In order to clarify the effects of multi-scale climate change on the population distribution and ecological service function of Z.cucurbitae, this paper analyzed its suitable distribution area Z.cucurbitae in a wide scale using the MaxEnt ecological model. Z.cucurbitae were exposed under short-term high temperatures of 33°C, 37°C, 41°C and 45°C for 1h, which were set based on recorded high temperatures in the field. The effects of these temperatures on development and reproduction of Z.cucurbitae in successive three generations were evaluated. The results showed that under current climatic conditions, the suitable regions of Z.cucurbitae included most of South America, southeast North America, sub-Saharan Africa, part of Oceania and southern coastal areas of Asia. Under two carbon emissions scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), the suitable area of Z.cucurbitae will expand compared to that under current environment and this expansion will generally be northwards. Short-term high temperature was not conducive to the development and reproduction of Z.cucurbitae. The F1 Z.cucurbitae exposed under 45°C for 1h stimulated its oviposition, and the offspring can still continue the population. When the offspring were continuously exposed to short-term high temperature until the F3, they could not oviposit. In the context of climate change, both large-scale and small-scale changes will affect the distribution and population breeding of Z.cucurbitae, which will lead to local sudden outbreak or migration disaster. Therefore, a broad-scale distribution analysis of all populations as a whole will result in a narrow ecological niche and may fail to predict the effects of some local small-scale habitat changes.


The paper is about the Nanotechnology and its engineering applications in the field of biomedical applications and their health problems. Nanotechnology is engineering at the molecular (groups of atoms) level. It is the collective term for a range of technologies, techniques and processes that involve the manipulation of matter at the smallest scale (from 1 to 100 manometers — 1/10,000th the thickness of a human hair). Nanotechnology is an extremely powerful emerging technology, which is expected to have a substantial impact on medical technology now and in the future. The potential impact of novel nonmedical applications on disease diagnosis, therapy, and prevention is foreseen to change health care in a fundamental way. Furthermore, therapeutic selection can increasingly be tailored to each patient's profile. In particular, relevant applications the surgery, cancer diagnosis and therapy, bio detection of disease markers, molecular imaging, implant technology, tissue engineering, and devices for drug, protein, gene and radionuclide delivery. Many medical nanotechnology applications are still in their infancy. However, an increasing number of products is currently under clinical investigation and some products are already commercially available, such as surgical blades and suture needles, contrast-enhancing agents for magnetic resonance imaging, bone replacement materials, wound dressings, anti-microbial textiles, chips for in vitro molecular diagnostics, micro cantilevers, and micro needles.


Objective: To compare the cardiovascular responses to passive postural maneuvers (tilt test) and the cardiorespiratory capacity in middle-aged men and women, before and after aerobic physical training. Methods: Seven men (44.6±2.1 years old) and seven women (51.7±4.8 years old) participated in aerobic physical training for 12 weeks. The tilt test protocol (fi ve minutes supine, ten minutes tilted at 70° and fi ve minutes supine) was followed, with arterial blood pressure and heart rate monitoring. A cycle ergometer protocol was used to measure cardiorespiratory capacity. Results: In the sedentary condition, men showed greater parasympathetic infl uence in heart rate control, as demonstrated by their higher RR interval (iRR) during the tilt test. After training, the iRR values became more similar in the two groups, although the women had higher iRR in the supine position and the men continued to present higher iRR under tilted conditions. The women's blood pressures continued to be higher after training, but heart rate tended to become similar in the two groups. The cardiorespiratory capacity patterns in the two groups were similar after training. Except for absolute heart rate values, for which there were no differences between the groups, the men's values were higher than those of the women for all other variables. It was also observed that, after the training, the women's blood pressures were signifi cantly lower, even though their pressures remained higher than the men's. Conclusions: The training seemed to reduce the women's arterial blood pressure levels and improve both groups' cardiorespiratory capacity, but the men continued to present better performance than the women. Article registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) under the number 12608000085370.


Forty pigs (half each of females and entire males) were used in an ad libitum feeding experiment from weaning to 33 kg live weight (LW). In period 1 to 16 kg LW, the pigs had either food L (134 g crude protein (CP) per kg) or food H (278 g CP per kg) alone. The aim was to delay the growth of pigs on L and create two groups of pigs with different body compositions. At 16 kg LW, eight pigs were killed and their empty bodies chemically analysed. The pigs given L had 1·06 (s.e. 0·08) kg more lipid and a lower protein: ash ratio in their empty body than pigs on H; growth rates, from 9 to 16 kg LW, were 386 (L) and 591 (H) (s.e.d. 17)g/day. Both aims were thus achieved. In period 2 the pigs previously given L (no. = 16) or H (no. = 16) in period 1, were given L alone (no. = 4), H alone (no. = 4) or a choice between L and H (no. = 8) to 33 kg LW when the choice-fed pigs were killed and their empty bodies chemically analysed. The objective of the experiment was to test the idea that pigs previously given a food deficient in CP, when given a choice between foods, one of high and one of low, protein content will select a diet of a composition that allows them to correct the effects of the previous mis-feeding. The pigs given L alone in period 2 grew more slowly, and ate more per day, than those given H alone, with no effect of the food given in period 1. Of those given H alone in period 2, the pigs previously given L grew faster, and were more efficient, than those previously given H. The protein contents (g CP per kg food) of the diets selected by the choice-fed pigs were significantly affected by both sex (228 for males v. 181 for females; s.e.d. 15) and the food given in period 1 (233 for L and 175 for H; s.e.d. 15) with no significant interaction between these factors. The pigs from L grew faster (1039 v. 780 (s.e.d. 70) g/day) had a higher daily food intake (1420 v. 1319 (s.e.d. 71) g/day) and were more efficient (0·736 v. 0·595 (s.e.d. 0·034) g gain per g food) than those from H. At 33 kg LW lipid weights were similar for the two period 1 treatments (L had 0·40 (s.e. 0·54) kg more lipid than H); females had 1·79 (s.e. 0·54) kg more lipid than males. It is concluded that, where pigs are given a choice between foods of low and high protein contents, they will select a diet of a composition such that the effects of previous mis-feeding are corrected. Giving pigs a choice between an appropriate pair of foods allows them to select a diet of a composition suitable for their needs.


Eighteen-week-old laying hens were fed diets containing 0, 10, or 20% ground flaxseed and 10 or 100 IU vitamin E/kg diet, in a factorial arrangement. When birds were 60 wk of age, eggs were collected from various treatments and used in taste panel studies. All studies involved freshly boiled eggs. In Experiment 1, four separate panels were conducted to obtain information on egg aroma, egg flavor, presence of any off-flavor, and overall acceptability of the egg. Pooled data showed a very significant difference among panelists for all attributes tested (P < 0.01) and off-flavors were detected in eggs from hens fed 10 and 20% flaxseed with 10 mg vitamin E/kg. In Experiment 2 panelists were asked to evaluate egg aroma, yolk flavor, and overall acceptability in eggs from birds fed the lowest level of vitamin E with 0 or 10% flaxseed, and birds fed 20% flaxseed and 10 or 100 mg vitamin E/kg. The highest ratings for egg aroma, yolk flavor, and overall acceptability were for the control eggs. There was a significant reduction in overall acceptability as flaxseed concentration increased (P < 0.05) and an interesting and significant (P < 0.05) decline in overall acceptability for birds fed 100 vs 10 IU vitamin E/kg diet in eggs for birds fed 20% flaxseed. In a third study, there was an indication of preference for eggs from birds not fed flaxseed, when the diet contained 10, rather than 100 IU vitamin E/kg diet. These data suggest that high (> 10%) levels of flaxseed used in the bird's diet will result in some decrease in overall egg acceptability as assessed by aroma and flavor. These effects seem to be accentuated by using high levels of vitamin E in the bird's diet.


Magnetars form a special population of neutron stars with strong magnetic fields and long spin periods. About 30 magnetars and magnetar candidates known currently are probably isolated, but the possibility that magnetars are in binaries has not been excluded. In this work, we perform spin evolution of neutron stars with different magnetic fields in wind-fed high-mass X-ray binaries and compare the spin period distribution with observations, aiming to find magnetars in binaries. Our simulation shows that some of the neutron stars, which have long spin periods or are in widely-separated systems, need strong magnetic fields to explain their spin evolution. This implies that there are probably magnetars in high-mass X-ray binaries. Moreover, this can further provide a theoretical basis for some unclear astronomical phenomena, such as the possible origin of periodic fast radio bursts from magnetars in binary systems.


