Cataloguing electronic documents makes new demands on libraries. This thesis discusses the metadata formats Dublin Core and MARC which are, individually or in combination, commonly used for object description in the digital library.

The formats are studied with particular emphasis on characteristics such as underlying reasoning (ambitions during the development of the formats), flexibility (possibilities of expansion and adaption to new demands) and interoperability (cooperation between different metadata formats). The formats are dealt with in their context, i.e. we discuss what types of documents the formats are meant to describe, what environment they were originally created for, what functions they are meant to fill (to find, identify, select and acquire/obtain entities), and also how these factors are related. The Swedish projects SAFARI (which uses Dublin Core) and NetSok (which uses MARC) are presented briefly. The thesis also discusses tools for co-ordination between formats; Z39.50 and RDF. A short survey of OCLC´s CORC-project exemplifies co-ordination put to practice.

Cornerstones in the construction of functional metadata are simplicity, flexibility, interoperability and standardization. Simplicity and flexibility guarantee that the format is easy to use, and fulfils universal description. At the same time it can be developed to satisfy the specific description needs of individual projects or institutions, such as libraries.

The standardization, in turn, guarantees

that there is no need to centralize the cataloguing work, and it is also an important condition for interoperability with other collections. The functional metadata format makes it possible for the library to share and copy catalogues. After elaborating on these issues we focus more specifically on a library perspective in the second part of the thesis.

We discuss the digital library and the issues that arise when libraries build up repositories for electronic resources. Setting out from the strategy for cataloguing electronic materials that is currently being developed for Lund University Library we finally recommend a combined model: where cross-searchable catalogues using MARC and Dublin Core coexist. We also recommend different description levels for printed and more transitory electronic resources.


Hepatoid adenocarcinoma (HAC) is a unique type of extrahepatic adenocarcinoma that histologically mimics the appearance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach has a poor prognosis with increased potential for liver metastasis. HCC and HAC share clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features. The diagnosis of metastatic hepatoid adenocarcinoma to the liver is challenging. It is often misdiagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma. The diagnostic dilemma is more when the primary tumour is unknown and the first diagnosis is to be established on liver biopsy. Herein, we present the case of a 68-year-old male patient who presented with dysphagia and abdominal discomfort for a three-month duration. Imaging studies showed multiple hypodense lesions in both lobes of the liver. Serum AFP level was markedly elevated to a level of 83,000 ng/ml). A liver biopsy showed atypical polygonal cells in the trabecular pattern. The atypical cells were CK7 negative, CK 20 negative, Hep Par-1 positive and AFP positive. Features were suggestive of hepatocellular carcinoma. Endoscopy showed ulceroproliferative growth in the distal body and antrum of the stomach, a biopsy of which showed atypical cells of similar morphology. The cells were showing focal positivity for CK7, CK20, Hep Par-1 and AFP. On further evaluation, tumour cells in both locations showed positivity for SALL 4. Correlating clinical features, radiology, serum marker values and IHC profile, diagnosis of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach with liver metastasis was given.


Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the dosimetric differences in clinical treatment plans when machine parameters are switched from Varian Truebeam to older Varian models and vice-versa. This is used to determine the clinically-safe limits to directly transfer patients from Truebeam to Trilogy or Clinac. Methods Thirty-two patients with cancer of different treatment sites such as lung, head-and-neck, prostate and breast were studied. The clinically approved IMRT, VMAT or 3D conformal treatment plans were delivered either on Truebeam or Clinac/Trilogy. Keeping the monitor units, fraction size and other machine parameters the same, the plans were recomputed on a different Varian linear accelerator (e.g., Truebeam plans were recomputed on Trilogy and vice-versa). The plans comparison was done using the target D98 and normal organ D2, D10, D20, D30, D50 and D70 dose metrics. Results The perfraction dose-difference in the PTV-D98 for all 32 patients varied from 0.01 to −0.06 Gy with median being −0.04 Gy. For a 2Gy/fraction treatment course, this would be maximum PTV-D98 dose-difference of 6 cGy/fraction or 30 cGy/5fractions. For organs-at-risks the maximum per-fraction dosedifference in D2, D5, D10, D20, D30, D50 and D70 between Truebeam and Trilogy/Clinac plans varied from 0.06 to −0.07 Gy with median being with — 0.02 Gy. The 3D-CRT plans had relatively lower dose-difference in comparison to IMRT and VMAT plans. The dose computed on Truebeam was systematically lower than the dose computed on Trilogy/ Clinac. Conclusions for conventional fractionation schedules, assuming the maximum uncertainty of <2%, it is clinically safe to switch the treatment machine for 5 fractions. For hypo-fractionated treatments with higher dose per-fraction, plans may need to be revisited before switching the linear accelerator from Truebeam to Clinac/Trilogy or vice-versa.


In this paper we present a general theory of urban development, which we then compare with the developments in the urban system of the Netherlands, for the years 1970 to 1986. We propose that urban dynamics are started by and are continually influenced by fundamental changes in technology, social values, demography, and politics. Each factor will be more significant in one stage of urban development than in others, and therefore a four stage cycle is produced: stage 1, industrialisation occurs; stage 2, the service sector and transport facilities grow; stage 3, there is a greater appreciation of the environment; stage 4, the society tends to an `information society'. It appears that the Dutch urban system is in stage 3 of these developments: deconcentration of population peaked in the early 1970s and has since declined (under the influence of economic and demographic changes). Dynamics slowed under poor economic conditions, but by the late 1980s, deconcentration increased with the economic recovery. The Dutch system is progressing towards stage 4, with possible revitalisation of large towns by means of new policy.


The present paper describes two compound chondrules labelled panda and chevron, discovered in the Baszkowka meteorite. Optical microscope, electron microscope and electron microprobe studies revealed an unusual mineral composition and fabric. Both chondrules include "primary" and "secondary" components. The panda and chevron chondrules have apparent diameters of ~0.86 and ~0.54 mm respectively with spinel dominant in primary components and olivine-plagioclase in secondary components overlain by thin microcrystalline rims. Euhedral or subhedral Mg, Fe2+/Al, Cr-spinel crystals from the panda's primary component (zoned, cavernous or homogeneous) were not found in Mg-Fe chondrules in Baszkowka, where Cr occurs exclusively as chromite. Olivine crystals from panda's primary (Fa27.1) and secondary (Fa26.5) component have similar compositions to those from panda's rim (Fa26.4) and comparable to olivine from other Baszkowka Mg-Fe chondrules (average ~Fa25.7). The Ca-plagioclase laths from the groundmass of panda's primary component has an extremely variable composition (~An49 to ~An60), evidently more calcic than those in other chondrules of the meteorite (mean ~An13).  The primary components of the two spinel-bearing chondrules may have been formed in a fireball generated by powerful impact during early accretion of a protoplanet. After crystallisation the spinel crystals were abraded and polished, probably during rapid flight through a dense cloud of interplanetary dust. The moderately reducing conditions of the hypothetical fire ball were replaced by a more reducing environment during the condensation of the rims of both chondrules.


Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by motor and vocal tics and by alterations in the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical (CBGTC) circuitry. The CBGTC circuitry plays an important role in procedural learning, in the acquisition of skills and habits. Tics and habits are similar phenomenologically since tics can be described as overlearned habits. Based on these characteristics, prior studies proposed enhanced pro - ce dural learning, i.e., procedural hyperfunctioning in Tourette syndrome. A growing body of evidence supports this notion. The focus of the present review article is to discuss procedural hyperfunctioning in Tourette syndrome. We aim to shed light on a cognitive advantage in Tourette syndrome and to draw attention to the notion that pathologies and developmental disorder can be characterized not only with impairments and cognitive dysfunctions but with enhanced functions as well.


This study is aimed to investigate the contribution and controversies of Nobel Prize Winner in Economics in 2008, Paul R. Krugman, in economics field and in the society as a whole. Literature survey method is applied in this study. It is found that the Krugman's contribution in the intemational trade is substantial for the development of international trade theory. He is also contributing to development of economic geography. In addition, his contribution to the international finance is also very important eventhough it is not recognized by the Nobel Committee. Out of the economic fields as his main contribution is his capability in bringing the economics into public discussion in both popular writings and public discussion or seminar is also admirable. Another side of Krugman is that his strong opinion sometimes creates controversies in both good and bad ways.


Retinopathy was assessed using a Canon nonmydriatic retinal camera (CR-45NM) in 42 young Indian diabetic patients (26 with malnutrition-related and 16 with insulin-dependent diabetes). Four patients with malnutrition-related diabetes (15.38%) had retinopathy (Level 3 in all 4). The duration of diabetes in them was 3.25 years. None of the four had hypertension or albuminuria. Five patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (31.25%) had retinopathy (Level 2 in 1 patient, Level 3 in 2, Level 5 and 6.5 in 1 each). The duration of diabetes in this group was 9.7 years. Three each (60%) had albuminuria and hypertension. Thus, retinopathy seemed to occur earlier in patients with malnutrition-related diabetes, and its incidence was discordant with that of nephropathy.


