The a-Ge: H/a-SiNx: H multiquantum-well structures were prepared by a computer-controlled plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method and then crystallized by Ar+ laser annealing technique. When the Ge well-layer thickness was reduced to 30 A, the crystallized sample showed a room temperature photoluminescence with a peak at about 2.26 eV. Meanwhile some significant characteristics of such a novel Ge nanostructure were also revealed by x-ray diffraction. Possible mechanisms of this visible PL phenomenon have been discussed.


AFONSO, EGIDIO REIS, WATERS, R. Numerical evaluation of continuous time ruin probabilities for a portfolio with credibility updated premiums. 399-414. The probability of ruin in continuous and finite time is numerically evaluated in a classical risk process where the premium can be updated according to credibility models and therefore change from year to year. A major consideration in the development of this approach is that it should be easily applicable to large portfolios. Our method uses as a first tool the model developed by Afonso et al. (2009), which is quite flexible and allows premiums to change annually. We extend that model by introducing a credibility approach to experience rating. We consider a portfolio of risks which satisfy the assumptions of the Bu¨hlmann (1967, 1969) or Bu¨hlmann and Straub (1970) credibility models. We compute finite time ruin probabilities for different scenarios and compare with those when a fixed premium is considered. an area that has not been systematically in either the insurance or the actuarial literatures. We analyze this intercompany experience using multilevel models. The multilevel nature of the data is due to: a vehicle is observed over a period of years and is insured by an insurance company under a 'fleet' policy. Fleet policies are umbrella-type policies issued to customers whose insurance covers more than a single vehicle. We investigate vehicle, fleet and company effects using various count distribution models (Poisson, negative binomial, zero-inflated and hurdle Poisson). The performance of these various models is compared; we demonstrate how our model can be used to update a priori premiums to a posteriori premiums, a common practice of experience-rated premium calculations. Through this formal model structure, we provide insights into effects that company-specific practice has on claims experience, even after controlling for vehicle and fleet effects. KAISHEV, V. K. Pricing of reinsurance contracts in the presence of catastrophe bonds. 307-329. A methodology for pricing of reinsurance contracts in the presence of a catastrophe bond is developed. An important advantage of this approach is that it allows for the pricing of reinsurance contracts consistent with the observed market prices of catastrophe bonds on the same underlying risk process. Within the proposed methodology, an appropriate financial pricing formula is derived, under a market implied risk neutral probability measure for both a catastrophe bond and an aggregate excess of loss reinsurance contract, using a generalised Fourier transform. Efficient numerical methods for the evaluation of this formula, such as the Fast Fourier transform and Fractional Fast Fourier transform, are considered. The methodology is illustrated on several examples including Pareto and Gamma claim severities. We level provide of we consider the when a phase-type distribution. By using the of phase-type distribution, two pairs of upcrossing and downcrossing barrier probabilities are derived. Explicit formulas for total dividends until and the Laplace transform of the of ruin under a variety of dividend strategies can then be obtained without the of Laplace transforms. We tariff Simulation results are given showing the differences between it and the Pearson estimate. must add yet another piece of data in support of the proposition that disability claim experience is much more influenced by ''state of mind'' than ''state of body''. It is not so much about ability to work – it is, rather, about the desire to work! WU, X. Ruin probabilities for a risk model with two classes of risk processes. 87-108. In this paper a risk model with two classes of business is considered, in which claim number processes are modeled by two independent Erlang(2) processes, aiming to calculate probabilities of ruin caused by a claim from a certain class. To do so, integro-differential equations for the ruin probabilities are derived and their Laplace transforms are then obtained. At the end of this paper, numerical results for the ruin probabilities are calculated for individual claim sizes with exponential and Gamma distributions. Insurance market effects We extend the classical analysis on optimal insurance design to the case when the insurer implements (Value-at-Risk). Presumably, regulators impose some risk such as VaR to reduce the risk, as well as to We show that may better the but have on the This paper examines some properties of portfolio insurance that are linked to the risk aversion and the prudence of the investor. We provide explicit conditions to measure portfolio sensitivity to downside risk. We also characterize the degree of portfolio insurance by means of the ratio of absolute prudence to absolute risk aversion. the of expenditure analysis (emphasising the of public goods provision on private risk taking) and the theory of tax evasion and compliance. S. Incentive effects of community rating in insurance markets: evidence from Massachusetts automobile insurance. 19-46. Rate regulations in insurance markets often impose cross-subsidies in insurance premiums from low-risk consumers to high-risk consumers. This paper develops the hypothesis that premium cross-subsidies affect risk taking by insurance consumers, and tests this hypothesis by examining the marginal impact of premium subsidies and overcharges on future insurance costs. The empirical analysis uses 1990–2003 rating cell-level data from the Massachusetts automobile insurance market, in which regulation produced large cross-subsidies across cells. Consistent with the hypothesized effects, premium subsidies are found to be significantly related to higher future insurance costs, and the opposite effects are found for premium overcharges. Detecting in regression models: case of insurer solvency surveillance We develop a test for the fuzziness of regression coefficients based on the Tanaka et al. (1982) and He et al. (2007) possibilistic fuzzy regression models. We interpret the spread of the regression coefficients as a statistic measuring the fuzziness of the relationship between the corresponding independent variable and the dependent variable. We derive test distributions based on the null hypothesis that such spreads could have been obtained by estimating a possibilistic regression with data generated by a classical regression model with random errors. As an example, we show how our test detects a fuzzy regression coefficient in a solvency prediction model for German property – liability insurance companies. dynamic the spot foreign exchange capturing the rare the time-inhomogeneity fluctuating the rare events, use a compound Poisson process with log-normal jump amplitude to describe the jumps. Second-order properties. 541-546. The quantification of diversification benefits due to risk aggregation plays a prominent role in the (regulatory) capital management of large firms within the financial industry. However, the complexity of today's risk landscape makes a quantifiable reduction of risk concentration a challenging task. In the present paper we discuss some of the issues that may arise. The theory of second-order regular variation and second-order subexponentiality provides the ideal methodological framework to derive second-order approximations for the risk concentration and the diversification benefit. GAO, J. An extended CEV model and the Legendre transform–dual–asymptotic solutions for annuity contracts. 511-530. This paper develops an extended constant elasticity of variance (E-CEV) model to overcome the shortcomings of the general CEV model. Under the E-CEV model, we study the optimal investment strategy before and after retirement in a defined contribution pension plan where benefits are paid by annuity. By applying the Legendre transform, dual theory and an asymptotic expansion approach, we respectively derive two asymptotic strategies for a CRRA and CARA utility functions in two different periods. Furthermore, we find that each asymptotic strategy can be decomposed into an optimal zero-order strategy and a perturbation strategy. The optimal zero-order strategy denotes an investment strategy where the current volatility is just equal to the mean level of the volatility, whereas the perturbation strategy provides an approximation solution to hedge the slow varying nature of the current volatility deviating from mean level. Finally, we find that the optimal zero-order strategy under given conditions will reduce to the results of Devolder et al. (2003), Xiao et al. (2007) and Gao (2009), respectively. In our model, the insurer is allowed to buy reinsurance and invest in a risk-free asset and a risky asset. The claim process is assumed to follow a Brownian motion with drift, while the price process of the risky asset is described by the looks than the The results to more distributions of In this paper, we propose a possibilistic risk tolerance model for the portfolio based on possibility moments theory. A Sequential method is developed for finding optimal without matrix storage. We present a simple method to estimate the possibility returns assets. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of proposed and approaches. structure of risk factors and diversification effects. 531-540. this we study the aggregated risk from dependent risk factors under the multivariate Extreme Value Theory (EVT) framework. We consider the heavy-tailedness of the risk factors as well as the nonparametric tail dependence structure. This allows a large range of models on the dependence. We assess the Value-at-Risk of a diversified portfolio constructed from dependent risk factors. Moreover, we examine the diversification effects under this setup. semiparametric methods for estimating dependence parameters in copula models. 52-63. Three semiparametric methods for estimating dependence parameters in copula models are compared, namely maximum pseudo-likelihood estimation


Citizen Science is increasing in popularity and used by many academics, community groups and NonGovernmental Organizations in scientific data collection. Despite this, little is known about the motivations and experiences of those who contribute to citizen science projects, nor about the impacts of involvement in citizen science upon the individual. Moreover, few have considered the pedagogic process that individuals undergo as they participate in these activities. Citizen science practitioners and program developers stand to benefit from increased understanding of these experiences in terms of their capacity to enhance environmental education. Such increased understanding of the implications of citizen science may also promote the development of sustainability education. This chapter synthesizes insights from existing literature, policy documents and practical projects to explore the pedagogic potential of the convergence of citizen science and environmental education. The chapter concludes that progressive evaluation approaches are needed to complement what is an emergent field.


We present the superconducting properties and phase compositions of Mg1−xZrxB2 bulk samples fabricated by a solid-state reaction at ambient pressure. It is found that a small amount of Zr atoms may be introduced into the lattice of MgB2, while the majority of them forms ZrB2 phase. The Mg0.9Zr0.1B2 sample shows the highest JC of 2.1×106 A/cm2 in 0.56 T at 5 K and 1.83×106 A/cm2 in self-field at 20 K, higher irreversibility field and larger upper critical field in MgB2 bulk samples. The combination of good grain connection, the reduction of grain size and small ZrB2 particles in the sample may be responsible for the significant enhancement of JC in Zr-doped samples. This technique has a great potential to prepare high performance MgB2 bulk samples and wires on an industrial scale.


