We demonstrate for the first time that both linearity and efficiency can be optimized for CMOS power amplifiers in the gigahertz range. A technique using large and small transistors in parallel at the output stage for efficiency and linearity enhancement is proposed. A small transistor is used for low power amplification where a larger transistor is turned off to reduce DC power consumption and increase efficiency in the back-off region. The method of improving the linearity of FET amplifiers by offsetting the gate bias to cancel the nonlinearity products is implemented in combination with the efficiency enhancement. For the first time, both techniques are incorporated in the design of a 1.9 GHz CMOS power amplifier that achieves a power-added efficiency (PAE) of 22% at 23-dBm output power. PAE at 6-dB power back-off is measured to be 15%, which exhibits a factor of 2 improvement from the normal class-AB design. Also, third-order intermodulation is improved by approximately 8 dB in the high-power mode of operation when the linearity improvement technique is applied. In addition, this technique does not use transmission line or additional circuits, thus making it ideal for integrated circuit RF power amplifier design.


Quaternary, Diachronic dynamics of human-environment interactions convener:Mamoru Koarai(Earth Science course, College of Science, Ibaraki University), Toshihiko Sugai(Department of Natural Environmental Studies, Institute of Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo), Kiyohide Mizuno(国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所地質情報研 究部門, 共同), Minoru YONEDA(The University Museum, The University of Tokyo) Sun. May 20, 2018 5:15 PM 6:30 PM Poster Hall (International Exhibition Hall7, Makuhari Messe) Humans have attained their specific development by indigenous cultures and evolved through environmental adaptation. The session raises issues of human-environmental interactions, views from diverse changes of climate, ocean, land and biota having made striking influence on humans. It welcomes various fields from human-environment change and their chronometric dating among Quaternary disciplines.


Abstract. The objective of this study was to identify and validate key wavelengths in the visible/near-infrared (VNIR) spectral region for beef tenderness assessment using hyperspectral images of beef carcasses acquired on-line in a commercial beef packing plant. A prototype on-line spectrograph hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system was developed and used to acquire images of exposed ribeye muscle on hanging beef carcasses (n = 274) at 2 days post-mortem. After image acquisition, a strip steak was cut from each carcass and vacuum packaged. After aging for 14 days, the steaks were cooked and Warner-Bratzler shear force values were collected as a measure of tenderness. Hyperspectral and multispectral image analysis approaches were conducted and compared to each other in terms of accuracy and speed of implementation. In the hyperspectral approach, principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to reduce the spectral dimension of the hyperspectral images and create principal component (PC) bands. Image textural features were extracted from the PC bands and modeled to classify samples into two tenderness categories (tender or tough). In the multispectral approach, the loading vectors obtained from the PCA procedure were used to identify five key wavelengths (584, 619, 739, 832, and 950 nm). Image textural features were then extracted from these key wavelength images and modeled. In both approaches, the image features were extracted from the images acquired at 2 days post-mortem and used to forecast 14-day beef tenderness. Using a true validation procedure involving 101 beef samples, the hyperspectral approach had a tender certification accuracy, tender identification accuracy, tough identification accuracy, and accuracy index value of 86.7%, 65.8%, 63.6, and 66.8%, respectively. The corresponding metrics for the multispectral approach were 87.5%, 62%, 68.2%, and 67.8%, respectively. The tenderness prediction results for these two analysis methods were not considerably different; however, multispectral image analysis took far less time (about 8 s compared to 105 s on a quad-core computer with 8 GB of memory) to classify a beef sample into one of the two tenderness categories (tender or tough). Therefore, the multispectral approach shows great potential for real-time beef tenderness assessment in commercial beef packing plants.


Background In early rheumatoid arthritis (eRA), predictors of radiographic damage would be very useful for optimal targeting of available therapies. It has been suggested that combining various biomarkers may provide improved prediction. The multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA) blood test has been validated as a measurement of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity. MBDA scores range from 1-100 and are based on 12 serum biomarkers: VCAM-1, EGF, VEGF-A, IL-6, TNF-RI, YKL-40, MMP-1, MMP-3, leptin, resistin, SAA, CRP. In the SWEFOT study, patients with eRA (symptom duration < 1 year) were started on methotrexate (MTX); at 3 months responders (DAS28 ≤ 3.2) continued MTX monotherapy and were followed in regular care, whereas non-responders were randomized to receive either triple DMARD therapy or the addition of infliximab. Objectives To study the baseline MBDA score as a predictor of radiographic progression in eRA. Methods Analyses were performed for 296 patients with complete clinical datasets consisting of baseline assessments of DAS28 (based on ESR), DAS28-CRP, CRP and the MBDA score using the validated algorithm; and for a subset of 235 patients that also had radiographs at BL and 1 year (assessed using the van der Heijde modified Sharp score [SvdH]). Spearman's correlation coefficients (r) were determined for the baseline MBDA score versus the change in SvdH over 1 year. Results For the 296 patients, mean baseline values were: DAS28 = 5.7 and MBDA = 59. For the 235 patient-subset the mean baseline SvdH was 4.4 (median 2.0). Mean change in SvdH from BL to 1 year was 3.1 ± 6.0 (median 1.0). There was a significant correlation between baseline MBDA score and change in SvdH from baseline to 1 year: r = 0.271 (p<0.001); correlations of DAS28, DAS28-CRP, and CRP with change in SvdH were weaker: r = 0.063, 0.014, and 0.178, respectively (p=NS, p=NS, p=0.006). Correlations between BL MBDA and change in SvdH were similar and statistically significant when tested in month-3 responders (n=84) or non-responders (n=181) separately. Conclusions In eRA patients treated initially with MTX, the MBDA score at baseline correlates significantly with radiographic progression during the first year, irrespective of whether the patient responds to MTX or not. Disclosure of Interest K. Hambardzumyan: None Declared, R. Bolce Shareholder of: Crescendo Bioscience, Employee of: Crescendo Bioscience, G. Cavet Consultant for: Crescendo Bioscience, D. Chernoff Shareholder of: Crescendo Bioscience, Consultant for: Crescendo Bioscience, D. Haney Shareholder of: Crescendo Bioscience, Employee of: Crescendo Bioscience, K. Forslind: None Declared, I. Petersson: None Declared, P. Geborek: None Declared, S. Ernestam: None Declared, R. van Vollenhoven Grant/research support from: AbbVie, BMS, GSK, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, UCB, Consultant for: AbbVie, BMS, GSK, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, UCB


The SEU sensitivity of an Artificial Neural Network intended to be used in space to detect "protonic whistlers" is investigated. We evaluate its behaviour in the presence of SEU-like faults for a hardware implementation, associating a general purpose microprocessor to a dedicated neural processor. Experimental results (SEU simulations and heavy ion ground tests) show the robustness of this implementation.


Modern cars comprise various driver assistance applications which depend on reliable surveillance of the vehiclepsilas environment. Therefore, sensors known from aviation and military - like radar or laser - are combined to multi-sensor systems and employed to provide specific observation data. The actual choice of the single sensors depends on the scope of the application and in turn has a considerable impact on the overall system performance. We investigate multi-sensor systems composed of different sensor technologies and provide a methodical framework for the design of sensor based applications and the evaluation of a multi-sensor system regarding specific application requirements. We use both sensor and application characteristics to model the system and propose a metric that supports basic design decisions and assessment of alternative sensor systems at an early stage of system development. The presented approach is very flexible and could be used for any application that relies on multi-sensor systems.


We present the case of a 55-year-old male that was admitted to our hospital for cholestatic hepatitis. Other causes of hepatitis were excluded with imaging, laboratory and serologic tests. A liver biopsy was performed, which was compatible with toxicity-induced hepatitis. Re-assessing the patient, he mentioned the start of treatment with candesartan cilexetil 3 weeks prior to the onset of the symptoms. Candesartan was withdrawn, with a progressive improvement in cholestasis and complete normalization of liver biochemistry at 6 months. The patient was diagnosed with candesartan-induced cholestatic hepatitis, probable according to CIOMS/RUCAM scale.


SELLING "KAWAII" IN ADVERTISING: TESTING CROSS-CULTURAL PERCEPTIONS OF KAWAII APPEALS Tao Deng, MSocSc Marquette University, 2014 "Kawaii" (cute) culture has become a major global consumer culture. Advertisers in Asia have adopted kawaii appeals to attract attention and promote product images. From a cultural value perspective, this literature review proposes that culture not only affects ad content and appeal, but also influences consumer attitude and ad effects. While kawaii appeals are culturally specified, the effects of those appeals across distinct cultures might be systemically predictable. Today, the concept of kawaii and its effects still remains vague to Western academia. This thesis provides a deeper understanding of kawaii examining the rich origin of kawaii culture in Japan and its expansion and globalization as a dominant consumer culture. Online surveys using specifically designed stimuli were administrated to respondents from both individualistic and collectivistic cultures. The thesis thus develops a theoretical definition for kawaii within the advertising appeal context and a measurement scheme for utilizing its multidimensional composite constructs. Based on the self-congruity hypothesis, it is argued that culturally shaped selfconstruals affect responses to ads employing kawaii appeals. Kawaii appeals which stress interdependence should be more persuasive among consumers with self-construals congruent with the message. Findings suggested that kawaii appeals were perceived to be friendlier in both United States and China, while consumers with domain interdependent self-construal expressed stronger self-brand connection, more favorable ad attitude and purchase intention toward the kawaii ads.


