When considering countries of phenomenal economic development and growth, Korea is among the top tiers. While there are other economies with similar economic growth, including those of Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, the economic growth of Korea is exceptional considering that the country lacked basic economic foundation in the past. R. Lucas Jr. (1993), a Nobel Laureate in economics and also a renowned scholar of the respective field, praised the country's economic success, by stating that "I do not think it is in any way an exaggeration to refer to this continuing transformation of Korean society as a miracle". As an evidence for his argument, he asserted "Never before have the lives of so many people undergone so rapid an improvement over so long a period, nor is there any sign that this progress is near its end". Yet, the history of Korea is more than just its outcome; it is the history of continuous national ordeal, a series of challenges and crisis that required people to toil night and day to overcome the situation. If it were not for today's splendid economic success, it would have been more appropriate to describe the history of Korea as that of wretchedness and misery. The fact that South Korea became one of the leading nations in the world is nothing less than a miracle, considering that it underwent many hardships after its independence such as fratricidal Korean War, a long period of dictatorship, 4.19 revolution as a reactionary to the dictatorship, 5.16 military coup, the engagement in the Vietnam War, two oil crises, another military coup afterwards, civil revolutions, a foreign exchange crisis, and the global economic crisis. Economic growth means value-added increase in a certain period of time. To boost this value-added increase, the elements of production such as labor, capital, and land must be both accumulated and invested. Furthermore, it requires the effective use of these elements by combining them when necessary, so that the best value can be drawn out. In other words, the vital factor in economic growth is raising productivity. Then, given similar situations, how come some countries show different performance in factor accumulation or productivity improvement? The accumulation of resources and increase of productivity depend on economic incentive. Proper institution in an economy that provides incentives for economic agents enables factors to flow and to be accumulated where productivity is high. It also gives motivation for innovation and improvement of productivity. Competition in product markets and acquisition of resources and raw materials with low cost through an open-door policy can induce the accumulation of elements and improvement of technology, where in a broader perspective, open-door policy can also be considered as a part of institution.
The growth of the Korean economy is unique since only a few economies could
demonstrate compatibly high growth rates for a long period. However, at the same time, Korea's case is never unique as its success story is based on factor accumulation, productivity enhancement and, most of all, a fundamental called institution.
Its growth was possible due to the fact that there was a proper functioning of market backed by the establishment of proper institutions. The Korean government indeed worked favorably towards the establishment of institution and running of economy in a market-friendly manner. Some features of its growth pattern are worthwhile to be illustrated as there are still a large number of developing countries and high income countries with unstable institutions worldwide, which could gain from a part of Korea's story, at least, and collect substantial knowledge for their future growth.


For ROtor Synthetic Aperture Radar (ROSAR) using the stepped-frequency waveform, an imaging method based on Range Migration Correction (RMC) for ROSAR is proposed. First, the signal model of ROSAR using stepped-frequency waveform is derived; Second, the range migration correction in frequency domain is proposed; Third, the high-resolution images are achieved by using the ω-k algorithm; Finally, the azimuth resolution performance is analyzed. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and high resolution performance of the proposed method.


This paper reports on a state-of-the-art study quantifying the health and human impacts of daylighting strategies and views quality from windows on employees health in offices. The study attempts to quantify an important yet not scientifically proven assumption concerning the biophilic relationship between views of nature and daylighting in the workplace and their impacts on sick leave of office workers. The specific hypothesis tested is; that employees with a view of nature will take fewer sick days, have fewer Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms than those with a view of urban structures, or with no views out at all. A corollary hypothesis is whether daylight availability and dynamic lighting quality in offices could also play a role in reducing the number of sick leave hours and SBS symptoms related to poor circadian rhythms and hypersensitivity. This is an objective to answer and quantify a long debated hypothesis regarding the importance non-residential building occupants place on the need to be in contact with nature/the outdoors while working within a building. This paper reports on a three-phase long-term study. In phase I, employees' preferences and ratings towards natural and urban human-made views were investigated. For this phase of the study a qualitative sorting task technique was employed, followed by in-depth interviews on a cross-sectional sample of office employees (n=98). In phase II of the study, physical office conditions, lighting qualities, and quantities inside120 office spaces and cubicles in an office building were systematically evaluated covering 175 employees participating in this study. This included daylighting availability (window shape, properties, glazing properties, area, and its distance from employees' desks); Daylighting quality (luminance, glare analysis, room materials, reflections, orientation, brightness patterns, etc.), and quality of outside views (type of view, pleasantness rating, and preference rank) according to the view metric developed earlier in phase I of the study. In phase III of the study, employees' health conditions were surveyed using an on-line questionnaire and physical health screening forms. In addition, we compiled employees' actual sick leave days from their payroll records as well as in aggregate format based on their office locations, views, floor level, and area of the building they occupy. A multi regression and Pearson correlation statistical analyses tests were performed on the data set. Standard bivariate regression and correlation were used to examine the relationship between sick leave hours and ratings of lighting quality and views. In both cases, the relationships are in the predicted direction and statistically significant supporting positively our hypothesis. Workers in offices with poor ratings of light quality and in offices with poorer views used significantly more sick leave hours. Taken together, the two variables explained 6.5% of the variation in sick leave use, which was statistically significant. The implications of these findings are huge when one considers productivity and health insurance costs these sick leave hours can affect to an organization.


Abstract One of epigenetic features of mammalian genomes is methylation of DNA. This nucleotide modification might exert suppressive effect on gene transcription. We have described putative relevance of methylation of one of immune cells related gene (ITGAL) observed in the set of 11 equine tissues. Comparison between qualitative RT-PCR results and DNA bisulfite sequencing of investigated set of tissues pointed to potential correlations between tissue specific methylation and tissue specific transcription in ITGAL locus. These findings might be important for studies on genetic and epigenetic background of autoimmune disorders in the horse.