The subpopulation of primary vestibular afferents (PVA) displaying immunoreactivity for the calcium binding protein Calbindin D‐28k (Calb) is constituted of particularly large bipolar neurons in the vestibular ganglion (VG) that innervate the central regions of the vestibular end organs exclusively via calyx endings on type I vestibular hair cells. These large‐diameter PVA are characterized by irregular spontaneous discharge patterns and predominantly phasic firing properties with respect to natural vestibular stimulation. The present study describes the complete course and terminations of Calb+ PVA in the cerebellar cortex, the cerebellar (CN) and vestibular nuclei (VN) of the mouse. To eliminate the two sources of Calb+ fibers in the cerebellum, i.e., the Calb+ primary vestibular input and the axons of cerebellar Purkinje cells (PC), in their totality, a unilateral eighth nerve transection was performed in the PC‐deficient mutant mice, Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd/pcd) and Lurcher (Lc/+). Neurectomy in these mutants results in a complete ipsilateral loss of Calb+ fibers in the cerebellar cortex, the CN and VN. The Calb+ primary vestibular input on the contralateral side terminates solely in the rostral half of the ventral uvula and in the nodulus of the cerebellar cortex. Calb+ fibers traverse all three subdivisions of the CN, but terminations were found only in the lateral and medial cerebellar nuclei. In the VN, Calb+ PVA terminations were restricted to the superior, the ventral part of the lateral, the lateral portion of the medial, and the inferior vestibular nuclei. Calb+ terminals were also present in the small cell group Y and Cajal's interstitial nucleus of the vestibular nerve as well as in defined areas of the reticular formation. All Calb+ PVA are strictly unilateral.


Selected high alpine plant species were collected from different elevations in the Obergurgl/Otztal subnival and nival regions in Austria to investigate the content of antioxidants in plants growing under the particular in vivo conditions experienced in this area (e.g. chilling stress, short vegetation period and high irradiation). The contents of antioxidants (ascorbic acid, tocopherol and glutathionc) and photosynthetic pigments were measured throughout the day. The contents of most compounds were found to follow a diurnal rhythm, with the maximum occurring at midday and the minimum during the night. It was not clear whether these fluctuations were temperature-dependent or light-dependent.

Analyses of the antioxidant spectrum in the same plant species at different altitudes (and thus under different environmental conditions: as altitude increases, for example, day temperature decreases and light intensity increases) revealed that the total amount of antioxidants increases as altitude increases. This enhancement was mainly due to ascorbic acid contents. Each plant species displayed a specific reaction to the increase in stress that accompanies an increase in altitude, resulting in a broad adaptation spectrum for these plants. The present study suggests that the combined effect of lower temperature and higher light intensity induces higher antioxidant contents.


A Cux–Mgy–Zrz/SiO2 catalyst with a total metal loading of 60 wt% prepared by a deposition–precipitation method was applied for the selective hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate to methanol and ethylene glycol in a fixed-bed reactor. As a result, the Cu8–Mg1–Zr0.47/SiO2 catalyst furnished 99% ethylene carbonate conversion with 85% selectivity to methanol and 99% selectivity to ethylene glycol under the optimized reaction conditions. Moreover, the Cu8–Mg1–Zr0.47/SiO2 catalyst also showed a good lifetime and neither the activity nor the selectivity decreased the during 208 h test. The reaction was found to depend sensitively on the Cu particle size, the surface acidity and the catalyst surface composition. The synergistic effect of balanced Cu0 and Cu+ sites was considered to play a critical role in attaining high yields of methanol and ethylene glycol. Boric oxide also had a positive effect on the hydrogenation of ethylene carbonate, affording higher selectivity to methanol under much milder conditions.


Isolated perfused rat pancreases were exposed, in the presence of 10. 0 mM L-leucine, to either alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate, beta-L-glucose pentaacetate, or unesterified D-glucose, all tested at a 1.7 mM concentration. The pentaacetate ester of alpha-D-glucose and, to a lesser extent, that of beta-L-glucose stimulated both insulin and somatostatin release, whereas unesterified D-glucose failed to do so. In the case of insulin output, the two esters differed from one another not solely by the magnitude of the secretory response but also by its time course and reversibility. Compared with these data, the most salient difference found in the case of somatostatin release consisted of the absence of an early secretory peak in response to alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate administration and the higher paired ratio between the secretory responses evoked by the esters of glucose and by unesterified D-glucose (5.5 mM) administered at the end of the experiments. The two esters provoked an initial and short-lived stimulation of glucagon secretion, in sharp contrast to the immediate inhibitory action of unesterified D-glucose. Thereafter, alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate, but not beta-L-glucose pentaacetate, caused inhibition of glucagon release, such an effect being reversed when the administration of the ester was halted. These findings indicate a dual mode of action of glucose pentaacetate esters on hormonal secretion from the endocrine pancreas. The intracellular hydrolysis of alpha-D-glucose pentaacetate and subsequent catabolism of its hexose moiety may contribute to the early peak-shaped insulin response to this ester, to the persistence of a positive secretory effect in B and D cells after cessation of its administration, and to the late inhibition of glucagon release. However, a direct effect of the esters themselves, by some as-of-yet unidentified coupling process, is postulated to account for the stimulation of insulin and somatostatin release by beta-L-glucose pentaacetate and for the initial enhancement of glucagon secretion provoked by both glucose esters.


The contribution deals with the task of client's time synchronization on process monitoring and control in network environment. It specifies the principal activities and components of server part of application, describes synchronization in local network in Windows environment and synchronization on process monitoring with internet utilization. It cites examples of client's synchronization implementation together with survey of the selected timeservers.


Why has Vancouver developed and implemented more effective homelessness policy in the last 20 years than Toronto, despite sharing similar homelessness challenges? Finding that none of the traditional theories for policy divergence—such as executive and council leadership, local political institutions or ideational paradigms—adequately explain the policy variation, this dissertation identifies one key difference in the two cities: the properties and dynamics of homelessness governance networks—where state and civil society actors jointly craft policy. Through empirical analysis involving archival research, interviews, extended participant observation, and quantitative decision making data, the study finds that highly institutionalized and inclusive governance networks in Vancouver are largely responsible for the superior policy innovation and coordination over the past twenty years. The research then breaks new theoretical terrain by specifying and modeling the causal mechanisms that link network governance to public policy outputs, establishing that 'brokerage' and 'persuasion' are the key emergent dynamics from governance networks as deliberative systems of policymaking. The theory-building bridges the metagovernance, network governance, and deliberative democracy bodies of literature to construct a generalized and falsifiable model linking network governance to policy outputs that can be applied across a number of policy domains.


Globalisation has produced a new world order of profound socio-economic transformations that have caused dramatic changes, unprecedented in history, and together with the women's revolution they have introduced new challenges for the model of family and society. Divorce between spouses of different nationalities has significantly increased the number of international relocations of children - with or without abduction-, affecting both the judicial decision-making regarding the care and custody, as well as the forensic psychological evaluations. The objective of this article is to reflect upon the task of the expert forensic psychologist in cases of international transfers or child abduction that will help to deepen our understanding of these cases, for which it is necessary to understand the current legislative framework, among other issues.


Steam generator tubes are degraded from wear, stress corrosion cracking, rupture and fatigue and so on. Therefore, the failure assessment of steam generator tube is very important for the integrity of energy plants. In the steam generator tubes, sometimes, the local wall thinning may result from severe degradations such as erosion-corrosion damage and wear due to vibration. In this paper, the elasto-plastic analysis was performed by FE code ANSYS on steam generator tubes with wall thinning. Also, the four-point bending tests were performed on the wall thinned specimens, and then it was compared with the analysis results. We evaluated the failure mode, fracture strength and fracture behavior from the experiment and FE analysis. Also, it was possible to predict the crack initiation point by estimating true fracture ductility under multi-axial stress conditions at the center of the thinned area from FE analysis.


N-Trifluoromethyl-N-nitrosobenzenesulfonamide and its derivatives bearing electron-donating or electron-withdrawing groups on the benzene rings were synthesized by the reaction of trifluoronitrosomethane with hydroxylamine at low temperature, followed by treatment with a base in the presence of arenesulfonyl halides. N-Trifluoromethyl-N-nitrosomethanesulfonamide was also synthesized.On the other hand, the use of acid halides or acid anhydrides, haloformates, and carbamoyl halides instead of the sulfonyl halides afforded N-trifluoromethyl-N-nitroso-amide, -carbamate, and -urea derivatives, respectively.


This study maps the challenges public governance faces in its mission to ensure a high level of societal well-being in European countries due to complex and multidimensional analysis, both on scientific and economic levels: bibliometric analysis, vector quantisation mapping, and clustering analysis of countries. The proposed research advocates considering relevant descriptors of the two phenomena, namely the six dimensions of public governance and the composite quality of life index, to analyse their interdependence by 2020, the year for which official statistics reveal data. Our research proposes a classification of the European Union Member States from the perspective of the progress made at the governmental decision-making level for the multidimensional approach to quality of life to identify the models of good practice. The methodological support was offered by cluster analysis and a vector quantisation method, namely K-means. KNIME software has allowed us to connect to various data sources visually. Clustering of European countries has revealed several disparities thus, Denmark and Finland (which are countries with a high level of quality of life) are examples of good practices, while countries such as Romania and Bulgaria are facing difficulties in significantly improving their quality of life due to the deficiencies of the governing act. Finally, the research highlights the channels through which public governance can substantially contribute to societal well-being, keeping in mind the relatively low importance of welfare given to formal aspects of democratic representation compared to the extent of quality governance.


Nowadays social media is a huge platform of data. People usually share their interest, thoughts via discussions, tweets, status. It is not possible to go through all the data manually. We need to mine the data to explore hidden patterns or unknown correlations, find out the dominant topic in data and understand people's interest through the discussions. In this work, we explore Twitter data related to health. We extract the popular topics under different categories (e.g. diet, exercise) discussed in Twitter via topic modeling, observe model behavior on new tweets, discover interesting correlation (i.e. Yoga-Veganism). We evaluate accuracy by comparing with ground truth using manual annotation both for train and test data.