Many neurohumoral factors play an important role in regulation of the cardiovascular system and in the pathophysiology of heart failure. Adrenomedullin (AM) is a potent long-lasting vasodilatory peptide that was discovered in acid extracts of human pheochromocytoma tissues. Both AM and its gene expression are widely distributed in the cardiovascular system, including the heart, vessels, and kidneys. AM co-localizes with its receptor components such as calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CRLR), receptor activity modifying protein (RAMP)2 and RAMP3 in the heart, vessels and kidneys, suggesting that it plays an important role in the regulation of cardiovascular function through an autocrine and/or paracrine mechanism. AM has inotropic action in vitro and in vivo and inhibits cardiac hypertrophy in myocytes as well as proliferation and collagen production in cardiac fibroblasts. These results suggest that AM functions as an antifibrotic, antihypertrophic and positive inotropic factor in the failing heart. In addition, AM has anti-apoptotic, angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Several mechanisms such as cAMP/PKA, NO/cGMP, PI-3K/Akt and/or ERK are thought to mediate cellular AM signaling, suggesting that increased AM levels play a protective role in heart failure. Indeed, acute AM administration exerts beneficial vasodilatory, diuretic, natriuretic and inotropic effects on experimental and human heart failure. A recent pilot study has shown that AM has potential as a therapeutic drug in the clinical setting of acute decompensated heart failure.


Building shared understanding of requirements is key to ensuring downstream software activities are efficient and effective. Non-functional requirements (NFR), which include performance, availability, and maintainability, are vitally important to overall software quality. Research has shown NFRs are, in practice, poorly defined and difficult to verify, especially in agile environments. Continuous software engineering (CSE) practices, which extend agile practices, emphasize fast paced, automated, and rapid release of software that poses additional challenges to NFRs. However, the level of shared understanding achieved across an organization is not well-understood. This dissertation builds the foundations towards a theory of the complex and intricate relationship between shared understanding of NFRs and CSE.


The introduction of choice in public services, and in health services more specifically, is part of a wider movement to introduce consumerism in health care. We analyze how citizens perceive the availability of choice of primary care doctors in 22 European countries and the factors that influence their opinions using multilevel analyses and data from the European Social Survey (Round 2, 2004; 22 countries, N = 33,375). We distinguish between individual factors and structural or country-level factors. We find that perceptions of having enough choice are not influenced by the opportunity to freely choose primary care doctors, the density of doctors in a country, or the level of health expenditure. Instead, these perceptions are influenced by individual attributes, such as personal health circumstances, age, sex, location of residence (rural or urban), and level of satisfaction with the health system.


Since the period that they started to emerge, cities are formed by the history that thecivilizations take from the past, with the cultural values and the geography that they are in. Thecities, which exist within this development process throughout civilizations, brought along thestructures that are considered to be urban heritage and are occurred within the economic, social,societal and spatial feature and necessity. This process continues its existence with a lot ofexamples throughout the civilization history both in the world and in our country.There is an important variety between the historical structures that occur in our cities.Cities with the civil architecture examples and public buildings have a wide range of featuresthat give them their identity constructions. One of the important structures that occur within thiswide range is the training facilities, which started from the Ottoman Period and continued untilthe Republican Period and showed an increase. The education system, which started asmadrassas and mosques in the Ottoman Period and later on turned into high schools and schools,and its structure are the important urban symbols in our cities.In this study, the protection and survival of the training facilities, which are historical andcultural inventories and reflect their periodical features and city identity, will be discussed.Within this scope, Antalya High School, which is one of the historical training facilities inAntalya, is taken as a sample. Antalya High School, concerning its history and statue, is city'sone of the important historical and social symbols. It is an important heritage that must beprotected and maintained, since it reflects the cultural, social and architectural features of itshistory.Within the scope of the study, some examples of the historical training facilities, whichhave the similar statue in our country, are investigated to reach a general evaluation and withinthe sample area the study is detailed. The historical development of the investigated structureand its today's position are investigated with environmental structures, and suggestions are madefor protection – use – assessment. Analysis of the current situation is reinforced with thepedestrian counts and observational rapid assessment methods applied to structures and bothquantitative and qualitative data could be reached for the study base. An evaluation was madefor probable actions that aim the protection and survival of the urban and structural developmentwithin the historical process. When a further step is to be thought of this study, which is madewith parcel scale, it should not be forgotten that this study will serve as an intermediate productfor future evaluation and conversion studies on urban scale with the context of Urban Planning.


Linear approximations to the decision boundary of a complex model have become one of the most popular tools for interpreting predictions. In this paper, we study such linear explanations produced either post-hoc by a few recent methods or generated along with predictions with contextual explanation networks (CENs). We focus on two questions: (i) whether linear explanations are always consistent or can be misleading, and (ii) when integrated into the prediction process, whether and how explanations affect the performance of the model. Our analysis sheds more light on certain properties of explanations produced by different methods and suggests that learning models that explain and predict jointly is often advantageous.


In six patients suffering from presbyacusis, light microscopical studies and calculations of the population of neurons were performed. A loss of neurons was found in 12 ventral and dorsal cochlear nuclei. The average loss of neurons was about 50 per cent, compared to the numbers calculated in presumably normal hearing individuals by other investigators. This loss of neurons was statistically significant. The results show that not only the cochlea but also the cochlear nuclei are involved in the degenerative processes occurring in advancing age.


Abstract This paper proposes an algorithm based on sub image-partitioning strategy. The proposed scheme divides a grayscale (or color) image into overlapped 6×6 blocks each of which is partitioned into four small 3x3 non-overlapped sub-images. A new spatial approach for efficiently computing 2-dimensional linear convolution or cross-correlation between suitable flipped and fixed filter coefficients (sub image for cross-correlation) and corresponding input sub image is presented. Computation of convolution is iterated vertically and horizontally for each of the four input sub-images. The convolution outputs of these four sub-images are processed to be converted from 6×6 arrays to 4×4 arrays so that the core of the original image is reproduced. The present algorithm proposes a simplified processing technique based on a particular arrangement of the input samples, spatial filtering and small sub-images. This results in reducing the computational complexity as compared with other well-known FFT-based techniques. This algorithm lends itself for partitioned small sub-images, local image spatial filtering and noise reduction. The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated through some simulation examples.


Renocolic fistulas are abnormal connections between the upper urinary tract and the colon. Chronic renal obstruction and delayed treatment of obstructive renal stones can lead to loss of renal function, inflammation of the kidney and surrounding structures, and the development of fistulas. However, due to the increased availability of CT scans and cystoscopy for diagnosis and treatment, renocolic fistulas resulting from obstructing renal stones have become rare. This article describes a patient who was found to have a renocolic fistula on antegrade percutaneous nephrostogram. The patient was treated with a laparoscopic nephrectomy and minimally invasive colon repair and recovered.


Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is crucial for the genesis and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). Targeting AR signaling remains an attractive approach for PCa chemoprevention and therapy. Our previous studies suggest that decursin, which is isolated from the Korean medicinal herb Angelica gigas Nakai, has novel anti-androgen attributes in comparison to that of AR antagonist drug bicalutamide (Casodex) and stronger anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities in cell culture models. However, decursin quickly de-esterifies to decursinol in vivo, which lacks the anti-androgen and anti-proliferative activities. We report here that a novel prototype derivative (decursinol thiocarbamate, DTC) shows in vivo stability in single dose pharmacokinetic studies, with no detection of decursinol. Molecular docking with the wild type AR ligand binding domain (LBD) suggested that its AR-binding energy is inferior to DHT, but higher than decursin. Mechanistically DTC retains all the desirable properties of decursin, including inhibiting AR nuclear translocation, decreasing cellular AR protein abundance by promoting its 26S proteasomal-mediated degradation and lacking agonist activity. Dose-response comparisons showed that DTC was half as potent as decursin to inhibit AR signaling and androgen sensitive LNCaP PCa cell growth. In animal studies with mice, daily i.p. injection of DTC (2 mg per mouse) decreased AR transcriptional targets such as probasin and NKX3.1 in the mouse prostates. Chemical deposits on the surface of liver and other organs were observed suggesting poor solubility. Additional derivatives aimed to improved solubility had been synthesized and are being investigated for structure-activity relationship. Overall, the data suggest that DTC is a prototype stable decursin derivative retaining the novel AR antagonist activity for PCa chemoprevention or treatment. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1848. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1848


Existing work in human activity detection classifies physical activities using a single fixed-length subset of a sensor signal. However, temporally consecutive subsets of a sensor signal are not utilized. This is not optimal for classifying physical activities (composite activities) that are composed of a temporal series of simpler activities (atomic activities). A sport consists of physical activities combined in a fashion unique to that sport. The constituent physical activities and the sport are not fundamentally different. We propose a computational graph architecture for human activity detection based on the readings of a triaxial accelerometer. The resulting model learns 1) a representation of the atomic activities of a sport and 2) to classify physical activities as compositions of the atomic activities. The proposed model, alongside with a set of baseline models, was tested for a simultaneous classification of eight physical activities (walking, nordic walking, running, soccer, rowing, bicycling, exercise bicycling and lying down). The proposed model obtained an overall mean accuracy of 77.91% (population) and 95.28% (personalized). The corresponding accuracies of the best baseline model were 73.52% and 90.03%. However, without combining consecutive atomic activities, the corresponding accuracies of the proposed model were 71.52% and 91.22%. The results show that our proposed model is accurate, outperforms the baseline models and learns to combine simple activities into complex activities. Composite activities can be classified as combinations of atomic activities. Our proposed architecture is a basis for accurate models in human activity detection.