Heptazine-based conjugated polymeric carbon nitrides (PCNs) are promising metal-free photocatalysts, yet their synthesis is very challenging due to the electron-deficiency and insolubility of heptazine units. Indeed, heptazine-containing polymers have only been prepared via nucleophilic substitution with amines, using toxic cyameluric chloride as the starting material. Herein, we report the novel and environmentally friendly method for preparing heptazine-based mesoporous PCNs with hydrazone links formed via a simple Schiff-base condensation of melem-NH2 and aldehydes. Unlike cyameluric chloride, melem-NH2 is nontoxic, stable and can be readily obtained from melem and hydrazine in solution. We demonstrate that the hydrazone linkages and the heptazine units synergistically enhance the photocatalytic activity of PCNs in visible-light-driven aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. In particular, the polymer constructed from melem-NH2 and p-phthalaldehyde shows 17 times more activity than graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4 ).


The stiochiometric Mercury sulphide selenide alloy, Hg(SSe), have been grown onto glass substrates at 300K for the first time, in the most stable thin film form by employing a chemical bath deposition method. The 'as grown' films were characterized by using XRD, Optical absorption, Electrical measurements and EDAX techniques. The obtained films are dark red in color, stoichiometric, semiconducting and nano-crystalline in a single cubic phase with columnar disk type (spread cabbage) morphology. The cubic Hg(SSe) alloy films were found stable in contrast to cubic HgS. The study of optical property revealed the presence of a single optical band gap at 2.1 eV obeying direct transition law. The dark dc electrical resistivity was found to be of the order of 102 ohm cm. The film exhibits n- type of semi-conductivity.


Metabolism trials were conducted on six wethers and four Brahman steers given Ruzi grass hay with different levels of soybean meal in order to compare the effects of protein levels on energy and nitrogen balances, and fiber digestion between the two animal species. Crude protein (CP) contents in four dietary treatments were 3.4%, 6.9%, 10.4%, and 13.9% with the different levels of soybean meal supplement. Digestibilities of crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were greatly improved in sheep by the supplement of soybean meal until the CP content in the whole ration reached 10%. The difference was more than 10 units in each fiber fraction. While in cattle, fiber fraction digestibilities in the animals given Ruzi grass hay without soybean meal supplement were relatively high. The values were then improved by the smallest amount of supplement (6.9% CP). Beyond this level, there was no effect of the supplement. Although digestibility of CP was lower in sheep when no protein supplement was given, it was higher in sheep when high protein diets were given (10.4 and 13.9% CP). The total digestible nutrient and digestible energy contents well represented overall features of the differences in nutrient digestibilities between sheep and cattle. With lower levels of soybean meal supplement, these values were lower in sheep than in cattle. While, with higher levels of the supplement, there was no difference in the values between the animals. Sheep are often studied as a model animal for cattle in order to examine nutritive value of feed resources. It was suggested in the design of feeding trials using sheep, that CP content of whole ration, in which a target feed resource is included, should be more than 10%.


We propose Dual Attention Networks (DANs) which jointly leverage visual and textual attention mechanisms to capture fine-grained interplay between vision and language. DANs attend to specific regions in images and words in text through multiple steps and gather essential information from both modalities. Based on this framework, we introduce two types of DANs for multimodal reasoning and matching, respectively. The reasoning model allows visual and textual attentions to steer each other during collaborative inference, which is useful for tasks such as Visual Question Answering (VQA). In addition, the matching model exploits the two attention mechanisms to estimate the similarity between images and sentences by focusing on their shared semantics. Our extensive experiments validate the effectiveness of DANs in combining vision and language, achieving the state-of-the-art performance on public benchmarks for VQA and image-text matching.


Third- and fourth-derivative spectrophotometry (3D + 4D), with a diode-array spectrophotometer, has been used for the assay of mixtures of each of isothipendyl hydrochloride (I) and its sulphoxide (II) or dimethothiazine mesylate (III) and its sulphoxide (IV). The parent compounds have been determined by measuring the 3D at 256 nm, 246-256 nm and 256-264 nm and 4D at 250 nm for (I) and 3D at 255 nm or 283 nm and 4D at 257 nm for (III). The sulphoxides have been assayed by measuring the 3D at 285-290 nm and 4D 285-290 nm for (II) and 3D at 305 nm and 4D at 303-310 nm for (IV). Beer's law is obeyed and the detection limits for the proposed 3D and 4D has been calculated. The recovery of these drugs and their sulphoxides in laboratory-made mixture and dosage forms has been reported.


A passive magnetic field cancellation device (PMFCD) is designed. The PMFCD could automatically cancel the field as an active cancellation system did; however it requires no power sources and feedback systems. The capability of the PMFCD is based on the principle that a closed loop can resist flux variation and keep the flux constant inside. The closed loop in the PMFCD is formed by connecting two pairs of high temperature superconductor Helmholtz coils with different radii in series. More important thing is that the ratio of the radius and the turn number between the coils has to satisfy a number of conditions, with which 100% cancellation can be reached. Theoretical methods to obtain the turn number ratio and radius ratio are the major part of the paper. Numerical simulation was followed, aiming to evaluate field distribution under a cancellation state and correct the theoretical values.


Abstract 3.1. A regional approach often reveals features of population trends not evident in national data. We have already pointed out that the 1768 census followed the ecclesiastical sub-divisions of the country; therefore its territorial data are not comparable with those derived from later enumerations. The 1787 and 1797 censuses, on the other hand, were based on civil sub-divisions, which can be compared, when aggregated, with later censuses of the modern statistical era.


– The purpose of this paper is to determine technological potential of using multi‐frequency electromagnetic fields for the optimization of induction heating process., – The aim of the research is achieved by using phase‐modulated current feeding the solenoid that excites the magnetic field. In this case, the magnetic field, side by side with the carrier frequency, contains frequency spectrum arising due to modulation. At that, spectral components possess different penetration depths, which ensures a more uniform current density distribution over the cross‐section of the heated object. The results are obtained using theoretical analysis of electrodynamic and thermal processes in the heated body., – In the course of the work, a basic possibility of the objective realization is established, and its high enough efficiency is achieved using a sufficiently large range of modulation parameters., – The described method can significantly improve the technology of thermal treatment of metals and alloys liable to the formation of surface defects due to extreme temperature stresses., – The novelty of the paper consists in the use of phase‐modulated currents in induction heating.


PT. Hadji Kalla is Toyota's official distributor for South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi. In running its business, the sales department often has difficulty meeting the public's need for Toyota brand car products, especially in handling the demand for cars that are indented. Indent orders occur due to increased orders but less car stock. To handle indent orders, it can be done by forecasting future consumer needs using previous data, it is necessary to design a sales forecast application using the single moving average method. The purpose of this study is to implement the single moving average method to reduce the demand or order for indent cars, and to test the system using the white-box method. The prediction results of indent car sales in August 2022 are 654 units with a MAPE value of 17.19%, and normal car predictions in August 2022 are 2.842 units with a MAPE value of 22.9%. The results of testing the system using the black-box method on the 18 modules, it was found that all the forms that were designed as a whole had worked as expected.


In this paper, we study the dynamic assortment optimization problem under a finite selling season of length $T$. At each time period, the seller offers an arriving customer an assortment of substitutable products under a cardinality constraint, and the customer makes the purchase among offered products according to a discrete choice model. Most existing work associates each product with a real-valued fixed mean utility and assumes a multinomial logit choice (MNL) model. In many practical applications, feature/contexutal information of products is readily available. In this paper, we incorporate the feature information by assuming a linear relationship between the mean utility and the feature. In addition, we allow the feature information of products to change over time so that the underlying choice model can also be non-stationary. To solve the dynamic assortment optimization under this changing contextual MNL model, we need to simultaneously learn the underlying unknown coefficient and makes the decision on the assortment. To this end, we develop an upper confidence bound (UCB) based policy and establish the regret bound on the order of $\widetilde O(d\sqrt{T})$, where $d$ is the dimension of the feature and $\widetilde O$ suppresses logarithmic dependence. We further established the lower bound $\Omega(d\sqrt{T}/K)$ where $K$ is the cardinality constraint of an offered assortment, which is usually small. When $K$ is a constant, our policy is optimal up to logarithmic factors. In the exploitation phase of the UCB algorithm, we need to solve a combinatorial optimization for assortment optimization based on the learned information. We further develop an approximation algorithm and an efficient greedy heuristic. The effectiveness of the proposed policy is further demonstrated by our numerical studies.


Blood pressure indices reveal pertinent information regarding the risk factors associated with certain cardiovascular conditions. In the last decade, research has focused on determining which module of measurement is most relevant as well as exploring new investigative techniques to aid in detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The rates of isolated systolic hypertension, arteriosclerosis and other diseases associated with ageing continue to rise as the elderly population grows. The cuff sphygmomanometer only measures blood pressure in the brachial artery. Pulse wave analysis (PWA) is a noninvasive method of generating the ascending aorta pressure wave from the arterial pressure pulse measured in the carotid or radial artery. Pulse wave analysis identifies the effects of increased pulse wave velocity (PWV), an indicator of arterial stiffness, and an independent measure of cardiovascular risk. As there is a discrepancy between pulse readings at different sites, PWA is invaluable in providing information on the left ventricle and on large arteries. This measurement can reveal the unseen beneficial effects of antihypertensive drugs, as ascending aortic systolic and pulse pressure often decrease more than brachial pressure, and can indicate the presence of spurious systolic hypertension. The technique is not difficult to learn and results have been reproduced in several studies. Continuing research into PWA needs to be done, however, to assure the reliability of the measurements and minimize the possibility of incorrect readings.