Investigators have con-structed dsDNA molecules with several different base modifications and have characterized their bending and twisting flexibilities using atomic force microscopy, DNA ring closure, and single-molecule force spectroscopy with optical tweezers. The three methods provide persistence length measure-ments that agree semiquantitatively, and they show that the persistence length is surprisingly similar for all of the modified DNAs. The circular dichroism spectra of modified DNAs differ substantially. Simple explanations based on base stacking strength, polymer charge, or groove occupancy by functional groups cannot explain the results, which will guide further high-resolution theory and experiments.


With increasing Internet use, the selling and buying of goods and services on the Web, commonly considered as a part of e-commerce, is exploding at an unbelievably rapid speed. The success of e-commerce depends a lot on the effort of a contributing domain called e-business that is typically unseen and unconcerned with Web consumers/Web customers, and that is now becoming the focus of every company and its business partners, large and small. The e-commerce therefore is just the tip of the iceberg. Underneath is a huge supporting infrastructure involving the bridging and integration of disparate applications. These applications, old and new, are written in different computer languages and compiled in different platforms, run on different hardware, have different data structures, types and formats, use different transport mechanisms, and support a wide range of different technologies. Consequently, many tools have been introduced in the market over the years to provide rapid development and delivery of integrated applications supporting e-business. While these EAI-enabled applications, pre-packaged software and tools in support of EAI in particular and e-business in general have grown at a highly accelerating rate, methods and techniques for effective and rapid development of EAI and EAI-enabled applications have received a lesser degree of attention. The article discusses an EAI based modeling scheme of e-business solutions for and across enterprises. As a case in point, we use a product suite, namely CandleNet eBusiness Platform by Candle Corporation, to exemplify our modeling scheme.


In this article we examine the diversification and performance of a small preliminary sample of Australian self-managed superannuation (retirement) funds (SMSFs). Using the single index model and traditional (risk-adjusted) performance measures within the context set by modern portfolio theory we find that the SMSFs in our sample exhibit considerable under-diversification. In addition, we find that the SMSFs do not appear to be benefiting from even naive diversification and, unsurprisingly, perform poorly on a risk-adjusted basis vis-a-vis the unmanaged S&P/ASX300 index. This empirical investigation contributes to economists' understanding of the microeconomic structure of this increasingly important component of Australia's retirement income stream.


Trailing edge noise generated by turbulent flow traveling past an edge of an airfoil is one of the most essential aeroacoustic sound generation mechanisms. It is of great interest for noise problems in various areas of industrial application. First principle based CAA with short response time are needed in the industrial design process for reliable prediction of spectral differences in turbulent-boundary-layer trailing-edge noise due to design modifications. In this paper, an aeroacoustic method is studied, resting on a hybrid CFD/CAA procedure. In a first step RANS simulation provides a time-averaged solution, including the mean-flow and turbulence statistics such as length-scale, time-scale and turbulence kinetic energy. Based on these, fluctuating sound sources are then stochastically generated by the Fast Random Particle-Mesh Method to simulate in a second CAA step broadband aeroacoustic sound. From experimental findings it is well known that porous trailing edges significantly lower trailing edge noise level over a large range of frequencies reaching up to 8dB reduction. Furthermore, sound reduction depends on the porous material parameters, e.g. geometry, porosity, permeability and pore size. The paper presents first results for an extended hybrid CFD/CAA method including porous materials with prescribed parameters. To incorporate the effect of porosity, an extended formulation of the Acoustic Perturbation Equations with source terms is derived based on a reformulation of the volume averaged Navier-Stokes equations into perturbation form. Proper implementation of the Darcy and Forchheimer terms is verified for sound propagation in homogeneous and anisotropic porous medium. Sound generation is studied for a generic symmetric NACA0012 airfoil without lift to separate secondary effects of lift and camber on sound from those of the basic edge noise treatments.


The spectrophotometric method was used to determine the activity of beta-glucuronidase (BGU) in the cells (neutrophils, mononuclear cells, thrombocytes) in the blood serum of patients with systemic sclerodermia (SSD). The authors revealed a synchronous change in the activity of BGU in all the cells and in the blood serum, and also a decrease in the activity of the enzyme in the concentration of protein in neutrophils, it being very significant in patients with SSD accompanied by trophic changes. There was a direct relationship between the activity of BGU in the blood serum and the level of C-reactive protein and an inverse one between the activity of BGU and the content of circulating immune complexes in the blood. The level of BGU in the blood serum reflects not only the activity of the inflammatory process but also the markedness of trophic changes in patients with SSD.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Resistance to lapatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of HER2, is a significant clinical problem and to date the mechanisms of acquired lapatinib resistance remain largely unknown. In order to study acquired lapatinib resistance we established an in vitro cell line model through continuous culture of HCC1954 cells with 1 μM lapatinib. After 6 months the resulting HCC1954-L cells where significantly less sensitive to lapatinib with an IC50 of 2.6 ± 0.3 μM compared to aged-matched parental cells (IC50 0.42 ± 0.02 M; p = 0.004). In addition, lapatinib treatment had no significant effect on the growth of HCC1954-L xenograft tumors in mice, indicating the utility of HCC1954-L cells as an in vivo model of acquired lapatinib resistance.

Array CGH analysis was performed on the sensitive and resistant cell lines. Chromosomal aberrations were detected in 15 regions in the HCC1954-L cells, including increased amplification of the region of chr17q12 known to contain HER2 and STARD3. Immunoblotting was performed to assess whether the increased amplification corresponded with increased expression of the proteins. HCC1954-L cells exhibited a small but significant increase (1.2 fold) in HER2 protein expression (p=0.02) compared to parental cells. Increased gene amplification of HER2 was also confirmed by FISH analysis. While STARD3 protein expression was undetectable in in parental HCC1954 cells, HCC1954-L cells expressed high levels of STARD3 protein. Knockdown of STARD3 using siRNA resulted in a 20% decrease in cell growth compared to scrambled control treated cells, suggesting that STARD3 amplification and expression plays a role in the proliferation of HCC1954-L cells.

In summary, we have developed a robust model of acquired lapatinib resistance which exhibits increased amplification and expression of HER2 and STARD3.

Citation Format: Martina McDermott, Lee Anderson, Liam Shields, Neil O'Brien, Allison Prendergast, Susan Kennedy, William Gallagher, Radoslaw Zagozdzon, Annette Byrne, John Crown, Dennis Slamon, Norma O'Donovan. Increased co-amplification of HER2 and STARD3 in a cell line model of acquired lapatinib resistance. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5634. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5634


Despite developments in robotics and automation technologies, several challenges need to be addressed to fulfill the high demand for automating various manufacturing processes in the food industry. In our opinion, these challenges can be classified as: the development of robotic end-effectors to cope with large variations of food products with high practicality and low cost, recognition of food products and materials in 3D scenario, better understanding of fundamental information of food products including food categorization and physical properties from the viewpoint of robotic handling. In this review, we first introduce the challenges in robotic food handling and then highlight the advances in robotic end-effectors, food recognition, and fundamental information of food products related to robotic food handling. Finally, future research directions and opportunities are discussed based on an analysis of the challenges and state-of-the-art developments.


Priority promotions is a mechanism to make the priorities in a fixed priority schedulers more dynamic. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate whether the Fixed Priority with Priority Promotions (FPP) scheduler, which is uses a number of priority promotions to generate an Earliest Deadline First (EDF) schedule, is an effective strategy for reducing the overhead of real-time EDF schedulers when implemented on a real platform. To investigate, the FPP scheduler, a "standard" EDF scheduler based on a binary heap, and an EDF scheduler based on a Red-Black Tree were implemented. The FPP scheduler was then benchmarked against the standard EDF scheduler, but also against the rather mature and optimized EDF scheduler in the Linux kernel, SCHED_DEADLINE, which is based on a Red-Black Tree. The hypothesis was that the FPP scheduler would perform better than the binaryheap based EDF scheduler, but that it would be inferior to SCHED_DEADLINE since this scheduler has been developed and improved over several years by many very competent developers. The first results showed that the implemented FPP and EDF schedulers were largely incomparable to SCHED_DEADLINE with regard to the release and scheduling overheads. Thus, the second EDF scheduler using the Red-Black Tree from SCHED_DEADLINE was developed. The results showed that the FPP scheduler outperform both the heap based and Red-Black Tree based EDF schedulers implemented in this thesis. It was concluded that FPP is an effective strategy for reducing the overhead of EDF schedulers, even for very optimized implementations of EDF, when implemented on real platforms.


Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, neuroendocrine tumour of the skin characterized by a very aggressive course. Firm, red-to-purple, typically non tender papules or nodules is a common of it's clinical manifestation. This carcinoma is more common among white Caucasians males in advanced age. The important risk factors for MCC are immunodeficiency or immunosuppression in patients after organ transplantation. MCC observed in organ recipients is associated with especially rapid progression as compared with general population and tendency to metastasis. Surgical excision of primary tumour with adequate margins and sentinel lymph node dissection with adjuvant radiotherapy improves regional control of disease and patients survival. Chemotherapy is usually used as a palliative treatment for advanced forms of the disease.


ABSTRACT The study objective was to determine the effects of trimming the switch of dairy cows on teat-end bacterial counts and udder hygiene scores. Cows (n = 102) were blocked by days in milk, milk production, and parity and then assigned to (a) treatment (trimming of their tail switch using a commercially available trimmer), or (b) control (unaltered tails). Udder hygiene was recorded for cows on Days 0 (initiation of treatment), 32, and 64. A subset of cows (n = 21) was used to assess Streptococci and coliform bacterial populations on teat ends. Samples were collected by swabbing the left front teat end before milking on Days 0, 32, and 64 and were cultured within 24 hr of sampling. The GLIMMIX and PROC Frequency (SAS Version 9.3) were used to analyze data. There were no treatment effects of switch trimming on hygiene scores or bacterial counts. These findings suggest that udder hygiene may not be driven by tail status. Environmental and management factors, such as cleanliness, stall bedding, and stall design, may be more important contributing factors in maintaining udder health.


