Mechanosensing by adherent cells is usually studied by quantifying cell responses on hydrogels that are covalently linked to a rigid substrate. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) represents a convenient way of characterizing the mechanoadaptation response of adherent cells on hydrogels of varying stiffness and thickness. Since AFM measurements reflect the effective cell stiffness, therefore, in addition to measuring real cytoskeletal alterations across different conditions, these measurements might also be influenced by the geometry and physical properties of the substrate itself. To better understand how the physical attributes of the gel influence AFM stiffness measurements of cells, we have used finite element analysis to simulate the indentation of cells of various spreads resting on hydrogels of varying stiffness and thickness. Consistent with experimental results, our simulation results indicate that for well spread cells, stiffness values are significantly over-estimated when experiments are performed on cells cultured on soft and thin gels. Using parametric studies, we have developed scaling relationships between the effective stiffness probed by AFM and the bulk cell stiffness, taking cell and tip geometry, hydrogel properties, nuclear stiffness and cell contractility into account. Finally, using simulated mechanoadaptation responses, we have demonstrated that a cell stiffening response may arise purely due to the substrate properties. Collectively, our results demonstrate the need to take hydrogel properties into account while estimating cell stiffness using AFM indentation.


Introduction. Research- what and why?: What is a brief? What is reserach? What should research contain? Who are you designing for? Exercise 1: Brainstorming Interview: Alice Palmer Interview: Wendy Dagworthy Interview: Alexander Lamb Interview: Daniel Pollitt. Choosing what to research: Choosing a theme What are primary sources? What are secondary sources? Sources of inspiration Exercise 2: Recycled garment manipulation Interview: Dr Noki Interview: Richard Sorger. Compiling your research: The sketchbook Techniques for drawing Collage Juxtaposition and deconstruction Cross-referencing Analysis of research Focus of key elements Exercise 3: Focus research pages Sketchbook examples Interview: Omar Kashoura Interview: Jenny Packham. Designing from your research: Bridging the gap Exercise 4: Collaged research on figures Model and drape Photomontage with drapery Design development elements Exercise 5: Working with the colour wheel Market levels in fashion Exercise 6: Design development 1 Refinement fo individual garments Exercise 7: Design development 2 Selecting ideas to form a collection Interview: WGSN Interview: Julien Macdonald. Communicating your ideas: Drawing for design Templates Exercise 8: Creating a design development six-figure template Illustrating with collage Art materials Illustration Working drawings Layout and composition Beyond the drawing board Interview: David Downton Interview: Caryn Franklin. Glossary. Online resources Bibliography Student resources Index Acknowledgements and credits Working with ethics.


Objective: To assess the quality of filling of the modified partograph from WHO at CMC Matam. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study by clinical audit (AC), carried out on a sample of obstetric records of parturients who gave birth in the maternity unit of the CMC of Matam from January 1 to December 31, 2020, it consisted of a evaluation of the use of the partograph using an audit sheet prepared for this purpose. The random sampling with one step in ten 1/10 was used for the sampling. The parameters related to the performance of the partograph, the progress of labor (hourly rate, fetal state, materno-fetal outcome.) Were evaluated, the traceability of events related to maternal condition, acts and treatments carried out during labor as well as immediate postpartum surveillance data. Data was collected and analyzed using SPSS 20.0 and MS Excel 2010 software. Results: We retained 470 files. The sample represented 87.45% of all parturients whose monitoring required the opening of a partograph during the study period; its behavior met the standard in more than 87, 41% of cases; The hourly rhythm, and the precise moment of each act were notified and respected in 66.60% of the cases, the progress of the work was correctly notified and respected in 28.72% of the cases; the presentation level and the fetal heart rate were reported and respected in 28.78% and 85.96% respectively; the method of entering into labor was notified and complied with in 95.7% of cases. Conclusion: The modified WHO partograph has some shortcomings in relation to its performance, which can be corrected by supportive supervision.


Background and Aims: Major thrust in reducing potential for acid aspiration is increase the pH by various methods and pharmacological agents. The aim of the study is to compare the effectiveness of intravenous rabeprazole and pantoprazole on gastric volume and pH in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients of either sex, aged 18-55 yr, ASA physical status I or II, undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery were randomly assigned in to Group R and Group P to receive intravenous 20mg rabeprazole and 40 mg pantoprazole 15 min before induction of anaesthesia. The post-intubation and pre-extubation gastric aspiration volume and pH was measured with pH meter. Results: The mean post-intubation volume was 20.52  4.46ml and 22.48  4.33 in group R and group P respectively. The mean pre-extubation volume in group P and group R was 15.14  3.66 and 11.10  2.84 respectively. The mean pH of post-intubation gastric aspiration contents in group P was 6.41  0.69 and in group R was 7.37  0.56. All values were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Intravenous rabeprazole is more effective than pantoprazole in reducing the gastric volume and increasing the gastric pH.


Some GPs may be unwilling to take on the management of drug misusers because of the risk of difficult behaviour. However, this study found that in a practice running a drug misuse treatment programme there was a relatively small difference in the rates of difficult behaviour from drug misusers and general patients.


Studies on participation in community gardens have revealed that gardeners' participation is driven by functional and emotional motives. Most studies, however, have failed to recognize gardeners' diverse characteristics. To fill this research gap, this study examined the moderating effect that variations within gardeners has on their participation, particularly as in the case of past gardening experience. The data for this study were obtained through a survey administered in three plot-based community gardens in Austin, Texas. Results revealed that increased gardening experience bolsters the effect of emotional motivations on garden participation, while no effect was shown in the relationship between functional motivations and participation. The importance of gardeners' past gardening experience on emotional motivations is discussed as it relates to sustained participation in gardening.


This study aims to determine the effects of tebuconazole substance used at different doses on the quality of tomato seedlings, retrotransposon mobility caused by this substance in the plants and its genotoxic effects and to determine the optimum dose to be used in practice in seedling production. Tebuconazole applied different concentrations (25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150 ppm) were tested. According to the study results, the seedling length and stem length significantly according to the applied doses. The study found out that the stem, leaf and root dry matter contents and leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD values) also statistically significantly changed based on the applied doses. According to the data obtained, the lowest seedling length (12.68 cm) and stem length (4.75 cm) were obtained from a dose of 150 ppm. The highest dry matter content in seedlings was obtained at a dose of 50 ppm in stem (22%) and at 0 ppm (control) in leaves (25.01%) and root. In the study, the highest leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD values) was determined at doses of 150 ppm, 125 ppm and 75 ppm, respectively. This study revealed that various doses of tebuconazole had a positive effect on controlling the height of tomato seedlings and specific quality characteristics of seedlings. In addition, molecular analyzes showed that polymorphism ratios in plants that were applied the substance at different doses varied between 4.70% and 38.09% and the GTS (genomic template stability) value varied between 61.91% and 95.30%. Analyses indicated that the polymorphism ratio increased depending on the increase in dose whereas the GTS value decreased.


The research that entitle ``The Spiritual Dimension of Jelal Al-Din Rumi`s Versified Poems``, generally intends to get the objective description about the spiritual dimension in Rumi`s poems. While, the main purpose of this research is to get description about (1) the kinds of symbols that are used to describe the relation between Human and God, and (2) the message of Rumi`s poem.

Concerning the purposes of this research, it uses a descriptive study and objective approach. Those method are choosen by the writer because this reseacrh design can describe the object of the study. Whereas, the object of this study are poems in ``A Bouquet of Rumi`s Versified Poems``. This poems are choosen because it contains many symbolic words inside. This study concentrates on the words or phrases that represent symbols and their messages found in Rumi`s poems. There are some steps to follow in doing data analysis. They are (1) reviewing the data that have been collected, (2) interpreting and analysing the data based on the purposes of the study.

Based on the findings and dicsussion, the writer has found eight symbols that are used to describe the relation between Human and God in the four poems that are used as the object of study. Besides, there are several important messages in Rumi`s poems such as the pureness of heart, the order for doing good deeds, the order to comprehend the meaning of life, and the essence of love toward God. So, the writer can conclude that the essence of Rumi`s poem are humanization, liberation and trancendence.


Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is needed both to improve life-safety and to reduce the direct operational costs. Nowadays, a new concept called effective Structural Health Monitoring (eSHM) has proven to be efficient but still needs to pass different technological readiness levels to enable its implementation. This work demonstrates the feasibility study of eSHM systems produced by 3D printing or additive manufacturing. The objective of this work is to prove that the eSHM system has reached technological readiness level 3 (TRL3) and to indicate that during fatigue the integrated system had no influence on the crack initiation behaviour. First, two different techniques (selective laser melting and laser metal deposition) were used for the production of four-point bending feasibility test specimens with the integrated eSHM system. Next, a four-point bending test was selected, the specimens were subjected to the so-called step test method with constant fatigue stress amplitude and a constant R ratio. The fatigue behaviour of stainless steel and titanium alloy was studied with emphasis on crack initiation and detection. This study proves that the eSHM reaches the TRL3.The investigated system always detected cracks although further investigation is needed since higher TRL are required and the detection capability can be improved.


Methods of isolating nucleic acids from samples of cellular material are disclosed which use solid phase binding materials and which avoid the use of a lysis solution. The use of the solid phase binding materials unexpectedly allow the nucleic acid content of cells to be freed and captured directly and in one step. The new methods represent a significant simplification over existing methods. Preferred solid phase materials for use with the methods and compositions of the invention comprise a quaternary onium nucleic acid binding portion.