This paper presents a nonlinear observer and controller based on passivity and sliding mode approach for vehicle traction control. The main contribution is the online estimation of the tire force which is needed for control. The concept of relaxation length describes the wheel-slip variation as a first order model. From this concept a differential equation of tire force is proposed to design a controller based on nonlinear observer. Only longitudinal dynamics are considered in this study. Stability analysis in closed-loop is proved by Lyapunov's method. Sufficient conditions for applying sliding mode based control are derived. The proposed control is verified through one-wheel simulation using "Magic formula'' tire model. The robustness of control is tested by including errors in the parameters and by changing value of tire adhesion. A comparison of the proposed approach of control with PD control is given. INTRODUCTION Active safety is of a growing importance due to recent research on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology. Several safety systems has been developed for cars (ABS, TCS, Collision warning/avoidance control system, etc.). The knowledge of the characteristics of the tire/road adhesion are a crucial factors to achieve these control systems. It was shown that tire forces influence the vehicle dynamic performance [7]. However, tire forces or tire/road adhesion are difficult to measure directly. Their values are often deduced by some approximate dynamic tire models. The tire models proposed in literature are complex and depend on several factors (load, tire pressure, environmental characteristics, etc.), (see references [1,5,7,8,13]).These models has been developed particularly for vehicle dynamic simulations and analysis. They are generally derived from experimental data produced by machine tests. For vehicle control systems, the knowledge of tire forces can be done through estimation methods (see references [4,9,16]), thus many hard-to-measure signals have to be observed or estimated. The vehicle traction control is realized to obtain a desired vehicle motion, maintain vehicle stability and steerability, ensure safety, etc. Many advanced researches in this field use some recent approaches of control with regard to the conventional controllers[18,19, 21]. They use, for control, the cinematic relationship of wheel-slip. In order to avoid the problem of unknown tire forces they use either a nominal tire model or approximation methods. In this paper we describe the wheel-slip variation by a first order model based on concept of relaxation length [2,6,11]. Since the wheel-slip is associated to the development of the longitudinal tire force, we propose a time derivative of tire force based on variation of wheelslip. The proposed equation of longitudinal tire force enables on-line estimation of the unknown forces. Only pure longitudinal dynamic of vehicle is considered in this paper. A simplified longitudinal vehicle model is developed to design an observer and a control law, for stability analysis and for computer simulations. To be robust versus parametric uncertainties and perturbations, the controller and observer design are based on sliding mode approach [17,20]. The state variables considered in the dynamics model are angular wheel velocity, vehicle velocity, longitudinal wheel-slip and tractive/braking force. We consider that only angular wheel velocity is measured directly. In braking case, the braking torque can be obtained by measurement of pressure of the brakes. In acceleration case, the applied torque is obtained throughout a driven table and RMP measurement. Note that, we do not need to known exactly the value of torque for these cases. In the next section, we describe the system dynamics. The formulation of control and a state space form for observer design are performed in section III. The system observability is studied in section VI. In section V\ a design of sliding mode observer is proposed and its stability analysis is proved. In section VI, a control law based on this observer is presented. The stability analysis in closed-loop and convergence conditions of observation and control errors are shown. Simulation results are given in section VII. Finally, conclusion and perspectives of this work are presented in section VIII. SYSTEM DYNAMICS In this section, we describe the model for vehicle longitudinal dynamic. This model will then be used for system analysis, observer design and computer simulations. This model retains the main characteristics of the longitudinal dynamic. The application of Newton's law to wheel and vehicle dynamics gives the equations of motion. The concept of the relaxation length is used to deduce the differentials equations of wheel-slip and tractive/braking force. The input signal is the torque applied to the wheel. The dynamic equation for the angular motion of the wheel is rF f T I w − ω − = ω& (1) where I is the moment of inertia of the wheel, fw is the viscous rotational friction and r is the radius of the wheel. The applied torque T results from the difference between the shaft torque from the engine and the break torque. F is the tire tractive/braking force which result from the deformation of the tire at the contact patch. The vehicle motion is governed by the following equation 2 xv C F m − = & (2) where Cx is the aerodynamic drag coefficient and m is the vehicle mass. The tractive (braking) force (produced on the tire/road interface when a driving (braking) torque is applied to a pneumatic tire) is in the opposed direction of relative motion between the tire and road surface. This relative motion determines the tire slip properties. Slipping is due to deflection in the contact patch [7,8] . Thus wheel-slip s is associated with the development of tractive or braking force and we can express F as : ) f( s F = (3) The wheel-slip is generally described by a cinematic relationship as follow :


This paper presents the results of news analysis of the Supreme Court decision that Indigenous Faiths on the ID card (E-KTP) with Norman Fairclough's critical discourse analysis approach as the central platform. The study covers descriptions (text analysis), interpretations (discourse practices), and explanations (social practices). The results are as follows. (1) The structure of the news text Indigenous Faiths allowed on the ID card is built by four units of discourse: headline, orientation, the sequence of events, closing. Modalities and affirmative sentences represent the positive ideology of the conflicting faction and the institutions (government, scientists, and community leaders). Meanwhile, prohibiting speech and negative sentences represent the negative ideology. (2) What events occur, who is involved, what is the relationship with the issue raised, and what role the language can be expressed through the interpretation of the practice of discourse. (3) The situation when the news text is produced, the influence of the institution on the produced text, and the condition of Indonesians related to economic, political, social, and cultural interests (socio-cultural context).


A general description of the life history of Mountain hares is given, base on a three year field study of about 200 wild hares on a moor near Morven, Aberdeenshire, and laboratory examination of over 360 dead specimens from surrounding areas. Growth and body size, behaviour, range and movements, food and reingestion are described. More detailed information on reproduction, mortality and population counts are presented to give an outline of the population dynamics in this species.


Ostrowski has shown that a Taylor series f(z) = £T=o anzn with finite nonzero radius of convergence overconverges in a neighborhood of each point of the circle of convergence at which f(z) is regular if a" = 0 for mk<n<nk, mk, ra*—»°o as ft—»oo, mk<\nk, X<1, ft = l, 2, 3, • • • (i.e. the series has Hadamard gaps), while every overconvergent series f(z) = zZn-o anzn can, in turn, be written in the form/(z) =g(z)+h(z) where the Taylor series g(z) has Hadamard gaps and h(z) is a Taylor series whose radius of convergence is larger than that of f(z). For a summary of results on overconvergence up to 1937 including proofs of Ostrowski's theorems the reader is referred to [l ]. It is our purpose in this work to consider some conditions on the distribution of the zeros of the polynomials that stand between the gaps of a "gap series" that are sufficient to imply the overconvergence of the series, and to make an application of such results to a problem in the Fatou-Polya circle of ideas.


Purpose
This paper describes and discusses aspects that affect research questions in a practice-based research study, where learning study is used as a framework. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to understanding of the process where teachers and a researcher collaborate in transforming practical teaching problems into research questions.

Design/methodology/approach
A case study is conducted. Data consist of field notes, logbooks, manuscripts and conference papers from two learning studies conducted in grade 4 by three teachers and one researcher, and notes from meetings in a subject-teacher group at the school. The analysis focuses on how the research questions emerge and change in relation to discussions among teachers and in the research group of teaching, previous research and learning theory.

Findings
Questions about students' discernment of the structure in the base-ten system emerged in learning study 1 and in the subject-teacher group. Discussions of previous research and the didactical theory learning activity transformed the research questions in learning study 2, into focusing students' theoretical knowledge, examining general structures in the base system, using learning models as tools. Conditions for identification of specific teaching problems and alternative theory in a learning study are discussed.

Originality/value
The explicit example where research questions are transformed can be used in further discussions and methodological questions regarding formulation of research questions in educational research. Discussions, specifically of transforming research questions, when learning study is used may be promoted.


This research was purposed to find out the effect of durian seed starch addition (DuriozibethinusMurr) on chemical qualities and organoleptic properties of chicken meat balls based on chemical qualities (water content, protein and fat content) and organoleptic properties (texture, smell and taste). The result showed that the treatment P0, P1, P2, P3 gave a very significantly affect (P<0.01) on chemical qualities (water content, protein content, and fat content), gave a significantly affect (P<0.05) on organoleptic properties (texture), but the addition of durian's seed starch did not give significantly affect (P>0.05) on organoleptic properties (smell and taste). The best result was chicken meatballs made with addition of durian seed starch 15%, it has quality standart that suitable with SNI and acceptable for organoleptic properties. The conclusion of this research was addition of durian's seed starch in chicken meatballs decreased water content, protein and fat content, also organoleptic properties. The optimum addition of durian's seed starch on chicken meat balls were 15%.


Family physicians frequently encounter patients with neck lumps. The causes are numerous but in the adult the origin is most often a lymph node, the majority of which are malignant. Inappropriate management may often lead to a very poor outcome. Relevant investigations must therefore be correctly chosen. The risk for a neck lump to be malignant depends mainly on age, male sex, and alcohol and tobacco consumption and to a lesser extent on a family history for head and neck malignancy. Careful medical history looks for symptoms such as dysphagia, pain, dysphonia, otalgia, or weight loss. On physical examination, the location, size, consistency and mobility of the mass is described. A careful inspection of the scalp, skin of the face and mucosal surface of the upper aerodigestive tract is performed followed by palpation. If no inflammatory or tumoral lesion is identified, the next step is to perform a fine needle aspiration biopsy of the neck mass which will most often lead to a definite diagnosis. When this is not the case, an otolaryngology consultation and excisional biopsy should be obtained.