A Brief History: Building CountercultureOver the last decade the Afrikan Hiphop Caravan has been building connections across borders on the continent and beyond. Yet few people, even some in Afrikan Hiphop circles, have a good grasp of the beliefs, motivations and purposes behind this Movement. Often times with an emerging Movement, it is not until the time hatches - producing concrete and visible results - that people begin to give it a name and tell its' story. Thus, in the following paragraphs, I will trace the origins and aims of the project.In 2004, an affinity group of student activists, Hip Hop activists and socialists established Uhuru Network, based in Harare, as a decentralised platform where members of the Toyitoyi Arts Collective, Imani Media Collective, Impilo Permaculture Collective and Ruzivo Study Circle met and forged theoretical and tactical unity. As a social movement, emerging from the concrete struggles of working people in Zimbabwe against the Economic Structural Adjustment Programs (ESAPs) of the ZANU-PF dictatorship, the Network was from the start decidedly anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarianist. The organisation actively participated in actions for social and economic justice within the social movements. Students had a campaign against the privatisation of education; trade unionists were constantly on strike demanding a living wage; the communities were being ravaged by HIV/Aids, hunger and poverty; and young unemployed people in working class communities were rioting. The economy spiraled out of control, whilst the police filled prisons with tortured dissidents. Under these conditions, the Toyitoyi Arts Collective embarked on a path of Hip Hop Activism: one that was oriented towards active participation in the social movements of the working-class.It was clear then, as it is now, that Hip Hop emerged in the South Bronx as a working-class culture of Afrikan youth in America. In its early days, Hip Hop counterposed itself to the mainstream culture of the middle and upper classes in America. The absorption of this radical working-class culture into the mainstream was a systematic exercise aimed at commodifying the culture and ridding it of its revolutionary potency. In Zimbabwe then, urban grooves rap - urban pop music that fuses Afrodiasporic genres, including rap, with local elements (see Kellerer, this volume) - was being used to propagate the ideas of the ruling-class. This process was aided by state-control of airplay on radio. Artists churned out depoliticized songs or overtly pro-ruling party propaganda. It was the stated aim of the collective to restore Hip Hop's original mission: to uplift oppressed people.In 2005, Uhuru Network convened the Uhuru Youth Camp at the Southern African Social Forum in Harare. The Southern Afrikan Social Forum Charter opposed neoliberal capitalism, dictatorship and authoritarianism. It embraced horizontal organising based on principles of direct participatory democracy. Indymedia activists from South Africa, housing activists from the Anti-Eviction Committee in Cape Town, libertarian socialists from Zabalaza, and cultural activists from Sounds of Edutainment and Imbawula Trust were in attendance. This gathering sought to establish a common set of organising principles and to forge organic links amongst participating collectives. In this space, consensus was generated on building Hip Hop Activism and orienting Hip Hop culture towards the people's struggles for social justice.In 2006, the collectives were joined by cultural activists from the Community Networking Forum in Cape Town during the Cultural Activist Network meeting at the Khanya College Winter School in Johannesburg and deliberated on developing a common regional program in Southern Afrika. The cultural activists from the Community Networking Forum subsequently established Soundz of the South, based in Cape Town, as a collective inspired by the ideas of decentralized, horizontal organising against neoliberal capitalism based on theoretical and tactical unity within the movement. …


Freeze-thaw (FT) events can influence soil functions. However, the overall impact of FTs on soil bacterial communities, especially in temperate regions, remains unclear. In this study, soil samples were collected from a midtemperate region in the northeast of China, and three incubation tests were then designed with varied FT amplitudes (i.e., at a freezing temperature of −15, −9, and −3°C, respectively), frequencies of FT cycles (i.e., under one, six, and 15 FT cycles, respectively) and soil water content (SWC) values (i.e., at 10 and 30% SWC, respectively). High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was performed and the functional profile was further predicted based on these data, in addition to examinations of bulk microbial properties. Data analyses suggested that, first of all, the FT amplitude significantly influenced the bulk microbial properties and bacterial community (composition and function); certain taxa showed a nonlinear response to the three amplitudes. Next, compared to a single FTC, multiple FT cycles had only minor effects on the bacterial functional capabilities, although the bulk microbial properties changed significantly after multiple FT cycles. In addition, the bacterial response to FTs was influenced by the SWC, characterized by the significantly different bacterial community structures (composition and function) and the opposite trends of enzyme activities. Finally, RDA plots and a correlation network assembled data from all soil samples across the three tests and suggested that bacterial response trajectories changed because some species were influenced mainly by other species (i.e., biotic environment) during FT processes.


Proposed is a method of diagnosis of crawling of an induction motor by stator current Concordia analysis. It has been done by assessing generated harmonics using stator current Concordia. Stator current of an induction motor has been captured, normalised and then Concordia has been formed in the Park plane. The presence of different harmonics has been assessed by a rule set based on the features extracted from the patterns developed by stator currents. Dominance of seventh harmonics is determined which is the main cause of crawling without using any filter or any Fourier or wavelet transform based technique. This method has been validated by a laboratory prototype.


Nowadays, Li-ion batteries have achieved great success and are widely used in various fields. However, the scarcity and uneven distribution of lithium resources together with the increasing cost may hamper the sustainable development of Li-ion batteries in the future. Hence, many researchers have turned to potassium ion batteries due to their abundant raw materials, low price, and high energy density. Although great progress has been made in recent years, there are still existing many challenges, especially the severe side reaction between electrolyte and K metal, which leads to an unstable solid-liquid interface and low coulombic efficiency. Hence, an excellent electrolyte may be the key to development of K-ion batteries in the future. Unfortunately, no systematic research has been conducted to study the electrolyte and its role on the performance yet. In order to compensate for this limitation, in this paper, the status and progress of electrolytes for K-ion batteries are reviewed, the issues and challenges existing in the development of electrolyte are clarified, and the future development is prospected.


Intelligent agents that are intended to work in dynamic environments must be able to gracefully handle unsuccessful goals and plans. In addition, such agents should be able to make rational decisions about an appropriate course of action, which may include aborting a goal or plan, perhaps at the request of another agent, or as a result of the agent's own deliberations. In this paper we investigate the incorporation of aborts into a BDI-style architecture. We discuss some conditions under which aborting a goal or plan is appropriate, and how to determine the consequences of such a decision. We augment each plan with an optional abort-method, analogous to the failure method found in some agent programming languages. We provide an operational semantics for the execution cycle in the presence of aborts in the abstract agent language CAN, which enables us to specify a BDI-based execution model without limiting our attention to a particular agent system (such as JACK, Jadex, Jason, or SPARK). A key technical challenge we address is the presence of parallel execution threads and of sub-goals, which require the agent to ensure that the abort methods for each plan are carried out in an appropriate sequence.


Available data for the first sharp diffraction peak (FSDP), which is observed in many amorphous substances including glasses, is analysed from the point of view of the glass-forming ability (GFA) of a substance. To clarify the subject, the ways of defining GFA and numerical evaluation are discussed first of all. It is shown that, in contrast to intuition, there is no direct connection between FSDP and GFA. Moreover, a non-glass-forming melt or a glass at the boundary of the glass-forming region may demonstrate strong and narrow FSDP. On the other hand, the obtained correlations between FSDP characteristics (position, intensity, halfwidth) and sample parameters, both internal (chemical composition, short-range order) and external (temperature, pressure), need explanations in terms of models that try to understand the origin of FSDP and corresponding medium-range order in the amorphous state, the glassy state being a particular case.


In the past few years, we have seen a rapid expansion in the field of wired networking due to the proliferation of inexpensive, widely available wireless devices. However current devices, applications and protocols are solely focussed on cellular or wireless local area networks(WLANS) not taking the account the great potential offered by wired networking. Wired local area networks make use of ethernet cables and network adapters. Numerous computers can be wired to one another by using an Ethernet crossover cable. Wired LANS also need vital devices like hubs, switches, or routers to aid further computers[2][3]. There are situations where IPv4/IPv6 transition is also possible using singly linked list. Un fortunately IPv4 and IPv6 are two important incompatible protocols. So this results in transition mechanism at the time of migration from IPv4 to IPv6 networks. Longest prefix matching (LPM) is a challenging innovative and creative topic because of the increasing routing table size, the increasing link speed and the increasing Internet traffic with decreasing traffic size. Due to the invention of IPv6 it requires the reconsideration of previous methods were highly essential to IPv4[1][3]. Hence the need is to introduce the first algorithm that we are aware of to employ BD-TTCS (Bi- Directional Talented Transmission Conversion System) based singly linked list is one of the technique specified in the literature to perform IPv4/IPv6 conversion whereas the Dual Stack transition technique is developed to perform IPv4/IPv6 transition for IPv6 dominant networks. In this paper we present a novel and simple approach to transition of IPv4/IPv6 transition based on singly linked list. This method splits the 128 bits IPv6 source address into 8 sections and the sections are reduced recursively through several tunable phases according to the trade off between lookup performance and memory consumption. The Proposed method uses singly linked method to speed up the splitting process of 128 bits IPv6 address into 8 chunks by means of BD-TTCS translator[1][2][3].


Shoot development was studied for two consecutive years in peach trees fertilized with N either in the previous fall or in the middle of the growing season. During the first year, two additional treatments were studied: no N supply and nitrate supplied in the irrigation water throughout the growing season. The number of shoots that developed depended on nitrogen availability in the period following bud break. During shoot development, leaf emergence occurred in one, two, or three stages, which ended at about 500 to 600 degree days, 1,000 to 1,200 degree days, and 1,500 to 2,000 degree days after bloom, respectively. The proportion of shoots exhibiting a second or third developmental stage depended on nitrogen availability at the beginning of that stage. Increasing nitrogen availability during a developmental stage prolonged the stage and increased the number of leaves produced.


