained in its absence and is associated not with increases in cAMP levels but, rather, under some circumstances with a decrease. The effect is evident under conditions in which the ability of insulin or insulin-like growth factor-I to increase Tg mRNA levels is already maximal. The MMI-induced increase is inhibited by concentrations of iodide associated with autoregulation of FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells, is inhibited but not mimicked by propylthiouracil, and is not altered by T3. The increase in Tg mRNA levels does not correlate with increased DNA synthesis as a function of MMI concentration either in cells treated with TSH or in those maintained in its absence. A concentration of MMI (5 mM) that increases Tg mRNA levels can also inhibit 8-bromo-cAMP- or phorbol ester-induced increases in [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA.


Background Researchers evaluating angiomodulating compounds as a part of scientific projects or pre-clinical studies are often confronted with limitations of applied animal models. The rough and insufficient early-stage compound assessment without reliable quantification of the vascular response counts, at least partially, to the low transition rate to clinics. Objective To establish an advanced, rapid and cost-effective angiogenesis assay for the precise and sensitive assessment of angiomodulating compounds using zebrafish caudal fin regeneration. It should provide information regarding the angiogenic mechanisms involved and should include qualitative and quantitative data of drug effects in a non-biased and time-efficient way. Approach & Results Basic vascular parameters (total regenerated area, vascular projection area, contour length, vessel area density) were extracted from in vivo fluorescence microscopy images using a stereological approach. Skeletonization of the vasculature by our custom-made software Skelios provided additional parameters including "graph energy" and "distance to farthest node". The latter gave important insights into the complexity, connectivity and maturation status of the regenerating vascular network. The employment of a reference point (vascular parameters prior amputation) is unique for the model and crucial for a proper assessment. Additionally, the assay provides exceptional possibilities for correlative microscopy by combining in vivo-imaging and morphological investigation of the area of interest. The 3-way correlative microscopy links the dynamic changes in vivo with their structural substrate at the subcellular level. Conclusions The improved zebrafish fin regeneration model with advanced quantitative analysis and optional 3-way correlative morphology is a promising in vivo angiogenesis assay, well-suitable for basic research and preclinical investigations.


Although research has emphasized cognition and the use of heuristics and biases by entrepreneurs, the process by which available information influences one's decision to start a business has yet to be clarified. In this study, we test a model where changes in the available information concerning a new venture impact the perceived risk associated with this venture - ultimately affecting the decision to start it. In our model, two important heuristics influence risk perception and bias decision making: availability and anchoring. Moreover, we suggest that these heuristics have opposite effects, depending on whether the available information is framed in positive or negative terms. Results reveal how different combinations of judgmental heuristics and problem framing may stimulate or inhibit entrepreneurial behavior.


The possibility of explaining shear flow dynamos by a magnetic shear-current (MSC) effect is examined via numerical simulations. Our primary diagnostics is the determination of the turbulent magnetic diffusivity tensor η. In our setup, a negative sign of its component ηyx is necessary for coherent dynamo action by the SC effect. To be able to measure turbulent transport coefficients from systems with magnetic background turbulence, we present an extension of the test-field method (TFM) applicable to our setup where the pressure gradient is dropped from the momentum equation: the nonlinear TFM (NLTFM). Our momentum equation is related to Burgers' equation and the resulting flows are referred to as magnetized burgulence. We use both stochastic kinetic and magnetic forcings to mimic cases without and with simultaneous small-scale dynamo action. When we force only kinetically, negative ηyx are obtained with exponential growth in both the radial and azimuthal mean magnetic field components. Using magnetokinetic forcing, the field growth is no longer exponential, while NLTFM yields positive ηyx. By employing an alternative forcing from which wavevectors whose components correspond to the largest scales are removed, the exponential growth is recovered, but the NLTFM results do not change significantly. Analyzing the dynamo excitation conditions for the coherent SC and incoherent α and SC effects shows that the incoherent effects are the main drivers of the dynamo in the majority of cases. We find no evidence for MSC-effect-driven dynamos in our simulations.


Hearing-impaired people do not hear indoor and outdoor environment sounds, which are important for them both at home and outside. By means of a wearable device that we have developed, a hearing-impaired person will be informed of important sounds through vibrations, thereby understanding what kind of sound it is. Our system, which operates in real time, can achieve a success rate of 98% when estimating a door bell ringing sound, 99% success identifying an alarm sound, 99% success identifying a phone ringing, 91% success identifying honking, 93% success identifying brake sounds, 96% success identifying dog sounds, 97% success identifying human voice, and 96% success identifying other sounds using the audio fingerprint method. Audio fingerprint is a brief summary of an audio file, perceptively summarizing a piece of audio content. In this study, our wearable device is tested 100 times a day for 100 days on five deaf persons and 50 persons with normal hearing whose ears were covered by earphones that provided wind sounds. This study aims to improve the quality of life of deaf persons, and provide them a more prosperous life. In the questionnaire performed, deaf people rate the clarity of the system at 90%, usefulness at 97%, and the likelihood of using this device again at 100%.


A study was carried out at the research farm of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna, Nigeria, to determine the effect of irrigation depths and intervals on the yield, crop water use and water productivity of drip-irrigated cucumber (market-more variety) in two irrigation seasons (2016/17 and 2017/18). Irrigation was scheduled using the reference evaporation data obtained from pan evaporation measurements taken within the experimental periods. The results showed a significant difference in both seasonal crop evapotranspiration and yield at 5% level of significance in both seasons. The highest yields (21 t/ha and 20.3 t/ha) were obtained from the treatments with 100 ETo, irrigated daily (T1), while the lowest (15.5 t/ha and 16.5 t/ha) were obtained from the treatments with 60% ETo, irrigated every four days (T9). The highest water productivities were obtained from the treatments with 60% ETo, irrigated daily (T7), while the lowest were obtained from the treatments with 100% ETo, irrigated every four days (T3), implying a better yield effect due to light high frequent irrigation than deep low frequent irrigation. The marginal difference in yield due to the marginal difference in water applied in T1 and T7 is 3.7 t/ha. It is concluded that full irrigation produced higher yield than deficit irrigation but with lower crop water productivity.


Objective—To assess changes in size of the central pulmonary arteries following a total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC). Design A retrospective analysis of the angiographic diameters of the central pulmonary arteries, expressed as z scores, in infancy before the TCPC and 3.5 (0.9) years (mean (SD)) later. Analysis of the relation between the pulmonary arteriolar resistance and the z scores at follow up. Setting Tertiary referral centre. Patients 32 patients who had TCPC from February 1990 to July 1993. Results The patients were divided into two groups (n = 16) depending on their preoperative flow ratio: group I, Qp/Qs ⩽ 1; group II, Qp/Qs > 1. At the initial study in infancy the mean z scores in group I were −6.0 for the right pulmonary artery (RPA) and −9.6 for the left pulmonary artery (LPA); in group II the respective values were −2.7 and −3.0. Before the TCPC the values increased to 0.5 (RPA) and −0.5 (LPA) in group I, and to 8.8 (RPA) and 8.2 (LPA) in group II. At follow up the z scores decreased to −2.4 (RPA) and −4.9 (LPA) in group I, and to 2.2 (RPA) and −0.7 (LPA) in group II. The changes in pulmonary artery diameters were significant for both groups (p < 0.02). Following the TCPC, no significant difference in pulmonary arteriolar resistance index was found between patients with relatively small pulmonary arteries (z score RPA+LPA ⩽ 0) and those with relatively large pulmonary arteries (z score RPA+LPA > 0). Conclusions Creation of a TCPC results in a significant reduction in size of the central pulmonary arteries. At a mean interval of 3.5 years following the TCPC, however, there was no significant difference in pulmonary arteriolar resistance index between patients with smaller and larger central pulmonary arteries.