Abstract 2436 Poster Board II-413 Sensitive in vivo imaging methods have advanced the fields of stem cell transplantation, graft-versus–host disease (GVHD) and graft-versus-tumor responses (GVT). Near-infrared (NIF) fluorescent proteins (FP) appear advantageous for deeper tissue penetration due to minimized absorbance by hemoglobin, water and lipids. Therefore we tested whether a recently published NIF FP (FP635, "Katushka") could serve as a single reporter for whole body and single cell imaging. To compare signal intensities of eGFP and FP635 we generated fluorescent MOSEC cell lines (mouse ovarian cancer), titrated them in vitro and subcutaneously (s.c.) in vivo in Balb/c nu/nu mice. MOSEC FP635 showed twice the signal intensities compared to MOSEC eGFP in vitro by spectral fluorescence imaging (FLI). In vivo the eGFP signal was attenuated >60% in contrast to only 20% for FP635 from subcutaneous sites. However, FP635 signals from deep tissue layers were quenched. To address whether reduced signal attenuation of FP635 may allow sensitive visualization of immune processes by FLI and multiphoton-laser-scanning-microscopy (MPM) we generated transgenic mice in the genetic C57Bl/6 (B6) background, expressing FP635 under the ubiquitin promoter. Transgenic founders were selected upon signal intensities of leukocyte populations measured by flow cytometry in the PerCP channel. Combination of FP635 with colors other than red were possible for multiparameter flow cytometry. Next, eGFP, DsRed and FP635 splenocytes from transgenic donors were titrated as described above. In vitro signal intensities of FP635 splenocytes were >5 times lower compared to the other two FPs. FP635 signal absorption in vivo was low (30%) which is consistent with MOSEC titration results. In vivo DsRed detection was most sensitive and signals were similarly attenuated as FP635 in contrast to eGFP (60%). Subsequently, we aimed to visualize FP635 in a model of GVHD, where alloreactive T cells undergo massive expansion. Balb/c nu/nu mice were lethally irradiated and transplanted with 5×10 6 B6.WT bone marrow cells plus either 2×10 7 B6.DsRed + Luciferase + or 2×10 7 B6.FP635 splenocytes. Sensitivity for DsRed cell detection was superior over FP635 cells. FP635 signal was only weakly detectable in lymph nodes (LN) by ex vivo FLI, where DsRed signals were detectable at earlier timepoints and LNs were even visualized by in vivo FLI. DsRed + Luciferase + double transgenic splenocytes allowed direct comparison of bioluminescence imaging (BLI) to FLI. Timely in vivo visualization of immune cells in deep tissues was feasible only by BLI. After whole body imaging the suitability of FP635 for MPM was checked by co-injecting eGFP B cells and either DsRed or FP635 T cells intravenously into RAG -/- mice. As FP635 is a NIF FP we expected to achieve deeper tissue penetration in hemoglobin rich organs, such as the spleen, in single cell microscopy. After 6 weeks of adoptive cell transfer we imaged spleens by MPM. Tissue penetration depths of DsRed or FP635 T cells were compared to eGFP B cells. No advantage in penetration depth of FP635 over DsRed was measured. Photobleaching is an important factor for microscopy, especially if cells are to be tracked over long time. FP635 transfected 293T cells bleached faster (t 1/2 =108 sec) than 293T cells transfected with eGFP (t 1/2 >900 sec) or DsRed (t 1/2 =411 sec). These experiments indicate that very high expression levels of FP635 need to be achieved for imaging. The signal attenuation of FP635 is low which may increase the sensitivity but in our hands DsRed showed comparable characteristics. Yet, the fast photobleaching of FP635 compared to the broadly established FPs DsRed and eGFP may be disadvantageous for long term microscopic tracking of cells. Our data indicate that BLI is by far superior over FLI in sensitivity and tissue penetration for whole body imaging of immune cells. However, FLI of red or near-infrared clonally selectable tumor cell lines may provide a welcome color addition to study immune cell-tumor interactions in combined models of BLI and FLI. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The use of adhesive bonding as a structural joining method has been gaining recognition in marine industry in recent years, though it has been widely adopted in other fields such as aerospace, automobiles, trains and in civil constructions. The type of materials used and design practices followed in marine structures are different from what is applied in other disciplines. Therefore new research approaches are required and recent novel ideas are ex- plored in the context of application of bonded joint configurations in marine environment. The research is directed at developing analysis tools for predicting the displacement, stress and strain fields in adhesively bonded joints between dissimilar adherends. In the finite element formulation, the adherends may be isotropic or orthotropic layered materi- als, which are assumed to behave linear elastically. The adhesive material is assumed to behave as elasto-plastic continuum, where the nonlinear behaviour is modelled as either a rigid or a semi-rigid adhesive solid that can be represented by the Ramberg-Osgood ma- terial model. The yield behaviour of the polymeric adhesive is modelled using a modified von Mises criterion, which accounts for the fact that plastic yielding of polymer materials may occur under the action of hydrostatic as well as deviatoric stresses. The geometric nonlinearity is based on the assumption of large displacement, large rotation but small strain, and it is implemented in the code using the total Lagrangian approach. The scheme is applied on three case studies viz.: a study of adherend imbalances in a single lap joint, stress analysis of a butt-strap joint system and a hybrid joint are un- dertaken. The influence of geometric and material nonlinearity on joint deformations and adhesive stresses, are studied for a single lap joint with dissimilar adherends, aluminium and a Fibre Reinforced plastic composite material, with varying adhrend thickness ratios. The adhesive stress-strain data obtained from the model are compared with the exper- imental stress-strain curve and the numerical results are validated with the analytical solution. Three dimensional effects like 'anticlastic' and bending-twisting' are shown in the joint with a dissimilar adherends. Key results are obtained that explains the state of nonlinear adhesive stress state in the joint. Analysis of butt-strap joint focussed on nonlinear modelling of a semi-rigid adhesive ma- terial that is used to bond two dissimilar adherends, steel and aluminium. The analysis demonstrate that the influence of geometric and material nonlinearity on the joint de- formations as well as the adhesive stresses is significant. Nonlinear adhesive stresses are compared with the actual strength of the highly flexible adhesive, highlighting the need for the consideration of material nonlinearity in the bonded joints. Failure modes for the joint are inferred from the observations made on the adhesive stress state in the butt-strap joint. Last study, deals with three dimensional analysis of a GRP-Steel hybrid joint carried out to model the initiation and propagation of crack under a set of static loading cases. Earlier studies were restricted only to two dimensional analysis. This three dimensional analysis showed that the adhesive normal stress is not constant across the width of the joint. Critical locations of stress concentrations are identified and the failure mechanisms are compared with the experimental specimens. The observations made from this research study using a three dimensional finite element program, compliments the present knowledge in the field of adhesively bonded joints.


Context: Sebaceous cell carcinoma is a malignant neoplasm, rarely recognized in extra ocular sites. His prognosis depends of the precocity of the diagnosis. This neoplasm is aggressive in 29%; lymph node and visceral metastasis aren't rare. Case Report An 80-year-old male had an ulcerated and infected nodule located on the left thigh. The lesion appeared after five months ago. It suspected a squamous cell carcinoma. The histologic findings revealed an extra ocular sebaceous carcinoma. The patient died one month later due to heart insufficiency. Conclusion: extra ocular sebaceous carcinoma is a rare neoplasm. It has more difficulties of diagnosis because it has diverse clinical presentations as well as a variety of histologic patterns. We will discuss the incidence, clinical, histological and the prognosis of this aggressive neoplasm.


Nowadays, ferroelectric ceramics and thin films have attracted much attention for various studies which are generally used for numerous potential applications in ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), in microelectronic mechanical system (MEMS), non-linear
optical devices, surface acoustic wave devices, tunable capacitors, sensing applications or pyroelectric detectors (Besland et al., 2006, Yang et al., 2008). The main focus to develop the ferroelectric thin films has started in 1980s (Besland et al., 2006). Several methods were
initially used for deposition of thin films such as conventional dipping, sputtering and spin coating techniques. Typically, the deposition of thin films will be more complex to obtain a good layer that consists of several ferroelectric compounds on substrate. Furthermore, high precision deposition technique is essential to control the desired thickness and surface layer of ferroelectric compounds. As far as our concern, the up to date technique such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), RF sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and metal-organic
chemical vapor deposition have been frequently used in many studies to obtain a better ferroelectric thin films condition. Nevertheless, a major concern on expensive equipment and experience user limit this technique in many studies. In order to develop the ferroelectric materials, the preparation in the form of bulk ceramics has been extensively studied. Up to now, several methods, including solid state reaction, hydrothermal synthesis,
mechanical activation technique, sol-gel method, co-precipitation method were used for the
preparation of bulk ceramics. Recently, the soft combustion synthesis is used as alternative route since it offers several beneficial points to the processing element and the properties of ceramics (Yan ,Razak, 2010). Bismuth titanate, Bi4Ti3O12 or BTO has received a lot of
attention as dielectric and ferroelectric materials. Many studies have been conducted in various processing route to improve the microstructure that has a significance effect on
dielectric and ferroelectric properties (Hardy et al., 2004, Pookmanee et al., 2004, Zhi-hui et al., 2010). In addition, a modification on basic compound is essential to enhance those properties. Since BTO is also sought as a potential material for dielectric application, in this
chapter the effect of Sm3+ and Pr3+ doped-BTO was prepared and characterized by soft combustion technique. In order to investigate a possible application as wireless dielectric
antenna, the dielectric study at different frequencies was carried out.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common and devastating disease and there is no readily available biomarker to aid diagnosis or monitor progression of it. To further understand the pathogenic mechanism of AD, proteomic approach was used to study the cerebral synaptosomes proteins of rats injected with Abeta1-40. Compared with the untreated samples, 14 proteins were found apparently altered through 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. 12 of them were down-regulated and 2 were up-regulated. Three proteins including alpha-2-globin chain, peptidyl-prolycis-trans isomerase A (PPIaseA) and cofilin-1 protein were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and SWISS-PROT database query. Alpha-2-globin chain has not been shown to be associated with AD. PPIaseA and cofilin-1 protein are correlated with cell apoptosis and signaling. The altered proteins identified may help to understand the pathogenesis of AD.


Millions of patients worldwide suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders such as gastroparesis. These disorders typically include debilitating symptoms, such as chronic nausea and vomiting. As no cures are currently available, clinical care is limited to symptom management, while the underlying causes of impaired GI motility remain unaddressed. The efficient movement of contents through the GI tract is facilitated by peristalsis. These rhythmic slow waves of GI muscle contraction are mediated by several cell types, including smooth muscle cells, enteric neurons, telocytes, and specialised gut pacemaker cells called interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). As ICC dysfunction or loss has been implicated in several GI motility disorders, ICC represent a potentially valuable therapeutic target. Due to their availability, murine ICC have been extensively studied at the molecular level using both normal and diseased GI tissue. In contrast, relatively little is known about the biology of human ICC or their involvement in GI disease pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrate human gastric tissue as a source of primary human cells with ICC phenotype. Further characterisation of these cells will provide new insights into human GI biology, with the potential for developing novel therapies to address the fundamental causes of GI dysmotility.


