The first excited state of molecular oxygen is singlet-state oxygen (1O2), formed by indirect photochemistry of chromophoric organic matter. To determine whether 1O2 can be a competitive atmospheric oxidant, we must first quantify its production in organic aerosols (OA). Here, we report the spatiotemporal distribution of 1O2 over a 1-year dataset of PM10 extracts at two locations in Switzerland, representing a rural and suburban site. Using a chemical probe technique, we measured 1O2 steady-state concentrations with a seasonality over an order of magnitude peaking in wintertime at 4.59 ± 0.01 × 10-13 M and with a quantum yield of up to 2%. Next, we identified biomass burning and anthropogenic secondary OA (SOA) as the drivers for 1O2 formation in the PM10 aqueous extracts using source apportionment data. Importantly, the quantity, the amount of brown carbon present in PM10, and the quality, the chemical composition of the brown carbon present, influence the concentration of 1O2 sensitized in each extract. Anthropogenic SOA in the extracts were 4 times more efficient in sensitizing 1O2 than primary biomass burning aerosols. Last, we developed an empirical fit to estimate 1O2 concentrations based on PM10 components, unlocking the ability to estimate 1O2 from existing source apportionment data. Overall, 1O2 is likely a competitive photo-oxidant in PM10 since 1O2 is sensitized by ubiquitous biomass burning OA and anthropogenic SOA.


Loss of function mutation of the epigenetic modulator ARID1A, a component of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, occurs in a number of cancers most notably ovarian. ARID1A is mutated in up to 60% and 30% of clear cell and endometrioid ovarian cancers, respectively. However, there currently is no effective therapy that targets ARID1A-deficient human cancers. Here we show ARID1A-deficient ovarian cancer cells are selectively sensitive to inhibition of EZH29s methyltransferase activity. EZH2 is the catalytic subunit of the polycomb repressor complex 2, which represses gene expression by generating tri-methylation epigenetic mark on lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27Me3). Utilizing a library of small molecules against epigenetic targets, we identified an EZH2 small molecule inhibitor that selectively inhibited the growth of ARID1A-deficient ovarian cancer cells, while exhibiting no effects in ARID1A wild-type cells. Genome-wide gene expression profile revealed that there is significant overlap of genes altered by ARID1A restoration and EZH2 methyltransferase inhibition. Specifically, the tumor suppressor and inhibitor of PI3K/AKT signaling, PIK3IP1, is regulated by both ARID1A and EZH2. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed the occupancy of ARID1A and EZH2 at the PIK3IP1 promoter. In an intraperitoneal (IP) xenograft mouse model, EZH2 inhibitor GSK126 treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the number of IP tumor nodules. Moreover, in an independent orthotopic intra-bursal xenograft model using ARID1A wildtype and deficient cells, the EZH2 inhibitor GSK126 only suppressed the growth of ARID1A-deficient tumors. Notably, the observed effects correlated with a decrease in expression of H3K27Me3, pAKT and Ki67, a cell proliferation marker, and an increase in PIK3IP1. These data indicate loss of ARID1A and gain of EZH2 could act in epigenetic concert to promote cancer phenotypes. Taken together, these findings imply that inhibition of the methyltransferase EZH2 represents a novel therapeutic strategy for ARID1A-deficient cancers. Citation Format: Benjamin Bitler, Azat Garipov, Ie Ming Shih, Rugang Zhang. Targeting EZH2 methyltransferase activity: A novel therapeutic approach to ARID1A-deficient cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Sep 24-27, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B30.


This paper explores how the social relations embedded in varied gaming spaces affect players' online gaming experiences, and how gender comes into play in such spatial experiences. Three major sites of online gaming in Taiwan are examined: (1) home as a space of domestic surveillance and discipline; (2) NetCafé as a stigmatized public leisure space; and (3) the student dormitory as gender-segregated space. The results show that social interactions in both virtual and physical spaces are of central importance for the enjoyment of online gamers. Compared with their male counterparts, girls are subjected to more restricted regulations and fewer chances of visiting NetCafé with friends. The size of the playing circle also affects the game playing culture in gender-segregated student dormitories. Bigger circles of players could form peer pressure on non-players, whereas smaller circles usually means fewer resources and lonelier experience.


Perceived in their ideal forms, rationalisation and magic might seem to oppose one another. In this paper, however, rather than placing these forces in sterile opposition, we instead explore the social and relational dynamics through which rationalisation-the dominant epistemological force of modernity-in certain cases provides the conditions of doubt, opacity, and unknowability that makes magical thinking manifest in the everyday mundane. We explore such theoretical suggestions through ethnographic research conducted in Orkney and Cyprus. By examining connections between rationalisation and magic as these historically unfolded in these two different island settings, we initially provide a depiction of how the project of rationalisation led to the decline of magic in our two fieldsites. Then, focusing on everyday manifestations of magical thinking, we nevertheless proceed to showcase how rationalisation and magic appear to sustain one other through an unresolved, generative tenson, emergent of the incapacity of the former to fully sublate the latter in its requirement to "know" the world. The trajectory of rationalisation means that there is nothing unknowable in the world, and yet, from the position of any given person, there is no knowable whole. It remains out of reach. We conclude by discussing how the tensions inherent in the relation between rationalisation and magic allow for further theorising about the dimension of unknowing that permeates contemporary public epistemologies and subjectivities.


Magnetic levitation system travels with a constant gap. High resolution and low noise sensor system is key factor for stable levitation control. However, power source and current controller have noise component that cause the vibration and levitation failure. In this paper, four digital filters are applied for gap sensor noise reduction. Levitation simulation results with each filter are compared to evaluate the noise reduction performance. MATLAB/Simulink software is used to analyze the levitation stability and system modeling.


This is a review of adherence determinants in bipolar disorder based on published prospective studies. Patient, treatment, and systems‐level adherence determinants are summarized. The review concludes with recommendations on approaches that may minimize nonadherence. MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and the Cochrane Database were searched using key terms of adherence, compliance, or persistence, combined with terms of bipolar disorder, bipolar depression, or mania. Publications were filtered for randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Due to low yields of RCTs, we additionally included prospective nonrandomized clinical and epidemiologic studies, and prospective studies of severe mental illness that had a focus on adherence as an outcome and reported data separately for bipolar disorder. A targeted review of the broader bipolar literature provided background for concluding remarks. Twenty‐two publications were identified describing RCTs with a specific population of bipolar disorder and a measure of adherence. Additional prospective nonrandomized studies were also identified. Studies identified three major categories of factors important to adherence: patient, treatment, and systems‐associated factors. Patient factors include selected demographic features, symptom severity and phase of illness, presence of past suicide attempts, psychiatric comorbidity, illness and treatment duration, and relationship with providers. Treatment factors include type and intensity of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Systems‐level factors include differential levels of care access and costs. There is an overall lack of RCTs, and few prospective studies, on patient and systems‐related determinants of adherence. Treatment‐related determinants of adherence have the most evidence to date; however, would benefit from larger studies with diverse populations. Careful assessment of treatment adherence (including partial adherence) should be included in all prospective bipolar treatment studies, and studies should be conducted to prospectively evaluate interventions to minimize nonadherence.


Abstract. The characterization of oxygenated organic compounds in urban areas remains a pivotal gap in our understanding of the evolution of organic carbon under polluted environments, as the atmospheric processes involving interactions between organics and inorganics, anthropogenic pollutants and natural emissions lead to formation of various and complex secondary products. Here, we describe measurements of an iodide chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer installed with a Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO-I-CIMS) in both gas-phase and particle-phase at an urban site in Guangzhou, a typical mega-city in southern China, during the autumn of 2018. Abundant oxygenated organic compounds containing 2~5 oxygen atoms were observed, including organic acids, multi-functional organics typically emitted form biomass burning, oxidation products of biogenic hydrocarbons and aromatics. Photochemistry played dominant roles in the formation of gaseous organic acids and isoprene-derived organic nitrates, while nighttime chemistry contributed significantly to the formation monoterpene-derived organic nitrates and inorganics. Nitrogen-containing organic compounds occupied a significant fraction of the total signal in both gas and particle phases, with elevated fractions at higher molecular weights. Measurements of organic compounds in particle phase by FIGAERO-I-CIMS explained 24 % of the total organic aerosol mass measured by aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), and the fraction increased for more aged organic aerosol. The systematically interpretation of mass spectra of the FIGAERO-I-CIMS in urban of Guangzhou provides a holistic view of numerous oxygenated organic compounds in the urban atmosphere, which can serve as a reference for the future field measurements by FIGAERO-I-CIMS in polluted urban regions.


This article gives an update on nigrostriatal dopamine terminal imaging, with emphasis on SPECT performed with the presynaptic dopamine transporter (DAT) ligand 123I-FP-CIT. The paper covers the rational use of this technique in the diagnostic work-up of patients with known or suspected parkinsonian syndromes. In detail, it addresses the impact of the method for the proof or exclusion of neurodegenerative parkinsonism, for its early and preclinical diagnosis, and for the evaluation of disease progression. The importance of normal DAT binding for differentiating symptomatic parkinsonism and relevant tremor syndromes from neurodegeneration is highlighted. Particularly emphasized is the role of DAT SPECT for diagnosing Lewy body dementia and its separation from Alzheimer dementia. Finally, some remarks deal with the economic aspects of the use of these imaging techniques in the clinical setting.


Background: Unexpected difficult intubation presents a major cause of perioperative morbidity and mortality and therefore it poses a considerable challenge to anesthesiologists. To overcome such unexpected events, attempts are made to identify patients at risk and thus enable a better outcome. Difficult intubation has been shown to be more frequent in ear, nose and throat (ENT) patients than in general surgery patients due to the underlying pathology of the airway, which is often a region of interest for both, anesthesiolo gist and ENT surgeon. Methods: In this prospective study we included 70 patients that underwent elective surgery in general anesthesia at ENT surgery department. Before induction of anesthesia, we estimated the proportions of oral structures with Mallampati classification, mouth opening distance and thy romental distance. At laryngoscopy we assessed laryngeal view with Cormack-Lehane (CL) score, measured the duration of intubation, described special features and graded difficulty of intubation.