Efficient light detection in the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength region is central to emerging applications such as medical imaging and machine vision. An organic upconverter (OUC) consists of a NIR-sensitive organic photodetector (OPD) and an visible organic light-emitting diode (OLED), connected in series. The device converts NIR light directly to visible light, allowing imaging of a NIR scene in the visible. Here, we present an OUC composed of a NIR-selective squaraine dye-based OPD and a fluorescent OLED. The OPD has a peak sensitivity at 980 nm and an internal photon-to-current conversion efficiency of ∼100%. The OUC conversion efficiency (0.27%) of NIR to visible light is close to the expected maximum. The materials of the OUC multilayer stack absorb very little light in the visible wavelength range. In combination with an optimized semitransparent metal top electrode, this enabled the fabrication of transparent OUCs with an average visible transmittance of 65% and a peak transmittance of 80% at 620 nm. Visibly transparent OUCs are interesting for window-integrated electronic circuits or imaging systems that allow for the simultaneous detection of directly transmitted visible and NIR upconverted light.


There is a continuing discussion whether there is a superior appraisal method and which one it is. The often expected need for a standardized appraisal method for the merging real estate market with its international cross border investments intensifies this discussion. There are some remarkable differences in the appraisal methods in the UK and in Germany. In the past the Anglo Saxon DCF method was considered to be more accurate. Several German surveyors disagree and claim that the German appraisal method with its gross rental value fulfills its purpose. The paper compares the appraisal methods in its bases and shows the remarkable differences. It also analyzes the differences in context of importance for the different markets where the appraisal methods are used. The paper shows that the discussed appraisal methods are comparable if they are used correctly. It is important that the appraisal methods are used in the field they were developed for. For now there is no superior appraisal method. In the end the surveyor has to work with great diligence and he needs transparent data for the valuation.


Reversed field pinch (RFP) and ultralow safety factor plasma experimental performances with pulsed discharge cleaning and siliconization on SWIP-RFP device are presented. The wall siliconization was performed by using the device discharges. The experimental results with siliconization in RFP devices showed that the impurity concentrations were decreased in the plasma and better plasma parameters were obtained in the device.


The effects of ruthenium red (RR) on electrical and mechanical responses, and on Ca fluxes at rest and during potassium contracture (K contracture) in frog skeletal muscle were examined. By the treatment of single fibers with RR, the peak tensions of twitch and K contracture were inhibited, the degree of inhibition being dependent on the concentration of RR and on the duration of pretreatment. The inhibitory effect of RR on K contracture was pronounced at lower concentrations of K. The recovery of twitch tension from complete inhibition was observed several minutes after removal of RR by washing the fiber in normal Ringer solution, and was accelerated by brief exposure to 190 mM K solution. Caffeine contracture was not affected by RR. Moreover, resting and action potentials were not changed by RR except for an enhancement of a negative afterpotential. From these results, it is concluded that RR blocks excitation-contraction coupling (E-C coupling) in frog skeletal muscle. In addition, Ca influx, especially early rapid Ca influx, was markedly inhibited by RR, although the amount of self-exchangeable Ca was not significantly decreased. On the basis of these results, the sites and mechanism of RR action were discussed.


Effective countermeasures against the recent emergence and rapid expansion of the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) require the development of data and tools to understand and monitor viral spread and immune responses. However, little information about the targets of immune responses to 2019-nCoV is available. We used the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource (IEDB) resource to catalog available data related to other coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV, which has high sequence similarity to 2019-nCoV, and is the best-characterized coronavirus in terms of epitope responses. We identified multiple specific regions in 2019-nCoV that have high homology to SARS virus. Parallel bionformatic predictions identified a priori potential B and T cell epitopes for 2019-nCoV. The independent identification of the same regions using two approaches reflects the high probability that these regions are targets for immune recognition of 2019-nCoV. ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY We identified potential targets for immune responses to 2019-nCoV and provide essential information for understanding human immune responses to this virus and evaluation of diagnostic and vaccine candidates.


Karyotypes have been described in four Mediterranean species of the genus Diplodus (Teleostei, Sparidae), D. vulgaris, D. puntazzo, D. sargus and D. annularis. Chromosomes were mainly acrocentric in all but D. vulgaris, where certain chromosome pairs were subtelocentric. A remarkable intraspecific heteromorphism in the number of NOR-bearing chromosomes along with a substantial interspecific variability in position of chromosomal Ag signals have been encountered. The presumed origin of multiple NOR-bearing chromosomes in Diplodus species and variation of the NOR location is discussed. ? 1996 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles


Background The etiology of tendon alteration in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with parathyroid dysfunction is controversial. Objectives To investigate the frequency and nature of the tendon involvement in CKD patients undergoing regular hemodialysis, its relationship to parathyroid hormone (PTH) level, using ultrasonograhic examination. Methods Fifty CKD patients on regular hemodialysis for at least 6 months received a 4-hour dialysis session thrice weekly from El-Sahel Teaching Hospital were included. Patients with Systemic inflammatory diseases, previous trauma and bone fractures, or TB were excluded. After informed consent all the patients were subjected to full medical history, musculoskeletal examination of knee and ankle, laboratory evaluation and ultrasonograhic evaluation of quadriceps and Achilles tendons. Results The studied group of patients was 27 female and 23 male there mean age was 51.58±12.5 years with dialysis duration from 4.05±2.11 years. Local examination of knees and ankles joints showed that the most frequent sign was ankle joint tenderness in 10 (20%) patients. Ultrasound examination of the Achilles tendons showed that tenderness during probing was the most frequent finding 23 (46%) patients, followed by calcific deposition 12 (24%) patients then abnormal peritendon tissue 10 (20%) patients and abnormal antroposterior (A-P) middle of 1/3 thickness of Achilles tendon 10 (20%) patients patients and the least finding abnormal A-P of distal 1/3 thickness of Achilles tendon 9 (18%) patients and the least finding. But there were no cases of Quadriceps tendon abnormality. Parathyroid hormone level positively correlated with duration of dialysis (p=0.001), serum phosphorus (p<0.001) and some of ultrasound finding as calcific deposit (p=0.01) and increase the middle (p=0.046) & distal (p=0.03) 1/3 thickness of the Achilles tendon. Conclusions In CKD patients on regular hemodialysis ankle affection was more common than knee affection. In ankle examination, ankle tenderness was the most frequent musculoskeletal sign and the most common ultrasonographic finding was Achilles tendon tenderness during probing then calcific deposits then abnormal peritendon tissue. PTH level was positively correlated with duration of dialysis and presence of calcific deposit and increased antroposterior thickness of Achilles tendon. References Chen CM, Chu P, Huang GS, Wang SJ, Wu SS. Spontaneous rupture of the patellar and contralateral quadriceps tendons associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism in a patient receiving long-term dialysis. J Formos Med Assoc 2006; 105: 941-5. Brountzos E, Syrgiannis K, Panagiotou I, et al. Ultrasonographic alterations in Achilles tendon in relation to parathormone in chronic hemodialysis patients. J Nephrol. 2009; 22:476-83. Acknowledgements Acknowledgement to all patients shraing with us in this study. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Loin (Solb) and Taraeb are two phrases that we face with them in many different meanings in religious and medicinal texts. Religious caliphs had a special view from holly Quran point of view between loin and fertility. This study is based on holly Quran explanation, anecdotes and Iranian Traditional medicine texts to explain loin and its benefits. In this study is tried to adaptation these data with classic medicine. So it seems that this phrase is not related to a special sex. Therefore it is a common way in fertility process in both of sexes. Loin in the past make heirship with directly effect on fertility but today it means that the role of stem cells and immune system. Therefore it is obvious that in the past there was a clear view with correct theory about heredity. So it is necessary to review and organize them to find many positive aspects of them to make our therapies with lower risk today.


ABSTRACT IgG antibodies are multi-domain proteins with complex inter-domain interactions. Human IgG heavy chains (HCs) associate with light chains (LCs) of the κ or λ isotype to form mature antibodies capable of binding antigen. The HC/LC interaction involves 4 domains: VH and CH1 from the HC and VL and CL from the LC. Human Fabs with κ LCs have been well characterized for their unfolding behaviors and demonstrate a significant level of cooperativity and stabilization when all 4 domains are intact. Very little is known regarding the thermodynamic properties of human Fabs with λ LCs. Here, we dissect the domain contributions to Fab stability for both κ and λ LC-containing Fabs. We find the cooperativity of unfolding between the constant domains, CH1/Cλ, and variable domains, VH/Vλ, within λ LC-containing Fabs is significantly weaker than that of κ LC-containing Fabs. The data suggests there may not be an evolutionary necessity for strong variable/constant domain cooperativity within λ LC-containing Fabs. After investigating the biophysical properties of Fabs with mismatched variable and constant domain subunits (e.g., VH/Vκ paired with CH1/Cλ or T cell receptor Cα/Cβ), the major role of the constant domains for both κ- and λ-containing Fabs may be to reduce the hydrophobic exposure at the VH/VL interface. Even though Fabs with these non-native pairings were thermodynamically less stable, they secreted well from mammalian cells as well behaved monodisperse proteins, which was in contrast to what was observed with the VH/Vκ and VH/Vλ scFvs that secreted as a mixture of monomer and aggregates.