Elevated plateaus with deeply incised valleys characterise elevated, passive continental margins (EPCMs) in all climate zones. These features are, however, a topic of debate regarding when and how the large-scale landscapes formed. We have investigated and mapped the partly glaciated landscape of North-East Greenland (70–78°N). The area consists of crystalline basement and Palaeozoic–Mesozoic rift basins, capped by Palaeogene basalts that erupted during the northeast Atlantic break-up. Our stratigraphic landscape analysis reveals a typical EPCM dominated by two elevated erosion surfaces, extending 200 km east–west and 900 km north–south. The low-relief Upper Planation Surface (UPS; c. 2 km above sea level) cuts across basement and Palaeogene basalts, indicating that it was graded to base level defined by the Atlantic Ocean in post-basalt times and subsequently uplifted. The UPS formed prior to the deposition of mid-Miocene lavas that rest on it, south of the study area. In the interior basement terrains, the Lower Planation Surface (LPS) forms fluvial valley benches at c. 1 km above sea level, incised below the UPS. The LPS is thus younger than the UPS, which implies that it formed post mid-Miocene. Towards the coast, the valley benches merge to form a coherent surface that defines flat-topped mountains. This shows that the LPS was graded to near sea level and was subsequently uplifted. Hence, both the UPS and the LPS formed as peneplains – erosion surfaces graded to base level. The fluvial valley benches associated with the LPS further indicates that full glacial conditions were only established after the uplift of the LPS in the early Pliocene (c. 5 Ma). The uplift of the LPS led to re-exposure of a Mesozoic etch surface. We conclude that episodes of late Neogene tectonic uplift shaped the stepped landscape and elevated topography in North-East Greenland.


Growth factors and amino acids (AA) are required for cell proliferation. A comparison of the AA composition of wound fluid (WF) to that of Eagle's medium reveals that AA in WF may be limiting to cell replication. Yet WF supports fibroblast replication and stimulates AA uptake. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates fibroblast replication and stimulates human wound healing when applied topically. We evaluated the interactions between EGF and AA concentrations found in WF. Wound fibroblasts were cultured in media prepared to mimic the AA concentrations found in WF on days 1, 5, and 10 and in the presence of varying concentrations of EGF. Fibroblasts cultured in all three experimental media showed a dose response to EGF for both tritiated-thymidine uptake (proliferation) and AA uptake. The fibroblast proliferation in response to EGF was augmented by the AA composition of day-5 WF. These data show a dose-dependent effect of EGF on fibroblast replication and AA uptake in the absence of serum that is augmented by the particular AA combination found in day-5 WF and suggests that an optimal physiologic AA profile may aid in EGF stimulation of wound fibroblast replication.


BACKGROUND
Cognitive impairment in hemodialysis patients is common, but the underlying pathogenesis remains unclear. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the general elderly population. Histopathological hallmarks are, among others, senile plaques, which consist of amyloid-β (Aβ).

OBJECTIVE
To measure plasma levels of Aβ42 and Aβ40 during hemodialysis and to examine potential associations with cognitive performance in cognitively impaired hemodialysis patients.

METHODS
Plasma samples of 26 hemodialysis patients were collected shortly before, after 50% of dialysis time, and at the end of a dialysis session. Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels were measured by a high-sensitivity ELISA for human amyloid-β. Cognition was tested under standardized conditions using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as proposed previously.

RESULTS
Clearance rates of both peptides during one dialysis session were 22% and 35% for Aβ42 and Aβ40, respectively. Aβ42 but not Aβ40 baseline levels were significantly associated with MoCA test results (r = 0.654, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION
In cognitively impaired hemodialysis patients plasma Aβ42 levels were associated with cognitive performance and both Aβ42 and Aβ40 plasma levels could be effectively reduced by dialysis. By inducing peripheral Aβ sink, hemodialysis may be considered as an anti-amyloid treatment strategy.


Nowadays, the topic of climate change and its consequences are on the agenda of the everyday life. Due to the greenhouse effect, an effective doubling of Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations is expected by 2030. During the history, the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere has grown mainly as a result of human activity in the Earth. The anthropogenic CO2 emission accounts for around three-fourths of global GHG emissions. The development of GHG emissions is extremely associated with global warming. Approximately one-third of the global atmospheric methane emissions derived from agricultural activities. Throughout the agricultural production process, high amounts of GHG emissions are released, which affect negatively the environment and the climate. The intensity of agriculture-related factors of climate change is varying over countries and continents. The objective of the research is to explore the main agricultural-related determinants of climate change focusing on livestock, burning crop residues, rice production, manure management, synthetic fertilizer use along with the geographical and cultural factors of the pollution. The analysis was carried out on a sample representing the world economy.


Traumatic soft tissue wounds present a significant reconstructive challenge. The adoption of closed-circuit negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has enabled surgeons to temporize these wounds before reconstruction. Such systems use porous synthetic foam scaffolds as wound fillers at the interface between the negative pressure system and the wound bed. The idea of using a bespoke porous biomaterial that enhances wound healing, as filler for an NPWT system, is attractive as it circumvents concerns regarding reconstructive delay and the need for dressing changes that are features of the current systems. Porous foam biomaterials are mechanically robust and able to synthesize in situ. Hence, they exhibit potential to fulfill the niche for such a functionalized injectable material. Injectable scaffolds are currently in use for minimally invasive surgery, but the design parameters for large-volume expansive foams remain unclear. Potential platforms include hydrogel systems, (particularly superabsorbent, superporous, and nanocomposite systems), polyurethane-based moisture-cured foams, and high internal phase emulsion polymer systems. The aim of this review is to discuss the design parameters for such future biomaterials and review potential candidate materials for further research into this up and coming field.


This research aimed at modelling a categorial response i.e. pregnancy outcome in terms of some predictors and determine the goodness of fit of the model and thereby proferring useful suggestions and recommendations. Ordinal logistic regression was used as a tool to model the pregnancy outcome(i.e live birth, still birth and abortion) with respect to maternal ages, health status, marital status, literacy level, parity, antenatal care, cesarean section,previous surgery and fetal weight. The data of 100 preganant women were gotten from Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti. The study showed that pregnancy outcomes are greatly affected by antenatal care, previous surgery and fetal weight. The study showed that the estimated odd is 19.2 times in favour of individuals that attended Antenatal (i.e. they are 19 times more likely to have livebirth compared to those who did not attend antenatal care). Keyworks: Pregnancy,ordinal logistic regression, probability, catagorical data.


A 57-year-old man was admitted to hospital because of leukocytosis. He showed mild splenomegaly and, laboratory studies revealed elevated mature neutrophil count without morphological abnormality, mild anemia and elevated neutrophil alkaline phosphatase score. The serum granulocyte colony stimulating factor concentration was below 30 pg/ml. Bone marrow was a dry tap, and biopsy specimen revealed severe fibrosis. The peripheral blood karyotype was 46, XY with no rearrangement of bcr-abl. The patient was diagnosed as having chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) with bone marrow fibrosis. He was successfully treated with hydroxyurea (HU) 1000 mg/day. The peripheral blood leukocyte was decreased to the normal level and, the bone marrow biopsy specimen changed mild fibrosis. During the follow up period of 11 months, the neutrophil count was well controlled without any side effect. This is a rare case of CNL accompanied with bone marrow fibrosis which was effectively treated by the administration of HU.


Broiler chicken is a superior race as a result of the cross marriage between the male of White Cornish from England and the female of Plymouth Rock 12 from America. This marriage produces of chicken which have quick growth and high feed conversion into meat. However, they have low feed conversion into egg. The study aims to find out the farmers' income from boiler chicken business. The study applied descriptive research method by analysing directly the boiler chicken farming in Bangkala District, Jeneponto Regency. The result of the business feasibility study showed that the investment cost was IDR 3,563,000, production cost was IDR 83,435,000, income (IDR 94,052,000), profit (IDR 7,837,000), R/C ratio (1.08), and B/C ratio (0.08). The conclusion of this study is the broiler chicken farming is beneficial and feasible to be developed.


Abstract Due to ELV banning, automotive electronics cannot use four kinds of heavy metal element (Pb, Hg, Cd, Cr 6+ ) from 2016. Therefore, this study was focused on degradation characteristics of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu Lead- free solder joint with OSP and ENIG finsh under various reliability assessment method, as like to thermal shock test and high temeprature/high humidity test with test duration for cabin electronics. Also, we compared bonding strength degradation to other advanced research results of electronic control unit for engine room because of difference service temperature with mount location in automotive. Whisker growth phenomenon and mitigation method which were essentially consideration items for Pb-free car electronics were examined. Conformal coating is a strong candidate for mitigating whisker growth in automotive electronics. Necessary condition to adapt Pb-free in car electronics was shown.Key Words : Automotive, Electronic control unit, Lead-free, Solder joint, Degradation, Whisker, Reliability


The article reveals the problem of implementing environmental environmental control in cities, where new centers of pollution, unauthorized landfills, etc. appear daily. Despite the large number of activities undertaken by environmental organizations, the problem remains open, because the main resource, the city dweller, is poorly involved.

The authors indicate that often city dwellers do not receive timely information on the possible places for receiving special waste (batteries, glass containers, thermometers), or on environmental measures being taken, and also do not have the opportunity to quickly send an application for the elimination of the place of illegal garbage storage or illegal dumping. And despite the organization of waste collection points, various subbotniks, landscaping events, hot lines for receiving proposals from the population, as a rule, the primary operational task is not to realize – the availability of information in the field of environmental control of the urban environment. To solve this problem, the authors proposed to design and implement a web-based service for fixing and informing the administrative services and the city population about the environmental situation. The service will consist of a mobile application and a website. The main functional requirements for the web service were: the ability to photograph garbage objects; obtaining the location coordinates of garbage objects; sending data to the server without mandatory user registration; displaying the status of garbage objects on an interactive city map.

The article presents the process of modeling the future web service using the notation of a unified modeling language. A use case diagram has been developed that describes the main roles of users who will work with this web service, as well as its functional requirements. In addition, the level of logical presentation of the service in the form of activity diagram is implemented. The physical representation of the web service is described through a deployment diagram.