Given the illumination and the surface normal at a point on a convex surface, the effect of small changes in surface normal direction on observed reflected radiance is examined. A signal-processing framework suitable for the hemispherical geometry of the problem is applied to discuss surface reflection in terms of convolving incident illumination with the reflectance function. Depending on the surface material's reflection properties as well as on the incident illumination distribution, normal direction deviation may or may not be noticeable. Expressions are derived to quantitatively evaluate the amount of change in reflected radiance. Different scenarios exemplify the results. The presented theoretical results have implications for shape-from-shading techniques as well as for scene-based compression methods.


Purpose Understanding of prostate anatomy has evolved as techniques have been refined and improved for radical prostatectomy (RP), particularly regarding the importance of the neurovascular bundles for erectile function. The objectives of this study were to develop inexpensive and simple but anatomically accurate prostate models not involving human or animal elements to teach the terminology and practical aspects of nerve-sparing RP and simple prostatectomy (SP). Materials and Methods The RP model used a Foley catheter with ballistics gelatin in the balloon and mesh fabric (neurovascular bundles) and balloons (prostatic fascial layers) on either side for the practice of inter- and intrafascial techniques. The SP model required only a ripe clementine, for which the skin represented compressed normal prostate, the pulp represented benign tissue, and the pith mimicked fibrous adhesions. A modification with a balloon through the fruit center acted as a "urethra." Results Both models were easily created and successfully represented the principles of anatomical nerve-sparing RP and SP. Both models were tested in workshops by urologists and residents of differing levels with positive feedback. Conclusions Low-fidelity models for prostate anatomy demonstration and surgical practice are feasible. They are inexpensive and simple to construct. Importantly, these models can be used for education on the practical aspects of nerve-sparing RP and SP. The models will require further validation as educational and competency tools, but as we move to an era in which human donors and animal experiments become less ethical and more difficult to complete, so too will low-fidelity models become more attractive.


The aim of this paper is to study systematic liquidity at the Euronext Lisbon Stock Exchange. The motivation for this research is provided by the growing interest in financial literature about stock liquidity and the implications of commonality in liquidity for asset pricing since it could represent a source of non-diversifiable risk. Namely, it is analysed whether there exist common factors that drive the variation in individual stock liquidity and the causes of the inter-temporal variation of aggregate liquidity. Monthly data for the period between January 1988 and December 2011 is used to compute some of the most used proxies for liquidity: bid-ask spreads, turnover rate, trading volume, proportion of zero returns and the illiquidity ratio. Following Chordia et al. (2000) methodology, some evidence of commonality in liquidity is found in the Portuguese stock market when the proportion of zero returns is used as a measure of liquidity. In relation to the factors that drive the inter-temporal variation of the Portuguese stock market liquidity, the results obtained within a VAR framework suggest that changes in real economy activity, monetary policy (proxied by changes in monetary aggregate M1) and stock market returns play an important role as determinants of commonality in liquidity.


A major challenge for the multilateral trading system is to secure the benefits of trade liberalization without infringing on the freedom of governments to pursue legitimate domestic objectives. The difficulty lies in distinguishing between two types of situations. In one, a non-protectionist government cannot prevent certain domestic policies from incidentally discriminating against foreign competitors. In the other, a protectionist government uses a legitimate objective as an excuse to design domestic policies which inhibit foreign competition. The challenge is to devise rules which are sensitive to the difference between these two situations, exonerating the former while preventing the latter. The approach suggested in this paper is to create a presumption in favour of the economically efficient policy measure, with departures inviting justification.


Stationarity is often found in session-to-session transfers of Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs). To cope with the problem, a framework based on Common Spatial Patterns (CSP), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), and covariate shift adaptation methods is proposed. Covariate shift adaptation is an effective method which can adapt to the testing sessions without the need for labeling the testing session data. This framework has been applied on one electrocorticogram (ECoG) dataset and one Electroencephalogram (EEG) dataset from BCI Competition III. Despite the different characteristics of ECoG and EEG, non-stationarity appeared in both datasets. Results showed that the proposed framework compares favorably with those methods used in the BCI Competition, revealing the effectiveness of covariate shift adaptation in tackling the nonstationarity in Brain Computer Interfaces.


The release and clearance of electrically evoked catecholamine (CA) in the ventral portion of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTV) in mouse brain slices was evaluated with fast‐scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon‐fiber microelectrodes (CFME). Uptake in this region was observed to be markedly slower than in the caudate putamen (CPu). Clearance rates were reduced in the BSTV in both norepinephrine transporter knockout (NET KO) and dopamine transporter knockout (DAT KO) mice when compared to results in wild‐type (WT) mice. However, uptake was faster in the BSTV in both the DAT and NET KO mice than in the CPu of DAT KO mice. This indicates that both transporters play a role in CA clearance in the BSTV. The transporters restrict extracellular CA to the general area of the BSTV, as revealed by the diminished signal as the CFME is moved sequentially further and further from the site where CA release is evoked. However, in slices from the DAT KOs and NET KOs, CA release could be observed outside of the BSTV region during such experiments. These results show that the low rate uptake in the BSTV facilitates extrasynaptic diffusion of catecholamine, but that uptake still regulates and limits the range of the transmitter to the region. Slower clearance from the extracellular fluid allows the released CA to act as a volume transmitter and diffuse to distant sites within the region to exert its neurochemical action. Synapse 44:188–197, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The article is connected with the issue of the manuscript written in  1849 by outstanding writer Stanislaw Morawski (1802-1853) preserved  in The Polish Library in Paris. The manuscript is entitled "Memoires about Maria Szymanowska" and comprises  details concerning the life of Adam Mickiewicz as well as unknown till now romantic  treatise about music. The preserved manuscript (others were burned by Germans  in 1944) allows us to see both works and biography as well as personality of Morawski in different light. In this article  he is taken into consideration in the context of the recent knowledge about man and culture. It  allows us to verify wrong opinions on the writer and in consequence enriches the image of Polish literature from romantic period.


The corpus callosum (CC) connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres in mammals and its development requires intercellular communication at the telencephalic midline mediated by signaling proteins. Heparan sulfate (HS) is a sulfated polysaccharide that decorates cell surface and extracellular matrix proteins and regulates the biological activity of numerous signaling proteins via sugar–protein interactions. HS is subject to regulated enzymatic sulfation and desulfation and an attractive, although not proven, hypothesis is that the biological activity of HS is regulated by a sugar sulfate code. Mutant mouse embryos lacking the heparan sulfotransferases Hs2st or Hs6st1 have severe CC phenotypes and form Probst bundles of noncrossing axons flanking large tangles of midline glial processes. Here, we identify a precocious accumulation of Sox9-expressing glial cells in the indusium griseum region and a corresponding depletion at the glial wedge associated with the formation of Probst bundles along the rostrocaudal axis in both mutants. Molecularly, we found a surprising hyperactivation of Erk signaling in Hs2st−/− (2-fold) and Hs6st1−/− (6-fold) embryonic telencephalon that was most striking at the midline, where Erk signaling is lowest in wild-types, and a 2-fold increase in Fgf8 protein levels in Hs6st1−/− embryos that could underpin Erk hyperactivation and excessive glial movement to the indusium griseum. The tightly linked Hs6st1−/− CC glial and axonal phenotypes can be rescued by genetic or pharmacological suppression of Fgf8/Erk axis components. Overall, our data fit a model in which Hs2st and Hs6st1 normally generate conditions conducive to CC development by generating an HS-containing environment that keeps Erk signaling in check.


Passive ventilation systems have the potential for reduced operating costs in office buildings while maintaining ventilation rates consistent with acceptable indoor air quality. There is a surge of interest in more developed economies for passive ventilation technology but much work is needed before this potential can be realized in sub-Saharan Africa. This explorative study reviews the adoption and adequacy of alternative ventilations systems in office buildings located in the central business district (CBD) of Nairobi, Kenya. Data for the study was obtained through questionnaires and interviews with architects and office building occupants purposively sampled. Thirty four tenants and thirty two architects of these high rise buildings were selected as units of the study analysis. Analysis of their responses is presented using simple descriptive and interpretative techniques. The study concludes that installed ventilation systems rarely meet the needs of occupants and that greater flexibility in ventilation design could provide a measure of individual control of air circulation that would enhance their general comfort.


We present All-In-1, a simple model for multilingual text classification that does not require any parallel data. It is based on a traditional Support Vector Machine classifier exploiting multilingual word embeddings and character n-grams. Our model is simple, easily extendable yet very effective, overall ranking 1st (out of 12 teams) in the IJCNLP 2017 shared task on customer feedback analysis in four languages: English, French, Japanese and Spanish.


Subsea pipelines are laid directly on seabed with further constraining measures to stabilise it against adverse effect of axial walking,
upheaval buckling and lateral buckling. Costly mitigating measures are being employed and the need for further investigation to explore
more option is considered. Stability of soil depends on the soil strength. Increasing the soil strength has been identified as a possible
mitigation against pipeline displacement. Electro-osmotic consolidation process is currently being employed to increase soil strength
around offshore and onshore structures, but the effect on pipe-soil interaction has not been fully investigated. This aspect received no
attention on numerical model or detail experiment in this regard. The present study numerically investigates the effect of pipe-soil
interaction using capabilities of commercial ABAQUS finite element software tool on both Electro-Kinetic (EK) treated and untreated
soil to determine their behaviours. Results from this study when compared with non-EK treated soil, indicates remarkable developments,
as the force required to displace pipeline increases significantly due to EK treatment.