PHENIX, a prototype sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), has demonstrated a fast breeder reactor technology and also achieved its important role as an irradiation facility for innovative fuels and materials. In 2009 PHENIX reached its final shutdown and the CEA launched a PHENIX end-of-life (EOL) test program, which provided a unique opportunity to validate an SFR system analysis code. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) joined this program to evaluate the capability and limitation of the MARS-LMR code, which will be used as a basic tool for the design and analysis of future SFRs in Korea. For this purpose, pre-test analyses of PHENIX EOL natural circulation tests have been performed and one-dimensional thermal-hydraulic behaviors for these tests have been analyzed. The natural circulation test was initiated by the decrease of heat removal through steam generators (SGs). This resulted in the increase of intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) secondary inlet temperature, followed by a manual reactor scram and the decrease of secondary pump speed. After that, the primary flow rate was also controlled by the manual trip of three primary pumps. For the pre-test analysis the Phenix primary system and IHXs were nodalized into several volumes. Total 981 subassemblies in the core were modeled and they were divided into 7 flow channels. The active 4 IHXs were modeled independently to investigate the change of flow into each IHX. The cold pool was modeled by two axial nodes having 5 and 6 sub-volumes, respectively. The reactor vessel cooling system was modeled to match the flow balance in the primary system. The flow path of vessel cooling system was quite complicated. However, it is simplified in the modeling. For a MARS-LMR simulation, the dryout of SGs have been described by the use of the boundary conditions for IHTS as a form of time-to-temperature table. This boundary condition reflects the increase in IHTS temperature by SG dryout during the initial stage of the transient and the increase in heat removal by the opening of the two SG containments at 3 hours after the initiation of the transient. Through the comparison of the pre-analysis results with the prediction by other computer codes, it is found that the MARS-LMR code predicts natural circulation phenomena in a sodium system in a reasonable manner. The final analysis for validation of the code against the test data will be followed with an improved modeling in near future.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


This study examines how TPACK-oriented teaching practice course benefits Indonesian EFL teachers in improving the quality of their EFL instructional designs and teaching practices. It involved 20 secondary school teachers from various areas in the province of East Java. They were taking the Teaching Practice course as part of their education for a master's degree in ELT at Universitas Negeri Malang, one of the leading universities in Indonesia. The teachers attended 16-session course in which they were introduced to TPACK framework and were assigned to make instructional designs based on TPACK framework. Moreover, they were asked to teach their colleagues (peer teachers) by using the TPACKoriented instructional designs. At the end of the course the teachers were given a questionnaire asking the benefit of the TPACK-oriented teaching practice course in improving the quality of their EFL instructional designs and their EFL teaching practices. The result of the study showed that the teachers benefited a lot from the TPACK-oriented teaching practice course and they have successfully prepared instructional designs and performed the teaching practices by applying TPACK framework.


The question of the process of developing national or local forms of Islam is often approached through the lens of the domestication of Islam and by emphasising the role of the state or Muslim officials close to the state in this process. In my analysis of the process, undertaken by certain Tatar Muslim representatives in Russia, of developing what I call a localised Islamic orthodoxy, I aim to study shifts in the debate on 'traditional Islam' towards a more theological understanding of the term. I examine attempts to develop a local interpretation of Islam that, while based on universal religious fundaments, is not in opposition to Tatar national traditions and a secular modern lifestyle. The representation of an 'orthodox traditional Islam' is necessarily paradoxical to the extent that a localised orthodoxy claims to be timeless, 'natural' and established but still needs to be defined, learned and taught following decades of Soviet atheist policies. Furthermore, this representation relies on the projection of orthodoxy onto the past in a process in which certain elements of a complex Tatar Muslim identity are made visible and emphasised (in particular, the Hanafi tradition), while others are obscured. By referring to the literature on orthodoxy in the anthropology and sociology of Islam and in Islamic studies, I aim to examine the theological dimension of the process of defining a local Islam that is currently being pursued by certain Tatar Muslim representatives in Russia.


tudies for the use of nano materials in cementitious composites are increasing day by day. Especially nano SiO2 is one of the most used materials due to its superior pozzolanic feature and space filling ability. Researchs continue to examine how nano SiO2 affects not only the strength properties of mortar or concrete, but also its durability properties. High temperature is one of the effects that structures are exposed to directly or indirectly. Knowing the behavior of building materials under high temperature is an important issue in terms of durability. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of nano SiO2 on the high temperature resistance of cement mortars. For this purpose, four different mortar mixes were prepared by 0, 1, 2 and 3% nano SiO2 substituting cement. On the 7th, 28th and 90th days, flexural and compressive strength tests were carried out on the mortar mixtures. In order to determine the effects of nano SiO2 on the high temperature resistance of mortars, the samples produced in the dimensions of 50x50x50 mm3 were exposed to 300 and 600 ° C for 3 hours after 90 days of curing. The samples were then self-cooled in the oven. 20 ⁰C was used as reference temperature. After high temperature application, weight loss, loss of ultrasonic pulce velocity and compressive strenght of hardened mortar samples were examined. In addition, SEM images of the samples were taken for microstructure analysis after 600 ⁰C temperature. As a result, it was determined that on the 7th day, 2% nano SiO2 substitution increased the flexural strength by 20.0% and compressive strength by 24.25% compared to the reference mixture and had a positive effect especially on early age strength. It was determined that as the temperature increases, the weight loss increases and the ultrasonic pulce velocity decreases, the optimum nano SiO2 ratio for high temperature resistance is 2%, but the residual compressive strenght results of all mixtures with and without nano material substitution at 600 ⁰C are very close to each other. In SEM images, cracks occurred in all samples.


This article deals with the survey and representation of the dome of Santa Maria della Sanità in Naples (Italy). The survey led to a geometric analysis of the spatial configuration of the dome, the drawing of its majolica decoration and its structural behavior. The overall objectives of this research can be briefly outlined as follows. First, the study focuses on defining the correct geometry of the dome obtained through accurate surveys. Finally, the study performs a simplified structural analysis of the compound dome-buttress system set within the theoretical framework of the Limit Analysis through the graphical statics.


T-S Fuzzy neural network is combined fuzzy logic with neural network. It not only has the ability of fuzzy reasoning, but also has the ability of strong learning. A new fusion method based on T-S fuzzy neural network is present to prediction of coal mine gas in this paper. The nonlinear relationships between factors infected the gas concentration are studied. It can master and capture the internal connection between each factor to realize prediction by using network sample learning. Simulations results indicate that the method which is used in coal mine gas prediction is practicable and effective.


Dear Sir Diener et al. (1) convincingly demonstrate in a very large (n = 1743), double-blind trial that the combination of aspirin, paracetamol and caffeine is statistically superior to the combination without caffeine and superior to the mono-substances in patients who normally treat their migraine attacks or episodic tension-type headache with over-thecounter (OTC) medication. From a clinical point of view, however, the superiority of the combination vs. aspirin is only modest even if the patients rated the combination (73% very good or good) better than aspirin (67% very good or good). Furthermore, the authors do not discuss the problem of drug overuse with mixed analgesics. In the third edition of The Headaches published this year one finds the following statements by Diener and Silberstein in the chapter on medication overuse headaches: 'Migraine drugs that contain barbiturate, caffeine, codeine, or tranquilizers, as well as mixed analgesics, should be avoided. Patients who take over-thecounter (OTC) medications should be advised to avoid caffeine combinations' (2). Should the results of the present trial change the advice we currently give to patients about the use of combination drugs?


CD spectra of reduced and S‐3‐(trimethylated amino) propylated lysozyme (TMAP lysozyme) have been measured in various solutions containing guanidine hydrochloride or trifluoroethanol (TFE). The CD spectra indicate that there remain residual secondary structures in protein in aqueous solution. The addition of TFE further promotes the formation of secondary structures. In order to examine whether secondary structures are evenly induced over all the polypeptide chain, or locally at particular segments, the limited proteolysis of TMAP lysozyme by trypsin has been performed, and the CD spectra of all the final and intermediate products have been observed in solutions containing TFE. As a result, the fragments vary in a helix‐forming propensity. The CD spectra of peptide fragments T5, T7, T9T10, T12T13, T14T15T16, and T17T18 are not significantly affected by the addition of TFE, where T refers to the nomenclature of R. E. Canfield [(1963), Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 238, pp. 2691–2697]. They are fragments of a helix‐breaking propensity. On the other hand, fragment 12 composed of T1‐T4, and fragments T6T7, T8, and T11, attain secondary structures with the addition of TFE. They are fragments of a helix‐forming propensity. Further, it is found that the fragments of a helix‐forming propensity just correspond to the helical segments in native lysozyme. We examine the interactions between neighboring fragments, which contribute to the stabilization of local structures along the polypeptide chain.


Supply Chain Management SCM is a very critical part of any business. A well-coordinated SCM can improve the efficiency of the business and help in cost reduction. As information technology (IT) is being used widely across all businesses, SCM can benefit to a large extent by the use of IT. This article reviews a number of papers in this field and suggests research gaps for further exploration. The aim of this article is to review the literature on the role of IT on supply chain management (SCM) with special focus on the pharmaceutical industry and suggest possible gaps from the point of view of researchers and practitioners. The article finds that IT has made a significant impact in improving the efficiency of SCM. But its successful implementation and collaboration with other firms is the key to success for an efficient SCM. Within each category, gaps have been identified.


A novel technology "Rheodrop" was developed to advance the process of hot runner based injection molding. The technology applies controllable shear rate to the polymer melt during and between injection molding cycles. The application method involves rotating the valve pins inside the hot drops. The intensity of the applied shear rate is controlled by adjusting the rotational speed. The shearing process reduces the viscosity of molten pseudoplastics inside the hot drops. Viscous polymer melts are more prone to produce incompletely filled products due to higher flow resistance. Hence, Rheodrop technology overcomes incomplete filling defect as well as enhances the quality of the molded parts by reducing the viscosity of the processed polymer. In addition, this technology enables processing materials at lower temperatures, which can eliminate/reduce thermal degradation for temperature sensitive materials. Analytical and experimental analysis were performed to investigate the effect of applying Rheodrop technology on the molded parts. Results show significant effect of Rheodrop technology on the molded products.


We described a method using second-derivative spectrophotometry with a spectrophotometer Uvikon (Kontron) for the assay of plasma hemoglobin and urinary porphyrins. We evaluated the procedure for sensitivity, linearity, analytical recovery. Non specific interference is not significant and reproductibility is excellent. This simple, rapid, sensitive, not expansive method can be adapted for use in a clinical laboratory.