Profile of Ecotourists in Apuseni Mountains Natural Park . In the last decades, new forms of tourism have emerged, thus increasing the ways tourism resources are used. One of these alternative new forms of tourism, known as ecotourism, represents a friendlier way of doing business. Apuseni Mountains, located in Western Romania, represent one of the most impressive tourist attraction of our country. Our paper tries to offer a series of characteristics of ecotourism and also to create a profile of the ecotourist who visits the Apuseni Mountains.


We consider a sheet flow in which heavy grains near a packed bed interact with a unidirectional turbulent shear flow of a fluid. We focus on sheet flows in which the particles are supported by their collisional interactions rather than by the velocity fluctuations of the turbulent fluid and introduce what we believe to be the simplest theory for the collisional regime that captures its essential features. We employ a relatively simple model of the turbulent shearing of the fluid and use kinetic theory for the collisional grain flow to predict profiles of the mean fluid velocity, the mean particle velocity, the particle concentration, and the strength of the particle velocity fluctuations within the sheet. These profiles are obtained as solutions to the equations of balance of fluid and particle momentum and particle fluctuation energy over a range of Shields parameters between 0.5 and 2.5. We compare the predicted thickness of the concentrated region and the predicted features of the profile of the mean fluid velocity with those measured by Sumer et al. (1996). In addition, we calculate the volume flux of particles in the sheet as a function of Shields parameter. Finally, we apply the theory to sand grains in air for the conditions of a sandstorm and calculate profiles of particle concentration, velocity, and local volume flux.


Objective Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with suicidal attempts (SAs) among adolescents, with suicide being the most common cause of mortality in this age group. This study explored the predictive utility of support vector machine (SVM)-based analyses of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) results as a neuroimaging biomarker for aiding the diagnosis of MDD with SA in adolescents. Methods Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) analyses of 71 first-episode, drug-naive adolescent MDD patients with SA and 54 healthy control individuals were conducted. ALFF and SVM methods were used to analyze the imaging data. Results Relative to healthy control individuals, adolescent MDD patients with a history of SAs showed reduced ALFF values in the bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus (mSFG) and bilateral precuneus. These lower ALFF values were also negatively correlated with child depression inventory (CDI) scores while reduced bilateral precuneus ALFF values were negatively correlated with Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire Junior (SIQ-JR) scores. SVM analyses showed that reduced ALFF values in the bilateral mSFG and bilateral precuneus had diagnostic accuracy levels of 76.8% (96/125) and 82.4% (103/125), respectively. Conclusion Adolescent MDD patients with a history of SA exhibited abnormal ALFF. The identified abnormalities in specific brain regions may be involved in the pathogenesis of this condition and may help identify at-risk adolescents. Specifically, reductions in the ALFF in the bilateral mSFG and bilateral precuneus may be indicative of MDD and SA in adolescent patients.


ON and OFF auditory responses were examined in the medial geniculate body (MGB) of the guinea pig. Single- and multiunit recordings were carried out on 12 anesthetized animals, and noise-burst or pure-tone stimuli were applied to the ear contralateral to the recording hemisphere. One hundred and thirty-five OFF or ON-OFF neurons and 160 ON neurons were studied, and the tuning curves of 21 ON-OFF or OFF neurons were examined from various nuclei of the MGB. The mean minimum threshold of the OFF responses (40.8 +/- 20.0 dB SPL, mean +/- SD; range: 0-80 dB SPL) was significantly higher than that of the ON responses (28.5 +/- 17.6 dB SPL, range: 0-60 dB SPL; n = 17, P < 0.001). Of 10 ON-OFF neurons that showed identifiable tuning frequencies for both ON and OFF responses, 7 showed a higher OFF than ON best frequency (BF), 2 showed the same BF for both ON and OFF, and only 1 showed a slightly lower OFF than ON BF. Most OFF responses sampled from the borders of the ventral (MGv) and the rostromedial (MGrm) nuclei of the MGB showed single-peaked tuning curves, similar to those of the ON responses in the MGv. The neurons located in the shell (MGs) and dorsal (MGd) nuclei of the MGB showed complicated-either multi-peaked or broad-tuning curves. All OFF responses showed long-duration-selectivity for acoustic stimuli: the mean half-maximum duration was 116.5 +/- 114.8 ms (n = 19, range: 27-411 ms). The latencies of 135 OFF responses were studied in various divisions of the MGB. The ventral border region of MGv showed the shortest latency, followed by the dorsal border region of the MGv, the MGrm, and the caudomedial nucleus (MGcm) of the MGB. The posterior nucleus of the thalamus (Po), the MGd, and the MGs showed much longer mean latencies of >30 ms (P < 0.05 compared with the border regions of the MGv, ANOVA), with Po showing the greatest mean latency of 60.3 ms and the greatest deviation of 25.5 ms). The latency of the OFF response (29.0 +/- 14.0 ms, n = 135) was significantly greater than that of the ON response (15.6 +/- 9.6 ms, n = 160, P < 0.001). The present results provide valuable information about the threshold, frequency tuning characteristics, minimal response latency, and duration selectivity of OFF neurons in the auditory thalamus.


The Research on formulation of coconut fiber waste and animal manure into biocomposes (decomposer: Aspergillus sp.) has been carried out in Langaleso Village, Dolo Subdistrict, Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi, Biotechnology Laboratory of the Department of Biology and the Soil Science Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Tadulako Palu, in March to August 2018. The purpose of this research was to formulate the basic substrate (BS) of coconut fiber waste and animal manure supplementation into biocompost using decomposer: Aspergillus sp. The study was designed in a completely randomized design consisting of five treatments and four replications. The treatments arrangement is a comparison of the base substrate of coconut fiber (BS) with animal manure supplements as follows; P0 (BS 100%, without supplements), P1 (BS 90% + supplement 10%), P2 (BS 80% + supplement 20%), P3 (BS 70% + supplement 30%) and P4 (BS 60% + supplements 40%).  Parameters of observation include; physical indicators (aroma, color and texture), biology (fungi identification) and chemistry (analysis of C-organic content and nitrogen). The results showed that the P4 treatment showed the best biocompost quality with physical indicators (compost-smelling aroma, black in color and soft texture), biological indicators (identified as Aspergillus sp and Mucor sp contaminant fungi), chemical indicators (40.5% C-organic) , N 1.36% and 29.7%).


Purpose: Gastric cancer is the 6th most common cancer and is a leading cause of death worldwide. Metastases to the appendix is a rare clinical entity of gastric cancer and only 10 cases are reported in the literature to date. Methods / Results: We present a case of a 74 year-old female who underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy prior to a planned gastric cancer resection for a gastric adenocarcinoma. The appendix was incidentally noted to be macroscopically abnormal during the procedure and was subsequently resected. This was found to contain a metastatic deposit of gastric adenocarcinoma. This resulted in an upstaging of the patient's cancer and, systemic treatment became the management of choice. Conclusion: This case highlights the importance of diagnostic laparoscopy as part of staging in gastric cancer and underscores the need for a thorough examination, as appendiceal metastasis can be easily missed if not specifically assessed for or not found on work-up imaging.