Oligosaccharides naturally occur in many raw materials that are used for the manufacture of human foods. Plant oligosacccharides are often not digestible in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, but may be fermented in the colon by the intestinal microflora. These non-digestible oligosaccharides are often considered dietary fiber. We studied the effects of two types of oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharides and transgalacto-oligosaccharides, in humans using placebo controlled interventions. Special emphasis was put on measuring fermentation and on the effects on the composition of the intestinal microflora, putative colon cancer risk markers and glucose and lipid metabolism. We showed that healthy volunteers ferment fructo-oligosaccharides and transgalacto-oligosaccharides completely, as measured by the recovery of the oligomers in feces. The apparent fermentability of fructo-oligosaccharides by patients with an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis was 83%. Fermentation of both fructo-oligosaccharides and transgalacto-oligosaccharides increased the excretion breath hydrogen. When hydrogen is produced, most bacteria simultaneously produce short-chain fatty acids, but the fecal concentration of short-chain fatty acids after consumption of either fructo-oligosaccharides or transgalacto-oligosaccharides was not increased. Rapid absorption of the acids by the colonic mucosa probably occurred. We showed substrate specific changes of bacterial glycosidase activity in fecal water after dietary intervention with non-digestible oligosaccharides and conclude that the glycolytic activity of the intestinal bacteria might be a useful biomarker of the colonic metabolic activity. We found no effects of transgalacto-oligosaccharides on the composition of the intestinal microflora of healthy volunteers, when tested in a controlled feeding trial against a placebo treatment. There were no effects of fructo-oligosaccharides and transgalacto-oligosaccharides on stool weight or on the fecal concentration of butyrate, nor effects of transgalacto-oligosaccharides on fecal bile acid profiles or on the concentration of fecal toxic protein fermentation products. We showed that fructo-oligosaccharides do not favorably affect fasting glycaemia or serum lipids in non-insulin dependent diabetic patients that are under strict medical control for their diabetes. Although fructo-oligosaccharides and transgalacto-oligosaccharides are completely fermented, we were unable to find any evidence that they beneficially affect putative colon cancer risk markers, the composition of the intestinal microflora or glucose and lipid metabolism. It remains possible that they have effects in other study-populations, when tested against another background diet or when combined with other fermentable substrates.


Objective. Greater discrepancies between parent and adolescent reports of parenting behaviors are associated with poorer adolescent functioning. The present research aims to build from the existing literature by examining unique parent and adolescent perceptions of parental monitoring and distinct sources of parental knowledge (i.e, parental solicitation, parental control, child disclosure) and their association with adolescent cannabis and alcohol use and disorder symptoms using cross-sectional data. Method. Parent-adolescent dyads (N = 132) were recruited from the community and the family court system. Adolescents were ages 12 to 18 (40.2% female; 68.2% White, 18.2% Hispanic). Parents and adolescents completed a questionnaire assessing the four domains of parenting behaviors. Adolescents' substance-use behaviors and related disorder symptoms were assessed via adolescent self- report and semi-structured interviews. Results. Parental ratings of distinct parenting behaviors were higher (more favorable) than their child's reports, as shown in prior studies. Parent-reported parenting behaviors were uniquely related to cannabis use, over and above adolescent reports and the adolescent's age. With regard to report discrepancies, interactive effects of parent and adolescent perceptions of parental control were not statistically significant in our analysis after correcting for multiple tests. Conclusions. While most research relating parental monitoring to adolescent cannabis use relies solely on adolescent perceptions, our study suggests a unique role of parent perceptions for cannabis use and disorder symptoms, respectively. Findings support the importance of considering unique parent and adolescent perceptions of what parents know, as well as how they know it, to understand early cannabis use and problem development.


Salinity in the soil and irrigation water is an environmental problem and a major constraint for crop production. Coriandrum sativum as a leafy vegetable is great interest for vegetable producers in the world. However, due to gradual increase in soil and water salinity, especially in Northwest Iran, the production of this vegetable has been faced with many constraints. This experiment was conducted to study the effect of salinity on some morphological and physiological traits of Coriandrum sativum. The factors were arranged as factorial based on randomized complete block design with five NaCl levels (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM NaCl) and local ecotypes (Tabriz, Malayer) with three replications. The results revealed that there was interaction of salinity levels with ecotypes in terms of proline content and relative water content. The highest amounts for proline content (77 µg-1 FWt) was recorded for Tabriz clone under 200mM NaCl. The greatest relative water content was obtained by Tabriz clone × NaCl 0 and Malayer × NaCl 0 and 50 mM combinations. The highest dry weight of leaves, K+/Na+ ratio and K+ belonged to the non-salinity condition. Highest amounts of Na+ accumulation, MDA and H2O2 level and ion leakage were attained with 200 mM NaCl level. Soluble sugars content were affected by both salinity and ecotype. The highest content of soluble sugars was achieved by Malayer ecotype. With increasing salinity level, the content of soluble sugars increased and the highest amount of soluble sugars content was recorded at 200 mM NaCl.


Abstract Introduction The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed reducing nicotine with very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes. In contrast, reducing nicotine by reducing number of cigarettes per day (CPD) is common. Our prior findings demonstrate that VLNC cigarettes decreased dependence more and were more acceptable than reducing CPD. This secondary analysis explored which reduction strategy increased quit attempts (QA), self-efficacy, or intention to quit more. Methods This is a secondary analysis of 68 adult daily smokers not ready to quit randomized to smoke VLNC cigarettes versus reduce CPD over 5 weeks. All participants smoked study cigarettes with nicotine yield similar to most commercial cigarettes ad lib for 1 week (baseline). Participants were then randomized to gradually reduce to 70%, 35%, 15%, and 3% of baseline nicotine over 4 weeks by either (1) transitioning to lower nicotine VLNC cigarettes or (2) reducing the number of full nicotine CPD. All participants received nicotine patches to aid reduction. We assessed (1) QAs using nightly and weekly self-reports, (2) Velicer's Self-Efficacy to Quit measure weekly, and (3) the Intention-to-Quit Ladder nightly. Results More CPD (41%) than VLNC (17%) participants made any QA (odds ratio = 3.4, 95% confidence interval = 1.1, 10.5). There was no difference in QAs ≥24 h. Self-efficacy increased for VLNC but not CPD participants (interaction: F = 3.7, p < .01). The condition by time interaction for intention-to-quit was not significant. Conclusions Reducing number of CPD increased QAs more than reducing nicotine via switching to VLNC cigarettes. The lack of difference in longer QAs suggests replication tests are needed. Implications Reducing the frequency of smoking behavior (ie, CPD) could be a more effective strategy to increase QAs than reducing the magnitude of nicotine in each cigarette (ie, VLNC) per se.


AIM
To study efficacy of different ECG criteria of hypertrophy of left ventricular myocardium (LVH) in hypertensive patients with reference to overweight and obesity.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The authors analyse data on 100 patients (42 males and 58 females) aged 19-79 with diagnosis of arterial hypertension stage I-II. ECG was conducted in 12 leads. LVH by ECG was determined according to the following criteria: Sokolov-Lyon (S-L): Sv1+Rv5(v6) > 35 mm; Cornell voltage (Crn V): R avL +Sv3 > 28 mm (> 20 mm for females; Cornell product (Crn P): (RavL+Sv3)xQRSduration > 2440 mm x ms (for females RavL+Sv3 amplitudes + 0.6 mm). To verify L VH by echoCG, the authors used threshold values of left ventricular myocardium mass index (LVMMI) 125 g/m(2) for males and 110 g/m(2) for females. LVMMI was calculated by two methods: LVMM to body surface area (BSA) 2) LVMM to BSA of an ideal figure of a relevant height. Depending on the BMI all the patients were divided into 3 groups: with normal weight (BMI under 25 kg/m2), with overweight (BMI between 25 and 30 kg/m(2)), with obesity (BMI over 30 kg/m(2)).

RESULTS
Sensitivity of the criterion Crn-P was the highest. The S-L criterion had the least sensitivity (under 10%) in groups with overweight by more than 25 kg/m(2). In these groups sensitivity of all ECG criteria of L VH depends on some factors: on indexation of LVH by body size, gender and overweight. S-L criterion sensitivity is higher in subgroups of males irrespective of overweight and obesity.

CONCLUSION
Informative value of LVH ECG criteria depends on the method of LVMM indexation by body size, overweight and gender of the patients.


Though their biographies vastly differ, Karl Barth's long-term extra-marital relationship with Charlotte von Kirschbaum and John H. Yoder's sexual crimes have been the focus of a range of reactions and proposed approaches on how to read the theology of the two theologians given their biographies. This article will examine those critical responses using an analytical framework appropriated from Sameer Yadav's work on cognate conversations about locating and remedying the causes of white supremacy in the church: are the problems due to problematic theology, problematic institutional practice, or both? A correct diagnosis helps the theologian to then propose the right remedy. This adapted framework will be applied to the cases of Barth and Yoder to critically examine how Steven Plant and Rachel Muers respond to Barth's biography and how Stanley Hauerwas and Hilary Scarsella respond to Yoder's biography. After demonstrating how the different respondents address the issue as one primarily of problematic theology or problematic institutional practices, I will argue that it is both theology and practice that must be addressed in order to satisfactorily deal with the reality and scale of infection when it comes to influential theologians. Sample treatments will be offered for responding to Barth's and Yoder's biographies.