Deriving from the philosophical basis of the profession, occupation is the core concept of the profession of occupational therapy. However, in the occupational therapy literature, the term occupation is used in a variety of ways. Occupation, a collection of activities that people use to fill their time and give life meaning, is organized around roles or in terms of activities of daily living, work and productive activities, or pleasure, for survival, for necessity, and for their personal meaning. It is the individualized, unique combination of activities that comprises an individual's occupations. Purposeful activities have been described in many different ways: as something all people engage in; as tools or media that therapists use to enhance or facilitate performance; and vehicles for bringing about change. Purposeful activities are seen as part of the process of occupational therapy. Purposeful activities are subset of occupations in that they are goal directed and serve as a major tool in the process of occupational therapy. The term function, viewed as the ability to perform activities required in one's occupations has become increasingly important to society in describing the performance or change in individuals. This societal shift in ideas has prompted the concept of function, viewed as a product, to become more important than the process of bringing about change. Occupational therapy practitioners typically have viewed the process as being just as important as the product. When working to improve function, occupational therapy practitioners use purposeful activities that are meaningful to the person in relation to his or her occupational history, preferences, personal goals, and needs. Occupational therapy practitioners need to keep the individual's occupations in the forefront of their thoughts when using any purposeful activity and to plan interventions toward improving the individual's ability to function within his or her occupations. In the interest of the profession, it is important to concentrate on occupation. Furthermore, it is essential that we study our interventions' relationship to occupation and function, and how purposeful activities are used toward supporting the individual's ability to engage in occupation.


Purpose: This study aims at investigating consumers' choice in online food purchasing behavior and the impact on repurchase for fresh food delivery which has recently shown rapid growth in Korea The study focuses on the user experience factors af fecting satisfaction and intention to continuously use the online food market Research design, data and methodology: The survey was conducted by 309 people who had purchased fresh food online, and the analysis was conducted using SPSS and AMOS Structural Equation Modeling was used for the analysis for the verification of hypotheses The factors that consumers value when ordering fresh food delivery services were defined as system quality, service quality, commodity quality, brand characteristics, and economics from the preceding study and the relationship between satisfaction and willingness to repurchase was verified Results: When consumers purchase fresh food online, system quality, product quality, brand characteristics, and economics have had a significant impact on satisfaction Meanwhile, of the five optional attributes of consumers, only economic efficiency has been verified to have a statistically significant impact on repurchase intentions Conclusions: The results of the study suggested factors that consumers consider important when ordering fresh food online, providing basic data for companies to develop related strategies © The Author(s)


The unsteady free convection boundary layer flow of a thermo-micropolar fluid along a vertical plate has been investigated in this paper. The temperature of the plate is assumed to be oscillating about a mean temperature, w(x), with small amplitude . The governing boundary layer equations are analyzed using straight forward finite difference method. The effects of the material parameters such as micropolar heat conduction parameter, N, the vortex viscosity parameter, K, on the shear stress,, surface heat transfer, q, and the couple-stress, m, have been investigated.


July's HotList features integration tools. Although many information systems vendors build custom interfaces or provide links to integrated systems, the focus of this Integration Tools HotList is to discover those companies who deliver truly useful tools for integrating disparate systems. All data provided by individual vendors responding to survey questions. Health Management Technology made every effort to contact all vendors within this market. Of 50 vendors contacted, 28 responded as offering integration tools. A full contact list may be requested by calling HMT editorial at (303) 220-0600. See The 1994 Health Management Technology Market Directory for complete listings.


Preface International Seminar on Mathematics and Physics in Sciences and Technology 2017 (ISMAP 2017) invites submissions of full paper describing research and innovative work and state of the art sustainable developments in sciences and technology. ISMAP 2017 brings together academics, researchers and industrial players to share knowledge and ideas, present their research findings and explore any other potential benefits that might be contribute to the better future in this domain of interest. The organizing committee invites prospective authors to submit original work on research and new developments of mathematics and physics in sciences and technology. The topics of the conference are Applied Mathematics, Mathematics and Modeling, Mathematics Analysis & its Applications, General Physics and Geophysics.


There is widespread concern that favoring suppliers with good past performance, a standard practice in private procurement, may hinder entry by new firms in public procurement markets. In this paper we report results from a laboratory experiment exploring the relationship between reputation and entry in procurement. We implement a repeated procurement game with reputational incentives for quality and the possibility of entry. We allow also the entrant to start off with a positive reputational score. Our results suggest that while some past-performance based reputational mechanisms do reduce the frequency of entry, appropriately designed mechanisms can significantly increase it. Moreover, the reputational mechanism we investigate typically increases quality but not prices, suggesting that well designed mechanisms may generate very large gains for buyers and taxpayers.


Diaphyseal remodelling is a pathological process of the proximal phalanges, metatarsals and metacarpals in all established types of clinical leprosy. It is suggested that the changes are the result of sympathetic neuropathy and alteration of peripheral vascular bed dynamics selectively stimulating extracortical osteoclastic and endosteal osteoblastic activity. There is an overall loss of diaphyseal cortical diameter, either in concentric or knife-edge pattern. There is extracortical absorption of bone and coincident endosteal bone deposition. Ultimately, there is diaphyseal pathological fracture, and subsequent resorption of the distal and proximal remnants due to combined continued diaphyseal remodelling and achroosteolysis.


Abstract 1139

Membrane binding constitutes a key step in the activation of coagulation factors. This process largely hinges on specialized "floating" domains, most prominently the GLA and the C1/C2 domains found in almost all coagulation proteins. Currently, the details of how these domains interact with the membrane are largely unknown, due primarily to the lack of atomic models describing the proteins' membrane-bound forms. In sharp contrast to integral membrane proteins, studying insertion of membrane floating proteins has proven extremely challenging, mainly due to the unknown depth of membrane penetration. Although several computational studies have attempted to study the process using conventional models of the membrane, these methods are often prohibitively costly and inefficient due, in part, to the slow diffusion of the lipid molecules, which is required to accommodate the insertion of the floating domain. Here, we present a study on the membrane-bound forms of several important hemostasis factors, namely, human factor IX (hfIX), human factor × (hfX), human protein C (hPrC), human protein S (hPrS), and human protein Z (hPrZ), which utilize the GLA domain for membrane binding, as well as human factor V (hfV) and human factor VIII (hfVIII) in which the C1/C2 domain plays this role. To make the binding event accessible to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we have developed a novel membrane mimetic system, composed of a highly mobile hydrophobic core and explicit head groups that allow one to study specific interactions between the floating domains and lipid molecules. These interactions determine not only the specificity of binding to certain biological membranes, but also the molecular basis of the variable binding affinity of coagulation factors. These two factors are of utmost importance in physiology of blood coagulation, in designing mutations of altered affinity, and in developing novel pharmacological agents for thrombotic disorders. The floating domains were placed in the membrane-mimetic system and simulated under physiological conditions. Given the efficiency of the method, we have been able to capture spontaneous binding of these coagulation factors to the membrane ([Figure 1][1]) multiple times, despite starting from various initial orientations ensuring that each coagulation factor converged to the same final, membrane-bound structure over multiple trials. From these simulations, we have been able to elucidate the residues important for association with the membrane, as well as several unique phosphatidylserine (PS) specific binding sites in hfIX, hfX, hPrC, hPrS, and hPrZ. Using the membrane-bound structures of these coagulation factors together with free energy calculations, we have been able to elucidate important differences between the binding of high-affinity and low-affinity coagulation factors to the membrane.

![Figure][2]

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

 [1]: #F1
 [2]: pending:yes


We have studied the chicken spleen by light and transmission electron microscopy. Germinal centers are located at the beginning of the central artery which is surrounded by the periarterial lymphatic sheath (PALS). The central artery has no branch crossing the PALS, and there is no histologically identifiable marginal zone in the chicken spleen. The central artery continues as penicilliform capillaries.

The mid-portion of the penicilliform capillary is surrounded by the ellipsoid or Schweigger-Seidel sheath. The endothelial lining of this part of the pencilliform capillary contains small channels, formed between neighboring endothelial cells, which enter the ellipsoid. These channels allow circulating substances to accumulate in the ellipsoid.

The cells of the ellipsoid are reticular cells, round or ovoid in shape, exhibiting a limited number of cell junctions. At the surface of the ellipsoid are ellipsoid-associated cells (EAC) which have an affinity for toluidine blue. After perfusion fixation, the majority of the cells in the ellipsoid are lost; this suggests weak cellular connections between the ellipsoid cells. The ellipsoid-associated cells remain in loco. On the basis of their shape and cytological features, two stages of EACs can be distinguished. The round or ovoid EACs elaborate active Golgi zones surrounded by numerous small vesicles containing an electron-dense substance. Occasionally, mitotic figures can be seen among them which may suggest that they are immature forms. In the second or more mature stage, the EACs assume an elongated spindle shape. The spindle-shaped EACs reveal inactive Golgi cis-ternae and fewer but larger granules than the round or immature EACs. Unmyelinated nerve fibers and nerve ending were observed in the ellipsoid.

Perfusion fixation reveals that the distal portions of the penicilliform capillaries extend into the red pulp and become the sinuses. Therefore, the circulation of the chicken spleen is anatomically closed except for the channels in the mid-portion of the penicilliform capillary.