A major thrust fault, here called the Inyo thrust fault, appears to extend under the northern Inyo and southern White Mountains. The allochthon consists of late Precambrian to Late Ordovician rock near exposures of the thrust fault, but elsewhere rock as young as Pennsylvanian or Permian is exposed. Mississippian rock generally underlies the fault. Chert in the allochthon shows no trace of original structure within many tens of feet of the fault surface, but carbonate rock overlying the fault shows only a thin zone of brecciation and shearing. Overturned folds in the region and offset of Mississippian facies suggest cast-ward movement of the allochthon which contains continuous stratigraphic units for 17 mi across and 55 mi along the mountains. It appears, therefore, that at least an 800-sq-mi block in the northern Inyo and southern White Mountains has moved a minimum of 17 mi eastward along the Inyo thrust fault. The Last Chance allochthon to the east may have been derived from the Inyo–White Mountains allochthon and parts of it may have travelled an additional 20 mi or more eastward. The Harkless Flat allochthon, now preserved on the western flank of the Inyo Mountains, probably has travelled 5 or 6 mi westward from place of origin in the Inyo–White Mountains allochthon. Movement of the Inyo–White Mountains and Last Chance allochthons, and probably the Harkless Flat allochthon, ceased before Middle Jurassic and probably prior to Early Jurassic, as plutons at least 165 m.y. old have not been offset by the thrust faults. These folds and thrust faults in the Inyo and White Mountains form part of a probable Triassic tectonic belt postulated by Burchfiel and others (1970) to extend from southeastern California to Idaho.


This article assesses the health implications of emerging patterns in the organization of work time. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, we examine general mental and physical health (SF-12 scores), psychological distress (CESD score), clinical levels of obesity, and the presence of medical conditions, at age 40. Overall, we find that health varies more across work hours than across types of shifts, and part-time workers report worse physical and emotional health than full-time workers. However, controlling for individual, family and job characteristics explains the poorer health observed among part-time workers. Those who are satisfied with their jobs, have more education, or have an employed spouse, report better health, while women and those with a prior health limitation report worse health. After taking these factors into account, we find a curvilinear relationship between work hours and health, with those working between 40 and 59 hours per week reporting worse mental and physical health than those working 40 hours per week. We also find that obesity differs from current health problems in its relationship to work time. Those who work part-time or fixed-hour schedules are less likely to be obese, suggesting that long-term health risks operating through obesity, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, are affected by time availability.


The provisioning of very high bandwidth wireless services requires the use of architectures based on distributed antenna systems (DAS), which will be typically supported by an optical fibre infrastructure. In this context, the convergence between both wired and wireless worlds is a strong trend that may bring several benefits in terms of CAPEX and OPEX savings. It is therefore desirable to verify the suitability of next generation optical access networks to support wireless architectures based on DAS. The use of different types of multiplexing, along with the utilization of coherent transmission techniques, is being introduced on access, and also on metro-access networks, and this brings significant differences when compared to the networks being installed nowadays. Therefore, the aim of this work is to address and evaluate the support of DAS with these new access infrastructures, exploring their increased capacity and flexibility.


As school districts increasingly encounter financial constraints and public demands for improved performance, some turn to private management. This paper summarizes the outcomes of private management in four school districts across the United States. Each case was unique. In Dade County (Florida), Education Alternatives, Inc. (EAI), was responsible only for the implementation of a new instructional program in one school; in Hartford (Connecticut) and Baltimore (Maryland), EAI had much broader management authority over a larger number of schools; and in Minneapolis (Minnesota), the president of Public Strategies Group managed the superintendency but not individual schools. The paper discusses common themes of the case studies and lessons learned from them. First, because of intense controversy surrounding private management, successful implementation requires a strong coalition of community support. Second, both parties need to clearly specify their expectations of each other in the contract. And finally, both parties should reach an agreement about how evaluation will be accomplished and how success will be defined. (LMI) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************


The aim of this study is to show whether the cinema industry and therefore the movies produced, lost value compared to the TV series during the last global pandemic period between 2019-2021. This study also expresses the position of movie theaters and their revenues against television and internet broadcasts in the coming years. The availability of television and today's internet platforms significantly facilitates access to various movies or series for a large number of viewers. In this case, does it mean that the movie-watching habits of the audience have now largely shifted from public spaces to private spaces via the internet and will continue to do so in the long run? From this point of view, it presents that the restrictions imposed on public spaces due to such epidemics at a time when movie theaters in public spaces are clearly defeated by private spaces will rapidly reduce the interest in cinemas in the following years. Due to these restrictions, in addition to the economic difficulties to be experienced in the cinema as global decrease of 72% in movie audiences is mentioned in this period. It is clearly seen that it will continue to progress in the coming years due to such pandemics, which are expected to exist in our lives for a long time with its derivatives, by causing an inevitable change in the movie-watching habits of the audience, and it will progress at much lower levels at cinemas than it was before the pandemic.


This article proposes that the postwar National Science Foundation (NSF) debate constituted a critical, transitional episode in American social science and partisan politics. I show that by responding to powerful conservative critics in the scientific and political communities, the Social Science Research Council's (SSRC's) leading scholars (re)asserted a contested scientistic strategy-to advance the social sciences by following the natural sciences. Further, I reconstruct a wider and longer framework of analysis in order to recover central challenges to the scientistic strategy raised by prominent liberal scholars who rejected the associated commitments to value neutrality and disinterested professionalism. In developing this framework for understanding the contrasting fortunes of each strategy, this article argues that the NSF debate has a deep historical significance-for the social sciences, for American liberalism, and for the nation.


Mannitol, a sugar alcohol used in commercial food products, induced sex-specific mortality in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster when ingested at a single concentration (1M), and female mortality was greater than male mortality. We hypothesized that sex differences in energy needs, related to reproductive costs, contribute to increased mortality in females compared to males. To test for the effects of reproductive costs, we compared longevity to 21 days of actively mating and non-mating flies fed various concentrations of mannitol. We also asked whether mannitol-induced mortality was concentration-dependent for both males and females, and if mannitol's sex-specific effects were consistent across concentrations. Females and males both showed concentration-dependent increases in mortality, but female mortality was consistently higher at all concentrations above 0.75M. Fly longevity to 21 days decreased further for both sexes when housed in mixed sex vials (as compared to single sex vials), suggesting the increased energetic demands of reproduction for both sexes may increase ingestion of mannitol. Mannitol fed to larvae did not alter emerging adult sex ratios, suggesting that sex-specific mortality due to mannitol occurs only in adults.


Authors submitting manuscripts to the Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education, JAESE, need to be aware that each submission that judged as potentially viable for JAESE is electronically checked for plagiarism before being reviewed by at least two peer reviewers. Each peer reviewer is instructed to provide a formative assessment of the article and a confidential summative recommendation to the Editor. The five specific criteria the Editor and Peer Reviewers use for evaluating manuscripts are the extent to which each submitted manuscript: (i) makes an important contribution to the discipline;  (ii) has a clearly stated research question that is adequately motivated by the existing scholarly literature base; (iii) has study methods and participants tightly and appropriately aligned with the research question; (iv) presents evidence that clearly supports the conclusions forwarded; and (v) has an accessible writing style, grammar, syntax and voice for a wide audience of scholarly readers.


Kinetic, dynamic, and metabolic data can be used to predict the appropriate studies, doses, duration, route of administration, species, and dosage interval in toxicology studies coordinated with drug development. These data are used to predict starting and maximal doses in human studies, and when evaluated in conjunction with the data obtained in human pharmacokinetic studies, serve as an index for animal to human comparisons and extrapolations. The optimal use of kinetic and dynamic information in standard pharmacologic and toxicologic studies will be presented. Reference will be made to problems encountered in the absence of these data and protocol development advantages where these data are incorporated. Developmental of pharmaceuticals, without incorporating kinetic and dynamic information, is currently associated with more costly, more time consuming, less utilizable knowledge and subsequent studies are often needed to explain anomalous results.


Seawater is an aggressive environment which causes the necessity of using corrosion protection of hulls of ships. Cathodic protection is an effective prevention method which has been applied in this area for many years. In this method, potential of the ship's hull is reduced by using galvanic anodes (so-called protectors), which are additionally exposed to cavitation erosion. Results of cavitation erosion resistance investigation of alloys commonly used in cathodic protection of hulls of ships, are presented in this paper. The tests were carried out on the three, most often applied materials which are zinc, aluminium and magnesium alloys. The investigated samples were subjected to cavitation conditions in a jet-impact laboratory stand. Destruction mechanism of the surface layer affected by working liquid was described. The highest cavitational erosion resistance among all studied alloys was exhibited by AlMg alloy.


Aim: This study aimed to investigate useful prognostic factors of immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively observed 73 patients who underwent immunotherapy (nivolumab, pembrolizumab, and atezolizumab) for lung cancer. The systemic inflammatory score (SIS) was calculated as the sum of the following factors scored one point each: Hemoglobin <12.5 g/dl and serum albumin <3.6 g/dl, resulting in scores of 0-2. We examined the correlation between the SIS and initial tumor response and progression-free and overall survival with other existing markers, namely tumor programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression level; neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR); modified Glasgow prognostic score; and prognostic nutritional index, etc. Results: SIS ≤1 was significantly associated with better initial tumor response. In multivariate analysis, PD-L1 expression ≥50% (p=0.010), SIS ≤1 (p=0.028) and NLR <5.6 (p=0.047) were significantly associated with longer progression-free survival, and SIS ≤1 (p=0.030) and NLR <5.6 (p=0.037) were associated with longer overall survival. Conclusion: SIS is a useful marker of the efficacy of immunotherapy that can be obtained via routine blood tests.