High precision IR is often hard for a variety of reasons; one of these is the large number of morphological variants for any given term. To address some of the issues arising from a mismatch between different word forms used in the queries and the relevant documents, researchers have long proposed the use of various stemming algorithms to reduce terms to a common base form. Stemming, in general, has not been an unmitigated success in improving IR. This poster argues that stemming can help in certain contexts and that an empirical investigation of the relationship between stemming performance and retrieval performance can be valuable. We extend previously reported work on stemming and IR (e.g., [2, 4, 5]) by using a novel, dictionary based "perfect" stemmer, which can be parametrized for different accuracy and coverage levels. This allows us to measure changes in IR performance for any given change in stemming performance on a given data set. To place this work in context, we discuss an empirical evaluation of stemming accuracy for three stemming algorithms – including the widely used Porter algorithm [9]. Section 2 briefly discusses the three variants of stemming, and presents experimental evidence for their relative coverage and accuracy. Section 3 discusses the use of these stemmers for IR and presents some of our findings. Finally, Section 4 concludes with a discussion of our results and possible future directions.


A pH electrode measures hydrogen ion (H+) activity and produces an electrical potential or voltage. The operation of the pH electrode is based on the principle that an electric potential develops when two liquids of different pH come into contact at opposite sides of a thin glass membrane. This was originally discovered in 1906 by Max Cremer [1]. His discovery laid the foundation for Fritz Haber and Zygmunt Klemensiewicz, who published their findings in 1909, to create the first glass electrode that measured hydrogen activity [2]. Today, modern pH electrodes use the same principles to measure pH in a variety of applications including water treatment, chemical processing, medical instrumentation, and environmental test systems.


Many applications in wireless sensor networks require sensor nodes to obtain their absolute or relative geographical positions. Although various localization algorithms have been recently proposed, most of them require nodes to be equipped with range-determining hardware to obtain distance information. In this paper, we propose a concentric anchor beacon (CAB) localization algorithm for wireless sensor networks. CAB is a range-free approach and uses a small number of anchor nodes. Each anchor emits beacons at different power levels. From the information received by each beacon heard, nodes can determine in which annular ring they are located within each anchor. Each node uses the approximated center of intersection of the rings as its position estimate. We also propose two heuristics, namely CAB with equal area and CAB with equal width, to determine the transmitting power levels of the beacons. Simulation results show that the estimation error is reduced by half when anchors transmit beacons at two different power levels instead of at a single power level. CAB also gives a lower estimation error than some other range-free localization schemes (e.g., centroid and approximated point-in-triangulation) when the anchor-to-node range ratio is less than 4.


In recent years, the method of incoherent Thomson scattering has been applied to make measurements of electron properties of glow discharges used for industrial applications. These plasmas have electron density of the order of and electron temperature of a few eV. This paper reviews the recent progress in this research area. Details of the experimental systems are given and examples of measurements made in several different types of glow discharges are presented. A method in which Thomson scattering is combined with Rayleigh scattering to provide direct measurements of the neutral density is also described and an example of measurements is given. The electron velocity and energy distribution functions are also an important property of these plasmas, and the extent to which Thomson scattering can measure the distribution function is discussed. Future trends for Thomson scattering in glow discharges are also discussed.


In order to better study conventional and alternative divertor configurations, the TCV Tokamak was recently upgraded. In-vessel graphite baffles were installed in the TCV chamber to delimit a separate divertor chamber from the core that required enhanced diagnostic capabilities. To date, TCV's Thomson scattering diagnostic provided electron temperature and density profiles of the hot core and the pedestal of the plasma with an array of 96 polychromators. To study the new divertor region, an upgrade added 20 new polychromators specifically to diagnose the plasma in the relatively cold divertor region. New 4-channel polychromators were designed to provide Te measurements down to ∼1 eV with ne∼1.5× 1019 m−3. Interference filters of only 1.9 nm FWHM were required to achieve this goal. Te and ne measurements from the TCV divertor region have been obtained for the first time. Specific diverted plasma discharges where the outer divertor leg is scanned in and out of the TS laser beam's path are used to demonstrate the diagnostic's new capabilities and potential with measurements of Te as low as 1.4 eV obtained for electron densities of 2× 1018 m−3. The system's 16 mm integration length along the laser line is providing, for the first time, Te and ne profiles with sufficient spatial resolution across the divertor legs to resolve the divertor plasma dynamics.


Ir(salen) complexes were found to catalyze enantioselective cyclopropenation efficiently. Cyclopropenation can be carried out using either a donor/acceptor- or an acceptor/acceptor-substituted diazo compound such as α-aryl-α-diazoacetates, α-phenyl-α-diazophosphonate, 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-phenyl-1-diazoethane, and α-cyano-α-diazoacetamide as carbenoid precursors. The reactions provide highly enantioenriched cyclopropenes (84-98% ee) with a functionalized quaternary carbon as versatile building blocks.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Nocebo effects, adverse outcomes occurring in patients receiving inert therapy, contribute to adverse event (AE) reporting in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). High placebo AE rates may result in inaccurate estimation of treatment-related AEs. We estimate the pooled rate of AEs in patients randomized to placebo compared to active therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) RCTs.

METHODS
MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched to March 1, 2017 for RCTs of conventional medical therapies for Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). Rates of AEs, serious AEs (SAEs), AE-related trial withdrawal, infections, and worsening IBD were pooled using a random-effects model.

RESULTS
We included 124 CD (n=26,042) and 71 UC RCTs (n=16,798). The pooled placebo AE rate was 70.6% [95% CI: 65.3%, 75.4%] and 54.5% [47.8%, 61.1%] in CD and UC RCTs, respectively. There was no significant risk difference (RD) in AE, SAE, or AE-related withdrawal rates between CD patients receiving placebo or active drug. A 1.6% [95% CI: 0.1%, 3.1%] increase in AE rates was observed among UC patients randomized to active therapy. Patients receiving active therapy had a higher risk of infection (RD 1.0% [95% CI: 0.4%, 1.7%] for CD, 2.9% [95% CI: 1.4%, 4.4%] for UC) although a lower risk of worsening CD (RD -3.2% [95% CI: -4.8%, -1.5%]) or UC (RD -3.7% [95% CI: -5.7%, -1.8%]).

CONCLUSIONS
AEs are commonly reported by patients randomized to either placebo or active treatment in IBD RCTs. Clinically relevant differences in AE, SAE, and AE-related withdrawal were not observed.


This paper presents a compositional conformance checking approach between nested Petri nets and event logs of multi-agent systems. By projecting an event log onto model components, one can perform conformance checking between each projected log and the corresponding component. We formally demonstrate the validity of our approach proving that, to check fitness of a nested Petri net is equivalent to check fitness of each of its components. Leveraging the multi-agent system structure of nested Petri nets, this approach may provide specific conformance diagnostics for each system component as well as to avoid to compute artificial boundaries when decomposing a model for conformance checking.


OBJECTIVE
Through comparison of HER2/neu oncogene detected by chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in breast cancer, to explore the effect of CISH on detecting gene amplification of HER2.

METHODS
Selected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast samples whose pathological types were infiltrating ductal carcinomas (255 retrospective samples, 271 prospective samples), and these samples were detected by IHC and CISH.

RESULTS
(1) In the retrospective study, CISH identified gene amplification in 91.6% of IHC score 3+ tumors (120/131) and in 56.5% of IHC score 2+ tumors (39/69), thus the concordant ratio between IHC and CISH was 81.2% (207/255). The two results showed significant correlation (P<0.01). (2) In the prospective study, the ratio of HER2 protein over expression detected by IHC was 31.7%, the ratio of HER2 gene amplification detected by CISH was 27.3%. CISH identified gene amplification in 91.4% of IHC score 3+ tumors (53/58) and in 46.4% of IHC score 2+ tumors (13/28), Concordant ratio between IHC and CISH was 89.7% (243/271). Two results showed significant correlation (P<0.01). (3) Paired CISH/FISH results were concordant in 14 of 15 cases. The remaining case was detected by FISH, but showed no HER2 gene amplification by CISH. (4) The gene amplification by CISH had a significantly reverse correlation with ER and PR expression (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
The results of HER2 gene amplification detected by CISH have high concordance with the results detectd by IHC and FISH. CISH is a novel technique for detecting HER2 gene amplification.


We report a case of thyrotoxicosis periodic paralysis (TPP), occurring as a complication of a Grave's disease in a 31 year-old Caucasian male. It has been suggested that the membrane Na-K pump was involved in the pathogenesis of this complication. In our patient, before treatment, the activity of erythrocyte Na-K-ATPase was significantly decreased, as compared with healthy subjects (228nmol Pi/mg prot/h versus 298 + 60 nmol Pi/mg prot/h) and went back to normal levels post treatment. The activity of this enzyme seems to be prone to genetics factors as well as environmental ones. This would explain the higher incidence of TPP in male and in asiatic people. However, other reports emphasize the role of Na-K-pump-independent potassium influx, which would be more specific of TPP.


ULK complex is the most upstream factor to initiate autophagy in higher eukaryotes. Atg101 is an essential component of the complex, but is absent from the functionally equivalent Atg1 complex in budding yeast. To elucidate the molecular functions of Atg101, we have determined the crystal structure of Atg101 complexed with Atg13. The structure reveals that Atg101 is a member of the HORMA family protein and is structurally similar to Atg13. Structure-based mutational studies reveal that Atg101 has at least two critical functions in autophagy: one is to stabilize Atg13 and the other is to recruit downstream Atg factors to autophagosome formation site.