The periellipsoid white pulp (PWP) possesses a few small lymphocytes, macrophages, and plasma cells with the majority of cells being young blastlike cells which may replenish the EACs and ellipsoidal cells.

Carbon, injected intravenously, appears on the EAC membrane by 30 minutes, while Brucella abortus is completely phagocytized at this time. Binding the carbon triggers the EAC to detach from the ellipsoid and migrate to the periellipsoidal white pulp (PWP). The EACs phagocytize carbon by 2 hours, and by 5 and 8 days are present in the red pulp and surround the germinal centers at the border of the periarterial lymphatic sheath, respectively. Secretory cells which have been identified in germinal centers might originate from EACs.


The notion of Linked Data is based on the idea that resources from different data sources can be connected by typed links to enable new knowledge that isolated data sources cannot provide on their own. Today, as the Web of Data is proving its importance, and as an huge amount of data is published on the web in form of RDF triples, the quantity of sameAs links is extremely growing as different data sources often describe equivalent resources. Since most of the sameAs links are discovered automatically and the quality of the data sources can be poor, it is becoming crucial to develop methods for evaluating the quality of these RDF identity links, thus providing a ranking measure of their reliability. In this context, this paper defines a initial methodology for analyzing and evaluating a set of given RDF identity links in the Web of Data, ranking their reliability.


Abstract Within a few years after its retrocession to China, Macau successively completed the celebrations of an East Asian Games, a Lusophone Games and an Asian Indoor Games. This article intends to understand the reason why the city chose to become a zealous host of sporting mega-events. Through scrutinizing journalist reports, official almanacs and academic works, the findings revealed that the East Asian Games enabled Macau to accept the norms of China and follow its trend, whereas the Lusophone Games and the Asian Indoor Games facilitated the city to respectively enhance its influence in the international Portuguese-speaking community and realize its goal of joining the International Olympic Committee. The zealousness thus was confirmed as a strategy with the aim of promoting both post-handover Macau's integration with China and its engagement with the world.


Epstein-Barr virus is a prevalent human herpesvirus, with about 95% of the world's adult population positive for anti-EBV antigen antibodies. After the initial infection and production of new virus particles, the virus may enter a latent state within a subset of cells, and therefore can remain within the host indefinitely. Epstein-Barr virus contributes to a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers. We have created a model system in Drosophila melanogaster to study the effect of expression of the Epstein-Barr virus protein BZLF1, and to identify cellular proteins that mediate BZLF1 activity. Here we present the results of a genetic screen that determined that the Drosophila melanogaster CG9384 gene (an N-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase) is a significant modulator of BZLF1 activity and EBV early lytic replication.


Forty consecutive patients suspected of cervical lesions were examined with a Gitroscope VS-10 egtxipt with an image intensifier TV system. Lateral C1-C2 puncture was easily performed during TV fluoroscopy in the lateral view with the patient in a prone position and the neck hyperextended. A needle was inserted into the dorsal third of the spinal canal between the laminae, and when cerebrospinal fluid was obtained, the contrast medium was injected under fluoroscopic control. The table tilt could be adjusted to avoid intracranial flow of the medium. A U-shaped chin and head fixation device was used to fix the head and to provide maximum cervical lordosis. Metrizamide 200-230 mgI/ml in concentration and 5-8 ml in volume was used in most cases. After this procedure all patients were hydrated and kept in bed for 12 hours with the head elevated 10-15 degrees. Good quality films were obtained except for the initial case. Of many side effects, mild to severe headaches occurred only in 17 %, which was much fewer than in many previous reports.


Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is an infectious illness spread by vectors caused by a virus. According to data, DHF cases at Abeli Health Center in 2021 have increased compared to the previous year, namely 19 cases. These cases have increased compared to the incidence of DHF, with 3 cases in 2020 and 6 cases in 2019. The primary goals of this study are to explain the description of dengue fever incidents at the Abeli Health Center in Kendari City in 2022. In 2021, This type of research will employ an observational survey with secondary data obtained from health data in the Abeli Health Center work area. Furthermore, it is linked to reports of DHF events in the Abeli Health Center's operating area. The type of investigation data was numerical. The investigative information was displayed within the frame of charts and narratives. This study found no association between the description of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever in the working region Abeli Public Health Care, Kendari City, in 2022. This was because most of the houses in the district met the requirements of healthy homes. Meanwhile, the cases of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DBD) and Wastewater Disposal Channel (WWDC)inAbeli District, Kendari City, 2022, still had a relationship. This was because many Wastewater Disposal Channels still did not meet the requirements, which risk causing dengue fever in Abeli District, Kendari City, in 2022.
Keywords: Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF), Wastewater Disposal Channel (WWDC)


A major impediment to the biochemical characterization of extracellular matrices from algae (as well as higher plants) is the extensive covalent cross-linking that exists in the matrix, rendering most components insoluble and resistant to conventional extraction procedures. In the multicellular green alga Volvox, biogenesis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is initiated immediately after the process of embryonic inversion. At this stage of development, the sulfhydryl reagent 5, 5'-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), known as Ellman's reagent, interferes in a highly specific manner with ECM biogenesis. Treated post-inversion embryos are no longer able to assemble an intact ECM and consequently dissociate into a suspension of single cells. Dissociated cells remain viable and continue to secrete ECM proteins into the growth medium, as documented by the identification of several members of the pherophorin family. Cross-linked ECM polymers such as sulfated surface glycoprotein 185 remain in a soluble state. Thus, treatment with Ellman's reagent opens a simple approach for the isolation and characterization of otherwise inaccessible monomeric precursors.


The objective of this research is to make deep analysis of how the rattan industry clust er manages activities within its firm value chain. This is important bec ause through value chain analysis, the activities that have and have not contribute value added to firm's competitive advantage can be identified. The analysis used include the anal ysis of the internal condition was done in two ways, Resources Analysis and Capab ility Analysis. The next step was done to assess the value chain analysis of five primary activities and four support activities. The results showed the rattan industry cluster has s everal strengths that are distinctive competencies which include economies of scale , strong marketing and service excellence. Besides weaknesses is the limited spa ce in the factory warehouse, workplace less representative, the number of quality control is still not good for the parts of steam, weaving and finishing, coordination is still lacking, yet it has its own trademark (patent), as well as employee performance still relativ ely low perceived.


Summary The diagnosis of acute toxoplasmic lymphadenitis is traditionally based on the combination of lymph node excisional biopsy with specific tests. The classic triad (marked follicular hyperplasia, small irregular clusters of epithelioid histiocytes in germinal centers, and sinusoidal distension by monocytoid B lymphocytes) is considered diagnostic of the so-called Piringer-Kuchinka lymphadenitis. Toxoplasma gondii organisms have been exceptionally disclosed in such histopathological setting, establishing the diagnosis of toxoplasmic lymphadenitis. Two cases of Piringer-Kuchinka lymphadenitis with toxoplasma cyst demonstration are reported, along with a complete review of the literature.


The study of phenotypic evolution should be an integrative endeavor that combines different approaches and crosses disciplinary and phylogenetic boundaries to consider complex traits and organisms that historically have been studied in isolation from each other. Analyses of individual variation within populations can act to bridge studies focused at the levels of morphology, physiology, biochemistry, organismal performance, behavior, and life history. For example, the study of individual variation recently facilitated the integration of behavior into the concept of a pace-of-life syndrome and effectively linked the field of energetics with research on animal personality. Here, we illustrate how studies on the pace-of-life syndrome and the energetics of personality can be integrated within a physiology-performance-behavior-fitness paradigm that includes consideration of ecological context. We first introduce key concepts and definitions and then review the rapidly expanding literature on the links between energy metabolism and personality traits commonly studied in nonhuman animals (activity, exploration, boldness, aggressiveness, sociability). We highlight some empirical literature involving mammals and squamates that demonstrates how emerging fields can develop in rather disparate ways because of historical accidents and/or particularities of different kinds of organisms. We then briefly discuss potentially interesting avenues for future conceptual and empirical research in relation to motivation, intraindividual variation, and mechanisms underlying trait correlations. The integration of performance traits within the pace-of-life-syndrome concept has the potential to fill a logical gap between the context dependency of selection and how energetics and personality are expected to interrelate. Studies of how performance abilities and/or aspects of Darwinian fitness relate to both metabolic rate and personality traits are particularly lacking.


This article presents a rubric for the evaluation of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) software based on international recommendations for effective CALL. After a brief overview of the pedagogical and implementation fundamentals of CALL, and a discussion of what should be included in a needs analysis for CALL evaluation, the rubric is presented. The author then illustrates how the evaluation criteria in the rubric can be used in the design of a new CALL system. Keywords: Software evaluation, CALL, language laboratory, MarkWrite, writing across the curriculum, software development


Our capabilities for collecting and storing data of all kinds are greater then ever. On the other side analyzing, summarizing and extracting information from this data is harder than ever. That's why there is a growing need for the fast and efficient algorithms for information retrieval. In this paper we present some mathematical models based on linear algebra used to extract the relevant documents for some subjects out of a large set of text document. This is a typical problem of a search engine on the World Wide Web. We use vector space model, which is based on literal matching of terms in the documents and the queries. The vector space model is implemented by creating the term-document matrix. Literal matching of terms does not necessarily retrieve all relevant documents. Synonymy (multiple words having the same meaning) and polysemy (words having multiple meaning) are two major obstacles for efficient information retrieval. Latent Semantic Indexing represents documents by approximations and tends to cluster documents on similar topics even if their term profiles are somewhat different. This approximate representation is accomplished using a low-rank singular value decomposition (SVD) approximation of the term-document matrix. In this paper we compare the precision of information retrieval for different ranks of SVD representation of term-document matrix.