Automatic post-editing (APE) systems aim to correct the systematic errors made by machine translators. In this paper, we propose a neural APE system that encodes the source (src) and machine translated (mt) sentences with two separate encoders, but leverages a shared attention mechanism to better understand how the two inputs contribute to the generation of the post-edited (pe) sentences. Our empirical observations have showed that when the mt is incorrect, the attention shifts weight toward tokens in the src sentence to properly edit the incorrect translation. The model has been trained and evaluated on the official data from the WMT16 and WMT17 APE IT domain English-German shared tasks. Additionally, we have used the extra 500K artificial data provided by the shared task. Our system has been able to reproduce the accuracies of systems trained with the same data, while at the same time providing better interpretability.


Former defi nitions of education and pedagogy refer merely to the problem of a child living on various stages of development. They do not touch pedagogical functioning of parents (teachers, society) before child's birth. Similar is the case with studies concerning subjectivity and objectivity of human behaviours. They talk about an existing person. It seems that demanding appropriate motives for giving someone life entitles you to call for broadening this view to include motivating issues in the fi eld of procreation, thereby broadening a look on human subjectivity. This additional range would be considering the subjectivity of a child whose conception is being planned. On pedagogical grounds, such actions could be described as pre-pedagogy (pre-education). Within the scope of this notion, one could mention all the actions taken by parents (educators, society) demanding respect for the subjectivity of a child not yet conceived. Accepting such a postulate results as a consequence in the necessity to verify general educational actions with special consideration for sexual education. Sexual intercourse from this perspective ceases to be merely an act of a man and a woman, but becomes an event requiring taking into account the subjectivity of an even potential child.


The landscape of analytics is changing rapidly. Much of online user analytics, however, is based on collection of various user analytics numbers. Understanding these numbers, and then relating them to higher numerical analysis for the evaluation of key performance indicators (KPIs) can be quite challenging, especially with large volumes of data. There is a plethora of tools and software packages that one can employ. However, these tools and packages require a quantitative competence and analytical sophistication that average end users often do not possess. Additionally, they often do little to reduce the complexity of numerical data in a manner that allows ease of use in decision making and communication. Dealing with numbers poses cognitive challenges for individuals who often do cannot recall many numbers at a time. Here, we explore the concept of automatic analytics by demonstrating use case examples and discussion on the current state and future of automated insights.


Many clustering protocols for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) have been proposed in the literature. With only one exception so far (1), all these protocols are proactive, thus wasting bandwidth when their function is not currently needed. To reduce the signalling traffic load, reactive clustering may be employed.We have developed a clustering protocol named "On‐Demand Group Mobility‐Based Clustering" (ODGMBC) (2), (3) which is reactive. Its goal is to build clusters as a basis for address autoconfiguration and hierarchical routing. In contrast to the protocol described in ref. (1), the design process especially addresses the notions of group mobility and of multi‐hop clusters in a MANET. As a result, ODGMBC maps varying physical node groups onto logical clusters. In this paper, ODGMBC is described. It was implemented for the ad hoc network simulator GloMoSim (4) and evaluated using several performance indicators. Simulation results are promising and show that ODGMBC leads to stable clusters. This stabilit...


Recently, unmanned vehicle such as AGVs(Automatic Guided Vehicles), OHTs(Overhead Hoist Transfers) are widely used in logistic industrial system. This paper focuses on the feasibility of CAN based distributed control network for active unmanned forklift. An active unmanned forklift has many electronic control units(ECU) that link sensor with actuators to handle intelligent function. The increasing number of electronic control units, sensors, and actuators in active unmanned forklift, and the increasing need for more intelligent functions requires a network with increased capacity and real-time capability.


Postmenopausal women often discontinue estrogen therapy within the first year. No studies have examined reasons why women continue or discontinue hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after several years of use, when hormone side effects have subsided. We wanted to identify determinants of estrogen use after participation in a 3-year randomized placebo-controlled trial. The Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Intervention (PEPI) study compared the effects of estrogen alone or in combination with one of three progestogens with placebo. Post-PEPI use of hormone therapy was ascertained 1-4 years after the trial in 775 (90%) of the originally enrolled women. Potential correlates of treatment decisions were identified from sociodemographic characteristics, medical histories, and clinical measures ascertained at baseline and during and after the trial. Among women who had been assigned to placebo during PEPI, post-PEPI hormone use was significantly less common in women who were adherent to placebo during PEPI, older, or of non-Caucasian ethnicity. Hormone use was positively associated with hysterectomy. Among women assigned to an active regimen during PEPI, post-PEPI hormone use was significantly more common in women who used hormones before PEPI and in women who were adherent to hormones during PEPI. Older age, less education, and being non-Caucasian predicted less hormone use. Post-PEPI hormone use was highest in San Diego and lowest in Iowa City. Women on placebo who lost more bone mineral density (BMD) were more likely to begin hormones than women with less bone loss. Lipids, blood pressure, and other cardiovascular risk factors had relatively little influence on hormone use. The main predictors of post-PEPI hormone use were those associated with use in the general population (education, ethnicity, geographical region, hysterectomy, and prior use/adherence).


We study the compression performance of the quincunx discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and we compare it with the dyadic DWT in terms of rate-distortion. The 2D non-separable quincunx wavelet filters are designed by making use of the transformations of variables technique of Tay and Kingsbury (1993) starting from the 1D biorthogonal (9,7)-taps filters. The applied transformation functions are respectively based on the Kaiser and Chebyshev windows, and on the Lagrange halfband filters. The novelties of this work are in the evaluation of these filters for image compression and the usage of an embedded coder based on the quadtree approach for coding the quincunx subbands.


Abstract 'Social construction' is the theory, which explains that groups of people make up views of the world which reflect their own interests. Objective reality, runs the theory, is not knowable. Every view of the world is a social construction. Recent academic literature has taken previously reliable terms such as "drought" and "family" as well as more abstract categories like "crime" and "madness" and reinterpreted them as the variable product of a certain society or subgroup operating at a certain time. Writing about the Australian landscape, social constructivists have claimed the existence of "European" and "Aboriginal" views. Social construction can be questioned on two grounds. One is that external physical reality does indeed exist and has some objective features which can be recognised by all sensible observers. The second, which is not necessarily contradictory, is that humans vary in myriad ways, and their views are determined by many more factors than simple bi-polar oppositions drawn on the basis of race or gender. In this paper I provide a case study of social construction by looking at the argument that European settlers socially constructed the Tasmanian landscape as a type of Little England. I provide historical evidence that early European inhabitants of Tasmania had a range of views about the landscape. While some might have regarded Tasmania as similar to England, or tried to recreate aspects of England, others did not. Where construction has taken place it has been by those recent academic authors who have retrospectively constructed fictional European and Aboriginal views by taking selected individual comments as universal and ignoring evidence to the contrary, in order to sustain their own beliefs. To argue that a thing is "socially constructed" is itself an ideological view about how meaning occurs.