Guided by evolutionarily signaled vulnerabilities in the structure of SARS-CoV-2, we identify epitopes in free monomers of the spike protein that steer the generation of induced or administered antibodies geared at promoting destabilization of the virus quaternary structure, thereby hampering infectivity.


This AMEE guide discusses theoretical principles and practical strategies for health professions educators to promote impactful mentoring relationships. Traditional definitions are challenged, distinctions are made between roles such as mentor, advisor, coach and sponsor. As educational environments change and options for professional development expand, we argue that the traditional dyadic format of mentoring alone will not help mentees to maximise their professional growth. Newer formats of mentoring are discussed in detail and their advantages and disadvantages compared. We use a variety of theoretical concepts to anchor the practice of mentorship: self-focussed and other-focussed motives; psychological safety; personal interpretive framework; Daloz model for balancing support and challenge; zone of proximal development; communities of practice; and development along multiple layers of competence. Recommended strategies for effective mentoring are based on extensive review of literature, as well as combined professional mentoring experiences of the authors. We use key principles from the theories described and phases of mentoring relationships as foundations for the suggested best practices of mentorship. Finally, we emphasise the role of mentees in their own professional development and provide tips for them on seeking mentors, expanding their mentoring network and taking the lead in setting the agenda during mentoring meetings and formulating action plans for their own advancement.


This issue of the Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dyamics presents a snapshot of the state-of-the-art in Computaional Multibody Dynamics CMD . Since any attempt at approxiating the time evolution of dynamical systems begins with the uestion of finding robust and efficient numerical integration ethods, this special issue opens with several contributions that oncentrate on this topic. Specifically, the first four papers cover oth analytical and practical aspects related to numerical time ntegration, for smooth and non-smooth dynamics, for rigid and exible body systems. Flexible body dynamics is further disussed in two contributions. The first outlines a procedure to reuce the computational burden that flexibility typically places on he numerical solution; the second illustrates how recent CMD dvances are leveraged in the context of a challenging biomechancs application. One of the recurrent themes of the research effort ithin the CMD community pertains to the focus on system-level ngineering applications. This usually requires leaving behind the onvenience of dealing with simple systems, concentrating instead n complex problems such as active rotorcraft control, quantifyng the uncertainty in the aerodynamic loads acting on ground ehicles, or designing an optimal set of experiments for parameter stimation for accurate vehicle dynamics simulation. Moving beyond the breath aspect discussed above, an attempt as made to illustrate the fact that the CMD community is robust nd dynamic. Several contributions concentrate on topics in well stablished areas that provide the core competencies of this comunity: numerical integration, flexible body dynamics, nonlinear ontrol, and frictional contact dynamics. Other contributions conentrate on application fields that, until recently, fell outside the cope of this community either because of a lack of dialogue with


Abstract We theoretically report that, at a sharp electrostatic step potential in graphene, massless Dirac fermions can obtain Goos-Hänchen-like shifts under total internal reflection. Based on these results, we study the coherent propagation of the quasiparticles along a sharp graphene p-n-p waveguide and derive novel dispersion relations for the guided modes. Consequently, coherent graphene devices (e.g. movable mirrors, buffers and memories) induced only by the electric field effect can be proposed.


The structure of polyethylenimine in aqueous and ethanolic solutions was investigated by measuring the fluorescence polarization of dansyl conjugates. In aqueous solutions, all polyethylenimines, whatever their molecular weight, are associated into large aggregates containing rotating units having rotary relaxation times corresponding to spherical particles of molecular weight about 3–6 × 103. The interaction of polyethylenimine with very dilute solutions of linear high polymers has been investigated by fluorescence polarization measurements and by the measurement of turbulent drag. Addition of polyethylenimine causes the solutions of anionic polymers to lose their capability of reducing turbulent drag. The results are discussed in relation to the proposed structure of the anionic–cationic complexes formed in the mixtures.


Antineoplastons are
peptide and amino acid derivatives that occur naturally in the human body. They
inhibit the growth of neoplastic cells without growth inhibition of normal
cells. Phenylacetylglutaminate (PG) is an active ingredient of antineoplastons
A10 and AS2-1 (ANP) and is also a metabolic by-product of phenylbutyrate (PB).
The formulation of antineoplaston AS2-1 is a 4:1 mixture of phenylacetate (PN)
and PG. Antineoplaston A10 is a 4:1 mixture of PG and isoPG. This study
investigates the molecular mechanism of action of PG and PN. The Human U87
glioblastoma (GBM) cell line was used as the model system in this study. A
total human gene array screen using the Affymetrix Human Genome plus 2.0
oligonucleotide arrays was performed using mRNA derived from U87 cells exposed
to PG and PN. Pathway analysis was performed to allow the visualization of
effect on metabolic pathways and gene interaction networks. Our preliminary
results indicate that PG and PN interrupt signal transduction in RAS/MAPK/ERK
and PI3K/AKT/PTEN pathways, interfere with cell cycle, decrease metabolism and
promote apoptosis in human U87 GBM cells. The effect on multiple cellular pathways
and targets, suggests that ANP and PB are promising candidates for clinical
studies in GBM.


Existing literature has demonstrated an association between higher adolescent religiousness and lower risk-taking via higher self-regulation. This study sought to elucidate the roles of emotion regulation and executive function as parallel mediators in the link between religiousness and risk-taking in a sample of 167 adolescents (mean age = 14.13 years, 52% male, 82% White at Time 1). Longitudinal results across three waves utilizing structural equation modeling indicated higher religiousness was associated with higher emotion regulation, whereas religiousness was not associated with executive function. Subsequently, higher emotion regulation and executive function were associated with lower risk-taking. Emotion regulation mediated the association between religiousness and risk-taking. The findings highlight religiousness as a contextual protective factor for adolescents.


Health and safety issues have always been a major problem in the oil and gas construction projects. It is found to be one of the dangerous industries, which has adverse impact on the health and safety related issues. Several efforts have been made to address this problem, but there is a lot of scope for the improvement of health and safety management. The article explores health and safety issues in relation to the oil and gas industry in Saudi Arabia. This article identifies all the safety and health issues, as well as, its adverse effect on human lives. The article also reflects several work related hazards that are concerned with oil and gas projects and the possible measures for preventing such health and safety risks.


I appreciate deeply the honor which the Section has conferred on me in selecting me as its chairman. On reflecting how I might express my gratitude by an efficient discharge of the duties of the office, I concluded that the best way would be to select an interesting program and to let the members do the talking. I shall therefore confine my remarks to a brief explanation of the program. In this, we have aimed to reflect the problems which are of current interest in this field of our profession. These problems are partly scientific and partly practical. The chief scientific problem at the present time is undoubtedly the effective correlation of pharmacology and therapeutics. No one can honestly doubt that the rise of pharmacology or pharmacodynamics—of the scientific experimental investigation of drug action—has played the part of a powerful and predominantly useful ferment in therapeutics. It


BACKGROUND
Advances in technology and the earlier release of newborns from hospitals have pressed the demand for accurate calibration and improved interlaboratory performance for newborn screening tests. As a first step toward standardization of newborn screening aminoacidopathy tests, we have produced six-pool sets of multianalyte dried-blood-spot amino acid reference materials (AARMs) containing predetermined quantities of five amino acids. We describe here the production of the AARMs, validation of their amino acid contents, and characterization of their homogeneity and their stability in storage.

METHODS
To each of six portions of a pool of washed erythrocytes suspended in serum we added Phe (0-200 mg/L), Leu (0-200 mg/L), Met (0-125 mg/L), Tyr (0-125 mg/L), and Val (0-125 mg/L). Six-pool sets (1300) were prepared, dried, and packaged. We used isotope-dilution mass spectrometry to estimate the endogenous amino acid concentrations of the AARMs and validate their final amino acid concentrations. We used additional tandem mass spectrometry analyses to examine the homogeneity of amino acid distribution in each AARM, and HPLC analyses to evaluate the stability of the amino acid contents of the AARMs.

RESULTS
The absolute mean biases across the analytic range for five amino acids were 2.8-9.4%. One-way ANOVAs of the homogeneity results predicted no statistically significant differences in amino acid concentrations within the blood spots or within the pools (P >0.05). Regression slopes (0 +/- 0.01) for amino acid concentrations vs storage times and their P values (>0.05) showed no evidence of amino acid degradation at ambient temperatures, 4 degrees C, or -20 degrees C during the intervals tested.

CONCLUSION
The validation, homogeneity, and stability of these blood spots support their use as a candidate national reference material for calibration of assays that measure amino acids in dried-blood spots.


ABSTRACT The potential mechanism of augmented response on cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) testing and its decrease following treatment in a patient with Meniere's disease (MD) are discussed. Changes of static posturography and cVEMP testing before and after a glycerol drip in a 69-year-old man with unilateral MD, in which significant endolymphatic hydrops (EH) was confirmed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the diseased side, were evaluated. Values of total locus lengths, areas of postural sway, and their Romberg ratios were decreased after the glycerol drip. On cVEMP testing, the diseased ear demonstrated a 375% larger amplitude than the contralateral ear before treatment, but both ears showed almost the same responses after treatment. An augmented response on cVEMP testing and a decrease following treatment for MD reflect the diversity of clinical findings in MD. Responses on cVEMP testing may relate not only to the degree of EH, but also be due to abnormal acoustic energy absorbance transmitted into the saccule.