Long-term hemodialysis (HD) patients complaining of shoulder joint pain were treated by HD and by push/pull HDF using high-flux synthetic membranes with large pores (Asahi PAN 20CX2) for 2 weeks. The results showed no significant difference in Kt/Vurea between HD and push/pull HDF. Nevertheless, reduction of the plasma beta 2-microglobulin was greater during push/pull HDF than during HD. These findings can be explained by far more convective flux in push/pull HDF than in HD: nearly 30 L during push/pull HDF vs. 3 L during HD. In the present study, there was no alleviation of the shoulder joint pain during HD treatment, whereas marked relief of the symptom was found during push/pull HDF treatment. Since the two treatment modalities differ simply in their efficiency in removing larger molecular weight substances, the joint pain alleviation effected by push/pull HDF could well be ascribed to elimination of an unknown larger molecular weight substance causing this symptom. However, a considerable amount of beta 2-microglobulin was removed both by HD and push/pull HDF. Therefore, the substance causing the joint pain might be larger than beta 2-microglobulin.


The gate-to-drain nonoverlapped implantation (NOI) n-type metal-oxide-silicon field effect transistor (nMOSFET) devices, in which silicon nitride spacer acts as electron charge-trapping, have been explored for future nonvolatile memory application. The threshold voltage (V th ) shifts of programming devices were measured as a function of baking time ranging from 25 to 250°C. There are two distinct states: the first initial state has a fast V th shift rate while the the V th shift rate of the second state is significantly alleviative. Based on the development of an empirical model for testing at various temperatures, the threshold voltage shift of the two states can be individually fitted by Arrhenius equation. The positive charge-assisted tunneling and direct tunneling attributed to tunnel oxide using low-pressure chemical vaporization deposition (LPCVD) and rapid thermal oxidation (RTO) methods, respectively, are responsible for the electron charge loss. The increased decay rate of charge loss occurs at elevated temperature due to thermal-enhanced charge emission. Besides, the anomalous V th increasing which results from the RTO-enhanced diffusion of channel dopants toward the silicon/oxide interface was found by experiment results.


This paper suggests that developmental reading teachers could benefit from a little laughter or a little humor in their courses, since they teach subject matter no one wants to hear or read about to students who resent being placed in the classes, and they must do this well enough so that their students will pass a test they have already failed once. The paper elaborates on some of the ways that humor can be used systematically by most college instructors. It presents a compilation of several studies and informal research to determine exactly what separates good students from poor ones in the area of reading and offers a synopsis of a comparison of two at-risk entering freshmen to point out that goals and attitudes seem to make the most difference between college success and failure. The paper then advances the thesis that cartoons have several distinct advantages for instructional purposes even beyond the opportunity to provide background information, and it provides a rationale and detailed examples of the use of cartoons. (Contains 5 notes, 28 references, a sample unit, and 2 sample background assessment instruments.) (NKA) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Knowledge Through Humor: An Original Approach for Teaching Developmental Readers.


Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is best known for its angiogenic activity on endothelial cells, but it also affects neurons, pneumocytes, and other mature cell types as well as endothelial, neural, and hematopoietic progenitors. Here, we examined its effect on pluripotential embryonic stem (ES) cells under hypoxic stress. ES cells were found to produce VEGF and to express VEGF receptor-2 and neuropilin-1 (Nrp-1), a VEGF165 isoform-specific receptor. During hypoxia, expression levels of VEGF, Flk-1, and Nrp-1 were elevated. Inhibition or targeted gene inactivation of VEGF increased ES cell apoptosis during prolonged hypoxia (48 h) by about 10-fold. The survival activity of VEGF was specific since inhibition of other growth factors (including basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and placental growth factor) had no effect. Neuropilin-1 was involved in the VEGF-survival activity since overexpression of Nrp-1 decreased hypoxia-induced apoptosis about 3-fold. The hypoxia-response element, via which hypoxia-inducible transcription factors up-regulate VEGF expression under hypoxic conditions, was critical since targeted deletion of this element in the VEGF promoter enhanced hypoxia-induced ES cell apoptosis to the same extent as VEGF inhibition or gene inactivation. Thus, VEGF plays a critical role in survival of ES cells during prolonged hypoxia.


We describe DiaProlog, a dialogue logic programming language that extends the vanilla Prolog with the features to facilitate the integration of reasoning capabilities into task-oriented dialogue systems. The extended language combines the expressive power of Horn rule and description logic with uncertainty and allows us to describe the specifications for both problem solving and dialogue management in a declarative programming manner. The systems incorporated with DiaProlog are capable of asking appropriate questions when necessary and collecting the answers to direct the line of reasoning and guide the conversation toward the correct solution. Besides, an explanation facility is provided to explain the reasoning behind its conclusion. We also describe a dialogue management framework built upon DiaProlog, which has been validated in multiple implementations providing legal consulting, financial advising, and medical guidance services where many questions require complex inferences about knowledge.


Aim: To determine the safe dose range and pharmacokinetics of metronomic oral vinorelbine and obtain preliminary data on biomarkers and efficacy in patients with advanced cancer. Methods: Successive cohorts of patients received escalated doses of oral vinorelbine given thrice a week until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity (UT), or consent withdrawal. UT was any grade 4 toxicity, or grade 2 or 3 toxicity that would result to longer than 2-week break during the first 2 months of treatment. Blood samples were collected for pharmacokinetics and quantification of angiogenesis regulatory proteins. Results: Sixty-two patients (median age, 60 years) enrolled at six dose levels from 20 to 70 mg and received treatment for median 12.25 weeks (range, 2-216+). Unacceptable toxicity occurred in two of six patients treated at 60 mg (leucopenia grade 4 and epistaxis grade 2) and in one at 70 mg (leucopenia grade 2). The upper metronomic dose was 50 mg. Objective antitumor response documented in eight cases and 32% of patients experienced disease stability for minimum 6 months. Three responders (renal cancer, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and Kaposi sarcoma) received nonstop treatment for over 3 years without overt toxicity. Low pretreatment levels of circulating interleukin-8, vascular endothelial growth factor, and basic fibroblast growth factor were found predictors of efficacy. Steady-state concentrations of vinorelbine and its active metabolite ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 ng/mL. Conclusions: Metronomic administration of oral vinorelbine is feasible at doses up to 50 mg thrice a week and can yield sustainable antitumor activity without overt toxicity, probably through antiangiogenic mechanism. Further clinical investigation is warranted. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(20):6454–61)


OBJECTIVE
To compare the types and quantities of carbohydrate, electrolytes, pH and osmolarity of fresh fruit juices and commercial fruit juices.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
Forty kinds of fresh fruits available in Thai markets were analyzed for types and quantities of carbohydrate, electrolyte, pH and osmolarity and compared with previously obtained data for commercial fruit juices.

RESULTS
Most fresh fruit juices did not contain sucrose, whereas, commercial fruit juices mostly have sucrose in the range of 3-112 g/L. Although both fruit juices were acidic (pH varied from 3.6-6.7 and 3.2-5.8 of fresh juice and commercial juice), fresh fruit juices had a more neutral pH than commercial fruit juices. Apple, guava, orange, pear, and pineapple juices from commercial fruit juices had a high osmolarity compared with fresh fruit juices. All types of fresh fruit juices contained less sodium than commercial ones, whereas, most fresh fruit juices contained more potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium than commercial fluids.

CONCLUSION
The nutrient content of fresh fruit juices and commercial fruit juices from the same kinds of fruits are not the same, possibly due to the manufacturing process. Therefore, physicians should know the composition of fruit juices in order to advise patients properly.


Pretransplant infusion of lymphocytes that express a single allogeneic MHC class I Ag has been shown to induce tolerance to skin and heart allografts that express the same alloantigens. In this study, we demonstrate that reconstitution of immunoincompetent mice with spleen cells from MHC class I Ld-mismatched donors does not cause graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). Recipient mice become tolerant to skin allografts of lymphocyte donor origin while retaining immunity to third-party alloantigens. The mechanism involves donor-derived CD3+CD4−CD8− double-negative T regulatory (DN Treg) cells, which greatly increase and form the majority of T lymphocytes in the spleen of recipient mice. DN Treg cells isolated from tolerant recipient mice can suppress the proliferation of syngeneic antihost CD8+ T cells in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrate that DN Treg cells can be generated in vitro by stimulating them with MHC class I Ld-mismatched lymphocytes. These in vitro generated Ld-specific DN Treg cells are able to down-regulate the activity of antihost CD8+ T cells in vitro by directly killing activated CD8+ T cells. Moreover, infusing in vitro generated Ld-mismatched DN Treg cells prevented the development of GVHD caused by allogeneic CD8+ T cells. Together these data demonstrate that infusion of single MHC class I locus-mismatched lymphocytes may induce donor-specific transplantation tolerance through activation of DN Treg cells, which can suppress antihost CD8+ T cells and prevent the development of GVHD. This finding indicates that using single class I locus-mismatched grafts may be a viable alternative to using fully matched grafts in bone marrow transplantation.


A 14-month old boy presented to the hospital having had a convulsion. Initial work-up was essentially negative except for the presence of a temperature of 40 C. On the second hospital day, the patient began to have diarrhea and Campylobacter jejuni was isolated. This case illustrates that Campylobacter infection may be associated with febrile convulsions, and that these may precede the diarrheal phase of the illness.