The authors present an easily manufactured modification of the Getinge Group Maquet Flow-i anaesthesia machine that gives it potential to be used long-term as an Intensive Care ventilator for emergency circumstances. There are some 7000 such machines in use worldwide, which could assist in increasing ICU ventilated bed capacity in a number of nations. The authors believe this modification has potential as a solution to increasing ventilator numbers for the COVID-19 pandemic, in hospitals where the Flow-i is underutilised for its designed purpose during this emergency. The technical drawing files are downloadable on the GrabCAD website and are Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) licensed to allow local manufacture of the modification.


revealed ABSTRACT Recent World Health Organization report ranked Nigeria as number two (2) nation in Open Defaecation (OD). This is affirmed as an environmental nuisance that has over time engaged the attention of both government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). And as part of their social responsibility the academia and corporate organizations working within the purview of environmental and public health domains have exhibited no less concern. Amidst a number of responses from government and other stakeholders in Nigeria, is the adoption of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) principle. The objective of this review paper aimed to examine this all-important subject matter, and to take a look at the enormity of the challenges and the efforts made so far in the country. Intense literature review was conducted on peer review journals and published work on OD in Nigeria. This aimed to assess (a) to what extent has OD been a public health risk in our communities? (b) What common practices within existing sociocultural norms in Nigeria constitute the prime drivers of OD? (c) What are the common impediments to combating OD in Nigeria? Conclusive review indicate that one of the proven strategies often deployed at community and programme level, Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) or the Community Approach for Total Sanitation (CATS) as examined in the Nigerian context – its adaptability, effectiveness or otherwise. A few models were critically examined and relevant recommendations were made.


Considering the importance of soil water retention for agricultural and environmental purposes, the objective of this study was to assess three pedotransfer functions (PTFs) used to estimate the soil moisture at field capacity (FC) based on soil attributes easily determined. A collection of 17 soils from the Cerrado and Pantanal biomes, including surface and subsurface horizons, was used. PTF-1 considers clay, organic matter, coarse sand, and microporosity; PTF-2 clay, total sand, and organic matter; and PTF-3 only microporosity. The estimated FC values were correlated to soil moisture values measured at different soil water potentials (0, 6, 10, 33, 100, 300, and 1500 kPa) to verify which potential corresponded to estimated FC. The data were subjected to regression analysis and Mann-Whitney rank-sum test to compare predicted and measured values and to principal component analysis (PCA). The analysis of the full dataset indicated that there was a strong correlation (R 0.84–0.91; R 0.71–0.82; RMSE 0.07–0.09) between estimated FC and soil water retention measured at potentials of 10 kPa and 33 kPa. FC estimated by PTF-3 correlated better with water holding capacity at 6 kPa. When the PTFs were reapplied to homogeneous soil groups (identified by PCA analysis), the correlation between predicted and measured FC was decreased.


Most programs from scientific computing can benefit from the use of numerical libraries which provide efficient implementations for standard solution methods that often occur in numerical simulations. This is especially true for parallel scientific computing. A methodology that allows the integration of library functions without any additional programming effort would ease this programming style. The authors address the question how to integrate library procedures into hierarchically organized parallel programs. The hierarchical structure of a specific algorithms results from a top-down decomposition into submethods which can be realized by library functions. The integration of library functions not only requires a correct specification of data dependencies between different modules but has also to take into account a possible distribution of data among the processors. They present algorithms for the adaptation of library modules such that their functional type and underlying data distribution fit into the hierarchical framework. The adaptation includes the construction of dataflow graphs that can be used to determine data distributions for the library modules such that a minimal global execution time results.


The paper explains the experience and the principles, how to teach knowingly the language and constructively communication for preschool kid with delayed speech. The external environment should be mainly calm, when necessary rigidity on setting borders should be demonstrated. Playing on the feelings, when necessary and when borders not recognized by kid. The teacher and the parent should update the attitude to kid based on experience. The teacher or the parent should grow as personality during the job with kid. The external environment should be well defined and consistent. The rules and the actions and the language with the actions should be in the everyday routine. The goal of the paper is to demonstrate the language structure, the condition for kid and examples used to communicate with kid with speech delay.


Time series data are compiled and analysed in accordance with Gregorian calendar, given its world-wise use. This paper presents a simple method of constructing time series in accordance with Hijri Calendar from an already compiled Gregorian time series. Preliminary seasonal analysis of Hijri time series for CPI in Pakistan provides new insights of price behavior that depends both on Gregorian and Hijri seasonality. A spliced series of monthly CPI from January 1976 to December 2008 spanning 33 Gregorian years (396 Gregorian months) is used to capture a full cycle of 34 Hijri years (408 Hijri months). Method presented is general and can be used to construct and analyse any variable of interest. Paper proposes that statistical agencies and central banks of Islamic countries should also compile data according to Hijri Calendar, in addition to existing compilation according to Gregorian calendar. This will add to a better understanding of socioeconomic behaviours in Islamic countries.


The aim of this study is to investigate the capability of an apoA-I mimetic with multiple amphipathic helices to form HDL-like particles in vitro and in vivo. To generate multivalent helices and to track the peptide mimetic, we have constructed a peptibody by fusing two tandem repeats of 4F peptide to the C terminus of a murine IgG Fc fragment. The resultant peptidbody, mFc-2X4F, dose-dependently promoted cholesterol efflux in vitro, and the efflux potency was superior to monomeric 4F peptide. Like apoA-I, mFc-2X4F stabilized ABCA1 in J774A.1 and THP1 cells. The peptibody formed larger HDL particles when incubated with cultured cells compared with those by apoA-I. Interestingly, when administered to mice, mFc-2X4F increased both pre-β and α-1 HDL subfractions. The lipid-bound mFc-2X4F was mostly in the α-1 migrating subfraction. Most importantly, mFc-2X4F and apoA-I were found to coexist in the same HDL particles formed in vivo. These data suggest that the apoA-I mimetic peptibody is capable of mimicking apoA-I to generate HDL particles. The peptibody and apoA-I may work cooperatively to generate larger HDL particles in vivo, either at the cholesterol efflux stage and/or via fusion of HDL particles that were generated by the peptibody and apoA-I individually.


In general, internal cells are required to solve deformation of thin plate with arbitrary distributed load using conventional boundary element methods (BEM). However, in this case, the merit of BEM, which is the easy preparation of data, is lost. In this paper, it is shown that deformation analysis of thin plate with arbitrary distributed load can be solved without the use of internal cells by using the triple-reciprocity boundary element method. Distribution of arbitrary load is interpolated using boundary integral equations. The problem of thin plate according to Kirchhoff's theory is formulated by means of two coupled Poisson equations to be expressed in integral form using the second theorem of Green in the classical way. A new computer program was developed and applied to several example problems.


A wideband hybrid dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) consisting of a rectangular slot patch and a perforated stacked cylindrical dielectric resonator (DR) is proposed. A rectangular slot was etched on the grounding side of a microwave laminate ( $\epsilon _{s}=3.38$ ) to excite the hybrid resonator at a high frequency. The stacked DR used consists of three different layers of permittivity, in which air-cavity was introduced internally to form a perforated structure. With a proper stacking arrangement of the perforated DRs on top of the rectangular slot, their operating frequencies were merged together to produce a wideband hybrid DRA. It was found that the combination of the stacked DR with perforated structure in the hybrid element had yielded an impedance bandwidth of as wide as 75.8% (12.2 GHz - 27.1 GHz). Huge improvement in bandwidth was successfully achieved in this study in comparison to that without a perforated structure of only 48.9%. Simulation of the antenna was performed in time domain using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) and was subsequently verified with the measurement results. The average simulated and measured directivity of the antenna were recorded to be 6.05 dBi and 5.65 dBi, respectively, with a stable broadside radiation throughout the operating range of frequency. The radiation characteristics were seen to be broadside in both the E-plane and H-plane.


Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) is a pathogen of great concern in free-ranging cetaceans. Confirmation and staging of morbillivirus infections rely on histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC), following molecular detection. As at the present time no specific antibodies (Abs) against DMV are available, two heterologous Abs have been used worldwide for the examinations of morbillivirus infections of cetaceans. One is a monoclonal Ab (MoAb) prepared against the N protein of canine distemper virus (CDV), whereas the other is a polyclonal Ab raised in rabbits against rinderpest virus (RPV). Both Abs are known to show cross-reactivity with DMV. In this study we compared the labelling quality and the neuroanatomical distribution of staining with these two Abs by means of IHC analysis. To this end, serial sections of the target organs from ten free-ranging stranded cetaceans, previously diagnosed as being infected with DMV by PCR and/or serology, were subjected to IHC. The brain, lungs and lymph nodes of one animal were found to be positive with both Abs. From two other animals, the brain and the spleen, respectively, tested positive only with the polyclonal Ab. In the positive brain tissues, multifocal immunostaining was observed, with similar staining location and extent, with the two antibodies tested. Our results suggest that the polyclonal anti-RPV Ab might have a stronger binding activity to DMV than the anti-CDV MoAb. Nevertheless, the elaboration and use of specific anti-DMV Abs might be essential to guarantee conclusive results in diagnostic and pathogenetic investigations.


Many empirical and heuristic distribution functions for wave crest heights have been proposed, but their predictions differ considerably. Part of the lack of agreement is due to the difficulty of making measurements that accurately record the true height of the wave crests. Surface following buoys effectively cancel out the second-order nonlinearity by making a Lagrangian measurement. Pressure transducers filter the nonlinear components of the signal in complicated ways. Wave staffs have varying degrees of sensitivity to spray. The location of the instruments also plays an important role. There is clear evidence from measurements in the North Sea that spurious crests due to spray are a problem downwind even from mounting supports that appear transparent. Much of the theoretical nonlinearity can be captured by calculations correct to second order. Explicit calculation of the interactions of each pair of components in a directional spectrum is straightforward although computationally intensive. This technique has the advantage that the effects of wave steepness, water depth, and directional spreading are included with no approximation other than the truncation of the expansion at second order. Comparisons with measurements that are believed to be of the best quality show good agreement with these second-order calculations. Simulations for a set of JONSWAP spectra then lead to parametric crest distributions, which can be used easily in applications.


Purpose
This paper aims to discover the mathematical model for Q235 carbon steel corrosion date acquired in the initial stage of atmospheric corrosion using electrical resistance probe.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, mathematical approaches are used to construct a classification model for atmospheric environmental elements and material corrosion rates.

Findings
Results of the experiment show that the corrosion data can be converted into corrosion depth for calculating corrosion rate to obtain corrosion kinetics model and conform corrosion acceleration phase. Combined with corresponding atmospheric environmental elements, a real time grade subdivision model for corrosion rate can be constructed.

Originality/value
These mathematical models constructed by real time corrosion data can be well used to research the characteristics about initial atmospheric corrosion of Q235 carbon steel.


INTRODUCTION AND METHODS
Cardiovascular diseases have progressively increased in importance as a major contributor of morbidity and mortality in Asia. However, many countries in Asia do not have nationwide systematically-collected and standardised data on myocardial infarction (MI). To accurately document the extent of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease in Singapore, a nationwide myocardial infarct registry was established in the mid-1986. Possible myocardial infarct events were identified through daily national lists of cardiac enzymes, hospital discharge codes, mortuary records and the national death registry. Data obtained from clinical history, cardiac enzymes and 12-lead electrocardiogram Minnesota codes were entered into an algorithm based on the WHO MONICA study. Cases identified as "definite" MI were included in the decade's review for this study.

RESULTS
From 1988 to 1997, 13,048 myocardial infarct events were diagnosed with 3367 deaths. There was a 39.1% decline in mortality, with an average decline of 6.5% per year [95% confidence intervals (CI), -3.9% to -9.1%]. However, the decline in incidence was only 20.8% with an average decline of 2.4% per year (95% CI, -6.6% to -1.2%). The highest incidence and mortality rates for both genders were seen in the Indians, followed by the Malays and the Chinese.

CONCLUSION
Over 10 years, from 1988 to 1997, we documented a significant fall in mortality from MI in Singapore. There was a smaller decline in the incidence of infarction. Singapore implemented a National Healthy Lifestyle Programme in 1992 as a 10-year effort. The disparity in the incidence and mortality may suggest that a more dramatic and immediate impact has taken place in mortality through therapeutic programmes; primary preventive programmes would be more difficult to evaluate and have a more gradual impact. Only with continual accurate data collection through the whole country, over a much longer period, can the relative value of preventive and therapeutic programmes in coronary heart disease be assessed.


Gastroenterology, by Gary Gitnick ( Medical Outline Series ), 360 pp, with illus, paper, $25, New Hyde Park, NY, Medical Examination Publishing Co Inc, 1985. Case Presentations consists mainly of 60 cases, most disorders of the large and small intestine and hepatobiliary system; a smaller number present esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic conditions. The well-constructed, interesting cases will often challenge even an experienced gastroenterologist's diagnostic acumen. They are well designed for medical students, house officers, and trainees in gastroenterology as well as for any physician who, with a moment or two to spare, would enjoy solving a short diagnostic puzzle. The questions are relatively brief and straightforward. The discussion of the cases is one of the book's strongest points, providing a pertinent, accurate review for a wide variety of conditions, such as achalasia, esophageal webs and rings, the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, and antibiotic-associated colitis, to name a few. Some may find the British terminology


【In the case of designing superconducting power apparatuses using the second generation high temperature superconducting wire, it is necessary to have a tape-splicing technique to achieve low splice resistance between coated conductor (CC) tapes. In this paper, an experimental splice method between YBCO CC tapes is proposed for a coil application. Splices were performed with a 37Pb-63Sn solder. YBCO samples were fabricated with various pressures and cooling rates. Joint resistances of the spliced samples of jointed YBCO CC tapes were measured and evaluated from V-I curves. In addition, optical micrographs were obtained to analyze the cross sectional microstructure of jointed samples.】


Biodiesel is an alternative renewable fuel and its production rises rapidly. Microbial oils produced by oleaginous microorganisms can be used as a feedstock for biodiesel production so as to sustain the increasing demand for biodiesel and alleviate the competition with the food supply. This study investigated oil production by an oleaginous fungus, Mortierella sp., which was isolated from soils of Tamil Nadu in India. The flask culturing experiment shows that the optimal lipid production conditions were glucose as the carbon source (0.16 M), yeast extract (one percent) as the nitrogen source, temperature at 30°C and pH of 6.5. Under the optimal conditions, the oil production potential of Mortierella sp was examined in a three-litre pilot-scale fermentor. The fungus accumulated 44.1% of lipids in dry biomass and the biomass growth was 15.9 g l -1 . The fungal oil contained oleic acid of 38.2%, stearic acid of 11.5%, linolenic acid of 4.8% and palmitic acid of 19.6%, and its fatty acid composition was similar to that of vegetable oils. The crude oil had properties: density of 920 Kg/m 3 at 15°C, viscosity of 54.81 mm 2 /s at 40°C, flash point of 218°C, pour point of 7.0°C, water content of 3.9%, ash content, 0.62%, carbon residue of 0.082%, acid value of 28.22 Mg KOH/g, calorific value of 32.05 MJ/Kg, free fatty acid of 14.55, and fire point of 230°C. The oil properties were much similar to Jatropha oil and rapeseed oil.


