In a recent experiment, it has been found that by tuning the interaction strength of a dipolar Bose-Einstein Condensate confined in a quasi-1D geometry orthogonal to the polarization direction, the roton gap vanishes, while density modulations are induced in the trapped gas. This suggests the possibility of realizing a supersolid in dipolar quantum gases. Inspired by this experiment, we simulate a dipolar BEC in a ring geometry by confining the dipoles in a "tube" orthogonal to the polarization direction and enforcing periodic boundary conditions. Our calculations are based on a Density Functional approach where the total energy density functional includes the beyond-mean-field correction of Lee-Huang-Yang, which partially accounts for quantum fluctuations. We study the ground state properties of the system by evolving in imaginary time the EulerLagrange equation derived from the variational principle. We also study the excitation spectrum of the system by solving the corresponding Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. We find that the calculated excitation spectrum shows indeed a roton minimum, and the roton gap can become vanishingly small by reducing the effective scattering length. As the roton gap disappears, we find that the system spontaneously develops in its ground-state a periodic structure formed by denser clusters of atomic dipoles immersed in a dilute superfluid background. We find that this structure shows the hallmarks of a supersolid system, i.e. (i) a finite non-classical translational inertia and (ii) the appearance, besides the phonon mode, of the Nambu-Goldstone gapless mode corresponding to fluctuations in the phase, and related to the spontaneous breaking of the gauge symmetry.


The shock waves generated by a supersonic aircraft are reflected in the upper part of the atmosphere. Back to the ground, they are indirect sonic booms called secondary sonic booms. The recorded signals of secondary sonic booms show a low amplitude and a low frequency. They sound like rumbling noises due to amplitude bursts. These signals strongly depend on the atmospheric conditions, in particular to the amplitude and to the direction of the wind in the stratopause. The propagation of the secondary sonic boom is studied using atmospheric models up to the thermosphere. By solving temporal ray equations, the secondary carpet position is investigated. An amplitude equation including nonlinearity, absorption and relaxation by various chemical species is coupled to the ray solver in order to get informations on the amplitude and on the frequency of the sonic boom at the ground level. Using this propagation model and the atmospheric model, the seasonal dependencies of the secondary sonic boom are investigated. Multipath arrivals are directly linked to wind field or 3D inhomogeneities. They have been of special concern as a way to explain the rumble noise as a summation over dierent ray contributions.


The preparation of the monobase complexes K[PdLCl3](L = nucleoside or pyridine) is described for the first time, in dimethylformamide solutions. The complexes are characterized by elemental analyses, conductivity measurements, i.r. spectra, and chemical reactions. They are unstable in aqueous or acidic solutions. At pH ca. 9–10 the inosine and guanosine derivatives are transformed into dimeric O(6)N(7) chelates. The reactions of K[PdLCl3] with other nucleosides in water have also been studied and produce 1 : 4 and 1 : 2 complexes of the type [PdLL′3]Cl2, cis- or trans-[PdL(L′)]Cl2, and cis- or trans-[Pd(L – H)(L′– H)], where L′= the same or a different nucleoside to L. The binding sites of these complexes are N(7) of the purine rings, as is revealed by their 1H n.m.r. spectra.


This study purposed to derive a model to estimate appropriate construction costs for the application of the estimation system based on historical construction data. For this purpose, it analyzed data () on the construction costs of reinforced concrete apartments (Long-Lamina-type apartments), which have been highly standardized and have a lot of relevant objective data using statistical analysis techniques and developed an estimation model.


We present an experimental study on the effect of polymer PVP on EOF mobility of microchannels wet etched into optical white soda lime glass, also known as Crown glass. We performed experiments to evaluate the effect of PVP concentration and pH on EOF mobility. We used on‐chip capillary zone electrophoresis and a neutral fluorescent dye as a passive marker to quantify the electroosmotic flow. We performed experiments under controlled conditions by varying pH from 5.2 and 10.3 and concentration of PVP from 0 to 2.0% w/w at constant ionic strength (30 mM). Our experiments show that PVP at concentrations of 1.0% or above very effectively suppress EOF at low pH (6.6). At high pH of 10.3, PVP has a much weaker suppressing effect on EOF and increasing its concentration above about 0.5% showed negligible effect on EOF mobility. Finally, we briefly discuss the effects of pH on using PVP as an adsorbed coating. Our experiments provide useful guidelines on choosing correct pH and concentration of PVP for effective EOF suppression in glass channels.


Public concerns nowadays often require familiarity with geophysics and astronomy. Many people wonder or worry about climate change, the greenhouse effect, nuclear energy, and energy in general, as well as space research, solar eruptions, magnetic fields inside and outside Earth, and space radiation. How can these people, including students and teachers, find out about such subjects?

Many turn to Wikipedia™. It can be quite useful, but this is an encyclopedia—often going into excessive detail, occasionally misleading (anyone can modify it), and rarely placing subjects in the broader context in which they belong. Just look up some of the subjects listed above! The general public, as well as students learning about Earth and space science, seek guidance, not just descriptions of subjects but also help in understanding them and placing them in an overall pattern.


PURPOSE
Concept analysis is an essential part of theory development in nursing. Thus, many strategies or methods of concept analysis have been suggested in nursing literature. However, in Korea, only limited strategies were utilized, without much consideration on a wide range of strategies in choosing a method that coincides with the characteristics of each concept to analyze. The purpose of this article was to propose various strategies for concept analysis.

METHOD
A literature review method was used.

RESULT
Ten methods of concept analysis were identified in the literature, and they were evaluated for advantages and limitations. In addition to the method by Walker and Avant and a hybrid model, more advanced strategies, such as triangulation method, critical analysis and the feminist approach were introduced and described in detail. The examples used in each concept analysis method were presented in table to provide the extent of utilization of each method.

CONCLUSION
This article provides a wide range of strategies in identifying, clarifying, or elaborating a concept. It might help in choosing a method that best fits the concept to analyze, thus enhancing quality of concept analysis research.


With the increasing popularity of firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs) and quality of service (QoS) routing, packet classification becomes increasingly important in the Internet. The high-performance solutions known so far strongly rely on certain properties of the filter database to match against, such as a small number of distinct prefixes or the absence of conflicts. We present line search as a two-dimensional generalization of the one-dimensional binary search on prefix lengths exploiting the advantage given by the different approach therein. This algorithm also works best on the filter databases that are expected to occur most often, but degrades gracefully when these assumptions no longer hold. We also show how to efficiently extend the algorithm to a complete five-dimensional Internet protocol (IP) and transport header match.


Consisting of four scientific papers and a comprehensive overview, this thesis concerns governance in and of social work. More specifically, it studies governing of knowledge in social service with children and youth. Through the growing focus on evidence-based social work since 2000, state governing of knowledge has become an increasingly established concept. In general terms, it refers to the national level's efforts to govern based on knowledge in order to solve social services' "knowledge problems". However, there are more aspects to state governing of knowledge. Thus, this thesis focuses on the doing of such governance – a praxis that involves actors at national, regional and municipal levels. Here, regional development leaders in social service with children and youth are one of the central actors; consequently, they constitute the empirical focus of the thesis when analysing the doing of governing of knowledge. The aim of this study is to describe and analyse how state governing of knowledge is conducted by examining how development leaders perceive and concretise the task of governing of knowledge in social service's childcare. The overall questions are as follows: 1. How do regional development leaders in social service with children and youth perceive and interpret the EBP knowledge model in relation to their task? 2. How do regional development leaders act when they govern with knowledge within social service? 3. What characterizes the professional practice of regional development leaders, and how can we understand it in the context of governance? Data have been collected through individual interviews and focus group interviews with 28 regional development leaders. In addition, the empirical material includes a field study with participant observations during network meetings and a questionnaire survey with 29 development leaders. The data have been analysed from three theoretical perspectives: governance as floating signifier, governance as joint doing, and governance as a relational exercise of power. The first perspective, governance as floating signifier, implies that governance changes over time, both in terms of how it can be understood and how it is applied. The second perspective, governance as joint doing, refers to governance as it takes place in and through interaction between actors involved in governance. Here, we can note a mutual influence between those who govern and those who are being governed. The third perspective focuses on power as a central element of governance and how it is constructed in a relational interaction between actors who are part of a common context of governance. The analysis shows that the ambiguity that surrounds state governing of knowledge creates a discretion for interpretation and action. This gives development leaders the opportunity to saturate their work with their own content, depending on the purpose and context, which is very much about developing and organising social work in social services. Working with development, change and innovation is thus of importance in the governing of knowledge of social service with children and youth. In carrying out their tasks, development leaders combine hierarchical top-down management with horizontal, relational management. This becomes evident in the development leaders' choice of governance practices, which involves networking with managers in senior positions who have a mandate to make decisions. The interaction between development leaders and managers is characterised by mutual influence, which results in development leaders sacrificing certain areas of their mission in favour of activities that managers consider important to implement. Such governance praxis is likely to have implications for the outcomes of governing of knowledge. The establishment of the development leader as an actor in the governing of social work can be understood as a reaction to changing institutional conditions for the management and organisation of the public sector. The work of development leaders is characterised by a hybridised professional practice: they integrate seemingly incompatible logics and thus have to manage different tensions in a professional role, which is probably a prerequisite for navigating complex governing tasks.


This paper presents the Green Move project, which is currently ongoing at Politecnico di Milano. The goal of Green Move is to create an innovative vehicle sharing system, based on electric vehicles, which can easily be accessed by users with little required infrastructure and few intermediaries. The paper provides an overview of the project, briefly describes the architecture of the system under development, and outlines the next steps in this research.