The Moroccan construction industry accounts for almost 33% of overall energy consumption, showing that it is one of the most energy-intensive sectors. When it comes to the design of buildings in Morocco, the time lag and decrement factor of the walls are generally not taken into consideration, although they are among the aspects that impact energy consumption. For this purpose, this study analyzes the possible benefits of placing insulating materials into the holes of hollow clay bricks, frequently used in Moroccan construction, to increase their thermal inertia. The incompressible Navier-Stokes and energy equations were discretized by employing the finite element method. When all cavities are insulated, the temperature peak is prolonged by nearly 5.5 h, and the decrement factor is decreased by around 50% to a value smaller than 0.1. Moreover, according to the study, closing holes with insulating material reduces the overall thermal load by approximately 53.77%. All used materials are nanoscale materials.


ABSTRACT Introduction: The Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) provides universal access to subsidized medicines. In 2013, statins as a class had the highest expenditure on the PBS. Objectives: To assess the influence of policies and drivers affecting PBS statin utilization and expenditure between 1992 and 2013. Methods: Analyses conducted from 1992 to 2013 and over three distinct time periods, including monthly expenditure/prescription, annual utilization (calculated as Defined Daily Doses/1000 inhabitants/day) and statin strengths dispensed. Results: The major driver of increased PBS expenditure for statins was increased volumes. After adjusting for inflation, the average PBS expenditure on statin prescriptions was the major negative driver. Other influential drivers included the increased use of newer statins and increased strength of statins dispensed. Discussion: Whilst the inflation-adjusted reimbursed price of statins decreased, increased utilization, including increased use of patented statins, increased total statin expenditure. Successful measures adopted by other countries could be applied to Australia to decrease total medicines expenditure.


PurposeThe field of educational systems has witnessed an increase in studies of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as it contributes to the effectiveness and success of schools and achieving their objectives and goals. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between principals' leadership style, occupational perceptions and OCB.Design/methodology/approachThe research hypothesis holds that the leadership style (transformational or transactional) have a direct and indirect effect on OCB (through occupation perception). These hypotheses have been tested on data collected from 620 Arab Israeli teachers.FindingsThe results reveal that: transformational and transactional leadership have no direct effect on OCB, an indirect effect of occupational perception on the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB, occupational perception did not mediate the effect between transactional leadership and OCB.Originality/valueThe results of the study contribute to the understanding of the way leadership style and OCB interact in schools, and the importance of teachers' occupational perception in explaining this relationship. Future research should further investigate the teachers' occupational perceptions and its effect on their performance as little research has been conducted to date.


Restoration of wrist function was attempted in six patients with aggressive or malignant bone tumor of the distal end of the radius with free vascularized fibular graft including the fibular head, and following wide resection of tumor. There was no local recurrence in all six cases. In one case, pulmonary metastasis occurred, but was successfully treated. Secondary bone graft was necessary in two cases for non-union. Additional procedures, such as partial or total wrist fusion, were necessary in three cases due to collapse of the grafted fibular head. Corrective osteotomy or a Sauve-Kapandji procedure were also needed in two cases for improvement of forearm rotation. Grip strength ranged from 41 to 68 percent of the contralateral side, with an average of 54.6 percent in five cases; it was only 6 percent in one patient because of flexion contracture at the wrist joint. Final functional results, evaluated by a modified system of Enneking, ranged from 73 to 92 percent, with an average of 83.2 percent. Indications for this procedure seem to be limited to patients engaged in non-heavy manual work, in whom the proximal carpal row can be preserved during tumor resection, and who have given consent for additional secondary procedures, if they prove necessary.


Toroidal Alfven eigenmode (TAE) and elliptical Alfven eigenmode (EAE) instabilities in plasmas with high energy ions are considered in the context of local theory. The instability growth rate is found for cases when waves are excited by alpha particles or by ions produced as a result of neutral injection or RF heating. Electron and ion Landau damping due to the toroidal sideband wave-particle interaction is also calculated. The electron damping rate is shown to be much lower than the generally accepted value. The TAE instability observed in the experiment with neutral beam injection on TFTR is analysed and the principal experimental features of TAE instability are explained


The effect of tick control on the infection rates of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina are reported for 6 geographical regions in South Africa. Under conditions of poor tick control the situation for B. bovis was one of apparent enzootic instability in the 2 regions where its presence was recorded. Under similar conditions the situation for B. bigemina was generally stable. With good tick control B. bovis infection rates were reduced to very low levels, with minimal losses being recorded. In the case of B. bigemina, good tick control reduced the infection rates in cattle but increased the risk of outbreaks. We concluded that, unless regular dipping is necessary to limit damage done by ticks per se, control of ticks is not justified economically as a means of minimizing the risks of babesiosis outbreaks in South Africa.


This thesis is concerned with continuity and change in the social organisation of Omuo-Ekiti, a predominantly rural and peasant community in the North East of the old Western Region of Nigeria. It focuses on the dialectical relationship between kinship and power relations, and in particular on the way in which these have changed together over the last few decades as the society has been increasingly caught up in the market system. Up to the early 1940s, in what I term the Traditional Period, the lineage was the basis of political organisation and action. The king was the ritual head of the whole Omuo-Ekiti community, and nominally the owner of all lands. But power was effectively held by chiefs, lineage heads and elders, and the natural resources of the community were shared between, and distributed through the corporate lineages. Kinship was the main principle organising the society, and in this situation marriage-in particular the selection of a spouse - was a key determinant of group solidarity and social distance. Since the early 1940s, in the Modern period, there has been an increasing and dramatic change in power relations. The introduction of cocoa farming has disrupted lineage control of land tenure. Related to this, there has been a shift to modern forms of government, with elected local councils displacing lineage power. These developments are affected and limited by processes and relationships at the local community level. The significance of kinship and residential groupings has changed, in response to changes in the community's ties with the world outside. Cash cropping has led to increasing individualisation of economic interests; and the intervention of central government and political parties in the life of the community has intensified. Much of the traditional culture and society still survive, though. For example, the ideology of patrilineal descent, and of lineage restrictions on marriage, is still respected. Ceremonial rituals connected with the various festivals are still observed. And these cultural forms determine the particular nature of Omuo-Ekiti responses to their changing circumstances.


Abstract Objectives The introduction of delayed release formulations of acetaminophen (APAP) has created concern about the role of formulation in overdose. We examined the APAP overdose pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles to assess the role of dose, coingestants and formulation: immediate release (IR), extended release (ER), and modified release (MR) on APAP pharmacokinetic measures. Methods We collected by-subject APAP PK data: subject description, timed blood APAP concentrations, dose, and coingestants. We sought both overdose and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for supratherapeutic doses involving ER or MR formulations. Data analysis and simulation used the non-linear mixed-effects modeling program NONMEM-version 7.4. Results The final dataset comprised 3,033 [APAP] from 356 subjects and 15 sources including 3 RCTs (179 subjects receiving IR, 122 ER, 65 MR). The final population PK (PopPK) model was a linear 2-compartment model with first-order (oral) absorption. Covariate relationships included: APAP absorption rate and bioavailability decreased with increased oral dose (p < 0.00005) for all 3 formulations (MR > ER > IR). Post hoc analyses showed opioid coingestant increased exposure (area under the curve, AUC) by factor of 1.6. Simulations of 100 g vs 10 g doses for IR, ER and MR showed overdose of the ER formulation exhibits slower absorption and lower C max, overall exposure (AUC) is less than 80% of an equivalent dose of IR acetaminophen. The overall exposure for the MR formulation is less than 70% of an equivalent dose of IR. Conclusions Acetaminophen ER and MR formulations have slower absorption and decreased bioavailability leading to a lower C max and later T max than the IR formulation. These results have potential clinical implications because delayed absorption could confound use of the Rumack-Matthew nomogram by underestimating the severity of ingestion early in the course of treatment.


A vigorous polemicist as well as a rational philosopher, Aristotle (384 - 322 BCE) has the task in his ethics of demonstrating how men become good and why happiness can, and should, be our goal. The success of Aristotle's endeavour may be measured by the enormous impact of his ethics on Western moral philosophy through the centuries. Composed as mere lecture notes, it possesses a startling boldness and represents an exacting, exciting challenge to the reader. By converting ethics from a theoretical to a practical science, and by introducing psychology into his study of behaviour, Aristotle both widens the field of moral philosophy and simultaneously makes it more accessible to anyone who seeks an understanding of human nature.


Knowledge graphs (KGs) are inherently incomplete because of incomplete world knowledge and bias in what is the input to the KG. Additionally, world knowledge constantly expands and evolves, making existing facts deprecated or introducing new ones. However, we would still want to be able to answer queries as if the graph were complete. In this chapter, we will give an overview of several methods which have been proposed to answer queries in such a setting. We will first provide an overview of the different query types which can be supported by these methods and datasets typically used for evaluation, as well as an insight into their limitations. Then, we give an overview of the different approaches and describe them in terms of expressiveness, supported graph types, and inference capabilities.


The paper focuses on the iconic chivalric formal combat that took place in Bretagne on March 26th, 1351, during the War of the Breton Succession. Conflicts between the French and English small castles of Josselin and Ploermel were resolved in a duel between thirty Montfortist knights led by Robert Bemborough, and thirty supporters of Charles de Blois led by Jean de Beaumanoir. Thirty fighters by each side clashed in fierce unmounted melee. Victory of French party had not any tactical impact upon the war, but took air far beyond of the Duchy of Brittany as exemplary deed of arms. The article aims to investigate martial practices and tools of combat and its receptions in texts and images of the Hundred Years War period. Another discussing question is the Combat of Thirty's reproduction in East-Central Europe – the battle of Koronovo (October 10th, 1410), which has striking similarities with conflict between Josselin and Ploermel. "Flos duellatorum", illustrated fighting manual of north Italian master Fiore dei Liberi are exploring for research of fighting techniques with Combat of Thirty's principal weapons: lance, sword, pollaxe, and dagger. I express my deep gratitude to Professor Steven Muhlberger for giving me opportunity to acquaint with updated version of his article on the Combat of Thirty. Key words: formal combat, chivalry, European arms and armour in 14th century, medieval fighting manuals.