In this chapter, the Ferroelectric, Piezoelectric and Dielectric behavior of novel polymer/ceramic nano-composite (PCC) based on ferroelectric polymer [polyvinyledene fluoride (PVDF)] & nano Barium Titanate (n-BaTiO3) with different volume fractions of n-BaTiO3 (fBaTiO3), prepared through the novel cold pressing method has been discussed. The ferroelectric parameters of PCC are attributed to spherulites of PVDF, the increase of n-BaTiO3 and the ordered homogenous structure due to the novel cold pressing. The clustering of ceramic fillers is responsible for randomization of the structures of these composite ferroelectrics for some samples, leading to decrease of electrical polarisations. The piezoelectricity and piezoelectric coefficients of these composites ferroelectrics, increases with increase of ceramic filer content and remains constant beyond a certain ratio. However, the dielectric properties increase linearly as a function of ceramic content due to increase of interfaces/interfacial polarisations. The enhancement of effective dielectric constant (ɛeff) is attributed to the large interfacial polarization arising due to the charge storage at the spherulites of PVDF and at the polymer/filler interfaces of PCC and have been explained on the basis of sum effect with the help of the standard models. The achieved lower loss tangent (Tan δ) for the PCC as compared to the polymer/metal composites (PMC) is attributed to the highly insulating nature of PVDF & semiconducting n-BaTiO3. The thermal stability of the composites is also maintained due to the higher melting temperature (170°C) of PVDF. The cold pressed PCC based on PVDF are going to act as better polymer ferroelectric/dielectrics for memory and electrical energy storage applications.


Abstract Rationale: Rice bodies are usually found in several nonspecific chronic inflammatory diseases that are symptomatically dominated by primary disease and local compression symptoms. Rice bodies are usually detected by magnetic resonance imaging; however, some remote areas and areas with poor economic conditions do not have access to magnetic resonance imaging examination, which leads to delayed diagnosis of the disease. Patient concerns: We report the case of a 62-year-old man with pain in the metacarpophalangeal joint of his right middle finger and limited flexion activity of his middle finger. Diagnoses: The mass was 1 cm, well-circumscribed, soft, and painless. Ultrasound showed stenosing tenosynovitis with rice body formation. Interventions: The patient underwent tenosynovectomy with synovectomy of the right middle finger tendon sheath under plexus block anesthesia. Outcomes: No postoperative complications were noted. A 6-month follow-up showed no recurrence. The activity of the patient's middle finger improved significantly. Lessons: Stenosing tenosynovitis with rice body formation is a very rare condition, and we use ultrasound for diagnosis. Ultrasound is convenient, rapid, inexpensive, and can obtain blood flow information, facilitate disease follow-up, and even allow ultrasound localization in advance for guided needle biopsy.


The electrochemical behavior of Eriochrome Red B (ERB) using square wave voltammetry (SWV) with three electrodes cell was studied. The cell consists of working electrodes, either graphite electrode (GE) or Poly ERB-graphite electrode (poly ERB – GE), auxiliary electrode (2mm pt wire) and reference electrode (Ag/AgCl . sat.KCl). The ERB gives two reduction peaks at GE and Poly ERBGE, one at -0.194 V, second at 0.068 V for GE and at -0.561V, 0.203 V for Poly ERB-GE. The effect of pH on the reduction peaks of ERB at the two electrodes (GE and poly ERB-GE ) was studied.


Annotation . Purpose: To identify the most frequently used coaches and athletes in bodybuilding principles that can help to reduce the injuries of athletes while maintaining the progressivity results. Material : a survey participated 86 coaches and 120 athletes, bodybuilders from 5 to 8 years. Results : It was found that most of the coaches used in the course of employment principles generally accepted system of training. In such circumstances, the risk of injury to athletes is large enough. When using pre-exhaustion principle to increase the intensity of the training process increases the risk of overloading the body athletes. Conclusions : Athletes with a longer training experience (about 8 years), more likely to use the principle of prior exhaustion. In this case athletes try using this principle to reduce the operating parameters of volume load. This helps to reduce the level of injury and maintain positive dynamics performance.


Numerous diseases are induced by free radicals via lipid peroxidation, protein peroxidation and DNA damage. It has been known that a variety of plant extracts have antioxidant activity to scavenge free radicals. Campomanesia adamantium (Myrtaceae) is a small tree with edible fruit, commonly known as "guavira" or "guabiroba-branca" that has been used in popular medicine as depurative anti-diarrhoeic, anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic and to liver diseases. In this study, the antiradical activities of ethanol crude extract of the leaves from C. adamantium and the ethyl acetate and butanol fractions obtained by partition, were determined using DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical) and ORAC-FL (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) assays. The total phenol content in the samples was estimated by Folin Ciocalteau method (FCR). In an initial evaluation the ethanolic extract and the fractions ethyl acetate and butanol have shown levels of phenolic compounds between 15- 74 mg GAE/g in FCR assay, showed DPPH free-radical scavenging activity with SC50 in the range of 7.77-13.35 μg/mL and demonstrated antioxidant capacity between 2648-3502 μmol TE/g of extract and fractions in the ORAC-FL assay. HPLC-DAD and ESIMS analysis revealed were that the extract of the leaves of C. adamantium studied appears to contain flavonoids as major constituents, including isoquercetrin and quercetin that exhibit proven antioxidant activity.


Objectives
This paper seeks to improve the treatment of the agriculture sector in GTAP. It will incorporate into GTAP an agricultural production technology consistent to the maximum degree practicable with that currently employed in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Policy Evaluation Matrix (PEM) model.

Policy reform simulations in a sector as complex as agriculture often require a variety of different models. Consistency between the different approaches is important. The assumptions about economic behavior should be transparent and similar in spirit across the different models. The focus of this paper will be on the way OECD agricultural policies are represented in GTAP. This is important to preserve consistency relative to existing PEM analysis, in particular with respect to the issue of decoupling.

Approach
The most important concern is the modeling of land allocation and the influence of policy on those decisions. The base version of GTAP represents land allocation in a nested constant elasticity of transformation (CET) structure similar to, but not as detailed as in PEM. PEM distinguishes different types of land and –this allows for detailed representation of land-based policies. In this paper, GTAP is modified to include a three level CET land use structure. The differentiation between different land types according to the crop being farmed and demand for pasture land also implies a supply response that may not always be in line with the supply response generated by a standard GTAP model. The newly developed land allocation system is calibrated to land supply elasticities from the same literature survey (OECD 2001) used to calibrate the PEM model.

In the standard GTAP model there is no specificity for agricultural capital or labor. This assumption is defensible for analyses where the assumed adjustment horizon is sufficiently long term. However, for the short/medium term adjustment horizon usually adopted for OECD simulations, it is necessary to modify GTAP in order to recognize that these factors are to some degree sector specific and adjustments are therefore "sluggish".

A common assumption in CGE models, including GTAP, is that intermediate inputs are combined with primary factors in fixed proportions. In PEM, all purchased inputs are assumed substitutable and used in variable proportions with primary factors depending on relative prices. Hertel and Keeney (2003) have modified GTAP to represent this kind of factor substitution, incorporating PEM substitution elasticities in the model. This approach will be adopted for this paper.

Preliminary Findings
This study should result in a more realistic modeling of the agricultural sector in GTAP. In particular, this study should find that, based on the literature survey, agricultural supply response is more inelastic for specific land using activities than in the standard GTAP model. For example, land used in rice is much less substitutable than land used in wheat production. For an equivalent policy shock, supply response between crops will be more inelastic, and changes in crop prices will be more pronounced. In summary, aggregate supply response for land using sectors (principally agriculture) will be more inelastic (more sector specificity for land use), and rental rate differences will be more pronounced (with implications for welfare distribution).

Hertel, T and Keeney, R. (2003) "Assessing the Impact of WTO Reforms on World Agricultural Markets: A New Approach"

OECD (2001), "Market Effects of Crop Support Measures"


This thesis explores the high art versus low culture dichotomy regarding a specific form of folk-derived music. Through examining three particular artists at the forefront of the "New Weird America" movement, this thesis aims to analyse their levels of authenticity through their commercial relationship with the Culture Industry, their use of technology within their music and how it mediates the artist's connection with their audience and lastly, exploring the idea of authorship and who holds creative control over the music. This thesis aims to uncover the difficulty with the labelling of this contemporary music as it incorporates elements of high and low forms of art and whether their music is authentic or not.

It is clear from studying this topic that no final declaration may be taken as absolute; there will always be an inconclusive argument when considering the placing of contemporary genres of music within either a high or low culture category.

This thesis aims to cover these points by applying Theodor Adorno's concepts regarding the inauthenticity of "popular" music and how it is used as a device to blind the mass population from rebelling against the monotony of their day-to-day lives and the regime constructed to keep them trapped inside the banal cycle of endlessly consuming and producing. By employing the theoretical approach of Adorno's fellow Frankfurt School thinker, Walter Benjamin, more accessible forms of art may be defended as credible. By utilizing Benjamin"s works regarding the technological replication of high art, it may be proven that despite this contemporary form of art being more easily accessible than classical art, it can still be regarded as sincere, authentic and requires its audience to become active in order to fully comprehend its narrative.


The authors present their experience in the investigation of arterial circulation by continuous and pulsed Doppler. The results obtained by Doppler's method were correlated with other noninvesive methods and arteriography. Arteriographic findings were scored by Bollinger method. A statistically significant difference of the flow and systolic pressure values was found between angiographically normal subjects and those with single and multiple lesions. The authors conclude that ankle flow and systolic index measurements, obtained by Doppler technique, are influenced by the degree, extensiveness and localisation of arteriosclerotic lesions on the lower limb arteries. The method was successfully applied in the control of the effects of medicamentous and surgical therapy.