The paper advocates that a middle ground between the many theories attempting to explain Islam and its view on the relationship between politics and religion is provided by the textual and discursive approaches. Islamist and/or Islamic revivalist movements are essentially concerned with the relationship between religion and social reality in the context of change. Worldly politics and the hermeneutics of disagreement also essentially deal with change and public space. What is changeable and what is unchangeable is a question of hermeneutics. Understanding a text is a human enterprise, and as such it is likely to create difference of opinion. But while disagreement triggers conflict, proper understanding and application of a systematic hermeneutics leads to an ethics of disagreement which eventually allows for a modus vivendi in the public space. It is thus important for any tradition to have a hermeneutical framework towards an ethics of disagreement. In the particular case of Islam it is not difficult to find such a hermeneutical methodology that allows for differences and otherness to live side by side, towards unity in diversity. It only needs to be reappraised.


High-dimensional data in the form of tensors are challenging for kernel classification methods. To both reduce the computational complexity and extract informative features, kernels based on low-rank tensor decompositions have been proposed. However, what decisive features of the tensors are exploited by these kernels is often unclear. In this paper we propose a novel kernel that is based on the Tucker decomposition. For this kernel the Tucker factors are computed based on re-weighting of the Tucker matrices with tuneable powers of singular values from the HOSVD decomposition. This provides a mechanism to balance the contribution of the Tucker core and factors of the data. We benchmark support tensor machines with this new kernel on several datasets. First we generate synthetic data where two classes differ in either Tucker factors or core, and compare our novel and previously existing kernels. We show robustness of the new kernel with respect to both classification scenarios. We further test the new method on real-world datasets. The proposed kernel has demonstrated a higher test accuracy than the state-of-the-art tensor train multi-way multi-level kernel, and a significantly lower computational time.


This paper examines the most effective ways of engaging urban citizens to appreciate rural villages and agriculture traditions. Pondering on experiences of rural revitalization experiments in Asian societies, this paper proposes the concept of "participatory agricultural humanities." Participatory agricultural humanities are tools and processes engaging citizens into eco-friendly farming and land related works or events. Based on action research and qualitative research methods, we have been working with peri-urban and rural communities in Taiwan since 2009. Only embracing agricultural humanities as our values, we could re-establish eco-friendly rural developments with biodiversity and cultural diversity as a whole. © 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creative commons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Keywords: agricultural humanities, rural revitalization, participation, new ruralism


Virtually every group in America is represented in this country's military. However, this does not mean that each of these groups is egually represented. One persistent difference between the personnel of today's military and the members of the civilian population is the overrepresentation of racial minorities in the military. Several questions arise out of this disparity between the racial composition of the military compared to its civilian counterpart. The most debated question is whether or not it is fair fqr minorities to bear a proportionally greater burden in defending their country than that which their numbers in society dictate. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol1/iss1/7 Differences in Military Enlistment Characteristics of Minorities and Whites: 1981-1983 by Clinton Farris I. Background Virtually every group in America is represented in this country's military. However, this does not mean that each of these groups is egually represented. One persistent difference between the personnel of today's military and the members of the civilian population is the overrepresentation of racial minorities in the military. Several questions arise out of this disparity between the racial composition of the military compared to its civilian counterpart. The most debated question is whether or not it is fair fqr minorities to bear a proportionally greater burden in defending their country than that which their numbers in society dictate. For example, during the Gulf War blacks accounted for 30% of all U.S. soldiers fighting in the Middle East, while they accounted for only 12% of the general U.S. population (Donaldson, p.173). The issue has been extensively debated in the economic, political and social arenas since the beginning of the All Volunteer Force (AVF) in 1973 when the Vietnam-Era draft ended. Some researchers and policy-makers argue that the unequal burden on minorities is unfair only if their enlistments are not voluntary, informed choices (Berryman, p.82). Such an assertion, however, is subject to much criticism. Is a person's enlistment always a voluntary decision, or are there other forces involved? When answering this question, it is important to consider the reason behind the enlistees "voluntary" decision, and exactly what alternatives were available to the enlistee. For a disproportionate number of the minority enlistees, the alternative is unemployment. Berryman argues that such enlistments are not voluntary, but rather that they represent economic conscription. These servicemen enlist because they have no other economic alternatives. The New Pittsburgh Courier wrote near the beginning of the Gulf Conflict, "Where would [the black soldier] be if not in the Saudi Arabian desert? Very possibly unemployed!" (Donaldson, p.143). The fact that the choice is voluntary does not necessarily mean that any resulting inequality of representation is therefore fair and justified. Other factors, such as alternatives in the civilian labor market, must be taken into consideration. In addition to concern for the equitable treatment of individuals and subgroups of the population, the composition of the military is of concern to the society as a whole. During the Civil War special fighting regiments were formed which consisted entirely of black soldiers, yet were led by white commanders. Approximately 100 years later the Armed Forces banned racial segregation. However, more recently in the Gulf War overwhelming Illinois Wesleyan University 29 numbers of minority combat forces were again being led into battle by white officers. Minorities were once again fighting and dying for a democracy which they could not fully enjoy. Not only is this morally wrong, it is dangerous. When a country's military significantly misrepresents the broader society which it must protect, the legitimacy of that country's government can become questionable. This paper looks at the enlistment characteristics and backrounds of minority and white enlistees age 18 to 22, from 1981 to 1983. It provides an analysis of differences between minority and white enlistees during this period. The objective is to determine the effects of the recession and the changing enlistment criteria on the accession of minorities relative to whites in terms of their respective socioeconomic backgrounds. The results are looked at in terms of the increase in the overall quality of recruits. II• Literature Review There is a significant body of research available on the racial composition of the All Volunteer Force, including articles by such well-known economists as John Kenneth Galbraith and Milton Friedman. Several studies exist on how changes in economic conditions and the business cycle effect the number and quality of enlistees, as well as research on changes in minority enlistment over time. My literature search failed to locate any prior work which bridges these two areas of research and analyzes differences in the characteristics of minority and white enlistees in terms of the recessionary effects of the early 1980's. Although there is no single previous study which serves as a control for my work or upon which this project explicitly builds, I have found a significant amount of literature providing useful information about enlistment rates and characteristics of enlistees. One of these sources is the 1989 publication of the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) entitled Social Representation in the U.S. Military. The document contains a study which follows a group of enlistees from 1980 to 1987. It also studies general enlistment trends in terms of the geographic diversity of enlistees, their race and socioeconomic background. The study, however, does not address the role of the economy and business cycle so much as it does changes in the recruiting practices and enlistment standards of the armed forces. Additional work in this area includes William Bowman's 1986 book entitled The All-Volunteer Force After a Decade, and Sue Berryman's book Who Serves? The Persistent Myth of the Underclass, published in 1988. Dr. Berryman's work contains an analysis of enlistment characteristics within minority groups. The book's primary focus is on the political implications of the All Volunteer Force and the issues of effectiveness and loyalty with racially unrepresentative forces. One section, however, 3 0 The Park Place Economist/Spring 1993 addresses the concept of the AVF as an extension of the welfare state. That is, do the armed forces act as a federally funded program for people suffering from economic hardship? Such a question directly relates to the recessionary focus of my own paper. I have located additional literature dealing with the role of minorities in the military, but most of this is either policy oriented or provides a more historical perspective of enlistments prior to the beginning of the AVF. III. Theoretical Framework The great majority of research in the field of military enlistment has its underlying framework in supply and demand theory. The reasoning is straightforward. The composition of the military (in a volunteer environment) is determined by two factors: 1) Those who are willing to serve. 2) Those whom the services are willing to accept. There are numerous things which influence these supply and demand factors. On the supply side, elements directly affecting an individual's decision to enlist include employment status, military pay levels, benefits and opportunities for additional education and/or training. In addition to these environmental and economic factors, recruiting practices such as advertising expenditures, the number of recruiters and enlistment bonuses may influence the number of youths willing to serve. During the period of this study, the supply of potential enlistees increased as the recession worsened and more youths saw enlistment as a viable alternative to employment in the civilian labor market. On the demand side, the Department of Defense (DOD) sets the recruiting quotas for the services, which are then submitted to Congress for approval and (usually) modification. In addition to this targeted minimum number of enlistees, there are also qualitative standards the military attempts to meet. Examples include the percentage of enlistees who have received a high school diploma and a certain percentage of enlistees in the higher-scoring categories of the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) . Although this study is based upon supply and demand theory, there are also elements of human capital theory. The reasoning for this is that three of the four independent variables used in the model involve how investment in education is related to the decision to enlist. Based on the above theoretical framework, I propose the following hypotheses: 1) Minorities and whites from higher socioeconomic background were more likely to enlist in 1983 than in 1981. 2) A high socioeconomic background was a better predictor of enlistment for minorities than for whites in 1983 compared to Illinois Wesleyan University 31 1981. As the recession deepened from 1981 to 1983, employment opportunities in the civilian labor market became more scarce. As a result, youths from more advantaged and higher socioeconomic backgrounds who would not have normally considered enlisting in the military now saw this as an option, as opportunities in the private sector were harder to come by. As the supply of enlistees increased, the militaryfrom the demand-side standpoint -was able to be more selective. The second hypothesis states that the minorities who met these higher standards and enlisted were more likely to come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds than were the whites who enlisted. I am using a secondary source of data, called the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS)Youth Cohort. The survey consists of 12,686 young men and women who were first interviewed in 1979 and who have been interviewed in each


Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the root canal preparation and apical enlargement of molar root canals with rotary or reciprocating heat-treated nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments, by using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Methodology Mesial root canals (n=48) of mandibular molars, with a curvature between 20° and 40°, were prepared with ProDesign Logic (PDL) 25.01 and 25.06 in rotary motion, or ProDesign R (PDR) 25.06 in reciprocating motion (PDR). Apical enlargement was performed with PDL35.01 and PDL35.05 or PDR35.05. Scanning with 9 µm resolution was performed before and after preparation, and, after apical enlargement, by using micro-CT. The percentage of volume increase, debris and untouched root canal surface, transportation, centralization and preparation time were analyzed. ANOVA and Tukey or Kruskall-Wallis and Dunn statistical tests were conducted (α=.05). Results PDL promoted a higher apical percentage of volume increase, and lower percentage of debris and untouched root canal surface than PDR 25.06 preparation in entire canal and in all thirds (P<.05). Apical enlargement with PDL 35.05 and PDR 35.05 produced a higher percentage of volume increase in the apical region in relation to the initial preparation (P<.05). PDR 35.05 and PDL 35.05 showed similar results in relation to percentage of debris and untouched root canal surface in entire canal and in all thirds (P>.05). Centralization and transportation showed no difference (P>.05). PDR required less time to perform preparation and apical enlargement (P<.05). Conclusions The apical enlargement 35.05 with CM heat-treatment instruments using reciprocating and rotary motion reduced the percentage of debris and untouched root canal surface, without causing deviations or procedural errors. The protocol of greater apical enlargement favors the cleaning of the root canals in both kinematics. Preparation by the reciprocating system was faster than by the rotary system.


Comparisons are made of the losses of two precision waveguide sections that were calibrated by three independent attenuation measurement methods. The loss measurement systems involved were the 1) dual-channel system which uses thermistors and a dc potentiometer test set, 2) dual-channel system which uses barretters and an ac ratio transformer test set, and 3) Nationaf Bureau of Standards reflectometer system which utilizes a quarter-wave short circuit and an IF attenuation standard. Loss values of about 0.05 dB, as calibrated by the three independent methods, typically agreed to within 0.0006 dB. It is believed that the results of these calibrations are representative of the best that can be achieved with current state-of-the-art techniques and available instrumentation for low-loss waveguide measurements.


Many fine-grained classification tasks, like rare animal identification, have limited training data and consequently classifiers trained on these datasets often fail to generalize to variations in the domain like changes in weather or location. As such, we explore how natural language descriptions of the domains seen in training data can be used with large vision models trained on diverse pretraining datasets to generate useful variations of the training data. We introduce ALIA (Automated Language-guided Image Augmentation), a method which utilizes large vision and language models to automatically generate natural language descriptions of a dataset's domains and augment the training data via language-guided image editing. To maintain data integrity, a model trained on the original dataset filters out minimal image edits and those which corrupt class-relevant information. The resulting dataset is visually consistent with the original training data and offers significantly enhanced diversity. We show that ALIA is able to surpasses traditional data augmentation and text-to-image generated data on fine-grained classification tasks, including cases of domain generalization and contextual bias. Code is available at https://github.com/lisadunlap/ALIA.


Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare and severe inflammatory skin condition. There are different variants, including generalised and atypical forms, but the most common presentation is an enlarging ulcer on the lower extremities. Treatment can represent a challenge for physicians and there are no guidelines based on randomised controlled trials. We report an exceptional case of widespread and refractory pyoderma gangrenosum in a middle‐aged woman where cocaine use may have played a role. Treatment with i.v. pulse corticosteroids and cyclosporine was ineffective, and disease control was obtained with oral corticosteroids together with mycophenolic acid, infliximab and abstinence from cocaine consumption. There was a temporal relationship between disease outbreaks and cocaine consumption and improvement after its discontinuation. In the present case such clinical severity without associated pathology and the temporal association with cocaine abuse raises the possibility of cocaine playing an aetiological role as well as accounting for therapy resistance.


Glaciogenic sediments are common as graben fills in upper Proterozoic sequences of North America. One example is the upper Mount Rogers Formation (MRF) in southwestern Virginia, which accumulated in a rift valley prior to formation of the proto-Atlantic Ocean. The upper MRF is up to 1200 m thick and crops out on two thrust sheets. It generally overlies about 1500 m of rhyolitic and basaltic volcanic rocks with some sandstone and conglomerate (lower and middle MRF). It is overlain disconformably by areally extensive siliciclastic rocks, the Chilhowee Group, which probably record miogeoclinal conditions. Trough cross-bedded conglomerates with interbedded rhyolite flows probably underlie the upper MRF in the northeast of the outcrop area; these record alluvial fan sedimentation and contemporaneous volcanism. Elsewhere, initial upper MRF sediments are thick argillites with interbeds of arkosic arenite and wacke and rare diamictite. Normal grading, disturbed bedding, convolute lamination, and abundant argillite rip-up clasts imply deposition by turbidity currents and mass flow. The argillite is commonly well laminated: silt to clay, varvelike laminae, 1 mm to 3 cm thick, suggest glaciolacustrine deposition. Dropstones must have formed in ice-contact lakes. Predominantly structureless diamictite, 0-400 m thick, caps the sequence in most places, and thins toward themore » northeast. It is interpreted as lodgment till that indicates glacial advance in the south. Glaciogenic sediments such as these may have been common graben-fill sediments during certain periods of geologic time.« less


The aim of this paper was to explore the appropriate deterministic time series model using the latest selection criteria considering the price pattern of onion, garlic and potato products in Bangladesh (January 2000 to December 2016). It appeared from our analysis that the time series data for the prices of potato was first order homogenous stationary but onion and garlic were found to be the second order stationary. Four different forecasting models namely, linear trend model, quadratic trend model, exponential growth model, and S-curve trend model were used to find the best fitted model for the prices of above mentioned products in the Bangladesh. Three accuracy measures such as mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), mean absolute deviation (MAD) and mean squared deviation (MSD) were used for the selection of the best fitted model based on lowest value of forecasting error. Lowest values of these errors indicated a best fitted model. After choosing the best growth model by the latest model selection criteria, prices of selected agricultural commodities were forecasted using the following time-series analysis methods: Simple Exponential Method, Double Exponential Method using the time period from January 2017 to December 2021. The findings of this study would be useful for policy makers, researchers, businessmen as well as producers in order to forecast future prices of these commodities.


This Study Within a Trial (SWAT) is hosted by the multicenter, randomized study "Hypertension Approaches in the Elderly: a Lifestyle study" by using public and patient involvement. We aim to explore two different face-to-face formats (individual or group contexts) for delivering individual results to older participants (age ≥ 60 years old), assessing the understanding, satisfaction, and short-term psychological well-being generated by different delivery formats.


Obesity is a grave problem in our society. A significant increase in prevalence within the last 20 years has resulted in greater mortality, increased stress on our healthcare system, and a decreased quality of life for people dealing with obesity and overweight issues. My dissertation concerns a mobile application that assists teenagers in leading physically active lifestyles to try and combat the risk of becoming obese or overweight as adults. I hope this research will prove to be a viable option to prevent or reduce the risk of obesity for teens so that they lead healthy lives. By reducing the risks of obesity and overweight problems, we also reduce the risk of these individuals developing debilitating diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.


Chondrichthyes have become an important economic resource in recent years. In spite of this importance, there is little knowledge about their reproductive biology, especially of species from the south-western Atlantic. In this work, we study the morphology and histology of the ovary of Sympterygia acuta. The results show that oogonia were present only in the immature females (stage I of maturity scale), whereas specimens in stages II and III of maturity displayed oocytes in all developmental steps. The most important histological features that vary throughout oocyte development are the presence or absence of yolk, the number of types and layers of follicular cells and the degree of development of the thecae. Follicular cells are, at least, of two different types. Finally, a new point of view for the determination of maturity stages in the field based on the size of follicles is discussed.


Ray tracing is used to calculate the power absorbed in electron cyclotron resonance plasma sources used in plasma etching and deposition devices. The microwaves are launched at 2.45 GHz corresponding to a fundamental resonance at 875 G. The power in each ray is weighted to represent the power distribution of the waveguide mode that is launched into the device. The ray trajectories describe the refraction of the microwave power in the plasma due to the gradients in the plasma density and magnetic field. To calculate power absorption, the damping coefficient is evaluated using a warm plasma correction to the cold plasma dispersion relation. When the rays are launched onto a magnetic beach, most of the microwave power is absorbed before the omega = omega ce surface is reached. For the cases studied, the axial width of the absorption layer is typically about 0.5-2 cm and is wider on axis becoming narrower at larger radii. The width of the absorption layer varies inversely with the magnetic field gradient consistent with analytical results obtained from linear theory. The calculations show a significant two-dimensional structure to the absorbed power profile which depends on the launched mode power distribution, the plasma density and the magnetic field profiles.


In high speed CO₂ welding, it has been known to produce no sound bead with undercut or humping bead. In this study welding phenomena through synchronized high speed camera and output welding voltage and current waveform has been analyzed. For the purpose to improve a welding bead, effect of short circuit current rise slope has been examined. With commercial power source it was produced no sound bead by instantaneous short circuit, long arc period and stubbing at welding speed 2.5㎜/min. Humping bead or undercut were showed by instantaneous short circuit and long arc period. Also, the weld bead was not formed during the long short circuit period after stubbing start and long arc extinguishment period after wire sticking by failure of arc regeneration, because the droplet was not transferred to weld pool. With increasing short circuit current rise slope the frequency of stubbing was decreased and the normal short circuit rate was increased. A control of short circuit current rise slope was effective factor in high speed welding.