We generalized the concepts in probability of rough Cesàro and lacunary statistical by introducing the difference operator ∆γ of fractional order, where α is a proper fraction and γ = (γmnk) is any fixed sequence of nonzero real or complex numbers. We study some properties of this operator involving lacunary sequence θ and arbitrary sequence p = (prst) of strictly positive real numbers and investigate the topological structures of related with triple difference sequence spaces. The main focus of the present paper is to generalized rough Cesàro and lacunary statistical of triple difference sequence spaces and investigate their topological structures as well as some inclusion concerning the operator ∆γ .


We present an algorithm to compute Green's functions on quantum computers for interacting electron systems, which is a challenging task on conventional computers. It uses a continued fraction representation based on the Lanczos method, where the wave functions are expanded as linear combination of basis states within a quantum subspace. While on conventional computers the cost of the computation grows exponentially with system size, limiting the method to small systems, by representing the basis states on a quantum computer one may overcome this exponential scaling barrier. We propose a two-level multigrid Trotter time evolution for an efficient preparation of the basis states in a quantum circuit, which takes advantage of the robustness of the subspace expansion against Trotter errors. Using a quantum emulator we demonstrate the algorithm for the Hubbard model on a Bethe lattice with infinite coordination, which we map to a 16 qubit Anderson impurity model within the dynamical mean field theory. Our algorithm computes the Green's function accurately for both the metallic and Mott insulating regimes, with a circuit depth several orders of magnitude below what has been proposed using time evolution. The two-level multigrid time evolution reduces the number of Trotter steps required to compute the Green's function to about four to six. We therefore expect that the method can be used on near term quantum computers for moderate system sizes, while allowing for scalability to larger circuit depths and qubit numbers on future fault tolerant quantum computers.


We benchmark the accuracy of a variational quantum eigensolver based on a finite-depth quantum circuit encoding ground state of local Hamiltonians. We show that in gapped phases, the accuracy improves exponentially with the depth of the circuit. When trying to encode the ground state of conformally invariant Hamiltonians, we observe two regimes. A finite-depth regime, where the accuracy improves slowly with the number of layers, and a finite-size regime where it improves again exponentially. The cross-over between the two regimes happens at a critical number of layers whose value increases linearly with the size of the system. We discuss the implication of these observations in the context of comparing different variational ansatz and their effectiveness in describing critical ground states.


Molybdenum and vanadium inorganic framework materials, with structures based on phosphate and arsenate tetrahedra have been synthesised by hydrothermal techniques and characterised by single crystal X-ray diffraction; additional techniques including thermogravimetric analysis, electron dispersive spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy were carried out to fully characterise these materials. Of the molybdenum phosphates that have been synthesised, a new layer structure type has been identified. This exhibits perpendicular channels through the molybdenophosphate sheets wherein multiple guest ions, ammonium cations and free orthophosphate (PO4)3- or halide (Cl-, Br-), are hosted. Anion exchange investigations were performed, showing the affinity of the Br- analogue to be completely exchange with Cl- anions. Hydrothermal syntheses with a variety of organic amines resulted in the formation of four compounds. These include three distinct cluster polyanions in addition to a ribbon structure type. The effect of fluoride ions into the synthesis of molybdenum phosphates has been investigated; this approach has led to the discovery of a new oxyfluorinated molybdenum phosphate compound templated by piperazine. Further studies were concentrated on the preparation of molybdenum phosphonate compounds. An amine template bipyridine. During investigations of the role of fluoride ions in the formation of vanadium phosphate and arsenate frameworks, four amine templated compounds have been synthesised and fully characterised. Three of these materials presented, exhibit similar but rather distinct framework topologies including two new layered structure types, which comprise flat or super-corrugated vanadoarsenate layers, and onedimensional tubular structure. Reactions were also performed using inorganic templates, and a number of new structure types were produced with ammonium, rubidium, barium and caesium. The series of materials includes two-dimensional layer structures, and two main structural topologies have been generally observed. During investigations into vanadium borate and phosphate compounds, a threedimensional vanadium phosphate was discovered. Further studies on previously reported vanadium polyborate compounds have led to the isolation of the series of the analogous alkali metal templated structures


The microcirculation consists of blood vessels with diameters less than 150 µm. It makes up a large part of the circulatory system and plays an important role in maintaining cardiovascular health. The retina is a tissue that lines the interior of the eye and it is the only tissue that allows for a non-invasive analysis of the microvasculature. Nowadays, high-quality fundus images can be acquired using digital cameras. Retinal images can be collected in 5 min or less, even without dilatation of the pupils. This unobtrusive and fast procedure for visualizing the microcirculation is attractive to apply in epidemiological studies and to monitor cardiovascular health from early age up to old age. Systemic diseases that affect the circulation can result in progressive morphological changes in the retinal vasculature. For example, changes in the vessel calibers of retinal arteries and veins have been associated with hypertension, atherosclerosis, and increased risk of stroke and myocardial infarction. The vessel widths are derived using image analysis software and the width of the six largest arteries and veins are summarized in the Central Retinal Arteriolar Equivalent (CRAE) and the Central Retinal Venular Equivalent (CRVE). The latter features have been shown useful to study the impact of modifiable lifestyle and environmental cardiovascular disease risk factors. The procedures to acquire fundus images and the analysis steps to obtain CRAE and CRVE are described. Coefficients of variation of repeated measures of CRAE and CRVE are less than 2% and within-rater reliability is very high. Using a panel study, the rapid response of the retinal vessel calibers to short-term changes in particulate air pollution, a known risk factor for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, is reported. In conclusion, retinal imaging is proposed as a convenient and instrumental tool for epidemiological studies to study microvascular responses to cardiovascular disease risk factors.


Simple models of monetary policy often imply optimal policy behavior that is considerably more aggressive than what is commonly observed. This chapter argues that such counterfactual implications are due to model restrictions and a failure to account for multiplicative parameter uncertainty, rather than to policymakers being too cautious in their implementation of policy. Comparing a restricted and an unrestricted version of the same empirical model, the unrestricted version leads to less volatility in optimal policy, and, taking parameter uncertainty into account, to policy paths very close to actual Federal Reserve policy.


In India, the relative importance of the handloom sector, one of the largest employers following agriculture, has been declining for last few decades. The All India Handloom Census data for the year 2009-10 however showed a rather modest decline in the number of weavers in West Bengal, in contrast to a 33% decline at the national level in the same year. But share of handloom income in total household income for the weaver households in the state has decreased significantly pointing to considerable occupational diversification among them. Based on a qualitative field study in three districts of West Bengal—namely, Hooghly, Nadia and Purba Bardhaman—this essay presents findings related to the condition of handloom weavers in West Bengal and in the light of the findings, examines two issues— intra-sector and inter-sector mobility of labour as well as weavers' response to changing market conditions. The paper argues for a more labour-focused approach in place of currently dominant tradition-focused understanding of the sector.


BACKGROUND
The increased rate of cesarean deliveries may be partly due to a lack of consumer knowledge. Assuming that physicians and their relatives are well informed of the risks and benefits associated with the different methods of delivery, our goal was to compare cesarean rates between female physicians, female relatives of physicians, and women with high socioeconomic status in Taiwan.

METHODS
Two subgroups of 588 female physicians and 5,021 relatives of physicians aged 20 to 50 years were compared with 93,737 pregnant women with a monthly wage 40,000 dollars New Taiwan (NT) dollars or more as identified in nationwide National Health Insurance databases of Taiwan from 2000 to 2003.

RESULTS
Female physicians (adjusted odds ratio 0.66; 95% CI 0.47, 0.93) and female relatives of physicians (adjusted odds ratio 0.84; 95% CI 0.74, 0.95) were significantly less likely to undergo a cesarean section than other high socioeconomic status women, adjusted for clinical and nonclinical factors.

CONCLUSIONS
In this study, the cesarean delivery rate was lower among women who may have greater access to medical knowledge. However, the lower rates observed among female physicians and physician relatives in Taiwan are still considerably higher than the national averages of many countries. This finding suggests that other than information, practice patterns, and social and cultural milieu may play a role.


SINEUPs are antisense long non-coding RNAs that enhance translation of overlapping sense mRNAs through the activity of two domains: a SINEB2 sequence UP-regulating translation (Effector Domain, ED) and an antisense region providing target specificity (Binding Domain, BD). In this study, we demonstrate that the invSINEB2 sequence from the natural SINEUP AS Uchl1 RNA is an Internal Ribosomal Entry Site (IRES) when acting in cis and that known viral and cellular IRES sequences can act as Effector Domain in synthetic SINEUPs. To identify natural IRES-containing, non-coding RNAs with SINEUP-like activity, we focused on circular RNAs showing that the non-coding circ5533, transcribed from the c-myc locus, enhances endogenous protein expression of its target PX Domain Containing Serine/Threonine Kinase Like (Pxk) by increasing mRNA association to polysomes. In summary, this study shows that natural and synthetic SINEUPs include linear and circular transcripts with an embedded IRES sequence as ED.