ZA red luminescent Sr3A12O6:Eu(subscript 2+) nanocrystallites with new morphology were synthesized by sol-gel route assisted by microwave irradiation. The phosphor powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results reveal that the calcination temperature of the Sr3Al2O6:Eu(superscript 2+) phosphor crystallites greatly affects its morphology. With temperature increasing, the phosphor crystallites morphology showed primarily from nanorod-like, mixture of nanorod and flower-like to homogeneous flower-like morphology. The effects of new morphology on luminescent properties of phosphors were investigated. Uniformly dispersed flower-like Sr3Al2O6:Eu(superscript 2+) phosphor powders showed the strongest luminescent intensity and the longest afterglow time.


The electrical properties of Dy-bismuth titanate (Bi4-xDyxTi3O12) prepared by a conventional ceramic technique have been investigated. At applied d.c. field below 200V/mm, the current-voltage curve of Dy-doped sample exhibits a simple ohmic behavior. The impedance spectrum of Dy-doped sample indicates that consist of semiconducting grain and moderately insulating grain boundary regions. XRD, SEM and EPMA analyses reveal crystalline phase characterized by a Bi-layered perovskite structure of Bi4Ti3O12 and the distribution of every element is uniform. Dy-doped sample exhibit randomly oriented and plate-like morphology.


Abstract Objective. The aim of this retrospective study was to review what kinds of surgical procedures are most frequently complicated by urovaginal fistulae, to find out how they were diagnosed and managed, and to study the outcome after surgical reconstruction. Material and methods. Nineteen women who underwent fistula repair at Sahlgrenska University Hospital between 2003 and 2009 were retrospectively studied by reviewing the medical records. Results. For 17 of the 19 patients hysterectomy was the causative procedure. Fourteen patients developed vesicovaginal and five developed ureterovaginal fistula. Urethrocystoscopy was sufficient for the diagnosis in nearly 50% of the patients and when combined with methylene blue instillation 90% of all fistulae were found. Several patients sought medical advice due to vaginal leakage following gynaecological surgery without the doctor suspecting a fistula, and for these patients the diagnosis was delayed. Eighteen patients were operated on with an abdominal approach and one with a vaginal approach, in all cases a minimum of 3 months after primary surgery. The reconstruction technique included the interposition of vascularized tissue. None of the patients reported leakage or relapse at follow-up after fistula repair. Conclusions. Hysterectomy was the most common cause behind the formation of urovaginal fistulae. Misinterpretation of symptoms after gynaecological surgery was common even in cases where the symptoms were indicative of a urovaginal fistula. Delayed fistula repair after a minimum of 3 months, via the abdominal route and with the interposition of vascularized tissue, yielded an excellent final outcome.


In this brief, new composite polyphase filter banks are presented for the implementation of the recursive Fourier transformation and some of its generalizations. These structures can be operated both in sliding window and block recursive modes with a computational complexity of the order of the fast algorithms. The parallelization applied enables very high speed and also a considerably higher sampling rate. Based on this structure almost all issues of the so-called transform-domain digital signal processing can be reconsidered.


Introduction: The 9p deletion syndrome is a genomic disorder characterized by trigonocephaly, facial dysmorphism, genital anomalies and developmental delay. The size of the deletion in 9p is variable and there has been several attempts to propose a critical region, although there is no region yet recognized for this syndrome. The phenotype-genotype correlation could be associated to the break-points of the deletion, as well as the size and genes involved in the deleted region of 9p; since there are several genes involved in brain, embryologic, sexual development, cranial morphogenesis, transcription factors and others in the short arm of chromosome 9. This article presents a case of 9p terminal deletion with different clinical features to the consensus phenotype of 9p deletion syndrome, whose first approach was through the disorder of sexual development (DSD). Case report: Infant of 23 months referred to Genetics for clitoromegaly, without any familiar history, product of the second gestation of a normal pregnancy, without any perinatal complications and female sex assigned at birth. In the physical exam: normocephalic, facial dysmorphisms, and genital anomalies. We begin protocol for DSD finding karyotype formula of 46,XY,del(9)(p22). Discussion: It has been postulated that haploinsufficiency of the genes involved in 9p deletion combined with genomic variants are responsible for the phenotype variability, this maybe the reason why our patient does not present the classical phenotype. It is important to have a multidisciplinary team for management and follow-up with these patients for an adequate male sex assignment and treatment for any complications associated to the syndrome, if possible, in order to have a better quality of life.


Especially in elderly women osteoporosis leads to decline in the strength of the bone tissue by erosion of its mass. Weakened bone tissue is more prone to breaks. Patients mostly realize this situation after having a bone breakage especially with the wrist and hip fractures. There has not been an effective way of improving this debilitating condition. A new approach aiming to regulate the activities of the immune system cells in order to reverse osteoporosis and push the tissue for the formation of the bone structure gained attention due to its promising potential. In this review, I will be focusing on this approach by regulation of the macrophage activity, the major immune cell type that is involved in the bone formation. Immunomodulation of the macrophages enable formation and healing of the bone tissue in the patients and conducting more studies in this area would certainly improve the quality of the applicable medicines.


In this work, UV-visible spectrophotometer was used to investigate the band gap energy and optical
properties of obtained thin films prepared by using various deposition methods in the range of 200 to 800 nm.
This tool was selected due to its quick analysis ability and easy to use by many researchers. Nowadays, thin
films characterization technology is in high demand in all engineering and material science areas. This is
because of the properties of thin films can vary dramatically under various deposition conditions.


The results of studies of three sites of agrocenoses are presented: wheat (seed cereals), soybeans (legumes) and legume-cereal (rumpgoatskin) perennial grass mixtures to identify the peculiarities of the transition of stable and radioactive pollutants (including substances of hazard classes 1 and 2 and 137 Cs) in the system "agro-chernozems – agricultural plants" with soil testing and quality control of aerial and underground plant phytomass. In this radioactively contaminated area, the elemental composition of wheat, soybean, rump and goatskin does not differ from the composition of the corresponding species in the background. Legumes have an increased need for alkaline earth metals (Ca, Mg, Sr) and also contain more Ni and Mn, cereals – in Si. Within the studied part of Plavsky radioactive spot, the quality of agricultural products meets the relevant standards for the content of heavy metals and 137 Cs.


This paper addresses to enhance the stability of8T SRAM bitcell by lowering its leakage power. Scaling down of process parameters such as supply voltage affects the Read ability and Write stability of the cell. As number of transistors on chip increases power dissipation also increases and as a result of this stability of the cell gets affected. This paper aims at reducing the leakage power and improving the static noise margin of the cell. Static Noise Margin (SNM) is defined as the maximum amount of noise that a circuit can withstand at its input without causing any change in its output. Cadence Virtuoso tool was used for simulation and simulations were done using 180nm technology model file.


Aimed at the correlation between noise pixels and neighboring pixels, a new method based on the ν -support vector regression (ν -SVR) is proposed to remove the salt & pepper noise in corrupted images. The new algorithm first takes a decision whether the pixel under test is noise or not by comparing the block uniformity of the 3x3 window with one of the entire image, secondly adjusts adaptively the size of filtering window which is used to determine the training set according to the number of noise points in the window, thirdly determines the decision function that is used to predict the gray value of the noise pixels by means of training set, finally removes the noises in terms of the decision function based on ν -SVR. Experimental results clearly indicate that the proposed method has a better filtering effect than the existing methods such as standard mean filter, standard median filter, adaptive median filter by means of visual quality and quanti- tative measures.


Spectral analysis of surface wave (SASW) systems are an increasingly popular tool for the estimation of shear wave velocity profiles of geotechnical sites as a reasonable alternative to expensive and difficult downhole and crosshole tests. However, there are relatively few commercial systems using this new approach. The prime-objective of this study is to understand the application of a commercial SASW system manufactured by Olson Instruments, Inc. and to compare the results obtained with it to a Multi-Channel Analysis of Surface Wave system developed at the University of Rhode Island. For the field testing program, different sized sledgehammers and weights were used to impact the soil while measuring the passing Rayleigh surface waves with pairs of 4.5 Hz and 2 Hz geophones that were connected to a dynamic signal analyzer for different spacings. This data was processed in the programs WinTFS and WinSASW to develop site-specific dispersion curves, which were then inverted to estimate shear wave velocity profiles. After preliminary testing, the system was used to conduct tests at different sites where investigations of shear wave velocity with different systems have already been performed. Additionally, tests were performed at two different beach sites to collect data that might be useful to explore the relationship between soil stiffness and coastal erosion. The results showed some agreement from inversions using a different system and software package. Nevertheless, there is still a need for further investigation to examine the reliability of the measurements and analysis methods.


We present CrowdFound, a mobile crowdsourcing system to find lost items. CrowdFound allows users to input lost item descriptions on a map and then sends notifications to users passing near tagged areas. To assess the system's efficacy, we conducted interviews and user testing on CrowdFound. Our results show that users were able to find lost items when using a combination of the notification, map, and item description features. In addition, users were willing to deviate off path to look for lost items, particularly when exercising. Our findings also suggest socio-technical features to promote more effective on-the-go crowdsourced help on microtasks. This research builds our understanding of physical crowdsourcing as a tool for solving societal problems and suggests broader implications for utilizing mobile crowds.