Sulfonated poly(arylene perfluoroalkylene)s containing a sulfone-bonded ladder structure (SPAF-P-Lad) were synthesized by treating the precursor SPAF-P polymers with oleum as a novel proton exchange membrane for fuel cells. SPAF-P-Lad membranes had excellent solubility in polar organic solvents and high molecular weight (Mn = 145.4–162.9 kDa, Mw = 356.9–399.1 kDa) to provide bendable membranes with ion exchange capacity (IEC) ranging from 1.76 to 2.01 meq. g−1. SPAF-P-Lad membranes possessed higher proton conductivity than that of the precursor SPAF-P membranes because of the stronger water affinity. Compared with SPAF-P membranes (Tg: 72–90 °C, Young's modulus: 0.08–0.42 GPa; yield stress: 5.7–15.1 MPa), SPAF-P-Lad membranes showed better mechanical stability to humidity and temperature and improved tensile properties (Young's modulus: 0.51–0.59 GPa; yield stress: 23.9–29.6 MPa). The selected membrane, SPAF-mP-Lad, exhibited improved fuel cell performance, in particular, under low humidity with air; the current density at 0.5 V was 0.56 A cm−2, while that for SPAF-pP was 0.46 A cm−2. The SPAF-mP-Lad membrane endured an open circuit voltage hold test for 1000 h with average decay of as small as 70 μV h−1. A series of post-analyses including current–voltage characteristics, molecular structure, molecular weight, and IEC suggested very minor degradation of the membrane under the accelerated testing conditions.


This paper discusses the integration of product, test, diagnostic, and sustainment engineering disciplines using a standards-based digital thread. After reviewing some of the relative strengths and challenges of this approach (as compared to other trends in digital engineering), we present a case study in which a standards-based digital thread is used to flow detailed design data into diagnostic and test engineering activities. This integration not only creates opportunities for seamless automation during product development, but also provides full traceability from engineering databases to the test programs performed on Automatic Test Systems and subsequent test results and diagnostic reasoning. Notably, because all essential model data is stored unambiguously in the thread, the thread itself becomes the authoritative source of truth for a given project or enterprise.


Cigarette smoking puts individuals with or at risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in jeopardy of experiencing a major cardiovascular event. Contingency management (CM) for smoking cessation is an intervention wherein financial incentives are provided contingent on biochemically verified smoking abstinence. Conventional CM programs typically require frequent clinic visits for abstinence monitoring, a potential obstacle for patients with medical comorbidities who may face barriers to access. This preliminary study examined the feasibility and comparative efficacy of (a) usual care (UC; advice to quit smoking, self-help materials, quitline referral) versus (b) UC plus home-based CM for smoking cessation (UC + HBCM). HBCM entailed earning monetary-based vouchers contingent on self-reported 24-hr smoking abstinence biochemically verified by a breath carbon monoxide (CO) sample ≤ 6 ppm. Participants were 20 outpatients with a CVD diagnosis or qualifying CVD risk factor randomly assigned 1:1 to the two conditions. Intervention participants received 14 in-home abstinence visits over 6 weeks. Voucher monetary value started at $10 and escalated by $2.50 for each subsequent negative sample (maximum earnings: $367.50). Positive samples earned no vouchers and reset voucher value to $10, but two negative samples following a positive allowed participants to continue earning vouchers at the prereset value. Primary outcome was point-prevalence smoking abstinence at Week 6 assessment. More participants assigned to UC + HBCM than UC were smoking abstinent at that Week 6 assessment (90% vs. 30%), χ²(1, N = 20) = 7.5, p < .01. These results provide initial evidence that HBCM can effectively promote smoking abstinence in CVD outpatients. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).


Ibn Rushd (1126-1198), better known as Averroes, is said to be the greatest among the Muslim commentators on Aristotle and is especially known for his influence on medieval Christendom and on medieval and Renaissance science and philosophy. This volume presents a readable translation of his middle commentaries on Aristotle's Categories and De Interpretation--the first of his middle commentaries on Aristotle's logical treatises.


[1] In this paper we investigate how close the gradient force of an isotropic pressure distribution P can be in force balance with the magnetic (Lorentz) force in the T96 empirical model. The study leads to the conclusion that no isotropic pressure can be found in exact force balance with the magnetic field of the quiet time T96 model. The conclusion is derived from several analyses: (1) computing the loop integral of J × B from the model along a closed contour in the equatorial plane (the integral should vanish if J × B = ∇P); (2) obtaining one-dimensional profiles for P on the Sun-Earth axis by integrating ∇P = J × B and comparing them with observations; and (3) decomposing J × B into gradient-free and curl-free terms (the former term would be zero in an exact equilibrium) and subsequently computing the two terms by solving a Poisson-like equation with constraints. Possible physical reasons for our finding that no P exists such that J × B = ∇P include small mass flows as well as nonisotropic (and possibly even nongyrotropic) terms in the magnetospheric pressure tensor. While the lack of exact force balance with isotropic P will probably be not too serious for many situations, for some physical applications, such as the computation of Birkeland currents using the Vasyliunas relation, care must be exercised if one uses the model field in conjunction with isotropic pressure. Finally, we discuss possible ways of computing magnetospheric configurations in exact force balance with isotropic P by using empirical model fields as a starting point.


Drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia (DITP) is an adverse drug effect mediated by drug-dependent antibodies. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is frequently used to treat DITP and primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Despite IVIG's proven beneficial effects in ITP, its efficacy in DITP is unclear. We have established a nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mouse model of DITP in which human platelets survive for more than 24 hours, allowing platelet clearance by DITP/ITP antibodies to be studied. Rapid human platelet clearance was uniformly observed with all quinine-induced thrombocytopenia (QITP) patient sera studied (mean platelet lifespans: QITP 1.5 ± 0.3 hours vs controls 16.5 ± 4.3 hours), consistent with the clinical presentation of DITP. In contrast, clearance rates with ITP antibodies were more variable. IVIG treatment partially prevented platelet clearance by DITP and ITP antibodies. Our results suggest that the NOD/SCID mouse model is useful for investigating the efficacy of current and future DITP therapies, an area in which there is little experimental evidence to guide treatment.


In this study, the long-term elastic recoil of the stents and the intimal thickening over the stents were evaluated separately. Twenty-nine patients who received a Wiktor coronary stent were angiographically followed-up at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. The elastic recoil of the stent was evaluated by the changes in minimum stent diameter. The intimal thickness was evaluated by the difference between minimum stent diameter and minimum lumen diameter. Minimum stent diameter showed no significant change up to 6 months. The significant increase (P < 0.05) of the intimal thickness was detected only between 2 weeks and 3 months. In conclusion, the Wiktor stent prevented the elastic recoil up to 6 months, and was covered by the neointima which increased its thickness mainly between 2 weeks and 3 months after stenting. It was suggested that stent restenosis was not caused by the elastic recoil, but by the intimal thickening.


This paper argues that European competition law does not allow for the definition of gratuitous markets, and that it is highly unlikely that free products/services can be included in markets with paid products/services. It is also argued that competition law does not apply to truly gratuitous exchanges ("de gratis non curat lex"). This does not mean, however, that free products should not be taken into account in the enforcement of competition law to paid products (e.g. when assessing market power). The conclusions rest on an overall analysis of the highly divergent and contradictory judicial and administrative practice, predominantly from EU legal orders, relating to a wide range of sectors, including TV, radio, print media, online services, software, telephone directories and payment cards.


Effects of composition, compatibilization, and blending procedure on oxygen barrier properties of injection-molded polypropylene/polyamide 6 blends were investigated. The main attention was paid to the relationships between oxygen permeability, mechanical properties, and blend morphology. The effect of the polypropylene/polyamide 6 ratio was evident in blends with a homogeneous dispersion type of morphology. After the phase inversion, when polyamide became the continuous phase, the barrier properties of the blends were significantly improved and approached those of polyamide 6. Increasing the amount of the compatibilizer, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene, was found to increase the permeability of the blend. The blending procedure had a significant effect on the permeability of the blends. The injection-molded blend exhibited a laminar type of morphology when polyamide 6 and the compatibilizer were preblended in a twin-screw extruder, and polypropylene was added later as a dry-blend before injection molding. The dispersed polyamide phase formed thin elongated platelets in the polypropylene matrix. This laminar morphology resulted in significant improvement of oxygen barrier properties approaching the level of the theoretical values calculated for corresponding coextruded structures. Moreover, both the tensile and impact properties of this particular blend were exceptionally good. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Denoising of the ECG signals is required, as they are prone to noises during their acquisition. Currently, denoising techniques for ECG signals are mostly available in the wavelet transform domain. In this paper, an approach for denoising the ECG signals in the Framelet domain is proposed. Initially, signals are decomposed using the Framelet transform. After decomposition, they are denoised using a median based thresholding method. The performance evaluation is carried out by comparing the results with that of the wavelet transform. General Terms Transforms, Biomedical Application, Signal Processing.


A class of hyperbolic equations with continuous distributed deviating arguments is considered and its oscillation theorems are discussed. These theorems are of higher degree of generality and deal with the cases which are not covered by the known criteria. Particularly, these criteria extend and unify a number of existing results.