Metal oxide-based conductometric gas sensors (CGS) have showcased a vast application potential in the fields of environmental protection and medical diagnosis due to their unique advantages of high cost-effectiveness, expedient miniaturization, and noninvasive and convenient operation. Of multiple parameters to assess the sensor performance, the reaction speeds, including response and recovery times during the gas–solid interactions, are directly correlated to a timely recognition of the target molecule prior to scheduling the relevant processing solutions and an instant restoration aimed for subsequent repeated exposure tests. In this review, we first take metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) as the case study and conclude the impact of the semiconducting type as well as the grain size and morphology of MOSs on the reaction speeds of related gas sensors. Second, various improvement strategies, primarily including external stimulus (heat and photons), morphological and structural regulation, element doping, and composite engineering, are successively introduced in detail. Finally, challenges and perspectives are proposed so as to provide the design references for future high-performance CGS featuring swift detection and regeneration.


Very low frequency radio astronomy has considerable astrophysical importance. But its development comes up with significant methodological and instrumental difficulties. It is evident that many of them can be overcome by creating low frequency radio telescopes outside of the Earth ionosphere. However the giant size of the effective area needed for many astrophysical tasks especially below 30 MHz -, shows the topicality of building new generation concept of large ground based radio telescopes. Exciting world potential confirms the reality of such an approach.


For me, it is essential that the first question related to this query be: 'What are we really hoping to achieve with our available resources?' In the past, this question would have been answered in terms of the deployment of the traditional '3 Ps': prevention interventions, prosecution efforts and protection initiatives. Programme efforts under these headings are often designed to prevent people from being trafficked, put criminals in jail and help victims after they leave the exploitative environment. But few interventions explicitly state 'the goal is to reduce the number of people in human trafficking/slavery-like conditions'. The goal must be the reduction of overall victims.The second question I would ask: 'What can be done to achieve the most impact in reducing the number of trafficked persons, with the least amount of resources?' In other words, I would seek to put in place a programme that is both cost effective and impactful. With limited funding available globally, every dollar must count.


A two-level factorial design can be uniquely represented by a polynomial indicator function. Therefore, properties of factorial designs can be studied through their indicator functions. This paper shows that the indicator function is an effective tool in studying two-level factorial designs. The indicator function is used to generalize the aberration criterion of a regular two-level fractional factorial design to all two-level factorial designs. An important identity of generalized aberration is proved. The connection between a uniformity measure and aberration is also extended to all two-level factorial designs.


: Introduction and objective: Sarcocystis is an obligatory intercellular protozoan parasite which can induce infection and clinical signs in carnivorous and herbivorous host. Humans acquire infection by ingestion of cyst or eating raw and undercooked infected meat or meat-production. The main goal of this study is to detect prevalence of the parasites in meat-production such as hamburger, sausage and hot dogs and determine its important role in human health. Materials and methods: Seventy five samples of hamburger, sausage and hot dogs (each 25 samples) were collected from retail stores in Ahvaz southwest of Iran. The samples were examined by digestion method using pepsin and HCl for detecting Sarcocystis parasite by light microscope. Results: Sarcocystis species were seen in 56% for hamburger, 20% for hot dogs and 8% for sausage. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the rate of the Sarcocystis sp. infection in meat-production is considerable and would be important for human. Many Sarcocystis sp. can infect meat many species from canine and feline definitive host. A molecular test such as PCR is needed to identify the parasite species. Digestion method is a sensitive, rapid and simple test for diagnosing Sarcocystis infection in meat. To prevent human infection, consumption of raw or under-cooked meat and meat-produced hyper endemic area should be avoided. Significance and impact of the study: Regarding to meat-born disease transmitted to human, to detect protozoa parasites in meat and their products can be important to prevent transmission of parasites which have cyst stage and promote hygienic level in human community.


This paper used an artificial jellyfish search (AJFS) optimizer suitable for selective harmonic elimination-based modulation for multilevel inverter (MLI) voltage control application. The main objective was to remove the undesired lower-order harmonics in the output voltage waveform of an MLI. This algorithm was motivated by the behavior of jellyfish in the ocean. Jellyfish have the ability to find the global best position where a large quantity of nutritious food is available. The paper applied AJFS algorithm on five, seven, and nine levels of CHB-MLI. The optimum switching angle was calculated for the entire modulation range for the desired lower-order harmonics elimination. The problem formulated to achieve the objective was solved in a MATLAB environment. The total harmonic distortion (THD) values of five-, seven-, and nine-level inverters for various modulation indexes were computed using AJFS and compared with the powerful differential evolution (DE) algorithm. The comparison of THD results clearly demonstrated superior THD in the output of CHB-MLI of the AJFS algorithm over DE and GA algorithm for low and medium values of modulation index. The experimental results further validated the better performance of the AJFS algorithm.


The authors present an approach to hardware/software codesign of real-time embedded systems. Two of the difficulties associated with codesign are handling tradeoffs among multiple attributes and exploring a large design space. They use a combination of techniques from the evolutionary computation and utility theory fields to address these problem areas. A real-time microcontroller-based design example is presented to illustrate this approach.


Amidst political tensions between China and Japan, and against the backdrop of the patriotic education campaign in China that promotes a negative image of Japan as the victimiser, Chinese students in Japanese educational institutions study and work in Japan in a highly politicised context. In general, how they chose to interpret their experiences in Japan, and their views on history and controversial political issues involving China and Japan, demonstrates two levels of cosmopolitanism – namely, the ability and the willingness to engage with Japanese people on such issues, and reflexivity towards their own national identities. Meanwhile, some informants would deliberately avoid talking about history and controversial political issues involving China and Japan. While they lacked the willingness to engage with Japanese people on controversial issues, their keenness to separate their daily lives in Japan from the political context means they were also engaged in a reflexive reconfiguration of their national identities.


In an effort to develop a noninvasive method to evaluate flow characteristics of the internal thoracic artery grafts (ITAG) after coronary artery bypass grafting, we performed duplex scanning of ITAGs of 51 patients who underwent bypass grafting. The ITAG was visualized with a duplex scanner of 7.5 MHz through the first or second left intercostal space. The visualization of the ITAG was adequate to make reliable measurements in 47 patients (92.2%). The diameter of the vessel, systolic peak velocity, and diastolic peak velocity were recorded, and systolic flow volume, diastolic flow volume, velocity ratio, flow volume ratio, and diastolic flow volume fraction were calculated. The velocity ratio, flow volume ratio, and diastolic flow volume fraction were markedly higher in the unstenotic subjects than in the stenotic subjects. In the group in which severe LAD stenosis were recognized preoperatively, both systolic and diastolic flow volumes were increased compared with moderately stenotic group. No differences in flow characteristics could be demonstrated between the subjects with old anterior myocardial infarction and without it. In 10 patients in whom flow pattern was abnormal or not identified, angiography revealed graft stenosis or predominant native coronary arterial flow. Duplex scanning is thought to be a reliable, sensitive, and noninvasive technique for the assessment of the ITAG.


Celiac disease; Enzymatic gluten degradation, Aspergillus niger; Prolyl endopeptidase; Treatment; Glutenase; Wheat; Enzyme therapy ABSTRACT: Celiac disease (CD), a chronic inflammatory disorder, is triggered by the ingestion of gluten peptide. Wheat gluten contains gliadins and glutenins fractions, where gliadin peptides are the main cause of CD and nonceliac gluten sensitivity development. Keeping a strict gluten-free diet is the only effective treatment for CD. In recent years, lactic acid bacterial and fungal prolyl endopeptidases (PEP) have been proposed as the sources of proteolytic enzymes for the complete elimination of gluten peptides, and have also proved as a potential common therapeutic agent for CD treatment. Considering these indications, a special focus was devoted to AN-PEP-secreted PEP. Herein, we review the proteolytic enzymes produced by microorganisms, especially by the fungal strain, Aspergillus niger (AN), and discuss its beneficial properties against toxic effects of α-gliadin digestion in affected patients. The present review reveals the importance of proteolytic proteases in industrial applications; from an economic perspective, AN-PEP protease is an appropriate choice for making high-quality gluten-free products.


In my early years, I was a practical marketing and advertising research analyst. During this time, Lyndon O. Brown's (1937) Market Research and Analysis taught me the power of survey research in coordinating supply to demand. From Brown, I learned how to help managers make marketing decisions on the basis of what the market wanted. Brown's book was also instrumental in making marketing research courses commonplace in business school curricula. Related to this, in 1949, about the time I was thinking about an advanced degree, Robert Ferber's (1949) Statistical Techniques in Market Research appeared to remedy the use of faulty statistical methods in marketing research by advocating, among other things, the replacement of quota sampling with probability sampling. Ferber's book was important to me because it gave me my first exposure to the idea of the quest for "truth" in marketing. This meant the application of the scientific method, using sampling and correlation analysis to find the range and limits of relationships. Together, Brown and Ferber gave me a vision of reality testing for finding the "truth." Never mind that no one yet "knows" whether scientific realism or relative truth should be adopted (Hunt 1990); after reading and using Ferber's text, I felt confident that I knew that truth and reality (hypothesis) testing went hand in hand. But those were heady days. Who among marketing scholars today would feel bold enough to say the same? After 50 years of scholarship, I have come to accept that human judgments are situationrelative. Stephen Brown's (1998) Postmodern Marketing Two provides an entertaining exposition of the view that marketing is and always will be an art, the knowledge of which can never be gained by scientific study alone.


The paper discusses the appearance of unusual – paradoxical – adverse reactions that occur as a result of treatment of rheumatic diseases with biological agents.