Background and Purpose Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that mainly affects the pyramidal motor system. However, recent studies have suggested that degeneration of the extramotor system plays a role in the disability experienced by patients with ALS. We investigated the local shape changes and mean volumes of the subcortical nuclei in sporadic ALS patients with preserved cognition. Methods The participants comprised 32 patients with ALS and 43 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Three-dimensional T1-weighted structural images were acquired. Surface-based vertex analysis was performed with fully automated segmentation of both amygdalae, hippocampi, caudate nuclei, nuclei accumbens, putamina, pallida, and thalami, and the brainstem. The scalar distances from the mean surfaces of the individual subcortical nuclei were compared between groups, and correlations of the local shape distances with initial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale Revised (ALS-FRS-R) scores and the delta FRS-R and with the disease duration were analyzed. Results ALS patients showed regional shape contractions on the lateral surfaces of both pallida, the lateroposterior surface of the right putamen, and the anterior basal surface of the right accumbens. Delta FRS-R scores were negatively correlated with local shape distances in the right hippocampus and the putamina. However, the initial ALS-FRS-R score and disease duration were not correlated with local shape distances. Conclusions Subcortical gray-matter structures are involved in the neurodegenerative process of ALS before cognitive impairment becomes evident.


The origin of amphibole in a sequence of gabbronoritic rocks recovered at Ocean Drilling Program Site 894 was evaluated on the basis of textural and geochemical criteria. Major element compositions indicate that all the amphibole is metamorphic whereas textural relations suggest that amphibole formed either by magmatic or metamorphic processes. The rare earth element (REE) content of amphibole, clinopyroxene, apatite, and zircon were determined by ion microprobe to assess these interpretations. Amphibole shows broad range in REE concentrations (up to 1,000 times chondritic values) with (La/Sm)N ratios from 0.1 to 1.4. There is no systematic relationship between REE content and textural type. The origin of amphibole with REE contents less than or equal to clinopyroxene cannot be distinguished by compositional criteria. By contrast, the REE content of all other amphibole can only be explained by magmatic processes. Calculated melts in equilibrium with igneous amphibole indicate that amphibole crystallized from melts with progressively higher REE contents; in some samples melts evolved without significant fractionation of the REEs whereas in other samples melts became light-REE-enriched. An increase in the total abundance of the REE melts is consistent with the crystallization of Plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene from progressively more evolved melt. The light-REE-enriched melts may have been influenced by the crystallization of accessory phases or by interaction with exsolved magmatic fluids. These results indicate that there was a continuum between magmatic and hydrothermal processes and that groundmass amphibole records a complex history of crystallization from a melt and its exsolved magmatic fluids, followed by interaction with seawater-derived hydrothermal fluids.


During the acute phase of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi circulation through the bloodstream leads to high tissue parasitism in the host. In primary lymphoid organs, progenitor cell reduction paralleled transient immunosuppression. Herein we showed that acute oral infection in mice promotes diffuse parasitism in bone marrow cells at 14 and 21 days post-infection (dpi), with perivascular regions, intravascular regions, and regions near the bone being target sites of parasite replication. Phenotypic analysis of hematopoietic differentiation in the bone marrow of infected mice showed that the cell number in the tissue is decreased (lineage-negative and lineage-positive cells). Interestingly, analysis of hematopoietic branching points showed that hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) were significantly increased at 14 dpi. In addition, the pool of progenitors with stem plasticity (HSC-MPP3), as well as multipotent progenitors (MPPs) such as MPP4, also showed this pattern of increase. In contrast, subsequent progenitors that arise from MPPs, such as common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs), lymphoid-primed MPPs (LMPPs), and myeloid progenitors, were not enhanced; conversely, all presented numeric decline. Annexin V staining revealed that cell death increase in the initial hematopoietic branching point probably is not linked to CLPs and that myeloid progenitors decreased at 14 and 21 dpi. In parallel, our investigation provided clues that myeloid progenitor decrease could be associated with an atypical expression of Sca-1 in this population leading to a remarkable increase on LSK-like cells at 14 dpi within the HSPC compartment. Finally, these results led us to investigate HSPC presence in the spleen as a phenomenon triggered during emergency hematopoiesis due to mobilization or expansion of these cells in extramedullary sites. Splenocyte analysis showed a progressive increase in HSPCs between 14 and 21 dpi. Altogether, our study shows that the bone marrow is a target tissue in T. cruzi orally infected mice, leading to a hematopoietic disturbance with LSK-like cell bias accounting on HSPCs possibly affecting myeloid progenitor numbers. The LMPP and CLP reduction converges with defective thymocyte development. Lastly, it is tempting to speculate that the extramedullary hematopoiesis seen in the spleen is a mechanism involved in the hematological maintenance reported during the acute phase of oral T. cruzi infection.


Abstract This article discusses the Ocatilla camp, built in the Arizona desert by Frank Lloyd Wright as an experimental architecture in 1929. This camp is proposed as a prototype with two temporary vectors, one would be to a possible genealogy and the other a possible future development. Going to the past should be traced in the House for the Christian Family by Catherine Beecher proposed in 1869, while that to the future could be made a epigone in the Environmental Bubble of Reyner Banham and of Francois Dallegret in 1965. The text explores the possibilities of an ideal architecture for the monumental landscape, perfectly exemplified in the three cases, compared to architecture as a monument to the landscape, which exemplify Taliesin West, his monumental counterpart.


AbstractThe dynamics of current retroflection and rings shedding are not yet fully understood. In this paper, the authors develop an analytical model of the Agulhas Current retroflection dynamics using three simple laws: conservation of volume, momentum balance, and Bernoulli's principle. This study shows that, for a retroflecting current with a small Rossby number, this theoretical model is in good agreement with numerical simulations of a reduced-gravity isopycnal model. Otherwise, the retroflection position becomes unstable and quickly propagates upstream, leaving a chain of eddies in its path. On the basis of these findings, the authors hypothesize that the westward protrusion of the Agulhas retroflection and the local "zonalization" of the Agulhas Current after it passes the Agulhas Bank are stable only for small Rossby numbers. Otherwise, the retroflection shifts toward the eastern slope of the Agulhas Bank, where its position stabilizes due to the slanted configuration of the slope. This study show...


Summary
While the prevalence of terrorism has increased substantially, there is a paucity of research on the effects of terrorism on employee behavior at work. Building on conservation of resources (COR) theory, and its extension, the conservation of social resources theory, we close gaps in the literature by investigating the effect of fear of terror on increased job burnout over time, the mediating effect of insomnia, and the moderating effect of supervisor and co-worker support on these relationships. This longitudinal study followed a large sample of Israeli employees (n = 670) across three time measurements over 7 years, in a time period characterized by a high number of terror attacks. The results showed fear of terror to be related to elevated job burnout over time, even during a period in which terror attacks were reduced substantially. Further, insomnia mediated the relationship between fear of terror and increased burnout, while co-worker support, but not supervisor support, moderated the relationships between fear of terror and increased insomnia and between increased insomnia and increased burnout. The results further support the notion of loss cycles in COR theory, as well as the importance of social resources, which are the cornerstones of conservation of social resources theory. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A method for solving the problem of heat exchanger network synthesis in chemical process plants is presented based on the use of the out-of-kilter algorithm. The method represents an extension of previous approaches based on network flow problem formulations. A new approach to overcome the constraints in forbidden-match problems, termed the dual stream approach, has been developed based on the use of a stream as both a hot and a cold stream. This approach results in considerable savings in utility costs in certain forbidden-match problems. An algorithm to deal with heating or cooling utilities that undergo temperature changes, termed non-point-temperature utilities, is presented using the transshipment model. The new algorithm determines the utility mass flow rates and pinch points accurately.


Many and wondrous are the tales told by government information professionals of their interactions with these boundless sources of information. This discovery was made as Kenya and Dominique were compiling information from the recent for "Who are we the people" survey. In the survey conducted in late 2018-early 2019 we included the following question:Tell us your favorite government documents/government information story. If you would like your name to be included with your story, please include it here, otherwise your story might be published as an anonymous story from the survey.


Sprint interval training (SIT) involves repeated bouts of high-intensity training ('allout' activity of 10-30 seconds) with successive periods of low-intensity activity or rest. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) also involves high-intensity training (90% of VO2 max), usually one to four minutes, interspersed with recovery intervals of low-intensity activity or rest. The study aimed to compare directly various physiological and performance parameters of SIT and HIIT with a non-exercise control group amongst untrained university students. Sixty-three untrained (37 men and 26 women) participants (22±1.7yrs) volunteered for the study and were randomly allocated to SIT, HIIT and control group. Maximal oxygen uptake, the YoYo intermittent recovery test (YYIRT), 20-metre speed, agility T-test, vertical jump and Wingate-test was assessed before and after 7-weeks of training. Both interval groups improved significantly compared to the control group for VO2 max, peak treadmill speed, YYIRT and 20-metre speed (p<0.05) with no significant differences between SIT and HIIT (effect sizes within groups ranging from small to large). Regarding power output associated with the Wingate test, significant improvements compared to the control were realised for SIT only (p<0.05). Both methods of IT are feasible to improve exercise capacity in untrained university students. Keywords: Sprint interval training; High-intensity interval training; Aerobic; Anaerobic; Untrained.


With the wide application of plastics in daily life, nanoplastics (NPs) are ubiquitous in freshwater environments. However, to date, few studies have focused on the mechanism underlying the toxicity of NPs, and the differences between this mechanism and that governing the toxicity of MPs have also not been thoroughly characterized. In this study, the genotoxicity, intestinal damage, and intestinal flora in Corbicula fluminea exposed to micro/nanoplastics were investigated through RNA sequencing, histopathology, and 16S rRNA sequencing, respectively. Significant differences in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed between MP and NP exposure groups. It was observed that NPs preferentially elicited the process related to cellular components and triggered the apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway in various tissues, especially in indirectly contacted tissues, while MPs induced the innate immune response and activated the complement and coagulation cascades (complement system) pathway. Both MPs and NPs can induce an inflammatory response and cause epithelial damage in the intestines, and they can notably change the gut microbial community structure. However, the abundance of pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Mycoplasma) was observed to increase only in the MP-treated group, which exacerbated intestinal damage. Unlike MPs, the effect of NPs on the intestinal microflora was highly limited, while NPs elicited more severe damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier. The results of this study may help to elucidate the toxicity mechanisms governing the responses of bivalves to MPs and NPs and to evaluate the detriment of MPs and NPs to the benthic ecosystem.