In order to evaluate heat stress and circadian rhythm 46 nulliparous rabbit does with a BW of 3.67 ± 0.05 kg (s.e.) were used. They were clipped once or not and rectal temperature, feed and water intake were recorded for 24 h. From this group, 43 rabbit does were mated 7 days after rectal measurements, and randomly assigned to one out of two breeding systems (including in both systems rabbit does that had been clipped or not). In the control one (C) rabbit does were mated 14 days after parturition and litter weaned at 35 days of age, and in the extensive one (E) they were mated 21 after parturition and weaned at 42 days of age. Rabbit doe and litter performance were recorded for 6 months (first three cycles). Two hundred twenty-eight weaned rabbits were divided into two cage sizes: 0.5 and 0.25 m2 with eight and four rabbits per cage, respectively, to study growing performance. Farm and rectal temperatures were minimal and feed and water intake maximal during the night (P < 0.001). Unclipped rabbit does showed higher rectal temperature (P = 0.045) and lower feed intake (P = 0.019) respect to clipped does, which are symptoms of heat stress. Neither breeding system nor cycle number influenced fertility, total number of kits born, born alive or dead per litter (91.6%, 6.98, 5.80 and 1.19 on average, respectively). Kit mortality during lactation tended to increase in E compared with C group (48.5% v. 63.4%; P = 0.070), reducing the number of kits at weaning per litter by 33% (P = 0.038). It also increased in the second and third cycles compared with the first (P ⩽ 0.054). It resulted that feed efficiency (g weaned kits/g feed intake does + litter) tended to decrease in E respect C group (P = 0.093), whereas it was impaired successively from the first to the third cycle by 48% (P = 0.014). Growing rabbits from the E group were heavier at weaning (by 38%; P < 0.001), showed a higher feed intake (+7.4%) and lower feed efficiency (-8.4%) throughout the fattening period (P ⩽ 0.056) respect to C group. However, age at slaughter was not different respect to C group (77.3 days on average). Cage size had minor influence in growing performance. In conclusion, rabbit doe and litter productivity impaired when lactation is extended from 35 to 42 days and along successive reproductive cycles.


ABSTRACT A limited amount of visual information is retained between saccades, which is subsequently stored into a memory system, such as transsaccadic memory. Since the capacity of transsaccadic memory is limited, selection of information is crucial. Selection of relevant information is modulated by attentional processes such as the presaccadic shift of attention. This involuntary shift of attention occurs prior to execution of the saccade and leads to information acquisition at an intended saccade target. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence that another attentional effect, inhibition of return (IOR), has on the information that gets stored into transsaccadic memory. IOR is the phenomenon where participants are slower to respond to a cue at a previously attended location. To this end, we used a transsaccadic memory paradigm in which stimuli, oriented on a horizontal axis relative to saccade direction, are only visible to the participant before executing a saccade. Previous research showed that items in close proximity to a saccade target are likely to be reported more accurately. In our current study, participants were cued to fixate one of the stimulus locations and subsequently refixated the centre fixation point before executing the transsaccadic memory task. Results indicate that information at a location near a saccade landing point is less likely to be acquired into transsaccadic memory when this location was previously associated with IOR. Furthermore, we found evidence which implicates a reduction of the overall amount of elements retained in transsaccadic memory when a location near a saccade target is associated with IOR. These results suggest that the presaccadic shift of attention may be modulated by IOR and thereby reduces information acquisition by transsaccadic memory.


Subitizing is the immediate visual perceptual apprehension and enumeration of a small set of elements. Subitizing deficits are correlated with difficulty in math at all ages. The incidence of individuals with mathematics learning disability (MLD) is between 6-7% of the population. This is unfortunate because math skills are of prime importance in everyday life enabling us to understand number concepts and do calculations. Math ability is essential for many occupations and professions. Subitizing is a basic skill that young children and many animals exhibit. Subitizing has been shown to be a precursor of math skills. A subitizing computer program has been designed and based upon theories and experimental data appropriate for improving math skills. It consists of a diagnostic test and four therapy programs: Flash-Number, Comparison-Spatial, Visual Counting, and Temporal Visual Counting. Subitizing therapy appears to improve both subitizing and math abilities.


Everyday experience provides us with the intuition that dynamic events guide or capture attention—something which has been confirmed in experimental studies. Recently, we showed that there are limitations to the extent to which dynamic items attract attention. In a visual search task where all items, except one, were dynamic, the dynamic items could be ignored and the static item could be efficiently detected. In the present study we investigated whether attention is automatically drawn to the static item. Three visual search experiments, in which the target and the static object were uncorrelated, revealed that the static item was nevertheless prioritized. This result is at odds with some of the current theories on attentional capture, including the "new object" hypothesis. The current study suggests that differences in dynamics, rather than dynamic features per se, determine where attention is allocated.


As an important content and form of quality education, dance education is important for improving and cultivating students' physical and mental qualities, especially psychological qualities, which mainly include intelligence, creativity, non-intellectual factors, mental health, and aesthetic mental ability status and role, meaning and value. If the core of the knowledgebased economy is knowledge innovation, then the core of quality education is creative education, and dance aesthetic education happens to coincide with it, unexpectedly, and has the beauty of the same purpose and the same goal.


There are basically four stages of a person's thinking. The first is a person's quest for meaning. It is a time for questions. Socrates said that an unexamined life is not worth living. Yet in America, living an examined life is rare. The challenge is to live an examined life in a culture of unexamined lives. The second stage is a time for answers. We cannot avoid the realism of evil, yet today, few have seriously examined absolute evil. The third stage is a time for confirmation and assurances to our answers of evil and pain. The fourth stage is the time for commitment and beginning of the journey. For the simple person who has all the answers, there is no further journey. At the other extreme is the intellectual who never has all the answers. There is always a question for another day and there is never any really settled resolution on what he or she believes or why. There are two basic philosophical systems that have influenced our thinking about morals and about law. The first is naturalism, which began in the 6th century B.C., in the Greek Ionian culture with a certain set of cosmologies, most of which were naturalistic in nature where reality was expressed in terms of water, fire, earth, or air. Naturalism has experienced great growth since in the Enlightenment. However, the notion at the heart of morality and law is idealism. Indeed, for much of the history of legal thought, the connection between morality and law was found in idealism. It is within the philosophy of idealism that we find the history of natural law theory. This matters because how one thinks about the nature and purpose of law, what forms the foundation of law and how it is made, either legislatively or through the courts is one of the most elusive and persistent problems in the entire range of human thought. This article explores some of that history.


Nowadays the increasing of the efficiency of agricultural production and the increasing of crop yields cannot be achieved without modern digital technology and smart machines that are a part of it. With the spread of precision agriculture and the digitalisation next to the power machines the attached equipment is becoming smarter and smarter. Through permanent technological and IT development, it became possible to thoroughly monitor and analyse operating functions and parameters not only for the most important power machines such as tractors, combines and other, but also there are existing solutions for measurement and related to that a collection and an analyse of data of specific utilisation parameters for other attached equipment. All of these processed data are essential for making well-considered actions related to the production technology and the machine operating. They help us to gain information about the quality of machine operations of the technology, the environmental factors, or even about the state of attached working equipment and machines. In this work, the vibration control system as smart solutions on the fail movers will be presented which are effective tools for the utilization of machines, for the precision machine work as well as for prolonging the machine life cycle.


The MEMS solid propellant thrusters have very low thrust level for applying to the propulsion system of micro/nano satellites or the side jet thruster of smart bombs. In this research, the fabrication possibility of planar type MEMS solid propellant thrusters that have enlarged burning surface area was examined and the safety of the structure of thruster during the firing test was confirmed. The performance of a micro igniter which is the key component of the MEMS solid propellant thruster was estimated by the ANSYS Icepak and evaluated by the experiment. Finally, the thrust was measured by the micro force sensor. The levels of thrust were 300, 600 mN in the case of K


The question of how to scale the mobility gradient of polymer chains near a substrate in supported ultrathin polymer films is a great challenge. In this paper, a mobility gradient of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) chains near a substrate is characterized by cold crystallization. We found that either decreasing the PET film thickness or increasing the absorbed layer thickness consistently reveals three characteristic film thicknesses, which are all linearly dependent on the adsorbed-layer thickness. At the first thickness, the low-temperature peak of the top surface crystallization starts to shift toward the high-temperature peak of the bulk-like polymer crystallization; at the second thickness, it arrives there; and at the third thickness, crystallization is completely suppressed. The three kinds of film thicknesses characterize the depth profile of the local dynamics, reflecting the long-range effects of the substrate, which could be scaled by the thickness of the adsorbed layer.