Epidemiologic studies can provide us with etiological clues and help us recognize high risk factors. The definition of high risk factors, especially in the perimenopausal years can lead to prophylactic measures that may aid in the control of endometrial cancer. Recognition of the high risk patient in the perimenopausal years by aspiration curettage of ambulatory women may offer a significant strategy of surveillance. The advent of modern steroid metabolic technology promises to help us clarify the problems of hormone sensitivity of this tumor so that we may properly translate these data into therapeutic action. Virulence scales can help the choice of treatment for invasive carcinoma so that patients with tumors of low virulence do not suffer from an excess of complications nor those with tumors of high virulence an excess of failure to control. In this manner we can define the role of radiotherapy and surgery, elect combined treatment when indicated and select radical surgery as indicated. There is evidence to suggest that the developmental concept of this tumor may lead to its control in a manner similar to that occurring with cervix cancer.


"Why me?" I wondered when I received this book to review. I have neither special interest nor special expertise in psychiatric nosology—I'm still stuck on DSM-III and earlier on neurosis versus psychosis versus character disorders and am still mourning the loss of diagnosing by defense mechanisms and other ephemera. And, worse yet, this is an edited work that publishes the proceedings from a research planning conference for DSM-5 titled "ObsessiveCompulsive Spectrum Behavior Disorders: Refining the Research Agenda for DSM-V," and almost all of its chapters were already published in 2 journal issues (the May 2007 issue of CNS Spectrums in 2007 and the November 2009 issue of Psychiatry Research). However, old wine in new bottles may present an opportunity, and that certainly proved true for this book. This work was intended as a separate research planning initiative to inform revisions for DSM-5 and included representatives from the American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education, the World Health Organization, and the National Institutes of Health. The contributors are acknowledged diagnostic experts in their respective areas of expertise. As most readers anticipate, our current categorical diagnostic system will very likely undergo some major revisions in DSM-5. Although it is unlikely that it will become entirely or even mostly dimensional, it is clear that DSM-5 will not be our ultimate DSM classification—nor should it be. As we learn more about the genetics of many of our entities and, even more, as we tease out the relevant endophenotypes, we will become increasingly closer to diagnosing psychiatric disorders etiologically. This small volume is not, however, a diatribe to hasten the process. The chapters are measured and balanced, and the focus is heuristic—an attempt to think about some of the common elements that cut across the diagnostic divide and see if there are new ways to conceptualize some of the entities we currently separate with such apparent certitude. The broad canvas of obsessive-compulsive disorders and their heretofore believed-to-be-unrelated cousins is a model starting place for examining spectrum disorders. The book begins with a comprehensive introductory chapter by Hollander et al, which provides both background and an overview of what will follow. It is followed by "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Boundary Issues," by Fineberg et al, which reviews overlaps and commonalities among obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and major depressive disorder. The chapter also discusses OCD versus addictive, hypochondriacal, body dysmorphic, and grooming disorders; Tourette's disorder; and Axis II and III disorders. In addition, the position that OCD itself warrants separation from the other anxiety disorders on numerous grounds is considered. Chapter 2, by Phillips and Kay, reviews commonalities and differences among OCD and body dysmorphic and eating disorders. In the third chapter, Ferrao et al compare the biology, phenomenology, and treatment response among Tourette's disorder, trichotillomania, and OCD. In Chapter 4, Potenza et al present a similar analysis for impulse-control disorders (intermittent explosive disorder and pathological gambling) compared to OCD. Chapter 5, on symptom dimensions in OCD (by Leckman et al), presents both a dimensional approach and a quantitative method to assess various phenotypic traits employing a 4-factor model of OCD (chapter 5). The genetics and familial factors of OCD are addressed by Nico et al in Chapter 6. Hollander and colleagues, in Chapter 7, discuss autism and Parkinson's disease—2 "neurologic" disorders. (Is not the debate of "neurologic" versus "psychiatric" disorders yet another example of categorical versus spectrum disorders—ie, splitters versus lumpers?) Both autism and Parkinson's disease have many features in common with OCD. The authors cite the occasionally seen phenomenon of punding, for example, in which some Parkinson's disease patients engage in behaviors that may closely resemble the repetitive features typical of OCD and also appear to simultaneously reduce their anxiety levels! Boulougouris et al, in Chapter 8, discuss animal parallels to obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders such as acral-licking, tail-chasing, and hair-pulling. The final chapter, by Matsunaga et al, reviews some of the sparse data regarding cross-national and ethnic issues in relation to obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. In each chapter, I found myself surprised by how many striking similarities and parallels exist across the rigid boundaries embedded in my categorical psyche. Most of the chapters contain excellent tables, and the references provided for each are extensive and authoritative. All of the chapters are excellent—with a remarkable consistency and clarity—providing evidence of careful editing. I recommend the book to all mental health professionals.


This paper analyses the historical trajectories of both British colonial rule and independent India to categorise scheduled tribes and to appropriate and legalise forests in tribal areas. It builds upon Foucault's notion of governmentality to argue that the history of the scheduled tribes' subject-making and the related history of forest demarcation is indispensable for understanding the current politics of decentralised forest management in India. Three dimensions of 'forest governmentality' – the history of categorisation, the politics of social identity, and the technologies of forest governance – are discussed to show how recent efforts to politicise forest tenure rights have reinforced political control over the scheduled tribes through new forms of authority, inclusion and exclusion. However, to claim their individual and community right to forestland and resources, the scheduled tribes have internalised their 'new' ethnic identity, thereby creating countervailing power and room to manoeuvre within the current forest governance regime. This is supported by a case study of the Bhil, a predominantly forest-dependent scheduled tribe in the semi-arid region of western India.


In this thesis the techniques of crystal structure analysis are applied to the study of bonding and molecular conformation. The contents are divided into three parts, and in PART I various theoretical aspects of the methods of structure determination are discussed, with special emphasis being placed on the Direct Methods of structure elucidation which are used extensively in this research. PART II is concerned with the study, by X-ray analysis, of five Ylide-type compounds. In an attempt to rationalise the little-studied bonding systems and conformations exhibited by such molecules, the crystal structures of the three first-row ylides N-trimethylamraonio-benzamidate, N-trimethyl-ammonio-nitramidate and (+)-3-diazocamphor, and of the two second-row ylides N-(p-toluenesulphonyl)-iminodimethyl-sulphur(IV) and N-(p-toluenesulphonyl)-iminotriphenyl-phosphorane have been determined. The results of these analyses allow trends in the stability of this class of compound to be examined in relation to the bonding interactions involved, and in the case of second-row ylides, the possible involvement in the bonding of d-orbitals of the second-row element can be examined. The final section of PART II is devoted to comparisons with the structures of other relevant molecules, in an effort to further investigate bonding and conformational trends in this class of chemical compound. Moreover, an interesting correlation is suggested between the bonding interactions involved in ylides and the conformations adopted by these molecules. Accounts of the structure analyses of two terpenoid synthetic intermediates are contained in PART III. A knowledge of the relative stereochemistries of the diol systems in both 2beta-carbomethoxy-5alpha,6alpha-dihydroxy-7,7-dimethyl-tricyclo[6.2 1.01,6] undecane and also the unsubstituted derivative of 2a-carbomethoxy-5beta-chloroacetoxy-7,7-dimethyl-tricyclo[188.8.131.52 1,6] undecan-6beta-ol is essential to a better understanding, in mechanistic terms, of the novel rearrangements of these compounds. The overall similarity of both systems, but yet differing relative stereochemistries, provide an opportunity to study in detail the changes which may result from alterations in the relative stereochemistries of substituents and ring fusions. Interesting features reproduced in both molecules are the long C(sp3)-C(sp3) bonds (ca. 1.59 A) connecting completely substituted, eclipsed sp3 centres, probably the result of the strain inherent in these bonds. Finally, the thesis contains several published papers by the author, two of which are not otherwise included in the contents. Both describe the crystal structure analysis of 5-methoxycarbonylmethylene-2-piperidino-2-thiazolin-4-one, the addition product of N-thiocarbamoylpiperidine and Dimethylacetylenedicarboxylate, a reaction which has caused considerable speculation.


The majority of teacher preparation for culturally and linguistically diverse student populations has focused on the development of beliefs and attitudes of White general education teachers. This leaves much to be understood as to the development of belief systems of teachers with Latinx heritage and how they relate to their students with disabilities. This study applied theories of critical race theory and funds of knowledge to better understand how the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of our teacher candidates were key to fostering the development of their teacher identities. This resulted in the development of the Cultivating Critical Consciousness in Educators Framework (CCCE), a comprehensible framework for understanding the beliefs and practices essential for educators to practice critical consciousness. Findings demonstrate within group diversity of beliefs varying along a continuum of dysconscious to critical consciousness related to systemic racism, ableism, discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender expression, and sociolinguistic issues. Implications for teacher education practice and future research also are shared.


Ictal and interictal epileptiform discharges affect brain functional dynamics, but the issue of how they occur is still under debate. The present study evaluated the brain electrical activity that underlies epileptic seizures by focusing analysis on four electroencephalographic time stages around seizure onset. The dynamics of the functional organization of the brain regions at rest, and then immediately before, during, and after, epileptic seizures in a group of five patients diagnosed with intractable temporal epilepsy was examined. The analysis is based on the probability of connections between different brain regions as determined by partial directed coherence. A probability-based graph is constructed for each stage and then the dynamics of reorganization is described using invariant measures on the basis of the graphs obtained. The functional reorganization of brain connectivity is illustrated for each time period, reflecting their temporal variations. The graph method applied proved to be useful in depicting temporal variations in functional brain connectivity because of ictal disruptions in temporal epilepsy, thus providing the possibility of further evaluation of these changes in individual cases to support medical decisions.