Abstract We used complete sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to test monophyly of the Sparoidea, Sparidae, six subfamilies of Sparidae, and to elucidate the interrelationships of the 33 recognized sparid genera. The analysis included 40 sparid species, 10 closely related species, 10 basal percoids, and two nonperciform outgroup species. The aligned 1140 base pairs of cytochrome b yielded 542 parsimony informative characters. Mutational analysis revealed that third codon position transitions were saturated and, therefore, of questionable use in phylogenetic analysis. However, the third codon position transversions and all first and second codon substitutions were not saturated and thus judged more reliable for inferring evolutionary relationship. Parsimony analysis of the equally weighted nucleotide data, weighted nucleotide data set (saturated position transitions given a weight of zero) supported a monophyletic Sparidae with the inclusion of Spicara, which is traditionally included in Centracanthidae. The previously proposed composition of genera within the six sparid subfamilies (Boopsinae, Denticinae, Diplodinae, Pagellinae, Pagrinae, and Sparinae) were not monophyletic in all analyses. This suggests the feeding types on which the subfamilies are based were independently derived multiple times within sparid fishes. In all analyses, Lethrinidae were sister to Sparidae. Sparoidea (Sparidae, Centracanthidae, Lethrinidae, and Nemipteridae) were monophyletic only in the weighted nucleotide phylogeny.


Pectin cellulose grafted with glycidyltrimethylammoniochloride (GTMAC) was successfully obtained following the processes of depectinfibrillation and cellulose cationization using ordinary Shatian pomelo peel produced in Yongzhou, Hunan, as the raw material. This is the first report on a new type of functionalized sodium alginate-immobilized material prepared from the fibers of pomelo peel. The material was prepared by combining modified pomelo peel cellulose and sodium alginate following the processes of physical and chemical double cross-linking. The prepared material was used to embed the target bacteria to achieve the biodegradation of p-aniline. The concentration of CaCl2 was adjusted when the alginate gelled, and the alginate to yuzu peel cellulose ratio was tuned. The immobilized material-embedded bacteria help achieve the best degradation effect. Bacteria are embedded during the process of the degradation of aniline wastewater, and the functionalization of the cellulose/sodium alginate-immobilized material results in unique surface structure performance. The performance of the prepared system is better than that of the single sodium alginate-based material characterized by a large surface area and good mechanical properties. The degradation efficiency of the system is improved significantly for the cellulose materials, and the prepared materials can potentially find applications in the field of bacteria-fixed technology.


In this paper we introduce a script identification method based on hand-crafted texture features and an artificial neural network. The proposed pipeline achieves near state-of-the-art performance for script identification of video-text and state-of-the-art performance on visual language identification of handwritten text. More than using the deep network as a classifier, the use of its intermediary activations as a learned metric demonstrates remarkable results and allows the use of discriminative models on unknown classes. Comparative experiments in video-text and text in the wild datasets provide insights on the internals of the proposed deep network.


Glauconite samples from various stratigraphic levels in the northern Atlantic Coastal Plain were dated by the K-Ar method. Twenty-eight samples were collected from glauconite-bearing sands in four traverses across the outcrop belt of Upper Cretaceous–lower Tertiary formations from northern New Jersey to eastern Maryland, thus providing a framework on which to test the reliability of glauconite for dating in vertical sequences and within some formations along strike. Sample ages were determined paleontologically and radiogenically. The results show that most radiogenic determinations of glauconite followed a systematic pattern; the resultant ages were generally younger upward through the Stratigraphic section. In addition, consistent ages were obtained from many of the stratigraphic units along strike. A combination of paleontologically derived ages and the numerical radiogenic ages suggests that the stages of the Late Cretaceous are unequal rather than equal as some have proposed. For example, Campanian and Paleocene times are of significantly greater duration than the Maestrichtian. Several samples obtained across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary indicate that the age of the boundary is between 63.2 and 59.1 m.y., probably very near 61.1 m.y. Dates considered to be reliable were obtained from 25 of 28 samples. Two of the three discordant ages are ascribed to incomplete glauconitization of the pre-existing mineral phase and hence to mineral impurity. No adequate explanation for the third significantly younger age has been determined.


The study of the statistical properties of the non-linear random wave had been earlier investigated. In this work we introduce a bi-parametric distribution of nonlinear stochastic processes, in studying the properties of second-order random processes with a narrow-band spectrum. This incidentally concerns the mechanics of the water waves. In particular, the expressions of the probability density function are further investigated, using this bi-parameter. This analysis will enable the designer to choose wave parameters, within a limit, that will yield an acceptable level of risk. Secondly, such probabilistic based design criterion may result in substantial cost saving if uncertainties in the wave estimates are incorporated.


Borders in East Central Europe have become much more permeable over the past ten years as formalities have been simplified and many new crossing points have opened. At the same time, cooperation in border regions has increased, thanks mainly to the EU 'Interreg' programmes, to include a range of business cultural and conservation interests. In many cases these arrangements have been formalized through Euroregions which have become an indicator of good international relations. The paper reviews these trends with reference to examples and pays particular attention to environmental projects and the joint planning initiatives being undertaken in a number of Euroregions. At a time when regional policy has been generally weak, cross-border cooperation has contributed significantly to cohesion and it is also a good indicator of stability in the region. However, the impact has been greater in the north than in the Balkans and the first round of EU eastern enlargement will have implications for cooperation across the new external borders.


The purpose of this study is to summarize a description of perceptions of undergraduate minority and majority engineering students regarding their self-concept as learners and study skills, and their attitudes toward instructors, classmates, and cooperative learning strategies. Information was collected using a survey and interviews, and data was analyzed descriptively leading to patterns of undergraduate minority and majority engineering students' educational problems, needs, and attitudes. It is the authors' objective to document students' educational problems and needs when taking required courses that demand high level conceptual thinking and problem solving skills. A large portion of students taking two courses offered at the Systems and Industrial Engineering Department at The University of Arizona (USA) volunteered to complete the survey.


Ammonia,with excellent thermal-physical properties,is a kind of natural and sustainable refrigerant.The paper introduces some new technology developed recently in application of ammonia such as the cascade refrigeration cycle using CO_2 as a secondary refrigerant in an ammonia refrigerating systems, and the technology of water chiller using ammonia.Otherwise,the paper discusses the development trends of ammonia refrigeration technology,including safety guarantee,high efficiency,miniaturization and automation.


Historically, storage has been directly connected to servers for fast local access and easy configuration. In recent years, storage area networks (SANs) have defined an alternative storage paradigm that allows storage to be shared among servers using fast interconnects. One of the key challenges of SAN management is the large number of configuration problems that are encountered in a typical SAN deployment. These configuration problems can be addressed by SAN management software. However, hard-coding the SAN configuration rules into the management software is not a viable option since it is not possible to easily modify or replace old configuration rules and specify new policies and guidelines. In this paper, we propose a novel policy-based SAN configuration validation system that can be used to specify, store, and evaluate configuration policies for SANs. We also introduce five new operators for collection policies that are useful for evaluating a wide variety of practical SAN configuration policies found in practice. The policy-based SAN configuration checking approach proposed in this paper is discussed within the context of device interoperability constraints. However, this approach is extensible as it can also be used to enforce performance, reliability, and security-related configuration constraints.


A cooling system for microelectronics is becoming more important as its surface heat density is projected to reach that of the sun surface. The existing technologies using natural and forced convection are limited to solve the problems, Recently, an electrohydrodynamic driven flow is studied as one of the means to cope with this problems. A new method, utilizing a needle-centered nozzle electrode, has been proposed and investigated. The I-V characteristics of the nozzle electrode for deionized water and silicone oil were significantly different from that of without liquid, which might be due to the liquid drop covered on the nozzle tip by the EHD force acting near the needle tip. Results showed that the liquid pumping rate and flow efficiency of the nozzle electrode were very high, especially for the silicone oil. Theoretical analysis also showed the effectiveness of the needle electrode centered in the ceramic nozzle, which, however, can be a means as a liquid pump.


Convection in the Earth's core is driven much harder at the bottom than the top. This is partly because the adiabatic gradient steepens towards the top, partly because the spherical geometry means the area involved increases towards the top, and partly because compositional convection is driven by light material released at the lower boundary and remixed uniformly throughout the outer core, providing a volumetric sink of buoyancy. We have therefore investigated dynamo action of thermal convection in a Boussinesq fluid contained within a rotating spherical shell driven by a combination of bottom and internal heating or cooling. We first apply a homogeneous temperature on the outer boundary in order to explore the effects of heat sinks on dynamo action; we then impose an inhomogeneous temperature proportional to a single spherical harmonic Y 2² in order to explore core-mantle interactions. With homogeneous boundary conditions and moderate Rayleigh numbers, a heat sink reduces the generated magnetic field appreciably; the magnetic Reynolds number remains high because the dominant toroidal component of flow is not reduced significantly. The dipolar structure of the field becomes more pronounced as found by other authors. Increasing the Rayleigh number yields a regime in which convection inside the tangent cylinder is strongly affected by the magnetic field. With inhomogeneous boundary conditions, a heat sink promotes boundary effects and locking of the magnetic field to boundary anomalies. We show that boundary locking is inhibited by advection of heat in the outer regions. With uniform heating, the boundary effects are only significant at low Rayleigh numbers, when dynamo action is only possible for artificially low magnetic diffusivity. With heat sinks, the boundary effects remain significant at higher Rayleigh numbers provided the convection remains weak or the fluid is stably stratified at the top. Dynamo action is driven by vigorous convection at depth while boundary thermal anomalies dominate in the upper regions. This is a likely regime for the Earth's core.


Means for reduction of dust control were summarized and priorities assigned to education and engineering control of farm equipment in the work on prevention. Personal protection equipment was reviewed and positive pressure respiratory helmets suggested for more extended use. A fuller characterization of exposure agents, such as peak levels and measurement of different particle sizes was recommended. For medical prevention, priorities should be given to establishment of health care delivery organizations, particularly for farmers, and to specific prevention measures which were discussed in connection with each disease entity. Recommendations for further research include development of new measuring techniques, assessments of new equipment and work practices, and establishment of additional information on dose-response relationships and etiologic agents causing lung disease.