Metabolic syndrome (MetS) consists of a constellation of factors that raise the risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) especially in elderly women. Owing to the complex
pathophysiology and phenotypic expressions of MetS, diet is crucial as it is able to positively and simultaneously influence almost all components of the syndrome. As a
plant-derived estrogen, soy can be useful in preventing CVD. Thus, this study was undertaken to determine the effects of roasted soy-nut and textured soy protein (TSP)
 on anthropometric measurements, blood pressure (BP), lipid profile and markers of glucose intolerance, as well as inflammatory and oxidative stress of elderly women
aged 60-70 years with MetS in Babol, Iran.
This study involved a 12-week Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT). A total of 75 elderly women with MetS, who met the selection criteria, were randomized into three groups,
namely, roasted soy-nut (n=25), TSP (n=25) and control (n=25) groups. During the intervention period, the treatment groups consumed 35gm of roasted soy-nut or TSP ona daily basis. All the participants completed the entire study. Both the roasted soy-nut and TSP were well tolerated. Meanwhile, only five participants complained of feeling bloated when they consumed TSP.
Anthropometric measurements, which included weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Hip Circumference (HC), Triceps Skin Fold (TSF) thickness,
Blood Pressure (BP), physical activity level and dietary intake, were measured at baseline and also every month during the intervention period. The metabolic biomarkers, which included lipid profiles [Triglyceride (TG), Total Cholesterol (TC),High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C), Very Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (VLDL-C)], Apolipoprotein AI(Apo AI), Apolipoprotein B100 (Apo B100), glucose intolerance markers [Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, TG/HDL-C], inflammatory and prothrombotic markers [C-Reactive Protein (CRP), fibrinogen], oxidative stress markers [Malondialdehide (MDA), Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC)] and serum isoflavone daidzein, were measured at baseline and also at the end of the study. In
addition, demographic information was collected at baseline through a face -to -face interview.
There were no significant differences in the demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, BP and metabolic biomarkers of the participants atbaseline. Due to the inclusion of 35-gm/day roasted soy-nut, the value of TSF increased significantly comared to the control group. Other anthropometric variables showed no significant changes in the treatment and control groups.
After intervention, the roasted soy-nut showed significantly improved LDL-C, VLDLC and Apo B100 (p<0.05), while those on TSP showed slight significant improvement,
compared to the mean changes from the baseline (p<0.001). Similar result was found for Apo AI in both groups (p<0.01). In other words, the value of the change for AI in
the treatment groups was significantly greater than that of the control group. Meanwhile, serum TC was significantly decreased in the treatment groups as compared with the control group (p<0.001).
Similarly, the consumption of the roasted soy-nut significantly improved FBG, insulin and HOMA-IR after the intervention (p<0.05), while the consumption of TSP showed a significant decrease only in serum insulin as compared to that of the control group (p<0.05). There were also significant differences in the mean changes of FBG, insulin, HOMA-IR and TG/HDL-C ratio in the treatment groups compared to the control group (p<0.001). The results also revealed that after consuming roasted soy-nut and TSP, the
value of MDA was significantly lower, whereas more TAC was detected in the roasted soy-nut (p<0.001) and the TSP (p<0.01) groups compared to those of the control group.
The comparison of the two treatment groups showed that the mean changes for FBG, insulin and HOMA-IR levels in the roasted soy-nut group were significantly higher than that of the TSP group (p<0.01), while the differences between the two groups were not significant for the lipid profiles and oxidative stress markers. Similarly, the differences in TG, HDL-C, fibrinogen, CRP and BP compared to the control group were also not significant.
In conclusion, short-term intakes of roasted soy-nut and TSP have shown to improve the lipid profiles, markers of glucose intolerance and oxidative stress, although the
roasted soy-nut contributed more effective than the TSP. Therefore, a moderate daily intake of roasted soy-nut as snacks or TSP as a meal complement may be a safe and a
practical modality to reduce or prevent MetS complications among high risk individuals, especially elderly women.


This volume deals with the encounter of early Christianity with Hellenistic culture, particularly with the question of ancient rhetorical influence on the First Letter of Clement. It contains reprints of two classical studies by A. von Harnack and W. Jaeger, which were seminal for the understanding of the letter against a Hellenistic background. Furthermore, it makes available in English an important essay of the Dutch scholar W.C. van Unnik on the literary and rhetorical genre of First Clement (genos symbouleutikon). The editors also present two studies: Breytenbach describes the Hellenistic background of Clement's use of metaphorical language and Wellborn questions the traditional dating of First Clement on the basis of an analysis of the rhetorical situation.


Due to their immunomodulatory and chemotactic properties, hMSC are being explored to treat immune-related diseases. For their use in human therapies, it is necessary to culture hMSC in xeno-free conditions. In this study, the impact that a xeno-free medium based on a human plasma derivate has on these properties was analysed. Bone marrow-derived hMSC preserved their immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory properties, as observed with in vitro assays with hMSC cocultured with mixed leukocyte reactions or with mitogen-stimulated leukocytes. Moreover, hMSC expanded in xeno-free medium were recruited by macrophages in both migration and invasion assays, which indicates that the cells maintained their chemotactic properties. These data suggest that xeno-free expanded hMSC preserved their immunomodulatory and chemotactic properties, indicating that the described xeno-free medium composition is a potential candidate to culture and expand hMSC for human cell therapies.


(Note. A similar problem to this was attacked by Mr. R. L. Goodstein in M.G., Vol. XXIII, pp. 205, 206, Note 1363. He considers the case of n objects and n holes in which they can be put. He shows that the number of arrangements in which no object is in its right hole is u,, as given above. He uses an argument based on Combinations. His problem was this : " Two shuffled packs of cards are placed side by side downwards. Two cards, one from each pack, are drawn repeatedly, no card being replaced. To find the chance that a t the same draw the two cards are of the same suit and denomination." The chance is 1 e-l. With an error of less than 1/53! , this is roughly 17/27 ) H. E. PIGGOTT. 2064. O n Notes 1542, 1801, 1843. In connection with the differential equation satisfied by y, where


Abstract Coumadin® a nd s everal generic products of warfarin s odium (WS) contain the crystalline form (clathrate) in which WS and isopropanol (IPA) are associated in a 2:1 molar ratio. IPA is critical in maintaining the WS crystalline structure. Physicochemical properties of the drug and drug product may change when the crystalline drug transforms to amorphous form. A headspace-gas chromatography (HS-GC) method was developed and validated for IPA determination in the WS drug product. n-propanol (NPA) was used as internal standard and the method was validated for specificity, system suitability, linearity, accuracy, precision, range, limits of detection and quantification, and robustness. The method was specific, with good resolution between IPA and NPA peaks. Chromatographic parameters (retention time, IPA/NPA area ratio, tailing factor, theoretical plates, USP symmetry, capacity factor, selectivity and resolution) were consistent over three days of validation. The analytical method was linear from 2-200 μg mL-1 (0.1- 10 % IPA present in the drug product). LOD and LOQ were 0.1 and 2 μg mL-1, respectively. Accuracy at low (2 μg mL-1) and high (200 μg mL-1) IPA concentrations of the calibration curve was 103.3-113.3 and 98.9-102.2 % of the nominal value, resp. The validated method was precise, as indicated by the RSD value of less than 2 % at three concentration levels of the calibration curve. The method reported here was utilized to determine accurately and precisely the IPA content in in-house formulations and commercial products. In summary, IPA determination by HS-GC provides an indirect measure of WS crystallinity in the drug product. Nevertheless, it should be confirmed by another analytical method since IPA from the drug substance is not distinguishable from IPA that may be present outside the drug crystals in a dosage form when prepared by wet granulation with IPA.


Shenyang Biosolids Composting Plant is a one-of-a-kind facility that is designed to handle and treat up to 1,000 tonnes of 80% moisture content wet biosolids per day from four municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that have a combined capacity of 1,600 MLD in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China. The composting plant covers an area of approximately 130,000 m 2 . The moisture content of biosolids will be reduced to 35% by biodrying. The main facilities in the plant include the materials handling and mixing system (for wet sludge, raw material and compost), the agitated composting bed system, the ventilation and odor control system, the truck scale unit, the storerooms (for raw material and product), and the other auxiliary facilities. The design has incorporated the necessary environmental considerations for the protection of workers' health and safety as well as the potential impacts on the neighboring communities. The finished compost product will be sold as soil amendment and/or auxiliary fuel. In comparison with other technologies, this plant is favored for the low capital cost (0.279 million RMB per wet tonne of sludge), the low operating cost (173.13 RMB per wet tonne sludge) and the low energy consumption/carbon footprint. The plant is currently under construction. The installation works of No.3 composting train is scheduled to be carried out in June 2012. When the plant is commissioned in September 2012, it will become a sustainable solution to the sludge problem in Shenyang City.