Investigations of geomorphology and sedimentology, and analyses of radiocarbon dates, grain size, susceptibility, content of carbonate and C/N-indicates of the sediment at the present-day closed basin (Qingtu Lake) in the terminal of the Shiyang River in arid region of China were conducted to recover the history of palaelake change since the Holocene. Qingtu Lake lies in Minqin basin in the east of the Hexi Corridor, which is located in the west edge of the East Asia monsoon. Through a field survey, the profile ZY is chosen as study object. Proxies of the Profile ZY, such as grain size, susceptibility, content of carbonate and C/N, reveal the variation of summer monsoon precipitation in the Shiyang River drainage basin during {9 500 }~ {1 100 } a BP. An abrupt event happened during {9 500 }~ {6 700 } a BP, when climate was droughty and windy, with sands depositing; During {6 700 }~ {5 800 } a BP summer monsoon strongly impacted the region, and precipitation was abundant, atmosphere was humid, lakes were deeper; During {5 800 }~ {2 700 } a BP summer monsoon became unsteady, so was water level of lakes, with frequently fluctuating climate; During {2 700 }~ {1 100 } a BP human activity increased obviously and water level of lakes declined continuously, so it is necessary to study whether the natural factors were the key to control the water level.


Conventional x-ray is still the most important diagnostic and follow-up tool in developmental dysplasia of the hip joint, where hip joint ultrasonography cannot be performed. Artifacts that are seen because of technical errors can cause difficulties in diagnosis and and even can lead to wrong diagnoses and treatments. Herein, we report a diagnostic problem caused by an x-ray artifact in a child who is followed up with developmental dysplasia of the hip joint.


The objective of this article is to explore the current reality faced by higher education students in Central and Eastern Europe and to draw out the implications of this current reality for policy makers in the future. In the article, I explore the influence of transnational corporations' training programs on education as it currently pertains to Central and Eastern European higher education and employment. In addition, multinational corporate entities exercise influence on European Union policy through the role of lobby organizations and activities. I explore the influence of these practices on education with an emphasis on the emerging importance of Western language skills. In addition, I focus on the European Union and its efforts to expand into Central and Eastern Europe in order to provide a focal point for analysis.


We present a single-electron device for the manipulation of charge states via quantum interference in nanostructured electrodes. Via self-inductance effects, we induce two independent magnetic fluxes in the electrodes and we demonstrate sensitivity to single charge states and magnetic field at variable temperature. Moreover, our approach allows us to demonstrate local and independent control of the single-particle conductance between nano-engineered tunnel junctions in a fully superconducting quantum interference single-electron transistor, thereby increasing the flexibility of our single-electron transistors. Our devices show a robust modulation of the current-to-flux transfer function via control currents while exploiting the single-electron filling of a mesoscopic superconducting island. Further applications of the device concept to single charge manipulation and magnetic-flux sensing are also discussed.


Malignant cancer may contain highly heterogeneous populations of cells, including stem-like cells which were resistant to chemotherapy agents, radiation, mechanical stress, and immune surveillance. The characterization of these specific subpopulations might be critical to develop novel strategy to remove malignant tumors. We selected and enriched small population of human melanoma A2058 cells by repetitive selection cycles (selection, restoration, and amplification). These subpopulation of melanoma cells persisted the characteristics of slower cell proliferation, enhanced drug-resistance, elevated percentage of side population as analyzed by Hoechst33342 exclusion, in vitro sphere formation, and in vivo xenograft tumor formation by small amount of tumor cells. The selected populations would be melanoma stem-like cells with high expression of stem cell markers and altered kinase activation. Microarray and bioinformatics analysis highlighted the high expression of angiopoietin-like 4 protein in drug-selected melanoma stem-like cells. Further validation by specific shRNA demonstrated the role of angiopoietin-like 4 protein in drug-selected subpopulation associated with enhanced drug-resistance, sphere formation, reduced kinase activation, in vitro tube-forming ability correlated with heparan-sulfate proteoglycans. Our finding would be applicable to explore the mechanism of melanoma stemness and use angiopoietin-like 4 as potential biomarkers to identify melanoma stem-like cells.


Protein electrophoresis was carried out on 102,000 samples from the patients of a district general hospital over 10 years, and a monoclonal protein was detected in 730 cases; of these, 114 could be classified as B cell malignancies and 261 as monoclonal gammopathy of undefined significance (MGUS). The various clinical and laboratory features of monoclonal gammopathy were examined with respect to distinguishing the malignant conditions from MGUS at first presentation.


Background: Telescopic overdenture is a prosthesis consisting of a primary coping, or an inner crown, that is attached to a supporting tooth in the oral cavity, and a secondary coping, or an outer crown, attached to a denture, which must be compatible with the primary coping. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to restore function and aesthetics and uplift the psychological status of the patient by fabrication of a fixed removable prosthesis using the existing abutment teeth as a telescopic overdenture. Case: A 36-year-old female came to the Prosthodontic RSGM UNAIR speciality clinic on her own volition to make front dentures for her upper and lower jaws after a traffic accident one and a half years ago. The patient had an arch bar installed two months after the accident, which was removed after two months. The patient wanted new dentures to improve both her ability to eat and her appearance. Case Management: Preliminary treatments performed were; maxillary and mandibular scaling and root planing; crown lengthening of tooth 15; extraction of teeth 16, 41, 42, and 43; and alveolectomy of the mandibular anterior region. Before the definitive treatment to improve the aesthetic appearance could be carried out, the first step was to make maxillary and mandibular transitional dentures. These were to be used while waiting for healing to occur, following the socket preservation in the mandibular area. Then, for the definitive restoration, we used telescopic overdenture for the maxilla and a removable partial denture for the mandible. Conclusion: Telescopic overdenture is recommended for patients who need good aesthetics for anterior tooth loss. Telescopic overdenture uses double crowns as the retentive elements, which give better aesthetic results compared to clasps, thereby improving the psychological status of the patient. In addition, they have better retention and stability compared to conventional complete dentures.


Since 2013, the Chinese central government has pushed cooperation on environmental governance in Urban Agglomerations (UAs). In some of these UAs, cities have previously been developing environmental governance activities autonomously, in the absence of inter-city cooperation, while on others, spontaneous cooperation has previously taken place. These differences in historical context provide us with an opportunity to study, in a comparative way, how a history of cooperation influences the effectiveness of inter-city cooperation on environmental governance. Our approach to carrying out this comparison is to reconstruct the trajectories of events that describe the evolution of environmental governance in two UAs (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Yangtze River Delta), covering the period from the early 90s to 2016. The main findings of this study are that the trajectory of environmental governance in a historical context of prior spontaneous cooperation is more effective in achieving goal intertwinement than that in a historical context of no prior cooperation; and that informal forms of cooperation, along with decentralized coordination by local actors, are critical and more influential in bringing about more effective cooperation. On the other hand, in a historical context of no prior cooperation there is an opportunity to design a cooperative structure from scratch; in this process attention should be paid to the creation of an equal playing ground, with balanced costs and benefits for all partners. By contrast, cooperation on environmental governance in a context where there is a history of spontaneous cooperation the central government can still play a role in the further facilitation of cooperation.


Several utility steam generator and stress corrosion cracking databases are synthesized with the view of identifying the crevice chemistry that is most consistent with the plant cracking data. Superheated steam and neutral solution environments are found to be inconsistent with the large variations in the observed SCC between different plants, different support plates within a plant, and different crevice locations. While the eddy current response of laboratory tests performed with caustic chemistries approximates the response of the most extensively affected steam generator tubes, the crack propagation kinetics in these tests differ horn plant experience. The observations suggest that there is a gradual conversion of the environment responsible for most steam generator ODSCC from a concentrated, alkaline-forming solution to a progressively more steam-enriched environment.


Progressive accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in the brain is a characteristic pathological change in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously found the expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was increased in SH-SY5Y cells exposed to low-dose Aβ and decreased in cells with high-dose Aβ exposure, but the molecular mechanism is still unclear. Based on previous studies, the opposite regulation of histone deacetylase2 (HDAC2) and HDAC3 on LPL expression probably explain the above molecular mechanism, in which microRNA-29a and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) may be involved. This study further revealed the mechanism of HDAC2 and HDAC3 on conversely regulating LPL expression. The results showed that HDAC2 down-regulated microRNA-29a by decreasing histone acetylation (Ace-H3K9) level in its promoter region, subsequently increasing LPL expression directly or through PPARγ/LPL pathway; HDAC3 decreased LPL expression through inhibiting Ace-H3K9 levels in LPL and PPARγ promoter regions and up-regulating microRNA-29a. This study also found that with increasing concentrations of Aβ in cells, HDAC2 and HDAC3 expression were gradually increased, and Ace-H3K9 levels in LPL and PPARγ promoter region regulated by HDAC3 were decreased correspondingly, while Ace-H3K9 levels in microRNA-29a promoter region modulated by HDAC2 were not decreased gradually but presented a U-shaped trend. These may lead to the results that a U-shaped alteration in microRNA-29a expression, subsequently leading to an inverse U-shaped alteration in PPARγ or LPL expression. In conclusion, HDAC2 and HDAC3 at least partly mediate LPL expression variations in different concentrations of Aβ exposed SH-SY5Y cells, in which microRNA-29a and PPARγ are involved, and the histone acetylation level in microRNA-29a promoter region plays a key role.


Given the substantial variation in the nature of the grammatical word (GW) across languages, this paper addresses the question of whether the Phonological Word (PW) exhibits the same degree of variation or rather abstracts away from it due to the typically flatter nature of the phonological hierarchy. Various types of languages are examined, focusing on isolating and polysynthetic languages—opposite ends of a word structure continuum. It is demonstrated that, indeed, the PW exhibits substantially less variation across languages than might be expected on the basis of the differences in GW structure. Furthermore, it is shown that an additional constituent (i.e., the Clitic Group, renamed Composite Group) is required between the PW and the Phonological Phrase to fully account for the interface between morpho-syntactic and phonological structures.