Language Identification is the task of automatically identifying the language(s) in which the content is written in a document (web page, text document). Due to the widespread use of internet, identification of languages has become an important preprocessing step for a number of applications such as machine translation, Part-of-Speech tagging, linguistic corpus creation, supporting low-density languages, accessibility of social media or user-generated content, search engines and information extraction in addition to processing multilingual documents. In a multilingual country like India, Language Identification has wider scope to bridge the digital divide between different language users. This paper presents a brief overview of the challenges involved in automatic language identification, existing methodologies and some of the tools available for language identification.


Invasive candidiasis is a common nosocomial infection, especially among the critically ill and immunocompromised patient populations. The recent standardization and increasing availability of antifungal susceptibility testing has the potential to optimize the selection of antifungal therapy. Treatment has been revolutionized in recent years with the marketing of several antifungal agents with excellent activity against Candida spp. These agents include the triazoles, fluconazole and voriconazole, and the echinocandin antifungals. While more expensive by acquisition cost, these newer agents are less toxic than the previously used drugs, and the triazoles offer the additional benefit of oral administration. The availability of new agents, future adoption of diagnostic tests for candidiasis, and susceptibility testing will have a major impact in the management of invasive candidiasis.


There is an increasing demand for broadband services in Indonesia. Therefore, the answer is the use of Ka-Band which has some advantages such as wider bandwidth, the higher transmission speeds, and smaller size of antenna in the ground. However, rain attenuation is the primary factor in the degradation of signal at the Kaband. In this paper, the author will determine whether the Ka-band frequency can be implemented in Indonesia which has high intensity of rainfall. Keywords—Ka-Band, Link Budget, Link Availability, BER, Eb/No, C/N.


An 80‐year‐old woman with a pleomorphic carcinoma (PC) producing hCG was admitted to Nippon Steel Hirohata Hospital because of an abnormal shadow on CT seen during a follow‐up examination after surgery for breast cancer. A right upper lobectomy was performed due to rapid growth of the shadow 3 months later. Macroscopically the tumor was a 4.8 × 4.0 cm well‐circumscribed grayish‐white mass. On histology the tumor consisted mostly of intermingled spindle and polygonal cells, while evidence of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma was seen in a few areas. A diagnosis of PC was made due to hCG expression in approximately 20% of the spindle and polygonal cells on immunohistology. Six months after the operation metastasis to the liver and adrenal gland was seen on CT. The patient died due to metastases 1 year after the operation, even though the patient had been at stage 1B at the time of the operation and appropriate chemotherapy had been given. PC patients with immunohistochemical hCG expression have elevated risk of local recurrence and metastasis.


A mobile wireless delay-tolerant network (DTN) model is proposed and analyzed, in which infinitely many nodes are initially placed on $\mathbb {R}^{2}$ according to a uniform Poisson point process (PPP) and subsequently travel, independently of each other, along trajectories comprised of line segments, changing travel direction at time instances that form a Poisson process, each time selecting a new travel direction from an arbitrary distribution; all nodes maintain constant speed. A single information packet is traveling towards a given direction using both wireless transmissions and sojourns on node buffers, according to a member of a class of utility-based routing rules. For this model, we compute the long-term averages of the speed with which the packet travels towards its destination and the rate with which the wireless transmission cost accumulates. Because of the complexity of the problem, we employ two intuitive, simplifying approximations; simulations show that the approximation error is typically small. Our results provide intuition on the fundamental trade-off that exists in mobile wireless DTNs between the packet speed and the packet delivery cost. The framework developed here is both general and versatile, and can be used as a starting point for further investigation.


The Hodge-Tate spectral sequence for a proper smooth variety over a p-adic field provides a framework for us to revisit Faltings' approach to p-adic Hodge theory and to fill in many details. The spectral sequence is obtained from the Cartan-Leray spectral sequence for the canonical projection from the Faltings topos to the etale topos of an integral model of the variety. Its abutment is computed by Faltings' main comparison theorem from which derive all comparison theorems between p-adic etale cohomology and other p-adic cohomologies, and its initial term is related to the sheaf of differential forms by a construction reminiscent of the Cartier isomorphism.


We have determined the comparative activities of peroxisomal proliferators, ciprofibrate and clofibric acid on various hepatic parameters associated with endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and peroxisomes in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. We have measured the activities of carnitine acetyltransferase and fatty acylCoA oxidase, and the amount of 60 and 80 kD polypeptides as biochemical markers of the peroxisomal function; laurate hydroxylase and cytochrome P‐450 as markers of the endoplasmic reticulum; and carnitine palmitoyltransferase as a marker of mitochondria in primary cultures of hepatocytes. Ciprofibrate (0.01 to 0.3 mM) and clofibric acid (0.1 to 3 mM) produced similar changes in several components of cultured hepatocytes within 72 hr. Increases of protein (18 and 11%), carnitine palmitoyltransferase (23 and 97%), cytochrome P‐450 (37 and 49%), carnitine acetyltransferase (484 and 614%), fatty acylCoA oxidase (529 and 931%) and laurate hydroxylase (624 and 671%) were obtained in hepatocytes after a 72‐hr exposure to 0.1 mM ciprofibrate and 1.0 mM clofibric acid, respectively. In cultured hepatocytes, ciprofibrate was about 30‐fold more active than clofibric acid for the stimulation of carnitine acetyltransferase, laurate hydroxylase and fatty acylCoA oxidase activities. Ciprofibrate was also more potent than clofibric acid as an inducer of the 60 and 80 kD proteins in hepatocytes. The maximal drug‐induced increases in carnitine acetyltransferase activity were not additive, and the induction of carnitine acetyltransferase by ciprofibrate was blocked by addition (1 μg per ml) of cycloheximide or actinomycin D. Changes in protein and RNA synthesis preceded the drug‐induced increases of carnitine acetyltransferase activity. Druginduced increases in peroxisomes of hepatocytes were also confirmed by 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine staining and electron microscopic examination. These results show that: (i) measurements of carnitine acetyltransferase, fatty acylCoA oxidase, laurate hydroxylase activities and 80 kD polypeptide in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes are useful criteria for characterizing the effects of peroxisome proliferating agents; (ii) ciprofibrate is more active as a peroxisomal proliferating agent than clofibric acid in hepatocyte cultures; and (iii) the isolated, cultured rat hepatocyte system is valuable as an adjunct to the in vivo model for studying biochemical mechanisms of peroxisome proliferation and hepatotoxicity for this class of agents.