All organisms, from simple invertebrates to complex human beings, exist in different colors and patterns, which arise from the unique distribution of pigments throughout the body. Pigmentation is highly heritable, being regulated by genetic, environmental, and endocrine factors that modulate the amount, type, and distribution of melanins in the skin, hair, and eyes. In addition to its roles in camouflage, heat regulation, and cosmetic variation, melanin protects against UV radiation and thus is an important defense system in human skin against harmful factors. Being the largest organ of the body that is always under the influence of internal and external factors, the skin often reacts to those agents by modifying the constitutive pigmentation pattern. The focus of this review is to provide an updated overview of important physiological and biological factors that increase pigmentation and the mechanisms by which they do so. We consider endo‐crine factors that induce temporary (e.g., during pregnancy) or permanent (e.g., during aging) changes in skin color, environmental factors (e.g., UV), certain drugs, and chemical compounds, etc. Understanding the mechanisms by which different factors and compounds induce melanogenesis is of great interest phar‐maceutically (as therapy for pigmentary diseases) and cosmeceutically (e.g., to design tanning products with potential to reduce skin cancer risk).—Costin, G‐E., Hearing, V. J. Human skin pigmentation: melanocytes modulate skin color in response to stress. FASEB J. 21, 976–994 (2007)


Motivation: Massive amounts of high-throughput genomics data profiled from tumor samples were made publicly available by the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Results: We have developed an open source software package, TCGA2STAT, to obtain the TCGA data, wrangle it, and pre-process it into a format ready for multivariate and integrated statistical analysis in the R environment. In a user-friendly format with one single function call, our package downloads and fully processes the desired TCGA data to be seamlessly integrated into a computational analysis pipeline. No further technical or biological knowledge is needed to utilize our software, thus making TCGA data easily accessible to data scientists without specific domain knowledge. Availability and implementation: TCGA2STAT is available from the https://cran.r-project.org/web/ packages/TCGA2STAT/index.html. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com


Strictures of the bulbous-membranous urethra are a common cause of obstructive urination disorder. Modern trends in the development of medicine lead to a wider application of endoscopic method, a more frequent cause of iatrogenic injury of the urethra. At present, conservative, endourologic and reconstructive methods of care are used to treat urethral strictures. There are several conservative, endourological and reconstructive methods for treating patients with urethral stricture. Conservative methods include interventions that do not involve the destruction of urethral stricture or its reconstruction, such as stenting, blind dilatation, and recanalization of the urethra. Performing blind dilatation strictures of the bulbo-membranous urethra is not recommended because of the high risk of false path formation and low efficiency. Endourological operations refer to surgical methods of care and suggest the natural restoration of urethral tissues after the destruction of stricture. Because of the low effectiveness of correction of strictures of the posterior urethra (more than 90 % of relapses in five years), this method is a variant of temporary or palliative care. Currently, two approaches to the reconstruction of the bulbo-membranous urethra are used: anastomotic and replacement operations. Anastomotic surgery involves excision of the affected area and juxtaposition of healthy urethral tissues without tension. Replacement plastic allows to restore patency of the urethra by increasing the diameter of the lumen due to the implantation of various grafts. The article shows that, based on international clinical studies, the most effective method of reconstructing the bulbomembranous urethra is reconstructive surgical methods.


Morphologically, cortical bone resembles a fiber-matrix composite material such that an osteon is analogous to the fiber while the interstitial bone to the matrix. For example, there have been several studies addressing the mechanical properties of cortical bone based on this point of view (Hogan 1992, Aoubiza et al. 1996). Our interest in cortical bone mechanics stems from the characterization and mechanisms of microdamage such as microcracks in cortical bone. The exponential increase of microdamage in cortical bone tissue has been implicated in increased bone fragility with aging (Schaffler et al. 1995). None of these above mentioned techniques can be conveniently used for our long term study on cortical bone damage mechanics. Recently, significant advances have been made in the mechanics of composite materials. For example, a generalized self-consistent formulation for effective mechanical properties of composites have been developed such that it can apply to the case where the volume fraction of fibers is as high as 80–90% (Huang et al. 1994). In addition, microcracks can be easily included for damage mechanics or fracture mechanics analysis. The objective of this paper is to develop a general scheme for a cortical bone composite model based on the generalized self-consistent method for calculation of effective elastic properties.


Introduction: Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is a serious health condition associated with poor survival and quality of life in adults aged 60 years and older. Comprehensive assessment and management of OD could lead to better and improved health outcomes for older adults. Therefore, we performed the first meta-analysis to determine the pooled prevalence of OD and risk of pneumonia, malnutrition, and mortality. Methods: Databases including Ovid-MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, and CINAHL were searched up to January 2021. Data analysis was conducted using logistic-normal for prevalence rate and DerSimonian-Lard random-effects models for outcomes and associated factors of OD, providing odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The pooled prevalence of OD in 39 studies with 31,488 participants was 46% associated with higher pooled OR for risk of pneumonia 2.07 (95% CI, 1.58–2.72), malnutrition 2.21 (95% CI, 1.43–3.41), and mortality 2.73 (95% CI, 1.62–4.60). Geriatric syndromes including fecal incontinence 6.84 (4.955–9.44), immobility syndrome 6.06 (5.28–6.96), pressure ulcers 4.02 (2.46–6.56), sarcopenia 3.10 (1.89–5.09), urinary incontinence 2.75 (1.81–4.19), frailty 2.66 (1.16–6.13), delirium 2.23 (1.73–2.87), and falls 1.47 (1.19–1.81) and comorbidities including dementia 3.69 (2.36–5.78) and stroke 1.92 (1.47–2.52) were associated with OD. Conclusion: Early identification and management of OD should consider geriatric syndromes and neurogenic comorbidities to prevent malnutrition and pneumonia and reduce mortality in adults aged 60 years and older.


Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pressure on healthcare systems has been tremendous and it is having a huge economic impact. The objective of this paper is to carry out a systematic literature review of the publications that have analysed the costs derived from COVID-19 from the patient's perspective. Not only is this study aimed at measuring the impact of COVID-19 in economic terms, but also in qualitative terms, analysing, for instance, the types of costs (direct and indirect) and their variations depending on the geographical area under study. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus. The time frame for the analysis was from the start of the pandemic until 9th December 2021. A total of 322 papers were found. The number of articles assessed for eligibility was 32, and after applying the exclusion criteria, 13 papers were included in the qualitative synthesis. Most of the studies analysed only direct costs (69.23%) and were focused on Asia (61.54%), where the larger indirect costs, as well as the greater total costs, were found. However, the higher costs per patient and year were shown for the United States. This investigation showed the importance of COVID-19 in national, regional and local budgets. More studies are to be developed in Europe due to both the existing differences in the health care systems and financing by country and the difference in the incidence of COVID-19 by country and wave.


Phosphatidic acid (PA) is a potent lipid secondary messenger, the synthesis of which is tightly regulated in both space and time. Established tools for detecting PA involve ex vivo analysis and do not provide information on the subcellular locations where this lipid is synthesized. Here, a chemoenzymatic strategy for imaging sites of cellular PA synthesis by phospholipase D (PLD) enzymes is reported. PLDs were found to be able to catalyze phospholipid head-group exchange with alkynols to generate alkyne-labeled PA analogues within cells. Subsequent fluorophore tagging through Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition enabled both visualization by fluorescence microscopy and quantification by HPLC. Our studies revealed several intracellular sites of PLD-mediated PA synthesis. We envision applications of this approach to dissect PA-dependent signaling pathways, image PLD activity in disease, and remodel intracellular membranes with new functionality.


In the Gregorash–Papini–Wood approach to the Weyl–Dirac theory, some superconducting properties of the wave equation are analysed. In a special topology, for a constant modulus of the wavefunction, the phase gradient verifies an effect analogous to the gravitational Meissner effect (there is no momentum transfer between the wave and the particle, and the wave–particle duality is achieved by self-tunnelling). Through the gravitational Meissner effect the oscillation modes of a particle are cnoidal, and in a superconducting cylinder a quantum fluid moving along its axis is self-focusing. The matching between quantum hydrodynamics and wave mechanics is similar to the quantization of the gravitational fluxoid, and their unmatching is analogous to the gravitational analogue of the Aharonov–Bohm effect. The absence of the gravitational Meissner effect implies a permanent transfer of momentum between the wave and the particle such as the interior of the particle structured like a lattice. By defining a free energy we show that the wave–particle duality is equivalent to a normal–superconducting phase transition. In this context by generalizing the one-dimensional solution of the WD equation to the two-dimensional case, one can induce a superconducting state by in-phase oscillations of a vortex lattice.


Abstract In a nanobiotechnology world with many applications in biomedicine, a novel combination of inorganic-organic materials is needed to prove a novel functionality. Natural compounds from bee pollen extract coated on magnetite nanoparticles could open up a new way in apitherapy field. Iron oxide nanoparticles have proved special requirements for biological applications like superparamagnetic properties, high biocompatibility and nontoxic material. Magnetite nanoparticles functionalized with natural bioactive substances extracted from bee pollen have been characterised and investigated for antimicrobial activity. Previous findings demonstrate that magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) and pollen ethanolic extracts (PEE) exhibited antimicrobial activity against a large antimicrobial spectrum, including Grampositive, Gram-negative and antifungal microorganisms.


The action of nerve gas is to inhibit cholinesterase in the body and so to intensify the actions of existing acetylcholine. The primary cause of death is hypoxia, resulting from paralysis of both central and peripheral respiratory mechanisms. Atropine is therapeutic for certain of the autonomic and central nervous effects but has little if any effect against paralysis of the diaphragm and of accessory muscles of respiration. Therefore, the severe casualty will require artificial respiration until there is a return of spontaneous respiration. In the event of chemical warfare, nonmedical people will be responsible for rendering immediate treatment to the mass casualties that will result. The training of both civilian and military populations in treatment procedures is essential.


We report extensive differential V-band photometry and high-resolution spectroscopic observations of the early F-type, 1.06-day detached eclipsing binary V506 Oph. The observations, along with times of minimum light from the literature, are used to derive a very precise ephemeris and the physical properties for the components, with the absolute masses and radii being determined to 0.7% or better. The masses are 1.4153 ± 0.0100 M☉ and 1.4023 ± 0.0094 M☉ for the primary and secondary, the radii are 1.725 ± 0.010 R☉ and 1.692 ± 0.012 R☉, and the effective temperatures are 6840 ± 150 K and 6780 ± 110 K, respectively. The orbit is circular and the stars are rotating synchronously. The accuracy of the radii and temperatures is supported by the resulting distance estimate of 564 ± 30 pc, which is in excellent agreement with the value implied by the trigonometric parallax listed in the Gaia/Data Release 2 catalog. Current stellar evolution models from the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) Isochrones and Stellar Tracks series for a composition of [Fe/H] = −0.04 match the properties of both stars in V506 Oph very well at an age of 1.83 Gyr and indicate they are halfway through their core hydrogen-burning phase.