To date, most studies conducted on cilostazol have examined its effects as an agent of maintenance-dose therapy, but its loading effects on platelet inhibition have never been reported. This study aimed to determine the loading effects of 200 mg cilostazol in addition to aspirin and clopidogrel on platelet inhibition in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.Sixty consecutive patients undergoing coronary intervention were enrolled and assigned to receive 300 mg of aspirin and clopidogrel with or without 200 mg of cilostazol. All loading doses were given at least 3 hours before percutaneous coronary intervention and followed by dual or triple maintenance-dose therapy. Platelet function tests were performed just before and at 24 hours and 30 days after percutaneous coronary intervention by light transmittance aggregometry and VerifyNow® P2Y12 assay.There were no significant differences in baseline or angiographic characteristics between the 2 groups. The results of platelet function tests revealed that the adjunctive loading dose of 200 mg of cilostazol induced more potent platelet inhibition compared to a dual regimen at each time point. Cilostazol reduced the incidence of high post-treatment platelet reactivity (HPPR).Adjunctive 200 mg cilostazol can improve platelet responsiveness to clopidogrel in the pre- and postprocedural phases, reducing the prevalence of HPPR.


Introduction: Costing information is vitally important for public health management. It is applied in relation to priority setting concerning health problems, cost control, health economic evaluation, and health-care financing. When calculating the cost of illness as well as the cost of the health-care program, the cost of the same quantity of utilized services can be different if their unit costs are different. Many countries have attempted to alleviate such difficulties by developing a standard or reference list of the unit cost of health-care services. Aims: This review aimed to explore the situation of the national reference unit cost (NRUC) of health-care services in various countries. Materials and Methods: The study was designed as a systematic review. We searched articles from the PubMed and Google Scholar databases in November 2015 using a combination of keywords, MeSH terms, and other free text terms considered suitable for the purpose. The study only included complete peer-reviewed publications that were reported in the English language. Editorial, reviewed, or methodological articles were excluded. Results: Of the 437 identified citations, seven articles related to the unit cost of medical services studies met the selection criteria. These studies were conducted in Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Thailand, the Philippine, the United Kingdom, and India. The NRUC has been introduced into economic evaluation analysis or reimbursement. Australia was the first country to publish a standard unit cost study in 1992, while the standard costs list for health economic evaluation in Thailand, which was published in 2014, is the newest available list. The standard unit cost list in England is updated annually and provided to all hospitals. Both top-down and bottom-up costing methodologies were used to validate the accuracy of the results. Conclusion: This first systematic review concerning the NRUC of medical services clearly showed that the current situation, as well as the international methodological guidelines for conducting and reporting the NRUC of health-care services, should be developed as soon as possible.


We present a detailed study of two-color two-photon excited fluorescence in indole dissolved in propylene glycol. Femtosecond excitation pulses at effective wavelengths from 268 to 293.33 nm were used to populate the two lowest indole excited states (1)La and (1)Lb and polarized fluorescence was then detected. All seven molecular parameters and the two-photon polarization ratio Ω containing information on two-photon absorption dynamics, molecular lifetime τf, and rotation correlation time τrot have been determined from experiment and analyzed as a function of the excitation wavelength. The analysis of the experimental data has shown that (1)Lb-(1)La inversion occurred under the conditions of our experiment. The two-photon absorption predominantly populated the (1)La state at all excitation wavelengths but in the 287-289 nm area which contained an absorption hump of the (1)Lb state 0-0 origin. The components of the two-photon excitation tensor S were analyzed giving important information on the principal tensor axes and absorption symmetry. The results obtained are in a good agreement with the results reported by other groups. The lifetime τf and the rotation correlation time τrot showed no explicit dependence on the effective excitation wavelength. Their calculated weighted average values were found to be τf = 3.83 ± 0.14 ns and τrot = 0.74 ± 0.06 ns.


Culture is "everything humans have learned" (Seelye 1993, 22). How to teach culture in an integrated manner with language study is an ongoing dilemma. Before foreign language educators can successfully teach culture along with language, it is important that we listen to and learn about our growing, diverse student population - to know what cultures and races the students belong to, what understanding they possess about other cultures, and how they feel about themselves and others. In this way, educators may utilize instructional strategies more effectively by building on students' backgrounds, that is, by tapping into what they already know.

A qualitative mode of inquiry was employed in this study. Most of the research investigations in foreign language education have been quantitative in nature; few have been qualitative. Most have dealt with homogeneous populations, mainly white, monolingual, English-speaking students in nonurban settings. This article reports the views of Hispanic cultures held by a diverse group of eight high school students who were studying Spanish as a foreign language. These eight students' perceptions of Hispanic cultures were culled from comments they made during an instructional activity (e.g., grouping pictures) and an interview, on a questionnaire, and during follow-up interviews. The participants represented the multicultural, multiracial mix in a large, urban public high school located in the Northeast. The findings overall revealed some degree of empathy on the part of each of the students toward Hispanic cultures. Any feelings of prejudice were related mainly through stereotypes and ethnocentrism. The varying degrees of cultural awareness the students possessed generally were not derived from the foreign language class.


Introduction.Motivation of pupils is the principal aspect in successful physical education. One of the main objectives of a physical-education teacher is to create in pupils a strong desire to consciously and voluntarily carry out regular physical exercises and develop the potential to work independently.Theaimof the research was to show the influence of various approaches to the organization of sports activities on motivation leading to physical activity in young men aged 16–18.Methodology and research methods. The methodological base of the research involved a personally-oriented educational concept combining differentiated and kinesiological approaches to physical education. The research was carried out in phases using annual and longitudinal tests to evaluate students' knowledge and skills. Levels of general intelligence were estimated using the I-S-T 2000R test as adapted by L. A. Yasyukova. Formal-dynamic characteristics of individuality were studied using the method developed by V. M. Rusalov. In order to evaluate motivation for the realization of motor activity, a specially-designed questionnaire was used. IBM SPSS Statistics 22 and Microsoft Excel software programs were employed for statistical processing of primary experimental material.Results and scientific novelty.A comparative analysis of the personal characteristics of senior school students and 1st year students (177 people) identified heterochronism in the development of standard motive and mental abilities of young people. It was observed that a lack of synchronism in the formation of separate functional systems in an organism causes a different attitude of school students to physical exercises implemented through an integrated program and standard approach without taking into account individual characteristics of young men. As compared with their peers, motivation to sport activities is initially higher among pupils with higher motor function. A formative level of general intelligence is lower due to students' potential success when performing a wide complex of activities required by the physical culture curriculum. However, allowing free choice in sport specialization significantly increases the motivation of young people who are physically weaker but who are more intellectually developed than their peers.Practical significance. The research outcomes serve as scientific justification for the more extensive introduction of sports-oriented approach into educational institutions when organizing physical education. A sports-oriented approach is focused on preferences and interests of each student. The approach provides a free choice of the most attractive kinds of activity which gives a feeling of satisfaction and self-confidence, and consequently, enhances motivation to physical selfimprovement through visiting fitness centres and gyms which, in turn, will ensure good health in the future.


Abstract. Microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites, phylogenetically allied to the fungi. Once considered amitochondriate, now a number of mitochondrion‐derived genes have been described from various species, and the relict organelle was recently identified in Trachipleistophora hominis. We have investigated the expression of potential mitochondrial targeted proteins in the spore stage to determine whether the organelle is likely to have a role in the spore or early infection stage. To investigate whether the Antonospora locustae genome codes for a different complement of mitochondrial proteins than Encephalitozoon cuniculi an EST library was searched for putative mitochondrial genes that have not been identified in the E. cuniculi genome project. The spore is the infectious stage of microsporidia, but is generally considered to be metabolically dormant. Fourteen genes for putatively mitochondrion‐targeted proteins were shown to be present in purified spore mRNA by 3′‐rapid amplification of cDNA ends and EST sequencing. Pyruvate dehydrogenase E1α and mitochondrial glycerol‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase proteins were also shown to be present in A. locustae and E. cuniculi spores, respectively, suggesting a role for these proteins in the early stages of infection, or within the spore itself. EST sequencing also revealed two mitochondrial protein‐encoding genes in A. locustae that are not found in the genome of E. cuniculi. One encodes a possible pyruvate transporter, the other a subunit of the mitochondrial inner membrane peptidase. In yeast mitochondria, this protein is part of a trimeric complex that processes proteins targeted to the inner membrane and the intermembrane space, and its substrate in A. locustae is presently unknown.


Abstract SALL1 and SALL3 are transcription factors that play an essential role in regulating developmental processes and organogenesis in many species. However, the functional role of SALL1 and SALL3 in chicken prehierarchical follicle development is unknown. This study aimed to explore the potential role and mechanism of csal1 and csal3 in granulosa cell proliferation, differentiation, and follicle selection within the prehierarchical follicles of hen ovary. Our data demonstrated that the csal1 and csal3 transcriptions were highly expressed in granulosa cells of prehierarchical follicles, and their proteins were mainly localized in the cytoplasm of granulosa cells and oocytes as well as in the ovarian stroma and epithelium. It initially revealed that both csal1 and csal3 may be involved in chicken prehierarchical follicle development via a translocation mechanism. Furthermore, our results showed an abundance of CCND1, Bcat, StAR, CYP11A1, and FSHR mRNA in granulosa cells, and the proliferation levels of granulosa cells from the prehierarchical follicles were significantly increased by siRNA-mediated knockdown of csal1 or/and csal3. Conversely, the overexpression of csal1 or/and csal3 in the granulosa cells led to a remarkably decreased of them. Moreover, csal1 and csal3 together exert a much stronger effect on the regulation than any of csal1 or csal3. These results indicated that csal1 and csal3 play synergistic inhibitory roles on granulosa cell proliferation, differentiation, and steroidogenesis during prehierarchical follicle development in vitro. The current data provide a basis of molecular mechanisms of csal1 and csal3 in controlling the prehierarchical follicle development and growth of hen ovary in vivo. Summary Sentence The transcription factors csal1 and csal3 might play a synergistic inhibitory role on granulosa cell proliferation, differentiation, and steroidogenesis during PF development.