In Europe several research institutes and private companies are currently working or have been working in thermophotovoltaics. At the Solar Energy Research Center SERC in Sweden, the possibility of using wood as a fuel for a TPV-system emphasizing the aspect of co-generation of heat and electricity is investigated. SERC also does work on characterization of TPV cells and of TPV generator optics. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany plans to develop a TPV-generator to assure the supply reliability for small off grid photovoltaic systems and in Switzerland the research foundation of the Swiss gas industry has approved a project proposed by the Paul Scherrer Institute to develop a residential TPV-gas-burner for co-generation of heat and electricity. We also report on activities in the United Kingdom as well as on a past research program conducted in the Netherlands.


Recently there has been a growing interest in the design and manufacturing of the muffler tube due to the strict environment regulations. A muffler is an important part used to reduce noise and to purify exhaust gas in cars and heavy equipment. The shape of the muffler tube and the number of the tube hole has been made variously according to the weight and function of the car. The perforating technique of the muffler tube has a great influence on the manufacturing cost. In this study, metal forming analysis has been carried out to investigate the perforating process for the muffler tube and predict an optimal forming conditions of the muffler tube. Also its simulation results by the finite element method were reflected to the die design and the manufacturing system for the muffler tube. The perforating process is performed in the longitudinal direction of the tube. According to the simulation results, when the shear angle of punch was similar to the tube curvature, the optimal shape was obtained. Also when the clearance of die was 0.2㎜, the burr was minimized and optimal shear section was obtained.


Purpose: To review the clinical features, treatment, outcome and survival of metastatic tumors of the orbit. Materials and Methods: Retrospective, non-comparative, chart review of 80 patients with orbital metastasis treated in four tertiary orbital centres in Australia. Results: The study included 80 patients of which, 44 were male with a mean age of 60 years. Orbital involvement commonly presented late in a multisystemic disease; however, the orbit was the first presentation in 15% of the cases. Diplopia (48%), pain (42%), and visual loss (30%) were the commonest symptoms at presentation; whereas proptosis (63%), strabismus (62%), and visual loss (41%) were the most frequent clinical signs. Computed tomography commonly showed a solid enhancing mass (42 cases) located within the orbital fat (43%), or enlarging an extraocular muscle (28%). Breast carcinoma (29%), melanoma (20%), and prostatic cancer (13%) were the most frequent histological types. Treatment was often multi-disciplinary and modalities included radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, surgery, and immunotherapy. Survival was limited to 1.5 years after diagnosis independent of the histological type, with 29% of patients alive after 17 months follow-up. Conclusions: A high index of suspicion and appropriate intervention with histological diagnosis can help in the management and quality of life in patients with metastatic orbital disease. Overall survival is limited and we encountered statistical limitations proving differences in the survival based on the sub-type of primary tumour involved. Metastatic orbital melanoma presented a higher incidence when compared with previous studies, probably due to the increase frequency of skin found in the Australian population.


In this paper, a new method for power equipment fault diagnosis is presented based on a least square (LS) fusion combining neural network and dissolved gas analysis (DGA). Contents of five characteristic gases obtained by DGA are preprocessed through a special dada dealing process, and 6 features for fault diagnosis are extracted. Then five child back- propagation (BP) artificial neural networks (ANNs) with different structure are applied to diagnosis the fault respectively. The diagnosing results of the child ANNs are fused by the LS weighted fusion algorithm. The fault is identified based on the fused results at last. Compared with single neural network, the LS fusion combining network can identify fault type safely when the fault is deceptive, however, a single neural network may fail in this case. Furthermore, the combining neural network is more reliable than single neural network. The test results of power transformer fault diagnosis proved the conclusions.


An increase in high quality of service (QoS) applications such as video conferencing and distribution, and the evolution of the Internet have popularized ATM-LAN use based on the private network node interface (PNNI). Also in public networks, which serve as backbone networks for LANs, ATM technology is being introduced for high-speed and broadband communication. These situations lead to a great demand for economically and seamlessly interconnecting remote ATM-LANs via ATM public networks, which are based on the broadband ISDN user part (BISUP). This paper discusses a peer group configuration method for such an internetworking architecture that can avoid an overload of the PNNI routing processing in each peer group. The paper also proposes a method for seamless interconnection of remote ATM-LANs. In this method, complete PNNI signalling and routing is executed between a local switch (LS) in a public network and each ATM-LAN. It can also reduce the PNNI routing processing load on each public network by emulating PNNI routing and signalling between LSs.


Abstract Lactarius and Lactifluus are milkcaps that are characterized by the secretion of latex. These two genera are part of a globally distributed cosmopolitan group of ectomycorrhizal fungi that is an important food resource in various ecosystems. Recently, the taxonomy of Lactarius and Lactifluus has been revised based on molecular phylogenetics. Despite the importance of these taxa, Korean species of both genera are poorly understood. In an effort to describe milkcap species that are indigenous to Korea, a long-term study has been initiated. During a recent survey, eight species of milkcaps that were previously unrecorded in Korea were detected based on morphological observation and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region: five Lactarius species (Lactarius atromarginatus, L. austrotorminosus, L. kesiyae, L. tabidus, and L. vietus) and three Lactifluus species (Lactifluus acicularis, Lf. pilosus, and Lf. pinguis). Detailed morphological descriptions and phylogenetic relationships of these species are provided in this article.


Infant botulism is an uncommon neuromuscular condition that is the result of neurotoxins that block smooth muscle and skeletal function and autonomic function from colonization of intestinal Clostridium botulinum. The majority of those infected are often less than six months old who present with poor feeding, weight loss, constipation, and hypotonic. A 7-week-old male was brought to the Emergency Department (ED) for complaints of poor feeding. The mother stated that the baby had not been acting normally, had been feeding poorly, and had weight loss over a one-week period. On examination, the patient appeared to be lethargic and floppy. The initial workup included a complete blood count (CBC), complete metabolic panel (CMP), urinalysis, brain MRI, and lumbar puncture which all were within normal limits. Due to symptoms, BIG-IV therapy was initiated. A stool sample was obtained and was positive for Clostridium botulinum toxin A. The infant started to show improvement in feeding and muscle tone over the next several days and was discharged home on day ten. Frequently patients with infant botulism may not show all of these symptoms at once, which can make it difficult for providers to diagnose correctly. Although infant botulism does occur worldwide it has a higher prevalence in North American from ingestion of dust near activities that disrupts the soil such as agriculture or ingestion of raw honey. The treatment for infant botulism is an orphan drug, BIG-IV, which has significantly reduced the mortality and morbidity of this disease.


This paper mainly studies the chain of scraper conveyor and analyzes the dynamic characteristics of the chain in the condition of load and load free. Numerical simulation, including the speed of movement and the simulation of chain tension, is used to simulate the special points of scraper conveyor chain. By a series of simulations, the experimental results show that the number and pitch of the sprocket are the main factors that influence the dynamics of the chain, making the chain produce polygonal effect. Above all, the simulation data shows that the movement is relatively stable and the fluctuation decreases with the increase of the number of sprocket. In the case of load, the tension of the chain tensioning force obviously increases, and the polygon effect of the chain is intensified. Therefore, this paper hopes to provide some theories and basis for production activities by studying the chain of scraper conveyor.


Emerging Internet uses-including peer-to-peer and grid computing-provide both a glimpse of and the impetus for evolving the Internet into a distributed computing, platform of unprecedented scale. Taking a longer view, the authors consider what would be needed to make the Internet an application-hosting platform: a networked, distributed counterpart of the hosting environment traditional operating systems provide to applications within a single node. The foundation of their proposed approach is to disaggregate and virtualize individual system resources as services that can be described, discovered, and dynamically configured at runtime to execute an application.


We develop an additive Cox proportional hazard model with time-varying covariates, including spatio-temporal characteristics of weather events, to study the impact of weather extremes (heavy rains and tropical cyclones) on the probability of mortgage default and prepayment. We estimate the model on a portfolio of mortgages in Florida, consisting of 69,046 loans and 3,707,831 loan- month observations with localization data at the five-digit ZIP code level. We find a statistically significant and non-linear impact of tropical cyclone intensity on default as well a significant impact of heavy rains in areas with large exposure to flood risks. These findings confirm existing results in the literature and also provide estimates of the impact of the extreme event characteristics on mortgage risk, e.g. the impact of tropical cyclones on default more than doubles in magnitude when moving from a hurricane of category two to a hurricane of category three or more. We build on the identified effect of exposure to flood risk (in interaction with heavy rainfall) on mortgage default to perform a scenario analysis of the future impacts of climate change using the First Street flood model, which provides projections of exposure to floods in 2050 under RCP 4.5. We find a systematic increase in risk under climate change amounting to 1 percentage point in average and much more pronounced in the tail of the distribution, with an increase of 7 percentage points of the default probability at the 99th percentile of the mortgage distribution.


A deep space satellite formation can be specified in terms of the relative satellite positions and absolute satellite orientations. Redundancy in the relative position specification generates a family of control topologies with equivalent stability and reference tracking performance. We give a characterization of this equivalence and show that there exists a control topology which achieves a global tracking objective using only local controllers. This local relative topology can be implemented without requiring communication between the formation spacecraft.


The results of the analysis of sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Republic of Daghestan are presented. The tendency towards the deterioration of epidemiological situation in a number of infections is noted. This unsatisfactory sanitary and epidemiological situation is caused by the low level of the sanitary and hygienic security of the population as the consequence of failures in the accomplishment of the planned works and measures, regulated and approved by the Republican Government, due to insufficient financing.