In this study, the overall forms, composition and significance, and functions of interjections presented in specific grammar in modern Mongolian language were organized and observed, and this was taken as the basis to conduct contrastive analysis on corresponding Korean interjections. Moreover, the contrastive analysis was applied to investigate the similarities and differences between the languages, and learners of both languages were given suggestions of an appropriate application method of interjections displayed significantly in discourse and context in addition to essential basic data. Based on the findings of this study, the following results were displayed. When it comes to the application and correspondence of interjections, the meaning initially becomes decided in the intonation, expressions, or even in context or the front and back context situations. Therefore, it is considered relatively appropriate for the approach to be taken primarily from the aspect of similarity in meaning and then to correspond with an interjection from a second language context that even hold identical sounds (pronunciation). Additionally, due to the fact that a specific meaning can even display various additional related meanings according to the situations, the expressions of many meanings mentioned in each agenda of this study are perceived as interjections which are applied widely in a comprehensive range with different meanings. Therefore, it is considered difficult to perceive specific interjections in each language as carrying only one basic meaning, and it is perceived that it is relatively difficult to conduct clearly identical one-to-one correspondence and one-to-multi or multi-to-multi correspondence has to be conducted since they can express various meanings according to the tone, expressions, context, and front and back situations of the context. Interjections are not decisive factors for communication between the speaker and the listener, but it is used diversely in real life. Furthermore, since they can display the overall meaning of specific sentences in the context, it is recognized that accurate and appropriate use is important in order to develop high quality expressions or communication capabilities regarding the particular language. Moreover, this is an important element which enables for extensive mutual understanding about the cultures, ethnic emotions, feelings, and consciousness structure of people in a particular language group. Recently, Korea-Mongolia interchange is showing rapid expansion in various fields, and therefore, there is a fast growth in the number of learners who desire to acquire languages of both countries. From this viewpoint, expressions and communication as a language is considered as the aspect that should be taken into interest preferentially. Therefore, it is considered that continuous interest and studies are needed regarding interjection of Korean and Mongolian languages since they are in charge of important roles in the increase of extensive and appropriate expressions and communication capabilities in the future.


A double-stranded DNA molecule pulled with a force acting on the strand terminals exhibits a partially denatured structure or can be completely unzipped when the pulling force goes beyond a critical force. It has been suggested that accompanying the unzipping transition, various power-law properties exist. Through the numerical solution to a model that contains heterogeneous bonding interactions between bases on the two strands, we evaluated the critical forces and the extension-force curves for various degree of sequence disorderliness, and compared the numerical results with predictions from analytical approaches.


Control rooms are safety-relevant working environments characterized by complex IT infrastructure. With regard to the interaction of operators with control room systems, usability has been the major criteria for decades. However, there is increasing discussion about the extent to which the concept of user experience (UX) also plays a role in such safety-critical contexts. What is still largely missing is the application of concrete UX-specific methods in the context of control rooms. This paper explains how and with what results 9 operators used an interaction vocabulary focusing on pragmatic and hedonic qualities to complete the sentence "I want my control room to be…". Results first suggest that pragmatic, i.e., usability-oriented, attributions are of greater importance to operators. However, especially the more UX-specific terms of the interaction vocabulary, which were initially not found to be so relevant, yielded many valuable hints and inspiration for the future design of control room workplaces. By reflecting on the process of discussing the aesthetics of interactions in such a safety-critical working environment, recommendations are provided for considering UX in safety.


Background : Propofol, an anesthetic noted to give rapid recovery, causes discomfort at the site of injection. A number of methods to reduce propofol-induced pain have been tried, including pretreatment with lidocaine, with varying results. Here, we evaluate the efficacy of magnesium sulfate compared to that of lidocaine and normal saline in mitigating propofol-induced pain. Methods : One hundred ASA I and II adults, aged 20-50 years, scheduled for elective surgery requiring two IV lines with 20-gauge cannulae in the dorsum of each hand, were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomly placed into two groups of 50 patients. In each patient, one hand was the case study and other hand was the control. Group A received 10% magnesium sulfate in one hand and normal saline in the other hand. Group B received 10% magnesium sulfate in one hand and 1% lidocaine in the other hand. All injections had a volume of 2 ml. After 30 seconds, 2 cc of 1% propofol was injected simultaneously into each hand. Pain was assessed according to the VAS rating system, ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (the most severe pain), with a minimum interval of 3 as significant pain. Data were analyzed by chi-square and independent t tests. A P value <0.05 was considered significant. Results : In Group A, the mean pain in the hand premedicated with magnesium was 1.46±1.07, compared to 4.54±2.15 for that of the other hand that had received normal saline (P=0.001). In group B, the mean pain in the hand that had received magnesium was 0.82±1.34, compared to 0.78±1.07 for that of the other hand, which had received lidocaine (P=0.86). Conclusion: Intravenous magnesium and lidocaine pretreatments are equally effective in attenuating propofol-induced pain, and were better than normal saline in attenuating propofol-induced pain. Abstract


Poly(norbornene)s and poly(ionic liquid)s are two different classes of attractive materials, which are known for their structural tunability and thermal stabilities, and have been extensively studied as gas separation membranes. The incorporation of ionic liquids (ILs) into the poly(norbornene) through post-polymerization has resulted in unique materials with synergistic properties. However, direct polymerization of norbornene-containing IL monomers as gas separation membranes are limited. To this end, a series of norbornene-containing imidazolium-based mono- and di-cationic ILs (NBM-mIm and NBM-DILs) with different connectivity and spacer lengths were synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. Subsequently, the poly(NBM-mIm) with bistriflimide [Tf2N−] and poly([NBM-DILs][Tf2N]2) comprising homo-, random-, and block- (co)polymers were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization using the air-stable Grubbs second-generation catalyst. Block copolymers (BCPs), specifically, [NBM-mIM][Tf2N] and [NBM-ImCnmIm] [Tf2N]2 (n = 4 and 6) were synthesized at two different compositions, which generated high molecular weight polymers with decent solubility relative to homo- and random (co)polymers of [NBM-DILs] [Tf2N]2. The prepared BCPs were efficiently analyzed by a host of analytical tools, including 1H-NMR, GPC, and WAXD. The successfully BCPs were cast into thin membranes ranging from 47 to 125 μm and their gas (CO2, N2, CH4, and H2) permeations were measured at 20 °C using a time-lag apparatus. These membranes displayed modest CO2 permeability in a non-linear fashion with respect to composition and a reverse trend in CO2/N2 permselectivity was observed, as a usual trade-off behavior between permeability and permselectivity.


A clinicobacteriological survey was undertaken in 55 patients undergoing biliary surgery, because of chronic and acute cholecystitis. Some radiological preoperative and operative aspects were analised in order to detect any relation of these aspects with biliary tract infection. The bile cultures were positive in 34,5% and 20,0% for aerobes an anaerobes microorganisms respectively. The microorganisms most frequently isolated were Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella, Bacteroides sp and Clostridium sp, as aerobian and anaerobian. The statistical analysis showed significance between the presence of bacteria in the biliary tract and pathological operative cholangiography. It had not significance with the radiological preoperative aspects.


Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), which binds two types of TNF receptors (TNFR1 and TNFR2), regulates the onset and exacerbation of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. In particular, TNFR1-mediated signals are predominantly related to the induction of inflammatory responses. We have previously generated a TNFR1-selective antagonistic TNF-mutant (mutTNF) and shown that mutTNF efficiently inhibits TNFR1-mediated bioactivity in vitro and attenuates inflammatory conditions in vivo. In this study, we aimed to improve the TNFR1-selectivity of mutTNF This was achieved by constructing a phage library displaying mutTNF-based variants, in which the amino acid residues at the predicted receptor binding sites were substituted to other amino acids. From this mutant TNF library, 20 candidate TNFR1-selective antagonists were isolated. Like mutTNF, all 20 candidates were found to have an inhibitory effect on TNFR1-mediated bioactivity. However, one of the mutants, N7, displayed significantly more than 40-fold greater TNFR1-selectivty than mutTNF. Therefore, N7 could be a promising anti-autoimmune agent that does not interfere with TNFR2-mediated signaling pathways.


A high-efficiency coupling method using the gradient-index (GRIN) fiber probe and hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF) is proposed to improve the response time and the sensitivity of gas sensors. A coupling efficiency model of the GRIN fiber probe coupled with HC-PCF is analyzed. An optimization method is proposed to guide the design of the probe and five samples of the GRIN fiber probe with different performances are designed, fabricated, and measured. Next, a coupling efficiency experimental system is established. The coupling efficiencies of the probes and single-mode fiber (SMF) are measured and compared. The experimental results corrected by image processing show that the GRIN fiber probe can achieve a coupling efficiency of 80.22% at distances up to 180 μm, which is obviously superior to the value of 33.45% of SMF at the same distance. Moreover, with the increase of the coupling distance, the coupling efficiency of the probe is still higher than that of SMF.


Semantic object detection is one of the most important and challenging problems in image analysis. Segmentation is an optimal approach to detect salient objects, but often fails to generate meaningful regions due to over-segmentation. This paper presents an improved semantic segmentation approach which is based on JSEG algorithm and utilizes multiple region merging criteria. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is encouraging and effective in salient object detection.


Abstract Context Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been related to subacute thyroiditis (SAT). Objective We compared SAT cases during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to those observed in the previous years. Methods A cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted at the Endocrinology Unit of University Hospital of Pisa, Italy. We included all patients observed from January 2016 to December 2020 because of an untreated SAT, who had developed the disease within 15 days prior to the visit. SAT cases from 2016 to 2019 (N = 152) are referred to as pre-SARS-CoV-2, while 2020 SAT patients are classified as pos-SARS-CoV-2 (N = 18) or neg-SARS-CoV-2 (N = 28), according to positive or negative SARS-CoV-2 testing performed up to 45 days from SAT onset. Results While during 2016-2019, most SAT cases were observed in the third quarter, in 2020, 2 peaks were seen, superimposable to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in the second and the fourth quarters. In the second and fourth quarters of 2020, we observed higher levels of free thyroxine (FT4), C-reactive protein (CRP), and thyroglobulin (Tg) compared with the same quarters of the years 2016-2019. Pos-SARS-CoV-2 patients had higher FT4 (28.4 vs 24.1 nmol/L), CRP (8.5 vs 3.6 mg/L), and Tg (155 vs 60 µg/L) (P < 0.05 for all) and more frequently had hypothyroidism (13/15 vs 30/152 at 3 months) (P < 0.001) than pre-SARS-CoV-2 patients. Neg-SARS-CoV-2 patients showed a clinical picture intermediate between the other 2 groups. Conclusion The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused a shift in the annual timing and severity of SAT cases.