How do people infer the content of another person's mind? One documented strategy-at least when inferring the minds of strangers-entails anchoring on the content of one's own mind and serially adjusting away from this egocentric anchor. Yet, many social inferences concern known others in existing social relationships. In eight experiments with four sets of stimuli, we tested whether an egocentric anchoring-and-adjustment mechanism underlies social inferences about known targets, and whether it varies based on the target's similarity and familiarity to oneself. In Experiments 1-7, participants (Ntotal = 4,790) rated themselves and a known target on various characteristics (e.g., preferences, habits, traits), and response times for the target ratings were recorded. An integrative data analysis revealed that, consistent with egocentric anchoring-and-adjustment, the more discrepant the target ratings were from participants' self ratings, the longer participants took to provide target ratings. Importantly, this pattern of anchoring-and-adjustment was stronger for similar (vs. dissimilar) and familiar (vs. unfamiliar) targets, but it emerged in all experimental conditions. Experiment 8 (N = 549) suggested that these results were unlikely to be explained solely by a memory search process. We discuss implications for anchoring-and-adjustment as a mechanism underlying social inferences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).


During the COVID-19 process, determination-based analytical chemistry studies have had a major place at every stage. Many analytical techniques have been used in both diagnostic studies and drug analysis. Among these, electrochemical sensors are frequently preferred due to their high sensitivity, selectivity, short analysis time, reliability, ease of sample preparation, and low use of organic solvents. For the determination of drugs used in the SARS-CoV-2, such as favipiravir, molnupiravir, ribavirin, etc., electrochemical (nano)sensors are widely used in both pharmaceutical and biological samples. Diagnosis is the most critical step in the management of the disease, and electrochemical sensor tools are widely preferred for this purpose. Diagnostic electrochemical sensor tools can be biosensor-, nano biosensor-, or MIP-based sensors and utilize a wide variety of analytes such as viral proteins, viral RNA, antibodies, etc. This review overviews the sensor applications in SARS-CoV-2 in terms of diagnosis and determination of drugs by evaluating the most recent studies in the literature. In this way, it is aimed to compile the developments so far by shedding light on the most recent studies and giving ideas to researchers for future studies.


Variational approximation, such as mean-field (MF) and tree-reweighted (TRW), provide a computationally efficient approximation of the log-partition function for a generic graphical model. TRW provably provides an upper bound, but the approximation ratio is generally not quantified. As the primary contribution of this work, we provide an approach to quantify the approximation ratio through the property of the underlying graph structure. Specifically, we argue that (a variant of) TRW produces an estimate that is within factor $\frac{1}{\sqrt{\kappa(G)}}$ of the true log-partition function for any discrete pairwise graphical model over graph $G$, where $\kappa(G) \in (0,1]$ captures how far $G$ is from tree structure with $\kappa(G) = 1$ for trees and $2/N$ for the complete graph over $N$ vertices. As a consequence, the approximation ratio is $1$ for trees, $\sqrt{(d+1)/2}$ for any graph with maximum average degree $d$, and $\stackrel{\beta\to\infty}{\approx} 1+1/(2\beta)$ for graphs with girth (shortest cycle) at least $\beta \log N$. In general, $\kappa(G)$ is the solution of a max-min problem associated with $G$ that can be evaluated in polynomial time for any graph. Using samples from the uniform distribution over the spanning trees of G, we provide a near linear-time variant that achieves an approximation ratio equal to the inverse of square-root of minimal (across edges) effective resistance of the graph. We connect our results to the graph partition-based approximation method and thus provide a unified perspective. Keywords: variational inference, log-partition function, spanning tree polytope, minimum effective resistance, min-max spanning tree, local inference


Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common, inherited disorder characterized by the progressive enlargement of fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys and liver. Since the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl--channel may mediate the secretion of Cl--and fluid into the cysts, it is conceivable that coexisting cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients with ADPKD could attenuate their development. We previously reported that two patients with ADPKD coexisting with cystic fibrosis (CF) had a milder cystic phenotype than that of kindred without CFTR mutations. A subsequent report failed to confirm this protective effect. We now have identified another family with coexisting type 1 ADPKD and CF. The kidney volumes and the number and size of renal and hepatic cysts were markedly less in a member of this family with ADPKD (PKD1 mutation C508R) and CF (homozygous DeltaF508 mutation) than in her sister with ADPKD alone at comparable ages.


We study the effective masses of ?-mesons for different charged states in asymmetric nuclear matter (ANM) using the Quantum Hadrodynamics II model. The closed form analytical results are presented for the effective masses of ?-mesons. We have shown that the different charged ?-mesons have mass splitting similar to various charged pions. The effect of the Dirac sea is also examined, and it is found that this effect is very important and leads to a reduction of the different charged ?-meson masses in ANM.


Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) have been successfully applied to various natural language processing (NLP) tasks and achieved better results than conventional methods. However, the lack of understanding of the mechanisms behind their effectiveness limits further improvements on their architectures. In this paper, we present a visual analytics method for understanding and comparing RNN models for NLP tasks. We propose a technique to explain the function of individual hidden state units based on their expected response to input texts. We then co-cluster hidden state units and words based on the expected response and visualize co-clustering results as memory chips and word clouds to provide more structured knowledge on RNNs' hidden states. We also propose a glyph-based sequence visualization based on aggregate information to analyze the behavior of an RNN's hidden state at the sentence-level. The usability and effectiveness of our method are demonstrated through case studies and reviews from domain experts.


Although genetic studies have demonstrated that MDMX is essential to maintain p53 activity at low levels in non-stressed cells, it is unknown whether MDMX regulates p53 activation by DNA damage. We show here that DNA damage-induced p53 induction is associated with rapid down-regulation of the MDMX protein. Significantly, interference with MDMX down-regulation results in the suppression of p53 activation by genotoxic stress. We also demonstrate that DNA damage-induced MDMX reduction is mediated by MDM2, which targets MDMX for proteasomal degradation by a distinct mechanism that permits preferential MDMX degradation and therefore ensures optimal p53 activation.


In this paper, we show how new training principles and optimization techniques for neural networks can be used for different network structures. In particular, we revisit the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), which explicitly models the Markovian dynamics of a set of observations through a non-linear function with a much larger hidden state space than traditional sequence models such as an HMM. We apply pretraining principles used for Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) and second-order optimization techniques to train an RNN. Moreover, we explore its application in the Aurora2 speech recognition task under mismatched noise conditions using a Tandem approach. We observe top performance on clean speech, and under high noise conditions, compared to multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs) and DNNs, with the added benefit of being a "deeper" model than an MLP but more compact than a DNN.


The cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP101B1 and CYP101C1, which are from the bacterium Novosphingobium aromaticivorans DSM12444, can hydroxylate norisoprenoids with high activity and selectivity. With the goal of expanding and establishing their substrate range with a view to developing applications, the oxidation of a selection of cyclic alkanes, ketones and alcohols was investigated. Cycloalkanes were oxidised, but both enzymes displayed moderate binding affinity and low levels of productive activity. We improved the binding and activity of these substrates with CYP101B1 by making the active site more hydrophobic by switching a histidine residue to a phenylalanine (H85F). The presence of a ketone moiety in the cycloalkane skeleton significantly improved the oxidation activity with both enzymes. CYP101C1 preferably catalysed the oxidation of cycloalkanones at the C-2 position whereas CYP101B1 oxidised these substrates with higher productivity and at positions remote from the carbonyl group. This demonstrates that the binding orientation of the cyclic ketones in the active site of each enzyme must be different. Linear ketones were also oxidised by both enzymes but with lower activity and selectivity. Cyclic substrates with an ester directing group were more efficiently oxidised by CYP101B1 than CYP101C1. Both enzymes catalysed oxidation of these esters with high regioselectively on the ring system remote from the ester directing group. CYP101C1 selectively oxidised certain terpenoid ester substrates, such as α-terpinyl and citronellyl acetate more effectively than CYP101B1. Overall, we establish that the high selectivity and activity of these enzymes could provide new biocatalytic routes to important fine chemicals.


Directional coarsening in Ni–base superalloys is investigated by means of an analytical approach, focusing on the prediction of the rafting direction. Closed–form results for the prediction of the rafting direction are derived using the assumption of elastic material behaviour in matrix and precipitate; no restrictions are placed on particle shape, particle interactions and the elastic constants of the two phases other than the requirement of cubic symmetry. An appropriate representation of Eshelby's force on an interface is derived and the concept of a load–equivalent eigenstrain is developed. With these requisites, the symmetry of the system allows for the identification of simple criteria for the prediction of the rafting direction. Morphology maps are presented as dimensionless load and elastic mismatch parameter diagrams for the two– and three–dimensional case. In these diagrams, two curves separate regions of different expected rafting directions. The results confirm and extend those previously found under various restrictions. Specifically, the role of the volume fraction of the γ–phase is assessed; one of the two direction reversal curves is found to be independent of the volume fraction.


In this study, the human umbilical vein endothelial cell model was used to study the regulating effect of lipophilic components in Salvia miltiorrhiza on angiogenesis, and explore its possible mechanism. The cell model was established to determine the effect of lipophilic components in S. miltiorrhiza on the proliferative activity and migration capacity of endothelial cells. Then the realtime fluorescence quantification PCR technology was applied to detect the changes in the gene expressions of angiogenesis-related cytokines VEGF-A, VEGF-C and MMP-9. The results showed that 5 mg x L(-1) lipophilic components in S. miltiorrhiza could inhibit the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells, and reduce the expression of VEGF-A and MMP-9 genes. It indicated that lipophilic components in S. miltiorrhiza may inhibit the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells by inhibiting the expression of VEGF-A and MMP-9 genes, so as to show the inhibitory effect on angiogenesis.