This paper presents results of a project from the Master of Information and Communication Technologies at the University of the Balearic Islands. The aim of the work is the application of intelligent approaches to data analysis. These techniques have been applied to the area of social assistance in order to construct an efficient structure that classifies persons depending on the profiles available at the organization's data bases. This classification is later used to assign the professional expert that best fits the user's characteristics.


Nickel (Ni)-titanium (Ti) shape-memory alloy (SMA) is a functional material that has received a higher demand in aerospace industries, biomedical industries, actuator, and sensor industries owing to the property of superelasticity and shape memory effect. In addition, SMAs offer better mechanical and corrosion-resistant properties. In this current work, cryo treatment of NiTi alloy has been carried out to investigate the change in the properties. NiTi SMA prepared by powder metallurgy are cryo treated for 12 hours to 48 hours. Further, a corrosion study has been performed on the cryo-treated NiTi samples with the variation in corrosion time to know the effect on the morphology and the hardness. It is found that cryo-treated NiTi shows higher resistance to corrosion than the non-treated sample. The present work is an attempt to find out the effect of cryo treatment on the hardness and corrosion behavior of NiTi SMA. In the scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, it is observed that with the increase in cryo treatment time, NiTi (martensite) phase increases. Similar phases are present in both untreated and cryo-treated NiTi pellets. Out of all cryo-treated NiTi pellets, 24 hours cryo-treated NiTi has a lower percentage of corroded area with an increase in the corrosion exposure time. Corrosion preferentially starts at the pit area and progresses toward the Ti-rich area. The hardness value increased for 48 hours cryo-treated sample when compared with other cryo-treated and untreated NiTi pellets.


The migration of lanthanide fission products to cladding materials is recognized as one of the key causes of fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) in metallic fuels during operation. We have performed first-principles density functional theory calculations to investigate the segregation behavior of lanthanide fission products (La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) and their effects on the intergranular embrittlement at Σ3(111) tilt symmetric grain boundary (GB) in α-Fe. It is found that La and Ce atoms tend to reside at the first layer near the GB with segregation energies of -2.55 and -1.60 eV, respectively, while Pr and Nd atoms prefer to the core mirror plane of the GB with respective segregation energy of -1.41 and -1.50 eV. Our calculations also show that La, Ce, Pr and Nd atoms all act as strong embrittlers with positive strengthening energies of 2.05, 1.52, 1.50, and 1.64 eV, respectively, when located at their most stable sites. The embrittlement capability of four lanthanide elements can be determined by the atomic size and their magnetism characters. The present calculations are helpful for understanding the behavior of fission products La, Ce, Pr, and Nd in α-Fe.


This article draws an alignment between John Dewey's Pragmatism and design inquiry or, particularly, research which incorporates design practice. Three core components of Dewey's philosophy are described—namely, his theory of inquiry, his theory of communication, and his metaphysics—all of which are seen to interlink to form a unique approach to knowledge. From this, a number of key features of the approach are set out. When held in combination, it is argued that these features hold the potential to enrich the epistemological basis of design inquiry.


Purpose Editors often require ethical statements in research publications. This is particularly important with genetic data where discrimination may occur upon data disclosures. The purpose of this research is to determine if there was a positive trend of publishing ethical statements in dental genetic research. The study is limited to AXIN2 mutations which may be associated with oligodontia and cancer. Methods A MEDLINE search of 2011–2021 articles concerning AXIN2, oligodontia, and ethical statements was conducted. Reviews, nonhuman subject research, abstracts, and articles not written nor translated into English were excluded. Results Forty-four studies were found; 10 excluded. There were 25 (75.8%) with ethical statements, and 25 (75.8%) with participant consent statements. There was no significant difference by year in ethical statements over the ten years (p = 0.094). Conclusion There is a need to encourage more ethical statements in publications especially for genetically sensitive topics to reassure readers of ethical practices.


Semicrystalline Poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF) was melt blended by multi- walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) at various contents (0.01 ∼ 5 wt%) using internal mixer. The relationships between morphology and physical properties based on PVDF and MWNT were investigated. As the MWNT content is increased, the apparent supercooling required for PVDF crystallization and the size of spherulites in PVDF decrease. In the WAXD profiles, the incorporation of MWNT produced a large shoulder at 2θ = 20.7° with increasing the MWNT content, corresponding to the polar β-form crystal of PVDF. The experimental percolation threshold for the electrical conductivity in PVDF was estimated and clearly occured between 2 and 2.5 wt%. Similar tendency was also observed in thermal conductivity and permittivity.


Abstract It has been claimed that the only way to avoid action at a temporal distance in a temporal continuum is if effects occur simultaneously with their causes, and that in fact Newton's second law of motion illustrates that they truly are simultaneous. Firstly, I point out that this interpretation of Newton's second law is problematic because in classical mechanics 'acceleration' denotes a scalar vector. It is controversial whether scalar vectors themselves are changes as opposed to properties of a change, and therefore if they can count as effects. Secondly, I argue that the problem of action at a temporal distance is generated by the assumption that forces operate on their effects, but that this assumption is not easily reconciled with Newton's third law of motion, which is best read as saying that forces operate between objects. On that reading, there is no problem of action at a temporal distance even in a temporal continuum just as long as interacting objects coexist.


The Hidden Subgroup Problem (HSP) is a computational problem which includes as special cases integer factorization, the discrete logarithm problem, graph isomorphism, and the shortest vector problem. The celebrated polynomial-time quantum algorithms for factorization and the discrete logarithm are restricted versions of a generic polynomial-time quantum solution to the HSP for abelian groups, but despite focused research no polynomial-time solution for general groups has yet been found. We propose a generalization of the HSP to include arbitrary algebraic structures and analyze this new problem on powers of 2-element algebras. We prove a complete classification of every such power as quantum tractable (i.e. polynomial-time), classically tractable, quantum intractable, or classically intractable. In particular, we identify a class of algebras for which the generalized HSP exhibits super-polynomial speedup on a quantum computer compared to a classical one.


Measures of particulate organic carbon (POC), humus organic carbon (HOC), and resistant organic carbon (ROC) (primarily char) are often used to represent the active, slow, and inert carbon pools used in soil carbon models. However, these fractions are difficult to measure directly, and mid infrared (MIR) spectroscopic techniques are increasingly being investigated to quantify these fractions and total organic carbon (TOC). This study examined the change in MIR-predicted pools of TOC, POC, HOC, and ROC in response to different crop management between two time periods (1981 and 2008) in a long-term wheat cropping trial in Queensland, Australia. The aims were (i) to assess the ability of MIR to detect changes in carbon stocks compared with direct measurements of TOC (LECO-TOC); and (ii) to assess how well the behaviour of POC, HOC, and ROC corresponded with the active, slow, and inert conceptual carbon pools. Significant declines in carbon stocks were observed over time using both LECO-TOC and MIR-predicted stocks of TOC, POC, HOC, and ROC, although MIR-TOC under-estimated loss by 27–30% compared with LECO-TOC. The decline in MIR-POC and MIR-HOC was consistent with the expected behaviour of the active and slow conceptual pools; however, the decline in ROC was not consistent with that of the inert pool. In addition, MIR measurements did not accurately detect differences in the rate of carbon loss under different crop management practices.


Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of intravenous Insulin infusion versus subcutaneous Insulin in the management of hyperglycaemia in intensive care.
Study Design: Quasi-experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: Medical Intensive Care Unit of Combined Military Hospital Malir, from Jul to Sep 2021.
Methodology: 68 individuals admitted to the Medical ICU with the blood sugar levels of more than 180 mg/dl were included. Patients on one side of Intensive Care Unit were administered intravenous Insulin infusion, and on the other side were administered subcutaneous Insulin to control blood sugars. Age, gender, previous history of diabetes and use of Insulin and glycosylated haemoglobin were recorded. Efficacy of regimen was judged based on ability to achieve target glucose levels, mean blood glucose levels and total days of ICU stay. Adverse events like hypoglycaemia and hypokalaemia were recorded.
Results: Out of 68 individuals, 27 (39.70%) were administered intravenous Insulin infusion, and 41 (60.29%) were administered subcutaneous Insulin. In the intravenous Insulin group, 22 (81.5%) individuals achieved target blood glucose compared to 29 (70.7%) in the subcutaneous Insulin group. The mean blood sugars in the intravenous group were 157.11 ± 25.54 mg/dl, whereas 168.32 ± 30.49 mg/dl in the subcutaneous group (p-value=0.164). The frequency of hypoglycaemia and hypokalaemia was more in the intravenous group than in the subcutaneous group.
Conclusion: Optimal blood sugar levels were better achieved with intravenous Insulin than with subcutaneous Insulin. However, the frequency of adverse effects was also more with intravenous Insulin, so better monitoring and management are..............


ABSTRACT This contribution examines how political considerations influence the creation of religious discourses and interpretations among rival religious actors. It analyses how the religio-political discourses of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Gülen movement in Turkey shifted once they became political rivals in the 2010s. Building on the sectarianisation thesis, I show how the leaders in both movements employed religio-political rhetoric to delegitimise one another. The AKP leadership portrayed the Gülen movement as a heretical religious group used by foreigners. The leaders in the Gülen movement represented the AKP as a corrupt and authoritarian organisation, which deviated from religion and suppressed sincere Muslims. The sectarianisation thesis has frequently been used to explain the relationship between theologically distinct religious traditions. I use it to address the rivalry between theologically similar groups. In this case, the leaders need to engage in massive propaganda that simultaneously combines political and theological messaging. Through sectarianisation, leaders in the AKP and the Gülen movement consolidated the support among their ardent supporters. However, the sectarianisation in Turkey not only deepened the conflict between the AKP and the Gülen movement but also divided the opposition against the authoritarian state.