We measured the intrinsic electrophoretic drag coefficient of a single charged particle by optically trapping the particle and applying an AC electric field, and found it to be markedly different from that of the Stokes drag. The drag coefficient, along with the measured electrical force, yield a mobility-zeta potential relation that agrees with the literature. By using the measured mobility as input, numerical calculations based on the Poisson–Nernst–Planck equations, coupled to the Navier–Stokes equation, reveal an intriguing microscopic electroosmotic flow near the particle surface, with a well-defined transition between an inner flow field and an outer flow field in the vicinity of electric double layer's outer boundary. This distinctive interface delineates the surface that gives the correct drag coefficient and the effective electric charge. The consistency between experiments and theoretical predictions provides new insights into the classic electrophoresis problem, and can shed light on new applications of electrophoresis to investigate biological nanoparticles.


Isaacs' formulation of the game of two cars, which assumes players of circular shape, is extended to include the effect of elongated players and elliptical shapes in particular. The geometry is used to model the problem of ship-collision avoidance as a differential game which suggests the name of 'game of two ships'. The game of two ships is formulated as a free-time unbounded game of kind. A general solution for the optimal controls on the terminal manifold is given and is also used to derive a model analytical solution for the primary optimal path emanating from the target set. The occurrence of singular arcs as well as the condition for switching are also discussed. Finally, a capture criterion for the pursuit-evasion game between a faster elliptical pursuer and a more manoeuvrable circular evader is also derived. This capture criterion is given in the form of a relationship between the geometrical dimensions of the players, their speed and acceleration ratios, and the maximum range that the manoeuvrable, yet slower, evader can indefinitely guarantee without being captured. If both players have circular shapes, our solution reduces to an already-known capture criterion for the 'game of two cars'.


In 2009, the Danish legislature introduced significant changes to Danish company law with the aim of making the rules on both public and private companies more flexible and thereby Denmark a competitive country for the establishment of companies. This could be called the Copenhagen effect. However, this effect could be increased by even further liberalization of Danish company law.


Summary Percutaneous transcatheter embolization of the arterial duct, using new detachable coils, was performed in 19 patients aged from two to 16 years. The minimal ductal diameter ranged from 0.5 to 2.7 mm. We used a 5 mm diameter coil, 8 cm in length and/or an 8 mm diameter coil, which was 10 cm in length. The coil was connected to a delivery wire with a screw system, and could be detached by rotation of the delivery wire. The coil was straightened by inserting a mandril, with loops then being formed by withdrawal of the mandril. In all patients, the coil was advanced retrogradely and either one or two coils were successfully implanted. Implantation was performed in four patients without the catheter entering the pulmonary trunk across the arterial duct. The ductal ampulla was either absent or very small in five patients, so we implanted a coil which had been cut short. Angiography revealed no residual shunting in 14 patients (74%) and trace residual shunting in five patients. Migration of the coils to the pulmonary arteries, or to a systemic artery, did not occur in any patient. Follow-up using Doppler color flow imaging showed complete closure of the arterial duct in all patients (100%), and no turbulence either in the left pulmonary artery or in the descending aorta in any patient. The use of the new detachable coil may improve the accuracy of placement of the device and reduce the incidence of its migration.


This paper presents a new approach to content-based video indexing using hidden Markov models (HMMs). In this approach one feature vector is calculated for each image of the video sequence. These feature vectors are modeled and classified using HMMs. This approach has many advantages compared to other video indexing approaches. The system has automatic learning capabilities. It is trained by presenting manually indexed video sequences. To improve the system we use a video model, that allows the classification of complex video sequences. The presented approach works three times faster than real-time. We tested our system on TV broadcast news. The rate of 97.3% correctly classified frames shows the efficiency of our system.


Lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens biotype I was immobilized by adsorption of anion exchange resin using glutaraldehyde to enhance the adsorption. The activity yield of the immobilized lipase was very low (below 1%) when lipase activity was measured using emulsion substrate. The activity yield was 10–70% when lipase activity was measured using non‐emulsion substrate. Countercurrent reactors for hydrolysis of oil using non‐emulsion substrate were studied. A fluidized bed reactor was found to be superior to a fixed bed one since in a fixed bed reactor the separation rate of the two layers was slow and the flow rate of the reactor had to be slower than the separation rate. A fluidized bed reactor system equipped with settling compartments and stirring compartments was devised. Continuous lipolysis at 60 °C and continuous separation of oily product and water soluble product were performed. After continuous operation for more than 3 months, 70% of the initial activity of the immobilized lipase was observed at the end of the reaction.


For almost six years, the habeas corpus petitions brought by foreign detainees held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been stalled because the courts have struggled to answer a single question: whether the detainees possess enforceable rights. Although that question remains unresolved, the courts have uniformly concluded that the Guantanamo detainees' habeas claims, as well as the habeas claims brought by other accused enemy combatants, require a showing that the detainees possess cognizable rights violated by the detentions, most especially constitutional rights. This Article argues that the courts have been asking the wrong question and that habeas relief does not require the possession of rights. For most of the long history of habeas corpus, courts resolved habeas claims by determining whether the jailer had authority to impose detention, without undertaking any inquiry into the petitioner's rights. Habeas did not address "rights" in the modern sense of a discrete group of personal trumps against governmental action, such as those protected by the Bill of Rights. Habeas did not protect rights in this sense for a simple reason: habeas predates rights. Rather than addressing rights, habeas cases traditionally were framed in terms of power: "The question is," Justice Marshall asked in Ex parte Burford, "what authority has the jailor to detain him?" In the Guantanamo detainee cases, the traditional habeas inquiry would require the government to establish, as a matter of fact and law, that the detainees are enemy combatants.


Real-time atomic force microscopy (AFM) in aqueous buffer has been used to probe interactions of synthetic disulfide-linked polypeptide gene delivery vectors with supported phospholipid bilayers. Disruption of the membranes was apparent in AFM, and the extent of surface heterogeneity and hole (pore) formation was evaluated by depth and area-profiling image analysis. The overall extent of membrane disruption varied with the reducible polycation peptide sequence and block structure and was found to be correlated with the overall degree of transgene expression in two representative cell lines.


MOTIVATION
Recent large-scale studies of individuals within a population have demonstrated that there is widespread variation in copy number in many gene families. In addition, there is increasing evidence that the variation in gene copy number can give rise to substantial phenotypic effects. In some cases, these variations have been shown to be adaptive. These observations show that a full understanding of the evolution of biological function requires an understanding of gene gain and gene loss. Accurate, robust evolutionary models of gain and loss events are, therefore, required.

RESULTS
We have developed weighted parsimony and maximum likelihood methods for inferring gain and loss events. To test these methods, we have used Markov models of gain and loss to simulate data with known properties. We examine three models: a simple birth-death model, a single rate model and a birth-death innovation model with parameters estimated from Drosophila genome data. We find that for all simulations maximum likelihood-based methods are very accurate for reconstructing the number of duplication events on the phylogenetic tree, and that maximum likelihood and weighted parsimony have similar accuracy for reconstructing the ancestral state. Our implementations are robust to different model parameters and provide accurate inferences of ancestral states and the number of gain and loss events. For ancestral reconstruction, we recommend weighted parsimony because it has similar accuracy to maximum likelihood, but is much faster. For inferring the number of individual gene loss or gain events, maximum likelihood is noticeably more accurate, albeit at greater computational cost.

AVAILABILITY
www.bioinf.manchester.ac.uk/dupliphy

CONTACT
firstname.lastname@example.com; firstname.lastname@example.com

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


1. Mesidotea entomon (L.) is found in the Baltic and in certain fresh-water lakes in Sweden. It is believed that colonization of fresh water in this region has taken place since the last Ice-age. 2. In the present work animals from brackish and fresh-water habitats have been compared both in respect of the concentration of chloride in their haemolymph and of their ability to survive in media of various salinities. 3. Both fresh-water and Baltic animals have been found able to survive in Plymouth sea water, the concentration of chloride in their haemolymph being close to the concentration of chloride in this medium. 4. Baltic animals could not be acclimatized to fresh water. 5. Animals from both habitats have the same general level of chloride concentration in their haemolymph when acclimatized to dilute sea water. 6. These results are discussed in relation to the evolution of a fresh-water race from a brackish-water race.


Drafting and finalizing a Ph.D. dissertations requires continuous and meticulous involvement at every stage of preparation. The level and expectation from a research scholar is very high and thesis is the finale of a long, usually three to four years of study. Continuous and stable guidance from the supervisor is very vital for completion of a thesis. Though each research scholar may not be well versed in the art of writing, it is quite possible to produce a well-balanced piece of work. This article makes an attempt to give several steps/stages involved in the preparation of a thesis and a systematic approach is presented here. This paper gives simple and practical advice on the problems of getting started, getting organized, dividing the huge task into less formidable pieces and working on those pieces. A list of phrases and terms that, usually a research scholar should avoid is given for ready reference and use.