This article reviews Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Dr Andrew Butler's recent book, A Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand, which proposes that New Zealand should radically reform its constitutional arrangements by entrenching an elaborate codified constitution, and making (most of) it judicially enforceable. The article contends that whatever the merits constitutional entrenchment in general, and the specific reform proposals made by Palmer and Butler as part of their proposal, their arguments for codifying and entrenching New Zealand's constitution are not convincing.
The article outlines three reasons why this is so. First, Palmer and Butler's proposal will do less than they expect to secure public knowledge and understanding of New Zealand's constitutional arrangements. They will neither prevent the development of constitutional conventions nor obviate the need for a body of constitutional case law to go along with the entrenched text. Second, codifying and entrenching not only the most important constitutional rules but also details of government institutions or at least elaborate guiding principles for their operation tests the limits of human foresight and invites litigation and instability, especially in a legal culture that is not committed to originalist constitutional interpretation. And third, considering in some detail Palmer and Butler's proposal to entrench rights to liberty and security of the person, it is apparent that their arguments in support of this proposal do not engage with its likely implications, in particular regarding the extent of judicially imposed limits on democratic legislation based on these rights, such as those that have been developed in Canada.


Abstract A new species in the extant genus, Hydrotrupes Sharp, H. prometheus n. sp., (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae) is described from Baltic amber (Eocene) based on examination of a single female specimen. This description represents one of a limited number of diving beetle taxa described from fossiliferous amber and is currently the oldest known fossil assigned to Agabinae. Based on this specimen Hydrotrupes is at least 40 million years old. The occurrence of Hydrotrupes during the Eocene suggests that the current disjunct distribution of living Hydrotrupes species occurring in western North America and eastern China is a relict of former widespread distribution in the northern continents. Considering the age of this fossil and its similarity to living members of the genus Hydrotrupes, the conservation of morphology in this lineage of diving beetles is notable. Key morphological characters of the new species are illustrated, and the significance of this discovery for understanding Agabinae evolution and the biogeography of this previously hypothesized trans-Beringian lineage is discussed.


Studying genomes of O. oeni strains having opposite oenological aptitudes is important for understanding why this lactic acid bacterium involved in malolactic fermentation is so well adapted to wine. Here, the genome of a strain ATCC BAA-1163, is described and compared with the recently reported genome of the better wine-adapted strain PSU-1. The BAA-1163 genome (8X) was obtained by shotgun sequencing and Phrap assembling. Compact and 62% AT-rich, it consists of a circular 1,792,103-bp chromosome and a 3,948-bp plasmid. It was analysed through a CAAT-Box annotation platform and manually inspected. A total of 51 RNA genes were detected, including two rRNA operons (the second resulting from a duplication of the original one) and 43 tRNAs genes scattered throughout the chromosome. A total of 1,756 ORFs were predicted of which 73% were functionally classified, revealing a specialized metabolic repertoire. The genomic distribution, genetic environment and phylogenetic origin of detected pseudogenes and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were analyzed. The conservation of gene repertoire and genomic organization were investigated through intra- and inter-species genomic comparisons. BAA-1163 genome was 11.6-kb longer than its PSU-1 counterpart, with macroscopic (i.e. a 674-kb chromosomal inversion between the rRNA operons), and microscopic/small-range rearrangements (local gain/loss of genetic objects). The latter event appeared to affect loci of key metabolic functions presumably involved in wine adaptation, all of them sharing unusual GC-content and abundance of MGEs. These results point up the role of horizontal gene tranfert and MGEs in O. oeni genome plasticity, and give us clues of the genetic origin of its oenological aptitudes. A previous draft has already been released, the complete genome will become available to the scientific community later.


Sebaceous carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor of the skin. Although this tumor is not completely understood due to its rarity and the paucity of published reports, it is known to be an aggressive tumor with a high incidence in Asia. Sebaceous carcinomas occur preferentially in the periocular region and require attention not to miss the associated Muir–Torre syndrome. In the case of localized disease, a wide local excision with clear margin followed by adjuvant radiation therapy is usually considered the standard treatment strategy but there is no agreed treatment strategy or standard chemotherapeutic regimen for recurrent metastatic sebaceous carcinoma. We report here two cases of recurrent metastatic sebaceous carcinoma patients who responded to 5‐fluorouracil and cisplatin combination chemotherapy, and review the literature. We suggest that 5‐fluorouracil‐cisplatin can be considered a feasible and effective treatment modality for recurrent sebaceous carcinoma.


In this paper we present a tunable PIFA which can be used in a mobile terminal. A NanoMech™ process enabled MEMS digital variable capacitor has been used as a capacitive load to the antenna. The antenna occupies a volume of just 1.3 cc and is targeted to be placed at the bottom corner of the device. With the help of tunability the antenna is able to cover from 704-960MHz in the low-band and 1710-2170MHz in the high-band, thus covering a wide range of frequency bands required for GSM/WCDMA/LTE systems. The MEMS device has an equivalent series inductance of less than 0.1nH hence the variation in the capacitance value with respect to frequency is less than 10%up to 5GHz. Further, the equivalent series resistance (ESR) of the digital variable capacitor is <;0.4Ω across the whole frequency range of interest, hence causing very low insertion loss to the antenna. The tunable antenna is characterized by measuring it in 3D anechoic chamber. The measured total efficiency of the antenna varies from -4 to -2dB for 700MHz-960MHz and -3dB to -2dB for 1710-2170MHz.


Youth work, as a form of engaging young people "in which the participation of young people is voluntary and the aims are broadly educational" (Harrison and Wise (eds.), 2009: 1) has been positioned as an inherently ethical practice (see: Sercombe, 1998; National Youth Agency, 1999). However, what makes youth work ethical and what constitutes ethical youth work is currently the subject of some debate. At present, two broad, overlapping schools of thought exist: that youth work is made ethical by the fact that the procedures within it are more equitable and fairer (Young, 1999; NYA, 1999); or that youth work is made ethical by the fact that it holds the young person as its primary constituent, receiving its 'mandate' directly from them (Sercombe, 1998; 2010). To this debate I would like to provide an alternative model of ethics which focuses on the potential to disrupt unequal relations of power and unsettle discourse. In doing so I will be able to highlight the existent possibilities for and limitations on the production of an ethical youth work practice.
This model is drawn from a Foucauldian reading of ethics. Foucauldian ethics focuses on the capacity of the subject to disrupt discourse and challenge power relations. Applying this Foucauldian ethics, the thesis explores what about youth work creates openings for the subject to disrupt discourse. These openings, I argue, are rooted in the ambiguity of the discourse of youth work. This ambiguity is the result of the production of youth work discourse by multiple, contradictory understandings of youth, adulthood and 'good' youth-adult relations. These manifest in the varying sub-discourses of positive youth work co-existent within the overarching youth work discourse.
Using evidence from policy textwork and ethnographic fieldwork at a youth club in Nottingham (Urban Youth) I illustrate how the co-existence of these understandings renders the subject-positions and subject-functions of youth workers and young people in youth work discourse ambiguous. As such what constitutes positive youth work, a 'good' youth worker and the dimensions of positive youth worker-young person relationships is unclear. Because of this ambiguity, openings for critical reflection and disassembling of the subject (what Foucault considers as the epitome of being ethical) emerge.


The potential effects of Auricularia auricula melanin (AAM) on the intestinal flora and liver metabolome in mice exposed to alcohol intake were investigated for the first time. The results showed that oral administration of AAM significantly reduced the abnormal elevation of serum total triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and significantly inhibited hepatic lipid accumulation and steatosis in mice exposed to alcohol intake. Besides, the abnormally high levels of bile acids (BAs) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the liver of mice with alcohol intake were significantly decreased by AAM intervention, while the hepatic levels of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were appreciably increased. Compared with the model group, AAM supplementation significantly changed the composition of intestinal flora and up-regulated the levels of Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, Romboutsia, Muribaculaceae, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, etc. Furthermore, liver metabolomics demonstrated that AAM had a significant regulatory effect on the composition of liver metabolites in mice with alcohol intake, especially the metabolites involved in phosphatidylinositol signaling system, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, galactose metabolism, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. At the gene level, AAM treatment regulated the mRNA levels of lipid metabolism and inflammatory response related genes in liver, including ACC-1, FASn, CPT-1, CD36, IFN-γ, LDLr and TNF-α. Conclusively, these findings suggest that AAM has potential beneficial effects on alleviating alcohol-induced liver injury and is expected to become a new functional food ingredient.


This paper takes as its focus the need for psychologists to take issues of culture seriously. In doing so, it is important that psychologists adopt a critical approach to many widely held and taken-for-granted assumptions about culture and cultural processes. In particular, there is a pressing need to explore the ways in which constructions of culture routinely feature in the marginalisation of minority group members. Using examples drawn from the UK, I explore how cultural diversity can be represented by majority group members to question others' belonging within the national community. In turn, I consider the implications of this for minority group members' everyday (informal) experiences of citizenship (e.g. their ability to be heard in discussions about the nation and the challenges it faces). I also consider minority group members' experiences of such marginalisation and the various ways in which exclusionary constructions of culture and belonging may be contested.


This article presents a definition of brand hero based on the literature surrounding celebrity endorsement with particular emphasis on source credibility and attractiveness. Three brand communities and their brand hero(es) were analyzed using an ethnographic–grounded theory approach. Findings indicate that brand hero credibility does not solely include expertness, trustworthiness and attractiveness but is complicated by the inter-relationship between the brand, community and hero to include the attributes of integrity and affinity. These are key constructs in the effectiveness of the brand hero in motivating the brand community to act for the benefit of the brand.