Abstract : Process innovation pertains to making dramatic improvements in performance of enterprise processes. Stemming from total quality management, business process reengineering and other widely-accepted approaches to performance improvement in the business enterprise, process innovation has largely been practiced without a systematic method and required expertise only possessed by a few, highly-talented people. Now, as the result of research in this area, the process of process innovation now has a systematic method that helps ensure consistent and thorough analysis, and through measurement-driven reasoning, an automated tool now exists to enable the relative amateur to innovate enterprise processes as well as the professional. Moreover, process innovation is no longer the exclusive domain of business enterprises, as military, governmental and other organizational processes can be innovated with equivalent efficacy using the method and tool described in this book. In particular, the contracting process lends itself to process innovation and is addressed explicitly in this book.


Since the early years of Kenya`s independence, TVET system of education has been recognised by the Government as the major sector that produces skilled workforce which are absorbed in the industries and life support skills for self employment. However, for the effective performance of this education system, Government strategies must have a viable roadmap for implementation as strategy implementation remains a dominant means of success in all organizations. The Purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of strategy implementation on the performance of public Technical Vocational Educational Training (TVET) institutions in Kiambu County, Kenya. The aim was to identify factors that impact on strategy implementation and hence affect the performance of these institutions. The research objectives elaborated the networks of association among independent variables (which are human resources, institutional management, financial allocations, curriculum, materials and facilities among others), that were assumed to have sufficient relationships with the dependent variable which is organizational performance. Theoretical framework focuses on the Fiedler`s situational contingency theory. The total population of the study comprised of 200 employees from public TVET institutions in Kiambu County: 30 managers, 30 assistant managers, 60 supervisors and 80 teachers or instructors. The study derived a sample size of sixty (60), arrived at by calculating 30% of the study population. The study`s sampling technique that was used was purposive sampling. The survey used both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection methods and the Likert scale of self administered closed and open ended questionnaire was used. The questionnaire was tested before a refined one was administered to the respondents. The data was edited, coded, classified and then tabulated. The tabulated data was analysed quantitatively by calculating percentages and then was presented in the form of pie charts and bar graphs. Mean and standard deviation were also used in this analysis. Descriptive data was analysed qualitatively and the results were provided in the form of explanatory notes. Regression analysis was also done to determine the relationship between the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables. This was done using the statistical package for social studies software (SPSS).The study concluded that Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Kiambu County is an education sector ridden with challenges which include inadequate funding, lack of modern training equipment, lack of training materials, use of outdated technology, lack of exposure to new methods of training and poor image. The researcher therefore recommended that the government should adequately finance public technical and vocational training institutions to improve their performance, introduce the newest methods and technology for teaching and learning for both students and teachers, introduce performance standards and regularly evaluate the accomplishment of these standards. It is also recommended that the government should come up with way of supervising the implementation process of all its strategies for TVET to ensure effectiveness. Key Words: Strategy Implementation, Organization performance, TVET Kiambu, Kenya


A method of constructing a reinforced closure panel assembly for a vehicle roof assembly includes providing a substantially planar panel having two opposite surfaces, providing a reinforcement having a circumferential flange fitting on one of the surfaces of the panel, providing adhering material, positioning the reinforcement on said surface of the panel with interposition of the adhering material at least temporarily adhering the reinforcement to the panel such that an enclosed space is formed between the reinforcement and the panel, sealed by the adhering material, and injecting fluid encapsulating material into the space so as to substantially completely fill the space, allowing it to solidify and forming adherence of the reinforcement to the panel.


We present a novel efficient algorithm for the estimation of S‐parameter sensitivities in homogeneous and lossless transmission line modelling (TLM) problems. Our approach estimates S‐parameter adjoint‐based sensitivities without actually carrying out any adjoint simulation. By applying a transformation to the original TLM simulation we establish an isomorphism between the original and the adjoint problem. The unique properties of the TLM node in a lossless and homogeneous problem are also exploited in establishing the isomorphism. For an electromagnetic structure with Np ports, only the Np original simulations utilized in evaluating the S‐parameters are required to estimate their sensitivities as well. Our novel approach is illustrated through estimating S‐parameter sensitivities with respect to waveguide discontinuities. Good match is obtained between our sensitivity estimates and those calculated using finite differences at the response level. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A commercially available combined X-ray diffraction – differential scanning calorimetry (XRD-DSC) stage was adapted for studies of gas loading in microporous materials, including metal organic frameworks (MOFs). Insertion of a custom-built humid atmosphere swing chamber (HASC) between a humidity generator and the XRD-DSC stage facilitates both humid atmosphere and vacuum swing gas loading. The HASC is necessary to buffer between the humidity generator and the XRD-DSC stage, allowing the gas mixture to homogenize prior to sample exposure, so that both humid atmosphere and vacuum swings could be performed. The changes in XRD can be used to follow structural changes, including collapse, which is indicative of a lack of microporosity upon activation, and the flexibity of frameworks upon gas sorption–desorption cycles. Measurements of the area under the DSC curve allows for calculation of the isosteric heat of adsorption (Qst; kJ molGAS−1). Vacuum-atmosphere swing experiments performed at different pressure steps allow for the reconstruction of the enthalpy of gas adsorption before and after a phase transition. These modes of operation are illustrated in three case studies from a program of exploratory MOF synthesis used to discover novel materials for selective gas sorption from humid gas streams: (1) gas binding in Stony Brook metal organic framework-1, (2) zeolitic imidazolate framework-7 response to variable pressure vacuum-atmosphere swing, and (3) high throughput evaluation of the selectivity of novel MOFs synthesized from customized linkers.


Quasi branch and bound is a recently introduced generalization of branch and bound, where lower bounds are replaced by a relaxed notion of quasi-lower bounds, required to be lower bounds only for sub-cubes containing a minimizer. This paper is devoted to studying the possible benefits of this approach, for the problem of minimizing a smooth function over a cube. This is accomplished by suggesting two quasi branch and bound algorithms, qBnB(2) and qBnB(3), that compare favorably with alternative branch and bound algorithms.
The first algorithm we propose, qBnB(2), achieves second order convergence based only on a bound on second derivatives, without requiring calculation of derivatives. As such, this algorithm is suitable for derivative free optimization, for which typical algorithms such as Lipschitz optimization only have first order convergence and so suffer from limited accuracy due to the clustering problem. Additionally, qBnB(2) is provably more efficient than the second order Lipschitz gradient algorithm which does require exact calculation of gradients.
The second algorithm we propose, qBnB(3), has third order convergence and finite termination. In contrast with BnB algorithms with similar guarantees who typically compute lower bounds via solving relatively time consuming convex optimization problems, calculation of qBnB(3) bounds only requires solving a small number of Newton iterations. Our experiments verify the potential of both these methods in comparison with state of the art branch and bound algorithms.


We give an abstract interpretation of initial boundary value problems for hyperbolic equations such that a part of initial boundary value conditions contains also a differentiation on the time t of the same order as equations. The case of stable solutions of abstract hyperbolic equations is treated. Then we show applications of obtained abstract results to hyperbolic differential equations which, in particular, may represent the longitudinal displacements of an inhomogeneous rod under the action of forces at the two ends which are proportional to the acceleration.


Ocular bobbing is classified as an abnormal eye movement, resulting from pathological neuronal activity of the brain stem after bilateral pontine lesions. Clinical oculographic study of 5 patients suffering from ocular bobbing shows that upwards voluntary eye movements are abnormal. We suggest that ocular bobbing should not to be regarded as an abnormal eye movement, but, rather, as the only residual movement of patients which are totally deprived of both horizontal and upward movements.


Ethics and quality are intimately related to each other, as quality arises from three main factors, moral attitudes as a result of consciousness or awareness-raising, culture as a result of education and the use of know-how and the application of standards as results of learning and training. Ethics amount to fundamental moral attitudes, binding values and irrevocable standards. In this study, ethic and quality concepts which belonged to our intellectual agenda will be scrutinize. Then, the associations and contradictory of these concepts will investigate. For this reasons, the quality and ethics concepts as phenomena will look over according to enclosed cognitive associations and contradictory.


The typical scale cells (TSCs) of Marchantia paleacea Bert, contain a well-developed cortical microtubule (Mt) cytoskeleton, particularly below the anticlinal walls and also display complete but broad preprophase-prophase Mt bands (PMBs). In contrast, the cortical cytoskeleton of the inner thallus cells (ITCs) is less developed than that of TSCs and the PMBs are incomplete. The latter consist of one to four separate Mt bundles which lie on the cytokinetic plane, but do not form a complete Mt ring. In both cell types PMB formation precedes or keeps pace with the activation of the polar Mt-organizing centres (MTOCs) and nuclear shaping. The Mts in the PMBs are more numerous and densely packed at the cell edges than on the cell face. The polar MTOCs persist up to late prophase-prometaphase. Afterwards, the spindle Mts are focused on several minipoles, where endoplasmic reticulum is localized. In postcytokinetic cells the cortical Mts first reappear on the daughter wall surface. Our findings suggest that: (a) The formation of complete or incomplete PMBs in TSCs and ITCs of M. paleacea is related to differences in the development of the interphase cortical Mt arrays, (b) The cell edges are able to form or at least arrange the Mts of the PMB. (c) Tight mature PMBs like those found in flowering plant cells are not formed in the cells examined in the present study. (d) The final orientation of the cell plate is controlled by the PMB cortical zone. (e) The cytoplasm abutting on the postcytokinetic daughter wall has the ability to assemble cortical Mts.