It is generally accepted that Pt-Ru alloy catalysts with an atomic Pt-to-Ru ratio of 1:l generate the best anode perform'ance in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFG). However, at near-ambient cell operating temperatures, Gasteiger et al. [l] reported that a catalyst with significantly lower Ru content, -1 0 at ?4, offers the highest activity towards methanol. Recently, Dinh et al. [2'] demonstrated that the activity of different Pt-Ru catalysts with the same Pt-to-Ru atomic ratio in the bulk might vary depending on the actual surface composition, which is often significantly different from that in the bulk phase, In this work, we study several experimental Pt-Ru catalysts (Johnson Matthey) with Pt-to-Ru atomic ratio ranging from 9: 1 to 1 :2. Electrocatalytic activity of these catalysts in methanol oxidation reaction is investigated in a regular DMFC 'and probed using voltammetric stripping of surhce CO.


Abstract Empirical tests of oxygen exchange rate in zircon crystals from amphibolite- and granulite-facies metamorphic rocks of the Grenville Province demonstrate preservation of igneous δ18O through protracted igneous and metamorphic histories, forming the basis of quantitative estimates of diffusion rate. Granitic orthogneisses, which cooled slowly after granulite-facies metamorphism, show no consistent relationship between zircon size and δ18O, indicating slow oxygen diffusion. Detrital zircon crystals from granulite-facies quartzites are out of equilibrium with their host rocks, and no consistent correlation is seen between δ18O and grain size in high-precision analyses by laser fluorination of multiple grains, sieved for size. In a single sample, individual detrital zircon crystals preserve grain-to-grain variability in δ18O (determined by ion microprobe), ranging from 5.0 to 9.5‰. The inherited cores of some zircon crystals are up to 5.6‰ lower than igneous overgrowths, showing that gradients of 5.6‰ can be preserved over 50 mm even at magmatic conditions. All of these lines of evidence show that oxygen diffusion in zircon in these rocks was slow both during metamorphism and during slow cooling of 1-3 °/m.y. Calculations based on the measurements indicate that the oxygen diffusion rate in zircon (D) must be ≥ 10-22 cm2/s at 600 °C to explain δ18O(zircon) values measured from Grenville quartzite and orthogneiss. This value is consistent with the experimentally determined value of D = 2 × 10-27 cm2/s for dry diffusion experiments extrapolated to 600 °C (Watson and Cherniak 1997). These results indicate that oxygen-isotope analysis of zircon may be used to see through granulite-facies metamorphism and anatexis, and to unravel crustal recycling processes in igneous rocks.


I appreciate Noelle Burton's courageous paper in which she movingly demonstrates how the analyst's opening to her own vulnerable child self, as evoked by the analytic interaction, creates parallel openings between the patient and analyst and within the patient. At the same time, I wonder if there is a not-fully-mentalized enactment occurring in the analytic process—an enactment that is reflected in certain aspects of Burton's clinical narrative. And I wonder if the containment of Burton's childlike feelings—a central focus of her paper—is even more interactive than she has recognized. These questions are, however, overshadowed by the paper's significant creative (clinical and conceptual) contribution.


Systematic Monte Carlo simulations of simple lattice models show that the final stage of protein folding is an ordered process where native contacts get locked (i.e., the residues come into contact and remain in contact for the duration of the folding process) in a well‐defined order. The detailed study of the folding dynamics of protein‐like sequences designed as to exhibit different contact energy distributions, as well as different degrees of sequence optimization (i.e., participation of non‐native interactions in the folding process), reveals significant differences in the corresponding locking scenarios—the collection of native contacts and their average locking times, which are largely ascribable to the dynamics of non‐native contacts. Furthermore, strong evidence for a positive role played by non‐native contacts at an early folding stage was also found. Interestingly, for topologically simple target structures, a positive interplay between native and non‐native contacts is observed also toward the end of the folding process, suggesting that non‐native contacts may indeed affect the overall folding process. For target models exhibiting clear two‐state kinetics, the relation between the nucleation mechanism of folding and the locking scenario is investigated. Our results suggest that the stabilization of the folding transition state can be achieved through the establishment of a very small network of native contacts that are the first to lock during the folding process.


The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was established in 1968 and requires mandatory flood insurance for property owners who have federally backed mortgages. Krutilla (1966) noted that a compulsory national flood insurance program could greatly improve the economic efficiency of flood plain occupancy in the United States. However, in order to realize the efficiency gains suggested by Krutilla, property owners must have sufficient information about flood risk and insurance premiums to make well-informed home purchase decisions. Using survey data from Boulder, Colorado, we find significant evidence of market failure in information in the NFIP program. The majority of survey respondents, all of whom live in a special flood hazard area, report they did not fully understand the degree of flood risk or the cost of insuring against this risk when negotiating the purchase of their property. (JEL Q24)


Parkinson's Disease (PD) is an intractable disease resulting in localized neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. Many current therapies of PD can only address the symptoms and not the underlying neurodegeneration of PD. To better understand the pathophysiological condition, researchers continue to seek models that mirror PD's phenotypic manifestations as closely as possible. Recent advances in the field of cellular reprogramming and personalized medicine now allow for previously unattainable cell therapies and patient-specific modeling of PD using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). iPSCs can be selectively differentiated into a dopaminergic neuron fate naturally susceptible to neurodegeneration. In iPSC models, unlike other artificially-induced models, endogenous cellular machinery and transcriptional feedback are preserved, a fundamental step in accurately modeling this genetically complex disease. In addition to accurately modeling PD, iPSC lines can also be established with specific genetic risk factors to assess genetic sub-populations' differing response to treatment. iPS cell lines can then be genetically corrected and subsequently transplanted back into the patient in hopes of re-establishing function. Current techniques focus on iPSCs because they are patient-specific, thereby reducing the risk of immune rejection. The year 2018 marked history as the year that the first human trial for PD iPSC transplantation began in Japan. This form of cell therapy has shown promising results in other model organisms and is currently one of our best options in slowing or even halting the progression of PD. Here, we examine the genetic contributions that have reshaped our understanding of PD, as well as the advantages and applications of iPSCs for modeling disease and personalized therapies.


This study is focused on the measurement and the behaviour of the inorganic pollutants in the Suspended Particulate Material (SPM) and the Bottom Sediments (BS) of the Syr Daria River in its Kazakh course, including its outlet in the Small Aral Sea. Two field campaigns were carried out during the low and the high water period. The results display that the current Syr Daria River sediments quality is influenced by several phenomena seasonally and locally controlled: carbonate precipitation, absorption by phytoplankton, scavenging by clay mineral, upstream ground leaching during the snow melting, various discharges (drainage canals, urban and industrial waste waters), connection with delta lakes during the flooding period and impact of the geochemical background. The study of the solid – liquid partition coefficients emphasizes the contrasted behaviour of trace elements with respect to different scavenging phases. As a result it appears that in spite of the mitigating action of the dam reservoirs, of the irrigated areas, of the overflow lakes and flood plains, the Aral Sea sediments are not completely preserved from the contamination.


We measured the changes in heart rate (HR) variability estimated from the standard deviation of the R-R intervals to evaluate cardiac parasympathetic tone noninvasively before and during activation of muscle metaboreflex induced by postexercise muscle ischemia. Eight healthy male subjects performed sustained handgrip at 50% maximal voluntary contraction followed by forearm occlusion. Mean arterial pressure, cardiac stroke volume, and ratio of cardiac preejection period to left ventricular ejection time (PEP/LVET) were also measured. During the 2-min occlusion after 60 s of handgrip with voluntary respiration, HR variability and mean arterial pressure were significantly increased from baseline (54.4 +/- 6.1 to 80.1 +/- 12.8 ms and 81 +/- 1 to 99 +/- 3 mmHg, respectively) and PEP/LVET was decreased from resting level of 0.404 +/- 0.022 to 0.363 +/- 0.036. During occlusion and recovery, HR did not change from baseline level in any experiment. There was no influence of occlusion itself or of cessation of exercise per se on any parameters. Although overall enhanced HR variability was seen, probably due to lower breathing frequency and larger tidal volume, similar results were also obtained from an experiment with controlled respiration, showing that the increase in HR variability was not due to the changes in tidal volume or breathing frequency during occlusion. In conclusion, the HR variability is increased during activation of the muscle metaboreflex induced by postexercise muscle ischemia in humans. This finding shows that the parasympathetic cardiac tone is enhanced during activation of the muscle metaboreflex in humans and balances enhanced cardiac sympathetic activity to result in an unchanged HR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The halothane allele (n) is segregating in the French national Pietrain breed. Records from the three French central test stations were available for 1,557 Pietrain pigs of known halothane gene status (128 NN, 334 Nn and 1,095 nn). Production traits, carcase composition and meat quality measurements were studied to compare the three genotypes and assess the allele effects. Water holding capacity was the trait most affected by the halothane allele (-0.76 phenotypic standard deviations, sd) followed by the length of the carcase (-0.62 sd) and by carcase traits related to leanness and fatness: dressing percentage, fat and muscle depth and weights of back leg, loin, and fat and rind above loin. The magnitude of the effect of the halothane allele varied from 0.21 to 0.47 phenotypic standard deviations for these carcase traits. In addition, performance of the heterozygous genotype was more similar to the homozygous (NN) genotype. Significant differences between the three genotypes were found for ultimate pH but not for colour. Colour (L*-value) was the only trait for which the heterozygous genotype was more similar to the superior homozygous genotype. In comparison to carcase and meat quality traits, the halothane allele effect was lower for production traits (from -0.12 to 0.02 sd).