There are three earth type in Low voltage distribution system .They all have advantages ,but have disadvantages .How to comprehensive utilize their advantages ,improve the reliability and continuity. There introduced a way of selective abscission of the single phase earth of the three-phase three-wire IT system as impulse earth type. Confirming the feasibility of the way through analyzing and the simulation.


We report on a case of an emergency free flap cover of a pharyngeal defect which was made necessary by aggressive digestive salivatory and radiation effects 3 weeks after neck-dissection and laser ablation of an epidermoid left tonsil carcinoma. Life threatening intraoral bleeding resulted from the erosion of branches of the external carotid artery. After management of the bleeding, massive blood transfusions and restoration of the patient's general condition, a sandwich patch cover of the transmural pharyngeal defect was achieved using a microvascular lateral arm flap. This aimed at preventing further digestive effects and bacterial colonisation of the neurovascular structures at the carotid triangle. Unfortunately, due to external mechanical forces, the flap became avascular and thus necrotic at the eighth postoperative day; however, until the successful replacement by a myocutaneous latissimus dorsi flap it remained water-tight and fulfilled its sealing task.


Teaching English language as a second language poses a big challenge to the teachers. This is as result of some peculiarities such as the interference phenomenon experienced by learners of second languages. This challenge is even more in the Nigerian situation where you have learners from different background, languages and dialects. This paper tries to examine important issues in teaching phonetics. These are the interference problem that can affect one's speech during communication and how the teacher through the use of appropriate techniques and methods can assist the second language learner overcome these problems. Journal of Technology and Education in Nigeria Vol. 11 (1) 2006: pp. 35-42


In view of the exponential growth in the live multimedia content applications, multicast communications would imply a considerable traffic reduction compared to the unicast ones. However, given the absence of feedback information, packets are sent at the lowest rate, hence occupying the medium for long periods. Software Defined Networking (SDN) has changed the traditional network operations, therefore simplifying the network management and resource allocation. On this basis, in this demo we present an SDN-based algorithm for the dynamic multicast rate adaptation in Wi-Fi networks that outperforms the channel usage of the IEEE 802.11 standard, while maintaining the quality of the transmission. The performance of our solution has been preliminarily tested on a real-world testbed, therefore proving how it can be run on any WLAN infrastructure.


To efficiently learn database concepts, this work adopts association rules to provide diagnostic feedback for drawing an Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD). Using association rules and Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) techniques, this work implements a novel Web-based Timely Diagnosis System (WTDS), which provides timely diagnostic feedback whenever a learner encounters hurdles when learning database concepts. The WTDS provides crucial hints that help students rectify their misconceptions at each step to prevent prospective mistakes. To identify the learning effects of various feedback types, this work compares the proposed WTDS with systems providing other feedback types. The evaluation results demonstrate that all systems enhance learning achievement significantly. However, learning achievement of the class using the WTDS was significantly better than that of other classes, and the learning achievements of all cluster levels in the class using the WTDS were enhanced significantly. Finally, questionnaires and interviews were used to acquire student attitudes about the proposed system.


Aim. The aim of the material is to present a report and review from the EASS Conference: "Sport, social unit and conflict" – XII European Association for Sociology of Sport Conference held on 10-13th June 2015 in Dublin, Ireland. Method. The methods used were participant observation and an analysis of the discourse. It is a type of case study of scientific events, of one of the periodically organized conferences in one of the international scientific societies. Results. A programme of the event was presented and its content was reviewed, with evaluation of at the organisational and scientific level. The level was good. Conclusions. Participants were of the opinion that the conference was a valuable form of well-understood scientific tourism. Decisions concerning the future activity of EASS were also made during the event. © Idōkan Poland Association "IDO MOVEMENT FOR CULTURE. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology", Vol. 16, no. 1 (2016), pp. 55–57 DOI: 10.14589/ido.16.1.7


The aims of the study were to investigate the electrochemical response of a new dental Au‐20Pd‐10Ag‐5Ti alloy in artificial Carter‐Brugirard saliva and to assess its biocompatibility using gingival fibroblast culture. Electrochemical techniques of potentiodynamic and linear polarization were used. Also, the open circuit potentials and the corresponding open circuit potential gradients were monitored for 5000 exposure hours. The gingival fibroblast response to Au‐20Pd‐10Ag‐5Ti alloy was estimated by LDH‐cytotoxicity, MTT cell proliferation assays, the assessment of substrate‐dependent changes in extracellular fibronectin network, cell morphology and actin cytoskeleton organization. The cyclic potentiodynamic curves of Au‐20Pd‐10Ag‐5Ti alloy exhibited a passive behaviour with transpassive dissolution of silver, without pitting corrosion. Open circuit potentials were finally stable at noble values. Open circuit potential gradients have low values that could not generate galvanic or local corrosion. The new Au‐20Pd‐10Ag‐5Ti alloy did not promote cell damage and alterations in cell adhesion and morphological features, exhibiting a good biocompatibility.


The Clair field is the largest discovered oilfield on the UK continental shelf (UKCS) but has high reservoir uncertainty associated with a complex natural fracture network. The field area covers over 200 sq km with an estimated STOIIP of 7 billion barrels. The scale and complexity of the reservoir has led to a phased multi-platform development.
 Phase 1 started production in 2005 with 20 wells drilled prior to an extended drill break. Five new wells (A21 to A25) were drilled and brought online during 2016/17 which increased platform production by c.70%. The new wells incorporated historic lessons to mitigate the risk of wellbore instability in the overburden and be robust to the dynamic uncertainties of the fractured reservoir. Many of the well outcomes and risk events were predicted and mitigated effectively, however the new wells still provided some surprises.
 This paper presents a summary of the lessons from the historic Clair development wells which underpinned the recent drilling campaign and additional field understanding provided by the new well results. New insights include a narrower overburden drilling window and zonal isolation challenges within the reservoir.


The human cytomegalovirus UL37 exon 1 gene encodes the immediate early protein pUL37x1 that has antiapoptotic and regulatory activities. Deletion mutagenesis analysis of the open reading frame of UL37x1 identified two domains that are necessary and sufficient for its antiapoptotic activity. These domains are confined within the segments between amino acids 5 to 34, and 118 to 147, respectively. The first domain provides the targeting of the protein to mitochondria. Direct PCR sequencing of UL37 exon 1 amplified from 26 primary strains of human cytomegalovirus demonstrated that the promoter, polyadenylation signal, and the two segments of pUL37x1 required for its antiapoptotic function were invariant in all sequenced strains and identical to those in AD169 pUL37x1. In total, UL37 exon 1 varies between 0.0 and 1.6% at the nucleotide level from strain AD169. Only 11 amino acids were found to vary in one or more viral strains, and these variations occurred only in the domains of pUL37x1 dispensable for its antiapoptotic function. We infer from this remarkable conservation of pUL37x1 in primary strains that this protein and, probably, its antiapoptotic function are required for productive replication of human cytomegalovirus in humans.


An accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) system that employs a solid-state Li target can achieve sufficient neutron flux derived from the 7Li(p,n) reaction. However, neutron production is complicated by the large thermal load expected on the target. The relationship between neutron production and thermal load was examined under various conditions. A target structure for neutron production consists of a Li target and a target basement. Four proton beam profiles were examined to vary the local thermal load on the target structure while maintaining a constant total thermal load. The efficiency of neutron production was evaluated with respect to the total number of protons delivered to the target structure. The target structure was also evaluated by observing its surface after certain numbers of protons were delivered. The yield of the sputtering effect was calculated via a Monte Carlo simulation to investigate whether it caused complications in neutron production. The efficiency of neutron production and the amount of damage done depended on the proton profile. A more focused proton profile resulted in greater damage. The efficiency decreased as the total number of protons delivered to the target structure increased, and the rate of decrease depended on the proton profile. The sputtering effect was not sufficiently large to be a main factor in the reduction in neutron production. The proton beam profile on the target structure was found to be important to the stable operation of the system with a solid-state Li target. The main factor in the rate of reduction in neutron production was found to be the local thermal load induced by proton irradiation of the target.


Abstract This article examines the history of both coerced and exploitative labor in Zanzibar between 1909 and 1970 and demonstrates that these terms were used alongside one another drawing on the same pool of laborers, most of whom were descended from slaves. Not only did these forms of labor continue to marginalize the descendants of ex-slaves, but often it was difficult for the laborers to distinguish between the forms of labor that were coerced and voluntary since both were usually couched in the language of government directives for local benefit. Laborers forced to grow food during World War II could eat that food to survive, just as laborers who voluntarily built a school were possibly able to send their children there (although in reality the poorest children usually had to work with their families). Both brought local benefit, and both were seen locally as required work, but only one was defined by international policy as "forced" labor.


Objective. To test the impact of schedules of retrieval practice on learning brand and generic name drug information in a self-paced course. Methods. Students completed weekly quizzes on brand and generic name conversions for 100 commonly prescribed drugs. Each student completed part of the drug list on a schedule of equal, expanding, or contracting spacing, one practice (massed) or study only in a partial block design. Results. On measures of long-term retention, the contracting spacing schedule led to superior retention (67%) compared to the massed practice (50%) and study-only condition (46%); contracting practice also was significantly higher than expanding practice (58%,) or equal practice (59%). Overall performance decreased by almost 50% (final exam 95%, long-term retention 55%) over a 6-week period. Conclusion. A contracting spacing schedule was the most effective schedule of practice, and all spacing schedules were superior to massed practice or study-only conditions.