Abstract The European Union (EU) member states have agreed on the Water Framework Directive. The vision is that all European waters will achieve "good" ecological status. Each member state has agreed to meet these commitments. In Sweden, the Environmental Protection Agency regulates the methods used for classification of the ecological status of inland and coastal waters. The aim of this study was to evaluate how these criteria (using diatoms, benthic fauna, fish, water chemistry, hydromorphology) principally affect the classification of two typical forest streams. Forestland constitutes approximately 70% of the Swedish land area and forestry is the dominating human impact on many waters. Particular attention was paid to evaluate how the classification may vary with catchment size and between years. The results indicate that there is an obvious risk that many Swedish forest streams will not achieve "good" ecological status. The classification outcome may vary between years and regarding fish status; it also seems to depend on stream size.


The aim of this study was to explore the similarities and differences of volatile organic pollutants (VOCs) in cooking fumes (COF) of residential buildings in different regions of China, as well as to evaluate their potential health risks. COF condensates were collected from 10 representative cities in China and analyzed by a GC–MS method. Their effects on α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase (AchE), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities were then detected to evaluate potential health risks. A total of 174 kinds of VOCs, including aldehydes, esters, hydrocarbons, alcohols, and carboxylic acid, were identified. There were 59 identical compounds in the northern and southern regions, and 56 common compounds in spicy and non-spicy regions. Health risk assessment results showed that COF condensate could inhibit the activity of α-glucosidase to varying degrees (61.73–129.25%), suggesting that it had a potential risk of causing hypoglycemia. Daily and 3 and 6 month intakes of COF in minors, adults, and the elderly had both activated and inhibited effects on AchE. The activated effect in the southern and spicy areas was higher than that in northern and non-spicy areas, revealing that different regions and dietary habits had different effects on the risk of neurological diseases caused by changes in AchE activity. For minors, adults, and the elderly, COF had different degrees of activation of LDH at different exposure times and regions. Activation in the northern and non-spicy areas was higher than that in southern and spicy areas, suggesting that the health risks caused by changes in LDH activity levels were significantly increased.


A method is proposed for stable generation of powerful subnanosecond pulses without using reverse-feedback systems. This method requires no nonlinear elements inside the cavity and no external supplementary rf pulse generators in the shutter-control system. The method has been experimentally tested on a compact laser radiator based on a YAG:Nd crystal.


This paper presents an analysis of the most successful legal tools to stimulate environmentally friendly behavior of the population. The relevance of studying this issue follows from the disappointing data of the official statistics of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to which air pollution can lead to premature death of 6-9 million people by 2060. Using the example of Russia, the EU countries, the USA, India and Japan, the specifics of state influence are revealed with the aim of stimulating "green" behavior of the population, the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to state regulation in the environmental sphere are considered. Foreign experience is analyzed through the prism of the potential for its further reception in Russia - for example, it is proposed to turn to the practice of India, expressed in the functioning of a separate environmental court; special attention is paid to foreign experience in providing benefits and state assistance in the acquisition of electric cars. Despite the fact that achieving socially desirable behavior is possible through the imposition of sanctions, measures to stimulate environmentally friendly behavior can also be an effective way of influencing public relations, as they can lead to the formation of environmental legal awareness, lead to conscious and responsible, socially active behavior in relation to the environment. In the process of preparing the paper, an extensive regulatory and scientific material was studied (including using the legal research services such as Consultant Plus, Garant and Westlaw Academics), and the research methodology was both special legal (rather-legal, technical) and general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, deduction, induction, etc.).


The traditional approach to patients with stage II endometrial carcinoma is preoperative radiation therapy (RT) followed by surgery. Currently, many patients are treated with primary surgery and postoperative RT. We retrospectively reviewed the outcome of 44 stage II (32 IIA, 12 IIB) patients who underwent surgery and postoperative RT. Nine (20%) had microscopic cervical involvement noted before surgery, and 35 (80%) had occult involvement noted postoperatively. Postoperative RT consisted of whole pelvic RT (WPRT) (50%), vaginal brachytherapy (VB) (18%), or both (32%). At a median follow-up of 40 months, the 5-year actuarial disease-free survival was 72.4%. Two patients (4%) had recurrence in the pelvis (one vagina, one lateral pelvis). Eighteen stage IIA patients treated with WPRT alone and eight stage IIA patients, without deep myometrial invasion (MI), were treated with VB alone, and remained controlled in the pelvis. Extrapelvic recurrences occurred in 12 patients (25%), primarily in those with deep MI and/or grade 2-3 disease. Our results suggest that patients with stage II endometrial carcinoma with microscopic or occult cervical involvement treated with surgery and postoperative RT have a favorable outcome. A high rate of pelvic control is achieved with RT tailored to the pathologic findings.


We present morphological data of nine recently collected Xenotyphlops specimens from the coastal region east of Antsiranana in northern Madagascar, and compare them with data of the three hitherto known individuals of the family Xenotyphlopidae (the two type specimens of X. grandidieri and the holotype of X. mocquardi). We assign the newly collected material to X. grandidieri because of a lack of convincing and constant morphological differences from the types of this species. Our results indicate that the morphological variability of X. grandidieri is greater than formerly known. DNA sequences of the cytochrome b gene provide no indication of the occurrence of more than one species of Xenotyphlops in the Baie de Sakalava area despite the morphological variation found in specimens from this site. Due to the absence of clear diagnostic characters we propose to consider X. mocquardi a junior synonym of X. grandidieri resulting in a monotypic genus Xenotyphlops and a monotypic family Xenotyphlopidae. This conclusion is supported by the distribution ranges of both taxa, which are in close geographic proximity. To protect this unique relict species as well as other presumed endemics classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN we suggest establishing a littoral (coastal) nature reserve along the coast east and southeast of Antsiranana.


Wireless NanoSensor Network (WNSN) is a brand-new type of sensor network with broad application prospects. In view of the limited energy of nano-nodes and unstable links in WNSNs, we propose an energy balance cluster network framework (EBCNF) based on Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT). The EBCNF framework extends the network lifetime of nanonodes and uses a clustering algorithm called EBACC (an energy balance algorithm for intra-cluster and inter-cluster nodes) to make the energy consumption of nodes more uniform. Simulation shows that the EBCNF framework can make the network energy consumption more uniform, reduce the error rate of data transmission and the average network throughput, and can be used as an effective routing framework for WNSNs.


One need only look at the list of the world's most valuable firms, including Apple Inc. and Microsoft, to understand that there is a link between innovation and success. However, little has been done to explore why some firms are more innovative. In this thesis we explore one possible reason that some firms are more innovative than others: innate ability.
 The first essay explores the importance of abilities on the innovative process, defined as a firm's ability to spot and implement new technologies. We observe that if the more able firm possesses both an ability and timing advantage, it always becomes the dominant firm. However, if an ex ante low ability firm has an investment timing advantage it can become the ex post market leader if and only if the a priori ability gap is not too large.
 The second essay analyses whether a firm's incentive to agglomerate, when research spillovers are location based, survives the existence of asymmetric abilities which may generate heterogeneous unit costs. First, we find that agglomeration is never optimal, not even when the firms are symmetric, due to the threat of rapidly escalating of price competition. Second, where a firm is better able to both reduce its own costs and assimilate a rival's economic knowledge, it becomes more aggressive in terms of both location and investment, leading to increasingly asymmetric outcomes.
 The third essay examines the impact abilities have on venture capital funding. Specifically, we consider the impact of venture capital from the firms' perspectives. We find evidence of both a direct and indirect impact of venture capital. Furthermore, we find that the commonly held assertion that venture capital spurs success is too vague. Instead, venture capital only spurs innovation amongst the "lucky", chosen few, but unambiguously suppresses innovation of non-VC-backed firms.