The multiple access broadcast (MABC) is an effective two phases transmission (2P) ANC protocol for the half-duplex (HD) communication mode. However, MABC does not make use of channel gain of the direct link (DL) no matter how strong it is. On the other hand, the time division broadcast (TDBC) is known as a three phases transmission (3P) protocol which enables transceivers to utilize DL and thus offers the possibility to achieve higher performance compared with the MABC at the expense of a reduced spectral efficiency due to the one extra transmission phase. In this paper, we investigate a joint single relay selection and power allocation schemes for energy-efficient wireless communication systems with analog network coding (ANC) for TDBC, where two-way relay channel with two end nodes and N parallel relay nodes is considered under an assumption of perfect channel-state information (CSI). Our objective is to minimize the total system transmit power consumption under quality-of-service (QoS) constraints for TDBC protocol with joint single relay selection and nodes power allocation. In addition, a zero-forcing based relay signal combining technique that combines the signals received at the 1st and 2nd transmission phases, also known as zero-forcing relay power allocation (ZF-RPA), is also investigated. Numerical simulation shows that the traditional VG-RPA is more energy-efficient than the ZF-RPA scheme for TDBC in cases with and without utilizing DL.


The root tubers of cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) contain varying amounts of cyanogenic glucosides which liberate toxic hydrogen cyanide with the resultant effect of poisoning especially the highly cyanogenic cultivars. These include some of the local and improved cassava varieties grown in Zombo district, Uganda among others. Therefore, this study explored the effectiveness of some traditional processing techniques used singly and in combination to reduce cyanide levels in highly toxic root tubers of selected local ( Nyar-anderiano, Nyar-papoga, Nyar-udota, Nyar-pamitu, Bisimwenge, Nyar-matia ) and improved (NASE 3, NASE 9, NASE 14, NASE 19, TME 14 and TME 204) cassava varieties grown in Zombo District, Uganda. The processed and the fresh cassava tubers were analysed for Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) by the standard titration method. The results indicated that heap fermentation followed by sun-drying reduced the cyanide levels in all the selected improved varieties to WHO safe levels for consumption (below 10mg/kg) in the dried chips. Mixed processing methods combining soaking, fermentation and sun-drying reduced the cyanide concentrations in the local varieties ( Nyar-udota, Nyar-anderiano ) and improved variety (NASE 19) to World Health Organisation (WHO) safe levels. None of the processing techniques used singly reduced the HCN levels in the root tubers of the selected cassava varieties to safe levels. Hence mixed strategies combining several traditional cassava processing techniques should be adopted to detoxify the selected cassava varieties of cyanogens. The local cassava varieties ( Bisimwenge, Nya-matia, Nya-pamitu, Nya-papoga ) would require modifications of the combined traditional processing techniques or other more complex processes to detoxify them of HCN before human consumption.


The present work includes the study of the dynamic properties of the nanocomposites specimens. The dynamic properties of A356/Al2O3 nanocomposites were investigated through different fabrication conditions. The A356/Al2O3 nanocomposites specimens were fabricated using a combination between the rheocasting and squeeze casting routes. The composites were reinforced with Al2O3 particulates of 60 and 200 nm and different volume fractions up to 5 vol.%. The dynamic properties of the A356/Al2O3 nanocomposites were investigated through measuring the dynamic properties of specimens. Free vibration method is used to measure frequency response (fn ), and damping factor (ξ). The viscoelastic properties such as loss factor η, storage modulus (E'), and loss modulus (E") were obtained. The results concluded that, the dynamic properties of nanocomposites were improved by increasing the volume fractions of nanoparticulates and decreasing the nanoparticulates size. The results indicated also that, the damping factor, and the related parameters (η, E' and E") was strongly affected by increasing both volume fraction and the particulates.


In order to obtained high selective membrane for industrial applications (such as natural gas purification), mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were developed based on polysulfone as matrix and MCM-41-type silica material (obtained from coal fly ash) as filler. As a consequence, various quantities of filler were used to determine the membranes efficiency on CO2/CH4 separation. The coal fly ash derived silica nanomaterial and the membranes were characterized in terms of thermal stability, homogeneity, and pore size distribution. There were observed similar properties of the obtained nanomaterial with a typical MCM-41 (obtained from commercial silicates), such as high surface area and pore size distribution. The permeability tests highlighted that the synthesized membranes can be applicable for CO2 removal from CH4, due to unnoticeable differences between real and ideal selectivity. Additionally, the membranes showed high resistance to CO2 plasticization, due to permeability decrease even at high feed pressure, up to 16 bar.


We construct a model to illustrate the dynamics of cash-flow volatility (CFV) and firm valuation. As a firm progressively invests in its growth opportunities, its book value increases and catches up with its market value, reducing the valuation multiple (Q). CFV decreases because of the diversification effect of investing in more market segments. We document a positive CFV–Q association, which varies with firm size, investment opportunities, and the correlation across market segments. Empirical findings strongly support the model's predictions and are robust to alternative explanations offered by extant studies on firm growth, volatility, and valuation.


Abstract : A time-accurate potential-flow calculation method has been developed for unsteady incompressible flows through two-dimensional multi-blade-row linear cascades. The method represents the boundary surfaces by distributing piecewise linear-vortex and constant-source singularities on discrete panels. A local coordinate is assigned to each independently moving object. Blade-shed vorticity is traced at each time step. The unsteady Kutta condition applied is nonlinear and requires zero blade trailing-edge loading at each time. Its influence on the solutions depends on the blade trailing-edge shapes. Steady biplane and cascade solutions are presented and compared to exact solutions and experimental data. Unsteady solutions are validated with the Wagner function for an airfoil moving impulsively from rest and the Theodorsen function for an oscillating airfoil. The shed vortex motion and its interaction with blades are calculated and compared to an analytic solution. For multi-blade-row cascade, the potential effect between blade rows is predicted using steady and quasi unsteady calculations. The accuracy of the predictions is demonstrated using experimental results for a one-stage turbine stator-rotor.


For nearly 150 years, mortality statistics have provided the base that epidemiologists have used to quantify and evaluate risk. In early years these derived directly from information recorded on death certificates, which enabled medical statisticians to calculate periodically death rates for various causes of death by sex, age, area of residence and occupation. With time, interest moved from the immediate effects of an occupation to more delayed effects. Mainly as a response to this interest, the last 30 years have seen developments in national record systems that allow epidemiologists to mount prospective mortality studies capable of answering detailed questions about the nature of occupational risks and describing dose—response relations. This paper outlines these developments, thereby providing a background for the following paper, which describes the use of these methods in occupational studies of dose-response relations.


Anaerobic processes for the treatment of plastic materials waste represent versatile and effective approach in environmental protection and solid waste management. In this work, anaerobic biodegradability of model aliphatic polyesters, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA), and poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL), in the form of powder and melt-pressed films with varying molar mass, was studied. Biogas production was explored in batch laboratory trials at 55 ± 1°C under a nitrogen atmosphere. The inoculum used was thermophilic digested sludge (total solids concentration of 2.9%) from operating digesters at the Central Waste Water Treatment Plant in Prague, Czech Republic. Methanogenic biodegradation of PCLs typically yielded from 54 to 60% of the theoretical biogas yield. The biodegradability of PLAs achieved from 56 to 84% of the theoretical value. High biogas yield (up to 677 mL/g TS) with high methane content (more than 60%), comparable with conventionally processed materials, confirmed the potential of polyester samples for anaerobic treatment in the case of their exploitation in agriculture or as a packaging material in the food industry.


The Texas Transportation Commission ("the Commission") is responsible for planning
and making policies for the location, construction, and maintenance of a comprehensive system
of highways and public roads in Texas. In order for the Commission to carry out its legislative
mandate, the Texas Constitution requires that most revenue generated by motor vehicle
registration fees and motor fuel taxes be used for constructing and maintaining public roadways
and other designated purposes.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) assists the Commission in executing
state transportation policy. It is the responsibility of the legislature to appropriate money for
TxDOT's operation and maintenance expenses. All money authorized to be appropriated for
TxDOT's operations must come from the State Highway Fund (also known as Fund 6, Fund 006,
or Fund 0006). The Commission can then use the balance in the fund to fulfill its responsibilities.
However, the value of the revenue received in Fund 6 is not keeping pace with growing
demand for transportation infrastructure in Texas. Additionally, diversion of revenue to nontransportation
uses now exceeds $600 million per year. As shown in Figure 1.1, revenues and
expenditures of the State Highway Fund per vehicle mile traveled (VMT) in Texas have
remained almost flat since 1993. In the meantime, construction cost inflation has gone up more
than 100%, effectively halving the value of expenditure.


Background: Direct transmission through skin contact is one of ways for disease transmission. Medical staffs have contact with many patients, so their hand can be a factor for the transmission of disease. Surgical scrub is a process that leads to destruction immigrant and stable microbus of hands and arms through friction washing by use of antiseptic solution prior to surgery. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of disinfection of Povidone-Iodine and Manugel 85 in surgical scrub. Methods: This study was a clinical trial that done before and after Surgical scrub. 33 person of surgical team in hospital were surveyed during. Four samples were done for every person: first before surgical scrub with Povidone-Iodine solution, second immediately after surgical scrub, then after one week third test done before surgical scrub with Manugel 85, and forth one immediately after surgical scrub. Paired t-test was used for statistical analysis and SPSS analysis. Results: Data analysis showed that the effect of Povidone-Iodine and Manugel 85, separately, before and after surgical scrub on number of colonies is significant. But the effect of these two solutions on behalf of number of colonies was not significant. The 100% grown cultures before surgical scrub with Povidone-Iodine solution and 90.91% before surgical scrub with Manugel 85 were staphylococcus. Conclusion: The disinfection effect of Povidone-Iodine and Manuge l85 on surgical scrub is the same.