Oliver Cromwell had not a drop of royal blood in him. Yet in 1657, prompted by the political chaos that followed the execution of Charles I and inspired by a belief that a return to monarchy was the only way to stabilize the nation, parliament offered Cromwell the crown of Britain. In Perceptions of a Monarchy without a King, Benjamin Woodford explores how factions both inside and outside of government reacted to this unprecedented event. Moving away from a biographical focus on Cromwell, Woodford looks to the print culture of the period to examine kingship and the Cromwellian regime as a complex phenomenon that elicited diverse reactions - from broadly in favour to dead-set against. Woodford analyzes Cromwell's speeches along with propaganda, newspapers, poetry, republican writings, and the works of religious sects. The fact that many of these writings were produced by men and women who were not members of the government demonstrates that both politicians and the general public were interested in the topics of Cromwell and kingship. Cromwell's military and political power rendered him a candidate for kingship, but even with his record of achievement, the offer of the crown to a non-nobleman was controversial. Perceptions of a Monarchy without a King reveals the entire nation's responses to the kingship debates while simultaneously illustrating the persistence of the monarchy in the 1650s.


Purpose - A growing body of research has addressed the relationship between CSR and innovation. However, research on this relationship is still at an embryonic stage, and there is a need to better understand and further analyze the complex relationship within the specific context of SMEs, especially since innovation is seen as key to their survival and success. This paper proposes to address this gap in small business literature by studying the relationship between CSR practices and exploration and exploitation. It raises the following question: are SMEs that explore and exploit differently distinguished by the extent of their adoption of CSR practices? Literature - Indeed, we chose to rely not on innovation outputs themselves, but on exploration and exploitation activities (March 1991). The literature has suggested that exploitation may be positively related to incremental innovation performance, and exploration positively related to radical innovation performance (Atuahene-Gima 2005). In fact, radical and incremental innovations can be viewed as outputs of exploration and exploitation respectively (Bierly and Daly 2007). And yet, some authors have suggested that firms that adopt a CSR strategy may introduce innovations that are more incremental than radical (Lopez-Perez, Perez-Lopez, and Rodriguez-Ariza 2007). In this paper we consider CSR through environmental and human sustainability components; five dimensions were so retained: (1) workplace, (2) environmental policies, (3) market policies, (4) communities policies and (5) company values (see European Commission, 2005). Thus, one may suggest that firms with different CSR practices (in terms of environmental and social practices) explore and exploit differently: SMEs that intensively adopt CSR practices may focus more on exploitation than on exploration. Methodology - A questionnaire was administered to CEOs of firms in the French region Rhone-Alpes. Our final sample includes 488 SMEs located in this region. Statistical analyzes based on a methodological chain of data analysis methods are used to identify homogeneous groups of SMEs with respect to their activities of exploitation and exploration, then to analyze the potential effects of a set of CSR practices on these innovation activities. So, we first classified the firms according to their innovation activities which allowed us to distinguish and identify four groups of firms: "exploitation", "exploration", "exploitation and exploration" and "neither exploitation, nor exploration". We then conducted a detailed statistical description of the contents of each group from "standard" characteristics and CSR practices. Finally, a barycentric discriminant analysis was performed to identify CSR practices that differentiate and well separate these groups. Results and implications - Our findings confirm that not all CSR practices lead to innovation activities, justifying the need to take into account the nature of involved practices. We indeed find that the low adoption of a range of CSR practices is typical of firms in the "exploration" group, while the "exploitation" group is characterized by a higher effort to develop CSR practices, however few in number. Furthermore, the results show that the high adoption of a large range of CSR practices is related to firms in the "exploration and exploitation" group. In fact, while the group of "exploitation and exploration" is more similar to profile "exploration" when considering only innovation activities, it is more similar to profile "exploitation" when considering the CSR practices adopted by SMEs.


In the paper, utilizing respectively the induction, a generating function of the Lah numbers, the Chu-Vandermonde summation formula, an inversion formula, the Gauss hypergeometric series, and two generating functions of the Stirling numbers of the first kind, the authors collect and provide six proofs for an identity of the Lah numbers.


The methods and constructions of category theory are suitable tools for studying quantum structures and generalized probability. The aim of the present paper is to support our claim via several examples and to motivate further research in this area.


The crystal structures of the room and the high temperature modifications of cesium trifluoromethyl sulfonate were solved from high resolution X-ray powder diffraction data. At room temperature, alpha-CsSO3CF3 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1) with lattice parameters a = 9.7406(2) angstrom, b = 6.1640(1) angstrom, c = 5.4798(1) angstrom, and beta = 104.998(1)degrees; Z = 2. At temperatures above T = 380 K, a second order phase transformation towards a disordered C-centered orthorhombic phase in space group Cmcm occurs with lattice parameters at T = 492 K of a = 5.5074(3) angstrom, b = 19.4346(14) angstrom, and c = 6.2978(4) angstrom; Z = 4. Within the crystal structures, the triflate anions are arranged in double layers with the apolar CF3-groups pointing towards each other. The cesium ions are located between the SO3-groups. CsSO3CF3 shows a specific ion conductivity ranging from sigma = 1.06 center dot 10(-8) Scm(-1) at T = 393 K to sigma = 5.18 center dot 10(-4) Scm(-1) at T = 519 K.


Ciliated hepatic foregut cysts (CHFCs) are solitary unilocular cysts in the liver that are histologically similar to bronchogenic cysts. Three cases of CHFC are reported that demonstrated radiologic features similar to those of solid masses. All the lesions were smaller than 3 cm in diameter and were subcapsular. At ultrasonography, one lesion appeared anechoic but the other two were hypoechoic. Unenhanced computed tomography demonstrated the lesions to be hyperattenuating or isoattenuating relative to surrounding liver parenchyma, and no lesions enhanced with administration of contrast material. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in one case and demonstrated the lesion to be markedly hyperintense with a spin-echo (SE) 2,500/80 (repetition time msec/echo time msec) sequence. All the lesions were resected and found to be filled with viscous mucinous fluid. The CHFCs are not neoplasms and must be differentiated from cystic neoplasms and hypovascular solid tumors. When a subcapsular lesion demonstrated the varied appearance described, a diagnosis of CHFC should be considered.


Rising energy costs and environmental problems, also the limited resources of fossil fuels, have forced humans to use renewable energy. One of the systems that are commonly used is the cooling system, by means of solar energy. Since these models have a wide variety of effective variables, such as the temperature, latitude, the length of the day, also due to the nonlinear relationship between the variables, conventional modeling methods are inefficient. Therefore regarding to the extensive capabilities of simulation models in modeling a wide range of variables with complex and nonlinear relationship, in this study with the approach of simulating solar systems, an effective survey in the field of economic and efficiency of such systems, is presented.


The emulation task of a nonlinear autoregressive moving average model, i.e., the NARMA10 task, has been widely used as a benchmark task for recurrent neural networks, especially in reservoir computing. However, the type and quantity of computational capabilities required to emulate the NARMA10 model remain unclear, and, to date, the NARMA10 task has been utilized blindly. Therefore, in this study, we have investigated the properties of the NARMA10 model from a dynamical system perspective. We revealed its bifurcation structure and basin of attraction, as well as the system's Lyapunov spectra. Furthermore, we have analyzed the computational capabilities required to emulate the NARMA10 model by decomposing it into multiple combinations of orthogonal nonlinear polynomials using Legendre polynomials, and we directly evaluated its information processing capacity together with its dependencies on some system parameters. The result demonstrates that the NARMA10 model contains an unstable region in the phase space that makes the system diverge according to the selection of the input range and initial conditions. Furthermore, the information processing capacity of the model varies according to the input range. These properties prevent safe application of this model and fair comparisons among experiments, which are unfavorable for a benchmark task. As result, we propose a benchmark model that can clearly evaluate equivalent computational capacity using NARMA10. Compared to the original NARMA10 model, the proposed model is highly stable and robust against the input range settings.


The results of the works undertaken by students on practical classes and during educational practices have been discussed. Causes and  difficulties in student learning of exploratory geophysics have been  analyzed. It has been found a deficiency in practical skills of future  engineers relevant to the work with geophysical facilities and  equipment and further mental processing of the measured  parameters of natural and artificial geophysical fields. A brief  description has been given for improvements in the methodology of  teaching geophysics to future geology and geoecology engineers via  inclusion of practical works with geophysical equipment on the test  site on the Zorge Street with tasks linked to engineering-geological  cross-section study and mapping underground infrastructure on the  given area. There are some other examples of student involvement  in solution of geophysical tasks on the objects of educational geophysical practices with subsequent detailed geological and  geophysical interpretation.


Male Wistar rats aged 10 weeks were fed ad libitum a powdered diet (AIN93G; no fat) containing 7 wt% of fresh virgin soybean oil (control) or used frying oil recovered from Japanese food manufacturing companies (recovered oil) for 8 weeks and subjected to anthropometric measurements, hematological analyses, and histological evaluations of liver and kidneys. Mild feeding conditions were chosen to mimic the human situation, and Wistar rats were chosen as a healthy model. All the rats grew well, and no gross symptoms attributable to recovered oil were observed. The experimental group did not show any differences in food intake, body weight gain, and weights of liver, kidney and adipose tissue when compared to the control group. In the serum of the experimental group, a remarkably high level of phospholipids was detected, along with increased glucose, triacylglycerol, and cholesterol levels. Microscopic observations indicated frequent lesions in renal cells and nuclear losses of tubular epithelium in the experimental group. No consistent effects on blood pressure or heart rate were observed. It was suggested that ingestion of the recovered oil altered blood composition and damaged kidneys, resulting in promotion of lifestyle-related diseases.