The architects of the Modern Movement in the late 1920s found new sources of form through the pursuit of technical and functional issues in design. They sought shaping agents in functional organization, in the admission of light, in efficiency of structure and construction, and many other physical issues of this kind. At the same time, they felt the need to escape from traditional rules of architectural composition involving Classical orders of columns, symmetry and axes. They were ready to discover a new and surprising identity for buildings precisely to defy the historicist conventions that until then dominated architecture as a cultural tradition. Acoustics is an area in which many interesting claims were made, and some famous Modernist designs were supposedly formed, or at very least inspired, by acoustic forces. These historical instances beg the question whether acoustics is really a legitimate and helpful formal determinant of buildings. Perhaps instead, the acoustic arguments put forward by architects to justify their formal choices were just convenient alibis. This is a far more complex issue than at first it seems.


Grid computing systems are a distributed geographical environment where the resources of entities are shared between each other and defining the type of entities is fully in control of their owners. Each entity can apply kind of limitations to the use of its resources by other entities. Because the resources of the non homogeneous grid belong to the various places with various business policies, it is very important and complex to manage the behavior trust of the resources in return to the requested works. In this paper a new method is proposed to the ability of probability theory for managing the behavior trust in grid computing systems.


This variable-gain amplifier has architecture in which the linear input region is inversely proportional to the gain of the circuit. It incorporates a plurality of differential pairs (DP) coupled in parallel, forming a transadmittance stage. The input of each DP is provided with the input signal voltage, shifted by an offset voltage. The offset voltage of each individual DP is variable and independent of other DP offsets. When all offset voltages are equal, the transadmittance stage is set to maximum gain. The linear input region is then comparable to that of a single DP transadmittance stage. When the offset voltages are made equidistant at about 40 to 60 mV, the transadmittance stage is set to minimum gain. The linear input range is then increased compared to the situation of maximum gain and is dependent on the number of DPs. Gain settings between minimum and maximum gain are achieved by values of equidistance of the offset voltages between 0 and 40 to 60 mV. A prototype variable gain amplifier is in a 1 /spl mu/m triple metal bipolar process. It contains 32 parallel DPs and has a differential voltage input as well as output. The gain range is 0 to 25 dB. Active chip area is 0.15 mm/sup 2/. Supply voltage is 5 V and signal bandwidth is about 35 MHz at a power dissipation of 40 mW.


The immunobiology underlying the slow acquisition of skin immunity to group A streptococci (GAS), is not understood, but attributed to specific virulence factors impeding innate immunity and significant antigenic diversity of the type-specific M-protein, hindering acquired immunity. We used a number of epidemiologically distinct GAS strains to model the development of acquired immunity. We show that infection leads to antibody responses to the serotype-specific determinants on the M-protein and profound protective immunity; however, memory B cells do not develop and immunity is rapidly lost. Furthermore, antibodies do not develop to a conserved M-protein epitope that is able to induce immunity following vaccination. However, if re-infected with the same strain within three weeks, enduring immunity and memory B-cells (MBCs) to type-specific epitopes do develop. Such MBCs can adoptively transfer protection to naïve recipients. Thus, highly protective M-protein-specific MBCs may never develop following a single episode of pyoderma, contributing to the slow acquisition of immunity and to streptococcal endemicity in at-risk populations.


Large quantities of wastewater containing suspended solids, heavy metals and particularly ammonium are derived when disposing of the dredged material from the Hamburg harbour. For the first time, a state-of-the-art method of purifying this wastewater comprising the following stages has been defined and realised: recirculation of transport-water in order to reduce quantities, flocculation followed by sedimentation to remove the suspended solids, and nitrification in a combination of trickling filters and rotating biological contactors. The main results of the first two years of operation are presented. Suspended solids are removed to 80% and heavy metals to between 60 and 90%; the COD is reduced from up to 250 mg/l to approx. 60 mg/l and ammonium inflow values of up to 80 mg N/l are reduced to values smaller than 2 mg N/l at temperatures above 10 °C. At 10 °C the nitrification rates reach values of up to 0.55 g NH4-N/m2 d in the trickling filter and up to 1.40 g NH4-N/m2 d in the rotating biological contactor. An expert system is used for operating the nitrification stage.


This work presents a novel two-axis gimbaled mirror for optical scanning applications. This scanner has been implemented using the molded surface-micromachining and bulk etching release (MOSBE II) process. Thus, the vertical comb-drive actuators are employed to realize the large stroke. The thin-film electrical routings are employed to drive the actuators individually. The rib-reinforced structures are exploited to increase the stiffness of mirror plate and supporting frame. In addition, the moving space created by backside deep reactive ion etching enables the mirror to perform large out-of-plane angular motion. The measured radius of curvature of reinforced mirror plate is 0.43 m. The maximum scanning angle of two driving axis are plusmn3.8deg at 55 V and plusmn2.4deg at 100 V, respectively. The resonant frequencies associated with the scanning modes are 5.8 and 7.8m kHz, respectively. In addition, the two-dimensional scanning images such as Lissajous patterns are also demonstrated


The most commonly used operation in computer vision and image analysis is edge detection. The reason behind enlightening this operation of edge detection is that it is used in the identification and classification of the objects in an image. In this paper we propose a new edge drawing algorithm that works by finding a set of edge points in an image and then linking these edge points by drawing edges between them. We believe that our edge detector is a novel step in edge detection and would be very suitable for the next generation real-time image processing and computer vision applications.


Multiple chemical sensitivity is a controversial diagnosis. Rigorous, controlled, laboratory-based research can reduce this controversy and lead to potential clinical confirmatory tests. The literature on human caffeine discrimination provides a rigorous methodology that can address reports that patients who suffer multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) are sensitive to usually well-tolerated chemical doses; the studies require patients to discriminate caffeine from placebo under double-blind conditions. Several issues relevant to the conduct of caffeine discrimination studies using MCS patients as subjects are addressed; these issues include study design, determination of safe and tolerable training doses, and discrimination training. Such research will benefit patients and clinicians dealing with a diagnosis of MCS.


The relationship between Australia and India is rapidly evolving, influenced in part by the changes across the Indo-Pacific region. This vast area, where more than half the people of the world live, is moving towards a new regional order, but what this will be is not yet decided. Australia and India intend to use their agencies to shape a favourable future for themselves in terms of greater prosperity and enhanced security. This paper initially reviews the contemporary Australia-India relationship with its newly created institutions and rapidly developing interactions. The second section considers some key present-day issues regarding prosperity were cooperation would be mutually advantageous: cyber, hydrogen energy, rare earths, and critical and emerging technology. The third section deliberates on security collaboration through discussing the two nations' strategic focuses, the possibilities for increased defence interaction and a potential de-fence technology cooperation approach. The final section considers the longer-term aspirations of both nations and concludes that Australia may need to be as pragmatic as India. Future progress will require effort and with both nations' limited resources, some tough prioritisations may be necessary.