A preparation of fibrin precipitated over a solid Celite (diatomaceous earth) matrix that selectively binds 50-70% of the plasminogen activator present in human blood plasma is described. Affinity chromatography of plasma on fibrin/Celite followed by gel filtration led to a 29,000-fold purification of the plasminogen activator. The activator, referred to as the high-affinity plasminogen activator, is characterized by its ability to be strongly adsorbed by fibrin. Smaller amounts of other plasminogen activators and essentially all plasminogen were not bound to fibrin. The high-affinity plasminogen activator is a single-chain unstable protease with a molecular weight of 65,000-70,000. The high-affinity plasminogen activator has a low specific activity (500 CTA units/mg) compared to tissue or urine plasminogen activators (100,000-200,000 CTA units/mg) (CTA, Committee on Thrombolytic Agents).


A successive-relaying-aided network (SRAN) is designed for a multiuser spread-spectrum scenario conceived for noncoherent (NC) detection to convert the typical 50% half-duplex relaying induced throughput loss to a potential user-load reduction of the code-division multiple-access (CDMA) system, where the NC allows us to avoid the extra power consumption imposed by channel estimation. We commence by evaluating the NC discrete-input-continuous-output memoryless channel (DCMC) capacity of both the amplify-and-forward-based (AF) and decode-and-forward-based (DF) SRANs in the direct-sequence CDMA (DS-CDMA) uplink (UL). While NC detection has the added benefit of eliminating both the pilot overhead and the power-hungry channel estimation, it tends to form an error floor at high Doppler frequencies. We mitigate this problem using multiple-symbol detection, which increases the detection complexity upon extending the detection window. Finally, a relay-aided soft-input-soft-output multiple-symbol differential sphere detection (SISO-MSDSD) CDMA regime is proposed, which significantly reduces the system's complexity without sacrificing its performance.


ones (6b), as well as for kinship terms (6c, 6d) and part-whole relations with animate (6e) and inanimate possessors (6f). Juxtaposing nominal possessors and possessums in NGT then does not seem to be restricted to alienable or inalienable possession. [VanDale COACH] (6) a. DUTCH NATIONAL-TEAM COACH INDEX3 EVERYBODY ALWAYS CRITICISE3 'The coach of the Dutch national (soccer) team is always criticised by everybody.' q b. THIS MEETING GOAL WHAT [VanDale DOEL] 'What is the goal of this meeting?' c. BEST FRIEND FATHER [recording FAMILY TREE] 'the father of (your) best friend' d. SON UNCLE DEAD [recording FAMILY TREE] '(Your) uncle's son is dead.' [VanDale ANGST/ANGSTIG] e. PHOTO CL:rectangular INDEX3 WOMAN FACE FEAR 'On the photo you can see the fear on the face of the woman.' f. HEARING-AID BATTERY LOW [VanDale BATTERIJ] 'The battery of the hearing aid is low.' Concerning the insertion of a possessive marker between possessor and possessum, the data are less clear. Only in the data elicited in relation to kinship did instances of such insertion of an index pronoun occur, as exemplified below. (7) a. BEST FRIEND INDEX3 MOTHER [recording FAMILY TREE] 'the mother of (your) best friend' b. BEST FRIEND INDEX3 PARENTS [recording FAMILY TREE] 'the parents of (your) best friend' [recording FAMILY TREE] c. OLDEST UNCLE INDEX3, SPOUSE DEAD '(My) oldest uncle's wife is dead.' d. AUNT INDEX3, HUSBAND DEAD [recording FAMILY TREE] '(My) aunt's husband is dead.' However, sentences (7c) and (7d) exhibit signs of the possessors forming part of a different constituent than the possessum (indicated here with a comma). The pronominal possessor is accompanied by a headnod followed by a small pause, then for the possessums SPOUSE and HUSBAND, the chin is lifted again. Non-manual marking such 35 Texas Linguistics Forum Proceedings from the 13th meeting of the Texas Linguistics Society June 23-24, 2012


Thermal transistor behavior of a harmonic chain with three heat reservoirs is explicitly analyzed. Temperature profile and heat currents of the rather general system are formulated and then heat currents for the simplest system are exactly calculated. The matrix connecting the three temperatures of the reservoirs and those of the particles comprises a stochastic matrix. The ratios R1 and R2 between heat currents, characterizing thermal signals can be expressed in terms of two external variables and two material parameters. It is shown that the ratios R1 and R2 can have wide range of real values. The thermal system shows a thermal transistor behavior such as the amplification of heat current by appropriately controlling the two variables and two parameters. We explicitly demonstrate the characteristics and mechanisms of thermal transistor with the simplest model.


Endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating disease affecting a large number of women. It is one of the important etiology of chronic pelvic pain and dysmenorrhea. Prevalence is more in women with infertility. It poses a major challenge for clinicians as there is no permanent cure and even after definitive management, there are high chances of recurrence. The classical triad of dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and infertility as an important diagnostic feature present in these women. As it affects all the aspects of life of affected woman, a lot of research is directed to find out ideal medication for endometriosis, which has good efficacy, is tolerable, cost-effective, easily available, which targets the basic pathology of disease and cures it. However, such cure is yet to be found. Very similar to ideal agent is a new novel molecule, Dienogest. Its profile is discussed here along with the various studies showing its efficacy and pharmacology and comparison with other progestins already being used since long. Other potential progestins are also discussed providing a whole spectrum of drugs with different efficacy and profiles.


Abstract Background: We aimed to assess the association between red cell distribution width-to-platelet ratio (RPR) and hepatic fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Methods: The 388 subjects fulfilling the diagnostic criteria of Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Red cell distribution, platelet, and other clinical and laboratory parameters were measured. Results: NAFLD patients with advanced fibrosis had significantly higher RPR than those without fibrosis (P < .001). Spearman correlation analysis showed that RPR were significantly correlated with age, sex, creatinine, hemoglobin, white blood cell, and advanced fibrosis (all with P < .05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that RPR was an independent factor predicting advanced fibrosis (fibrosis-4 calculator ≥1.3) in NAFLD patients (OR: 5.718, 95%CI: 3.326–9.830, P < .001). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that RPR were significantly associated with advanced fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients.


Ionizing radiation is a major source of double-strand DNA breaks, the most detrimental form of DNA damage that, if left unrepaired, leads to genomic instability and cancer. Eukaryotic cells have evolved a DNA damage response (DDR), an intricate network that can be rapidly activated to response to such challenge. Mutations in genes that encode DDR proteins are associated with many genetic diseases, suggesting the importance of DDR in maintaining genomic integrity (1-5). DDR is a sophisticated signal transduction network comprised of proteins that are capable of sensing DNA damage, amplifying the signals and executing various cellular functions that have direct impact on cell fate. Of great importance for the understanding of DDR are series of studies that aim to identify proteome-wide substrates of checkpoint kinase ATM/ATR. These unbiased screens greatly expanded the DDR landscape and revealed the involvement of a broad spectrum of pathways that were not previously known (6, 7). One of the most intriguing observations made in these studies is the over-representation of proteins involved in ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) pathways. Ubiquitin (Ub) is a 76 amino acid protein that can be post-translationally covalently attached to the lysine residues of target proteins(8). Ubiquitin can influence the function of its target proteins by altering their enzymatic activity, abundance or localization (9-14). In this chapter, we will focus mainly on the role of ubiquitination in DDR signaling and cell cycle regulation. Following a brief introduction to principles of ubiquitination and ubiquitin-like modification, we will present an overview of enzymes and substrates that have been identified over the last two decades of intensive research. Finally, we will introduce recent advances in application of affinity purification and mass spectrometric-based identification of ubiquitinated proteins.


The Paris Agreement can be strengthened by a treaty limiting global fossil fuel supply During decades of international climate policy negotiations, aiming to limit demand for fossil fuels, the stock of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased considerably, and even the flow of emissions to the atmosphere continues to grow (1). To reach the Paris Agreement's goal of keeping global warming well below 2°C, substantial parts of the world's fossil fuels simply cannot be combusted and must be left in the ground (1, 2). Recent work thus suggests redirecting climate policies toward fossil fuel producers directly (3–5) by capping the flows of extraction and restricting the stocks of resources available for exploration. We synthesize key economic mechanisms that support this approach, arguing that an international treaty among fossil fuel–producing countries could (i) enhance the impact of the Paris Agreement in the presence of free riders; (ii) stimulate investment in low-carbon technology research and development (R&D); (iii) provide insurance against a failed Paris Agreement; and (iv) make carbon policies more acceptable to fossil fuel producers, thus increasing their support. None of these effects depend on universal producer participation. Moreover, such a treaty need not be costly and could in fact help reduce the costs of the required transition to a low-carbon economy.


The pandemic's immediate effect is shown in the large number of Covid-19 infections and fatalities caused by Covid-19. The Covid-19 epidemic has also had a substantial influence on the quality of life of people with non-communicable illnesses, with potentially detrimental repercussions for psychological balance and social and economic interactions. The goal of this research was to conduct a socioeconomic and health-related literature evaluation on the quality of life of patients with non-communicable illnesses during the COVID-19 epidemic. This research method employs a systematic review of the literature, with databases such as Scopus, Ebsco, PubMed, Google scholar, and SAGE being used. Databases were chosen based on articles published between 2020 and 2022 that contained the keywords Quality of Life, Non-Communicable Diseases, Pandemic, Covid 19, Social, and Economics. The study's findings indicate that the Covid-19 epidemic has exacerbated inequality and may worsen the effect of disease or an unanticipated circumstance on disadvantaged populations owing to economic and social policy uncertainties. The fall in the quality of life of non-communicable illness patients during the Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to be less severe than it was before to the epidemic. The reduction in the quality of life of people with non-communicable illnesses during the Covid-19 epidemic cannot be disentangled from economic, social, and health developments.


Monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) can arise from multiple different ventricular locations in the context of several different underlying myocardial substrates. Despite this variability, the surface 12‐lead electrocardiograph (ECG) has proven to be a robust and reproducible initial mapping tool that can provide useful information in localizing the origin of both focal and reentrant forms of VT. The second part of this review series will look at the use of the ECG in mapping the various forms of VT encountered in clinical practice.


Background: The espoused rationale for this special issue, situated "at the margins of cybernetics," was to revisit and extend the common genealogy of cybernetics and communication studies. Two possible topics garnered our attention: 1) the history of intellectual adventurers whose work has appropriated cybernetic concepts; and 2) the remediation of cybernetic metaphors. Analysis: A heuristic for engaging in firstand second-order R&D praxis, the design of which was informed by co-research with pastoralists (1989–1993) and the authors' engagements with the scholarship of Bateson and Maturana, was employed and adapted as a reflexive inquiry framework. Conclusion and implications: This inquiry challenges the mainstream desire for change and the belief in getting the communication right in order to achieve change. The authors argue this view is based on an epistemological error that continues to produce the very problems it intends to diminish, and thus we live a fundamental error in epistemology, false ontology, and misplaced practice. The authors offer instead conceptual and praxis possibilities for triggering new co-evolutionary trajectories.


There has been a nationwide increase in the incidence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) reported over the last decade and a half. The heightened concern caused by VRE and the possibility of vancomycin resistance gene transfer to other gram positive organisms, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) to publish recommendations for the prevention and control of vancomycin resistance. However, in 2002, the first documented case of vancomycin-resistant S aureus (VRSA) was reported in Michigan in an immunocompromised patient with a history of diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and renal failure. Since then, 2 other cases have been reported: 1 in Pennsylvania in October 2002 and 1 in New York in March 2004. The limited avaliability of effective antimicrobial agents against vancomycin-resistant strains of Enterococcus and Staphylococcus species and the morbidity, mortality, and cost associated with resistance represent serious reasons for concern. This article presents a general overview of the current literature on the prevention and control of vancomycin resistance and a review of potential antimicrobial agents used In the treatment of VRE, vancomycin intermediate S aureus (VISA), and VRSA infections.


Norwegian Ethnological Research (Norsk etnologisk gransking / NEG) is a tradition archive and a research institution. Since 1946 the archive has been documenting cultural history by means of qualitative questionnaires. We are now developing new electronic tools, and we need to define the objectives that these tools should serve. The text examines and discusses the archiveA¢â'¬â"¢s reasons for existence in a present-day context A¢â'¬â€šA¢â'¬â€šA¢â'¬â€šThe original charter of NEG was to document traditional knowledge in a rapidly changing and modernized society. In the late 1970s the objectives were redefined to include the documentation of present-day culture. The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Paris October 17, 2003, offers an opportunity to reconsider how we may function as a tradition archive. The text points out how the functions of archives in modern societies have been systematically neglected in the process of implementing the UNESCO convention in Norway. A¢â'¬â€šA¢â'¬â€šA¢â'¬â€šA recent government report, Kulturutredningen 2014, (NOU2013:4) stresses the democratic qualities of cultural institutions. Culture activities form the foundation of communities. The democratic ideal stating that every citizen should have the opportunity to participate in shaping their living conditions, implies that we should keep an open eye on the democratic potentials of the various institutions and strive to realize these potentials. Finally, the text attempts to identify and discuss the democratic qualities of NEG.


The Lower Saxonian Elbe Valley Biosphere Reserve is part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve "Elbe River Landscape", and used mainly for agriculture. One of tasks of the Biosphere Reserve Administration is to develop sustainable forms of land use which requires comprehensive updated land cover maps. Land use maps are hard to produce because of surveying costs and time. Nevertheless, these large areas need to be monitored. TerraSAR-X images are used to establish agricultural land use maps. In this study, two areas are selected within the Elbe Biosphere Reserve situated around the oxbows Wehninger Werder and Walmsburger Werder. Multi temporal classification methods were used to identify the different crops using maximum likelihood classifier for the years 2010 and 2011. The crop classifications were used to evaluate the effect of the number of images, the necessity of polarizations, and the consequences of some missing images within the crop calendar. These classifications were analyzed to estimate producer accuracy and Kappa index for each crop besides the overall accuracy for each agricultural land use map. The study shows that using dual polarization imagery enhances producer accuracies for many crops over the single polarization imagery, and demonstrates the importance of using frequent images during the cultivation period.


Reference types are very useful structures enabling handling with dynamic memory. In this paper we extend categorical model of type system with reference data type. We illustrate our approach on simple functional programming language T-NBL extended with reference type. After constructing parametric algebraic specification we construct categorical model of reference type and we show how our results can be implemented in functional programming language Ocaml.


This paper describes the development of a structural dynamics add-on to WEC-Sim, an open-source code dedicated to the dynamic analysis of Wave Energy Converters (WECs). When calculating the dynamic response of a body, WEC-Sim by default uses a rigid body dynamics approach. Such an approach ignores the potential effects of structural deformation on the WEC, which can in turn affect e.g. the distributed loads across the WEC and / or the individual (point) load sources that depend on the dynamic response of the WEC. Following a similar approach to tools used in the offshore wind industry, a structural dynamic add-on was developed using Code_Aster as the Finite Element (FE) solver to enable coupled hydro-elastic, timedomain analysis. The add-on was developed and tested using an example Oscillating Wave Surge Converter (OWSC) WEC model, currently being developed as part of the H2020 MegaRoller project. In the examples studied, the inclusion of structural dynamics is shown to affect the estimated peak Power Take-Off (PTO) loads, with variations in PTO force of over 10% being observed when structural dynamics are considered in the analysis. Keywords— Wave Energy Converter (WEC), load analysis, structural analysis, coupled analysis, WEC-Sim.


Several complementary and alternative regimens have been developed to encourage relaxation and control stress. Recently, "shinrin-yoku" (walking in a forest and viewing the forest landscapes) has been recognized as a successful relaxation activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a "shinrin-yoku" program on stress and relaxation for adolescent girls. Twenty-seven girls, aged 12 to 14 years, participated in a program that included walking in a forest and viewing the forest landscape; performing the same activities in a city area was used as a control experience. Salivary amylase activities, the Mood Inventory, and subjective relaxation were measured. The mean values of salivary amylase activities decreased in the forest and increased in the city. The responses to the Mood Inventory indicated a relaxed mood after walking the forest. In addition, the presence of negative moods in the forest was significantly lower than in the city, and the subjective relaxation level in the forest was significantly higher than in the city. Our results indicated that the forest environment was effective in increasing relaxation and decreasing stress and fatigue. Shinrin-yoku may play a role in improving or maintaining the psychological health of adolescent girls.


Forests represent the greatest carbon reservoir in terrestrial ecosystems. Climate change drives the changes in forest vegetation growth, which in turn influences carbon sequestration capability. Exploring the dynamic response of forest vegetation to climate change is thus one of the most important scientific questions to be addressed in the precise monitoring of forest resources. This paper explores the relationship between climate factors and vegetation growth in typical forest ecosystems in China from 2007 to 2019 based on long-term meteorological monitoring data from six forest field stations in different subtropical ecological zones in China. The time-varying parameter vector autoregressive model (TVP-VAR) was used to analyze the temporal and spatial differences of the time-lag effects of climate factors, and the impact of climate change on vegetation was predicted. The enhanced vegetation index (EVI) was used to measure vegetation growth. Monthly meteorological observations and solar radiation data, including precipitation, air temperature, relative humidity, and photosynthetic effective radiation, were provided by the resource sharing service platform of the national ecological research data center. It was revealed that the time-lag effect of climate factors on the EVI vanished after a half year, and the lag accumulation tended to be steady over time. The TVP-VAR model was found to be more suitable than the vector autoregressive model (VAR). The predicted EVI values using the TVP-VAR model were close to the true values with the root mean squares error (RMSE) < 0.05. On average, each site improved its prediction accuracy by 14.81%. Therefore, the TVP-VAR model can be used to analyze the relationship of climate factors and forest EVI as well as the time-lag effect of climate factors on vegetation growth in subtropical China. The results can be used to improve the predictability of the EVI for forests and to encourage the development of intensive forest management.


PURPOSE
Dissection of the cavernous nerves eliminates spontaneous erections. We evaluated the ability of Schwann cell seeded nerve guidance tubes to restore erections after bilateral cavernous nerve resection in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sections (5 mm) of the cavernous nerve were excised bilaterally, followed by immediate bilateral microsurgical reconstruction. In 10 animals per group (20 study nerves) reconstruction was performed by genitofemoral nerve interposition, interposition of silicone tubes or interposition of silicone tubes seeded with homologous Schwann cells. As the control 10 animals (20 study nerves) underwent sham operation (positive control) and bilateral nerve ablation (without reconstruction) was performed in a further 10 (negative control). Erectile function was evaluated 3 months postoperatively by relaparotomy, electrical nerve stimulation and intracavernous pressure recording.

RESULTS
After 3 months neurostimulation resulted in an intact erectile response in 90% (18 of 20) of Schwann cell grafts, while treatment with autologous nerves (30% or 6 of 20) or tubes only (50% or 10 of 20) was less successful (p <0.01). Whereas untreated ablated rats showed no inducible erections (0% or 0 of 20), all sham operated animals had an intact erectile response (100% or 20 of 20). Maximum intracavernous pressure upon electrostimulation was significantly elevated using Schwann cell grafts compared to results in the other treatment groups (p <0.001). Morphological evaluation revealed advanced regeneration within Schwann cell grafts.

CONCLUSIONS
Schwann cell seeded guidance tubes restore erectile function after the ablation of cavernous nerves in rats and they are superior to autologous nerve grafts.