In oral absorption of a drug, the drug first dissolves and then is absorbed by diffusion through gastrointestinal membranes. The gastrointestinal environment is aqueous in nature and it is well‐known that one‐third of the drug population is water insoluble. Hence, there is a need for enhancement of the solubility and dissolution of such drugs. In this work, enhancement of the solubility and dissolution of the practically insoluble drug glipizide was achieved by formation of bionanocomposites (BNCs) using microwave‐induced diffusion (MIND), which ultimately leads to bioavailability enhancement.


We report a case of a patient who suffered generalized urticaria, chest tightness, wheezing, nausea, vomiting, hypotension, and loss of consciousness. Two hours earlier she had taken Eulitop Retard following lunch. She had tolerated all the implicated food after the reaction. Allergy evaluation revealed intense positive responses to intradermal tests with bezafibrate active component and Eulitop Retard (skin tests in control subjects were negative). Specific IgE tests (RAST) to Eulitop Retard were negative. An IgE mechanism is suggested to be responsible for this adverse reaction on the basis of the positive skin tets. The delayed onset (two hours) of this anaphylactic shock is unusual. Although infrequent, it may be caused by the specific pharmacokinetic characteristics of this drug, which is a slow releasing agent, mainly absorbed in the gut. The drug was taken just after lunch, and this concomitant food ingestion could also have produced a delay in gastric drainage and a retarded drug absorption. An IgE-mediated accelerated type reaction could also explain this delay. Apparently the patient reacted after the first contact to the drug, and the absence of a sensitization period is not usual in this type of immune reponse. Finally, we recommend the performance of prick and intradermal skin tests prior to any systemic challenge when allergic reactions to fibric acid derivatives are suspected.


In order to increase dust measurement precision and real-time capacity, an improved dust monitoring system was presented. One master with three extensions was adopted at measuring point and the data fusion was adopted. Furthermore, to solve the problem of coal-dust explosion limit reducing once the gas gathering occur, the explosion parameters were detected by multi-sensor and the information of dust, gas concentration and temperature from sensors were carried on fuzzy processing to be fused based on fuzzy information and fusion theory. The system can finish fusion computing and decision-making of various system parameters to realize the early prediction for mine explosion successfully. The experimental results indicate that the discerning accuracy and reliability of mine explosion detection system is greatly increased based on fuzzy information and data fusion. It is concluded that the system is of great significance to coal mine production safety.


A GIS-based multi-criteria land evaluation (MCE) was performed in Kilombero Valley, Tanzania to avail decision makers and farmers with evidence based decision support tool for improved and sustainable rice production. Kilombero valley has been identified by the government and investors for rice production intensification. Five most important criteria for rice production in the area were identified through literature search and discussion with local agronomists and lead farmers. The identified criteria were 1) soil properties, 2) surface water resources, 3) accessibility, 4) distance to markets, and 5) topography. Surveys, on-screen digitizations, reclassifications and overlays in GIS software were used to create spatial layers of the identified criteria. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to score the criteria using local extension staff and lead farmers as domain experts on a scale of 0.0 – 1.0. Surface water resource scored the highest weight (0.462) followed by soil chemical properties (0.234). Other criteria and their weight in paranthesis are soil physical properties (0.19), topography (0.052), accessibility (0.036), and distance to market (0.025). The MCE results showed that about 8% of the study area was classified as having low suitability for rice production while only 2% was highly suitable. The majority of the area (about 89%) was classified as having medium suitability for rice production. Since the suitability decision was dominated by the surface water resource criterion, the rice suitability in the study area can be greatly improved by improving the water resources management.


We have studied the effect of insulin stimulation on phosphotyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) activity in the well-differentiated rat hepatoma cell line Fao. PTPase activity was measured using a 32P-labeled peptide corresponding to the major site of insulin receptor autophosphorylation. Of the PTPase activity in Fao cells, 14% was in the cytosolic fraction, whereas 86% was in the particulate fraction; this latter fraction also had a 4-fold higher specific activity. Purification of the particulate fraction by lectin chromatography resulted in a 50% increase in specific activity, although this glycoprotein-rich fraction contained only 1.5% of the total activity. Both the cytosolic and particulate PTPase fractions were active toward the tyrosyl-phosphorylated insulin receptor in vitro. The activity of the particulate fraction but not the cytosolic fraction was inhibited by addition of a micromolar concentration of a phosphorylated peptide corresponding to residues 1142-1153 of the human insulin receptor sequence. By contrast, addition of the nonphosphorylated peptide even at millimolar concentration was without effect. Both PTPase fractions were inhibited by Zn+ at similar concentrations, whereas the cytosolic PTPase activity was 10-fold more sensitive to vanadate inhibition. Treatment of cells with 100 nM insulin increased PTPase activity in the particulate fraction by 40% and decreased activity in the cytosolic fraction by 35%. These effects occurred within 15 min and were half-maximal at 3-4 nM insulin. When assessed as total activity, the magnitude of the changes in PTPase activity in the particulate and cytosolic fractions could not be explained on the basis of a translocation of PTPases between the two pools.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Various parts of Kkujippong ( Cudrania tricuspidata Bureau) tree (leaves, stems, roots, and fruit) were evaluated to determine their properties. The general components of Kkujippong tree were fat 1.3-5.9 g /100 g, protein 6.3-18.7 g /100 g, and ash 2.8-9.0 g /100 g. The fiber content of the stem was the highest amount at 69.2 g/100 g, followed by protein in the roots (49.9), leaves (45.5), and fruit (15.6). In addition, Kkujippong tree was found to contain high concentrations of several minerals (Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, P, Zn) in the leaves. The total polyphenol content was significantly higher in the leaves than in other areas at 571.3 mg% ( p <0.05). Electron donating ability was also highest in the leaves at 83.55% ( p <0.05).


1. High-frequency stimulation of single group Ia-fibers results in modulation of excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude recorded in target motoneurons. This can be either positive (EPSP amplitude increases in response to successive stimuli in the high-frequency burst) or negative (decrease in EPSP amplitude). We have investigated whether the magnitude of modulation is associated with the stimulated afferent, the responding motoneuron, or the amplitude of the EPSP. 2. In agreement with previous findings, we found that positive modulation tends to occur at connections generating small EPSPs and negative modulation, at those producing large EPSPs. Because large EPSPs generally are evoked in motoneurons with low values of rheobase, we found, as anticipated, that connections on low rheobase motoneurons are prone to negative modulation during high-frequency stimulation, whereas those on high rheobase motoneurons (which tend to generate small EPSPs) are prone to positive modulation. 3. In experiments where the projection of multiple afferents to a single motoneuron was studied, we found that amplitude modulation was similar despite differences in EPSP amplitude. Thus in a given motoneuron there is no relationship between modulation and amplitude, in contrast to the existence of such a relationship in the population of connections as a whole. 4. In the converse experiments where the projection of single afferents to multiple motoneurons was studied, we found marked variability in the modulation patterns with clear indications that amplitude and modulation are correlated as in the entire population of Ia/motoneuron connections. 5. We tested the constancy of modulation patterns evoked in a given motoneuron by comparing the modulation patterns evoked in motoneurons by single fibers, and by stimulation of the heteronymous nerve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The ratio of Testosterone (T) to Epitestosterone (E) determined in urine samples is the main biomarker used to prove T and precursors abused by athletes. Analytically, the correction of the ratio is required by the World Anti-doping Agency. This work describes a series of experiments aimed to study when it is appropriate to correct the T/E ratio value, using different mass spectrometric techniques since only reports on GC-MS exist. Analyses using external calibrators, controls, and routine samples were performed by three different techniques GC-MS, GC-MSn , and LC-MSn . A statistical comparison of the T/E was performed after the application of two corrections previously published: Isotopic contribution peak area correction (corr_1) and use of a verified internal deuterated internal standard (TD3/ED3) correction (corr_2) and the ratio based on T and E concentrations. The use of external calibration samples introduces biases that influenced not only the T and E concentrations but also the T/E ratio, even when both methods of correction are applied. The correction after applying corr_1 method barely contributed to the accuracy of the T/E calculation. Nevertheless, the application of the corr_2 method, increased the accuracy between 5-6% when comparing theoretical and experimental T/E values. Finally, the best results were obtained by the ratio calculated directly from the estimated concentrations of T and E. Attention must be paid when the T/E is measured by LC-MSn since different acquisition modes produced significantly different results, even in MS/MS when the same transition is used for T and E.


The article is concerned with determining the metallic strut cross section of inverted-Y tripods used to minimize the plane-wave scattering contribution to the noise temperature of ground-station reflector antennas and radio telescopes. This is accomplished by numerically optimizing the cross section for minimum ground-noise pickup over the antenna elevation-angle operation range. Advantage is taken of the fact that although the struts' cross-section perimeter can be comparable to the operation wavelength, their electrical lengths are usually long. This allows the struts' scattering characteristics to be determined by solving standard two-dimensional field integral equations. The article concentrates on the top strut of an inverted-Y configuration since it is responsible for the dominant ground noise pickup associated with the plane-wave scattering. Numerical simulations are presented to substantiate this fact and a simple and convenient broadband closed-form representation for the minimum-noise top-strut cross section is derived and tested.