This paper describes the development of a 3D tyre–pavement interaction model to predict the tyre–pavement contact stress distributions for future use in the mechanistic analysis of pavement responses. The ribbed radial-ply tyre was modelled as a composite structure (rubber and reinforcement), and the tyre material parameters were calibrated through load-deflection curves. The steady-state tyre rolling process was simulated using an arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation. The model results are consistent with previous measurements and validate the existence of non-uniform vertical contact stresses and localised tangential contact stresses. The analysis results show that the non-uniformity of vertical contact stresses decreases as the load increases, but increases as the inflation pressure increases. However, vehicle manoeuvring behaviour significantly affects the tyre–pavement contact stress distributions. For example, tyre braking/acceleration induces significant longitudinal contact stresses, while tyre cornering causes the peak contact stresses shifting towards one side of the contact patch. The model results provide valuable insights into understanding the realistic tyre–pavement interaction for analysing pavement responses at critical loading conditions.


Objective—Laminar flow becomes disturbed at high velocities, reducing shear stress and augmenting vascular inflammation and proliferation, processes that are pivotal in restenosis and atherogenesis. We hypothesized that disturbed blood flow after coronary angioplasty is associated with adverse long-term clinical outcome. Methods and Results—The cineangiograms from 97 patients undergoing laser-assisted coronary angioplasty were analyzed. Coronary blood flow velocity, the residual lesion dimensions, and the Reynolds number (an index of disturbed flow) were measured by using a frame-counting technique and quantitative coronary angiography. Cox proportional hazards were used to assess the relative risk of adverse events (target-vessel revascularization, myocardial infarction, or death) over a mean 2.5 years after the index procedure. There were 41 adverse events during 245 patient years of follow-up (17% per year of follow-up). The risk of an adverse event was increased for patients with a high flow velocity (>250 mm/s; relative risk 2.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 4.7) or a high Reynolds number (>200) at the stenosis inlet (relative risk 2.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.1) at the end of the procedure. Adjustment for other factors did not alter these results. Conclusions—High Reynolds numbers, indicating disturbed blood flow after coronary angioplasty, increase the risk of adverse clinical events, potentially through shear-stress–related molecular mechanisms that promote restenosis and atherogenesis.


The influence of contraction type on the human ability to use the torque capacity of skeletal muscle during explosive efforts has not been documented. Fourteen male participants completed explosive voluntary contractions of the knee extensors in four separate conditions: concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC); and isometric at two knee angles (101°, ISO101 and 155°, ISO155). In each condition, torque was measured at 25 ms intervals up to 150 ms from torque onset, and then normalized to the maximum voluntary torque (MVT) specific to that joint angle and angular velocity. Explosive voluntary torque after 50 ms in each condition was also expressed as a percentage of torque generated after 50 ms during a supramaximal 300 Hz electrically evoked octet in the same condition. Explosive voluntary torque normalized to MVT was more than 60 per cent larger in CON than any other condition after the initial 25 ms. The percentage of evoked torque expressed after 50 ms of the explosive voluntary contractions was also greatest in CON (ANOVA; p < 0.001), suggesting higher concentric volitional activation. This was confirmed by greater agonist electromyography normalized to Mmax (recorded during the explosive voluntary contractions) in CON. These results provide novel evidence that the ability to use the muscle's torque capacity explosively is influenced by contraction type, with concentric contractions being more conducive to explosive performance due to a more effective neural strategy.


Evaluation and mitigation of noise from vehicular sources is common as a building design criterion and has been part of the California State Building Code and HUD multi-family building design requirements since the 1970s. It is now included in Green Building Design Standards and school and healthcare facility design guidelines and is expanding to all types of buildings with the addition of the new acoustics credit in LEED version 4. These criteria require that the noise level be quantified precisely, but do not provide a method for defining the noise level given the normal variations in noise level. This paper examines the factors that should be considered when defining the exterior noise from vehicular sources. Methods for predicting the noise level using data from relatively short measurement periods are evaluated, and minimum survey requirements to determine specific exterior noise parameters are suggested.


The study presents the results of linear dynamics of laminated glass panels with different curvatures. This is an actual task in the field of mechanical engineering, aviation, shipbuilding, energy, architecture, etc. Such composites are durable, easy to care for and have a wide range of design options. The aim of the work is to study the influence of the curvature parameter on the frequencies and modes of composites. The paper considers the linear characteristics for laminated glass with polyvinyl butyral interlayer. The article considers behavior of the triplex and the propagation of elastic waves in the linear state. The paper performs calculations using the finite element method in the framework of modal analysis in a three-dimensional formulation in the framework of a physical linear-elastic formulation. The study uses hexagonal finite element with 8 nodes with 3 degrees of freedom in each. This work model laminated glass with a curvature parameter ranging from 0 mm to 250 mm. The composite consisted of three layers: two glass layers thickness of each was 3 mm, and a polyvinyl butyral interlayer with 0.38 mm thickness. The size of the plates was 500×500 mm. As a boundary condition, the laminate was fixed on two opposite sides. The article performs mesh size convergence analysis. The results of natural frequencies in accordance with the curvature parameter are derived. The graphs of natural vibration modes are also shown, that give a clear view about the state of composites.


Coastal water-level information is essential for coastal zone management, navigation, and oceanographic research. However, long-term water-level observations are usually only available at a limited number of locations. This study discusses a complementary and simple neural network (NN) approach, to predict water levels at a specified coastal site from the data gathered at other nearby or remote permanent stations. A simple three-layer, feed-forward, back-propagation network and a neural network ensemble, named Atlantic Canadian Coastal Water Level Neural Network (ACCSLENNT) models, was developed to correlate the nonlinear relationship of sea level data among stations by learning from their historical characteristics. Instantaneous hourly observations of water level from five stations along the coast of Atlantic Canada— Argentia, Belledune, Halifax, North Sydney, and St. John's—are used to formulate and validate the ACCSLENNT models. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the network output with target observations showed that despite significant changes in sea level amplitudes and phases in the study area, appropriately trained NN models could provide accurate and robust long-term predictions of both tidal and nontidal (tide subtracted) water levels when only short-term data are available. The robust results indicate that the NN models in conjunction with limited permanent stations are able to supplement long-term historical water-level data along the Atlantic Canadian coast. Because field data collection is usually expensive, the ACCSLENNT models provide a cost-effective alternative to obtain long-term data along Atlantic Canada.


An efficient algorithm based on domain decomposition method (DDM) and partial basic solution vectors (PBSV) technique is proposed for solving three-dimensional (3-D), large-scale, finite periodic electromagnetic problems, such as photonic or electromagnetic bandgap structures, frequency selective surfaces. The entire computational domain is divided into many smaller nonoverlapping subdomains. A Robin-type condition is introduced at the interfaces between subdomains to enforce the field continuity. With the help of a set of dual unknowns, each subdomain can be tackled independently. Because of geometric repetitions, all the sudomains can be classified into a few building blocks, which can be dealt with by an improved PBSV algorithm. Thus, the original problem becomes a much smaller one which involves the unknowns only at the interfaces. The resulting linear system of equations is solved by a block symmetric successive over relaxation (SSOR) preconditioned Krylov subspace method. Once the unknowns at the interfaces have been obtained, the final solution on each subdomain can easily be calculated independently. Some numerical examples are provided and show the method is scalable with the number of subdomains.


Carbon nanoparticles possess a combination of high electrical and thermal transport properties, as well as low density and different morphologies that make them a good choice to reinforce plastics. Polymer nanocomposites offer great expectations for new and unexpected applications due to the possibility of changing their electrical/thermal behavior by adding nanoparticles while retaining the flexibility and processability of plastics. The possibility of electrical and thermal conduction in a polymer matrix with low amounts of nanoparticles brings opportunity for high demanding applications such as electrical conductors, heat exchangers, sensors, and actuators. Polyolefin nanocomposites offer a significant challenge due to their insulative nature and low affinity for carbon nanoparticles; due to the latter, new production tendencies are proposed and investigated.


In order to investigate the N-values of underground sediments in Omiya and north Musashino uplands, isopleth maps were drawn using ArcGIS (ver 10. 3. 1, ESRI Japan Corporation). First, the summarized N-values data 1) were referred and picked up the values of 3-m depth intervals. Then, by using the GIS software, each boring point was plotted and made isopleth maps of each 3-m interval. As a result, high N- value with the sediments composed by gravel is distributed in Musashino uplands, whereas low N-values less than 10 with mud and silt sediments between 24-33m depth in Omiya uplands. Sediment layers existing fossil shells are also pointed out in the original boring core data 1) in Omiya uplands. The low N-value area is corresponded to the distributed area of Kioroshi formation, which deposited during Shimosueyoshi transgression. From these analyses of mapping data, it is concluded that it is important to choose it by not only surface landscapes but also considering the history of landscape development as well as geotechnical parameters such as N -values, when we decide the suitable low-cost construction site.


Severe eosinophilic asthma poses a serious health and economic problem, so new therapy approaches have been developed to control it, including biological drugs such as benralizumab, which is a monoclonal antibody that binds to IL-5 receptor alpha subunit and depletes peripheral blood eosinophils rapidly. Biomarkers that predict the response to this drug are needed so that microRNAs (miRNAs) can be useful tools. This study was performed with fifteen severe eosinophilic asthmatic patients treated with benralizumab, and serum miRNAs were evaluated before and after treatment by semi-quantitative PCR (qPCR). Patients showed a clinical improvement after benralizumab administration. Additionally, deregulation of miR-1246, miR-5100 and miR-338-3p was observed in severe asthmatic patients after eight weeks of therapy, and a correlation was found between miR-1246 and eosinophil counts, including a number of exacerbations per year in these severe asthmatics. In silico pathway analysis revealed that these three miRNAs are regulators of the MAPK signaling pathway, regulating target genes implicated in asthma such as NFKB2, NFATC3, DUSP1, DUSP2, DUSP5 and DUSP16. In this study, we observed an altered expression of miR-1246, miR-5100 and miR-338-3p after eight weeks of benralizumab administration, which could be used as early response markers.