E2017:077,
The Swedish health care system is characterized by inadequate co-operation within healthcare
chains. There is also an insufficient continuity in the follow-up of patients who are discharged
from care units and health professionals experience both high physical and mental workloads.
The turnover within the psychiatric specialist care is high, which complicates the work and
degrades the care of mentally ill patients. In addition, mental illness has increased sharply in
Sweden over the last ten years, an increase which seems likely to continue during the years to
come.
The study has been conducted at a psychiatric inpatient care unit for bipolar patients at
Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The purpose of the study is to highlight the unit's strength and
problem areas, as well as to present improvement suggestions and how they can be
implemented. Through observations and interviews with health professionals at the unit, a
current-situation analysis has been made. Improvement suggestions have also been developed
based on Lean production and theories within psychosocial work environment. Subsequently,
recommendations are presented regarding implementation of the suggested improvement based
on Kotter's eight-step model.
The health care unit is generally well functioning and characterized by a good work
environment, good patient contingency, committed leadership and driven employees who are
able to influence their work. In addition, the unit is at the leading edge of most performance
measurements compared to other units at the clinic.
Inadequate introduction of the assistant physicians and curator, high turnover of the assistant
physicians and experienced high workload are some of the improvement areas identified at the
unit. In addition, there are ambiguities about current routines and how they are communicated.
Finally, the co-operation with the bipolar centre is deficient and the sitting round is very timeconsuming.
The improvement suggestions includes a standardized introduction for all new employees, that
the operation's chief physician is involved in the recruitment process of the assistant physicians
and in the unit's workplace meetings. It is also recommended that a full time curator should be
employed at the unit, the 5S tool is proposed for routines, the fax system is suggested to be
phased out and study visits should be done within the care chain. Finally, it is recommended that
the unit acquires a digital screen for planned medical sessions for patients and a so-called
patient-centered round should be implemented.
The result from the study can provide a basis for the improvement work at other psychiatric
units. Finally, the study presents recommendations on continued studies within the care chain,
but also within the bipolar healthcare system in general. The report is written in Swedish.


Service orchestration languages, like the Web Services Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), have been frequently used to provide an implementation platform for model-driven development approaches. As avoidance of vendor lock-in and portability of process definitions are central aims of BPEL, most approaches claim to support a large set of different runtime environments. But, even though today various runtimes for BPEL are available, every runtime implements a different language subset, thus hampering portability. Our idea is to improve this situation by using techniques, the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I) has used to improve services interoperability. We describe a portability profile for BPEL that can detect portability issues in process definitions. Using this profile, we evaluate the portability of BPEL mappings used in several model-driven development approaches.


In this paper, the measurement of the energy difference between the rotational conformers of 1–2–diiodotetrafluoroethane by GC/FT-IR spectroscopy is demonstrated for the first time. The ΔH° obtained is lower than the value reported from the use of the neat vapor-phase method. The difference between the values may be attributed to solvent and adsorption effects.


Abstract We report two cases of patients with gastric linitis plastica (GLP), in which the histopathological diagnosis was made by endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle biopsy (EUS‐FNB) using a Franseen‐tip needle. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy findings showed mucosal swelling and poor distensibility of the gastric antrum. Abdominal computed tomography findings showed significant thickening of the gastric wall at the antrum. Conventional endoscopic and bite‐on‐bite biopsy were attempted but resulted in failure to diagnose the lesions. We performed EUS‐FNB to obtain histopathological samples from a deeper site, which confirmed the diagnosis. We considered this method safe and effective for the diagnosis of GLP.


AIMS
The purpose of the study was to compare a polyester mesh coated with silicone (LIFT, Cousin) to a polypropylene mesh (TVT, Gynecare), in terms of results, and short and middle term complications.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We have performed a retrospective study concerning 140 patients between 2000 and 2002 (71 LIFT and 69 TVT operated for stress incontinence with or without vaginal surgery (prolapse surgery or hysterectomy). We noticed per- and postoperative complications. The patients were contacted by phone to evaluate the middle and long-term results.

RESULTS
The mean age of the patients were of 58.8+/-11.3 years in LIFT group and 57.2+/-7.5 years in TVT group. More intraoperative complications arose in the TVT group (six bladder injuries and three haemorrhages versus two in LIFT group, p<0.05). There was no difference for the postoperative time. The mean follow-up was 16.6+/-5.7 months for the LIFT and 32.2+/-11.3 months for the TVT. 80% of the patients were dry in the LIFT and 75.8% in the TVT group. There was no significant difference concerning the rate of de novo urge incontinence (18.3 versus 17.7%) and voiding difficulties (10 versus 16%). On the other hand, 6.7% of the patients of the group LIFT presented bad healing with prosthesis exposure, in every case a partial resection of the mesh was performed. We did not observe any case of exposure in the TVT group.

CONCLUSION
The LIFT seems as effective as the TVT with a rate of de novo urge incontinence and voiding difficulties similar to the TVT and to the literature's data. However the rate of 6.7% of exposure leads us to prefer polypropylene meshes.


This paper presents a Flywheel Energy Storage System based on the Z-source inverter with maximum boost control. The proposed system can boost and generate a desired output voltage efficiently when low voltage of the generator is introduced due to the low flywheel speed. Z-source inverter has been identified to exhibit both voltage buck and boost capabilities in steady-state. In order to provide the required voltage and power, the maximum boost control is used in the proposed system. Z-source inverter, which is used in Flywheel Energy Storage System, is modeled and simulated using MATLAB/SIMULINK.


This special issue invites readers to examine dynamic religious aspirations in the urban contexts of South Korea. Focusing on religious practices, adaptations, and material constructions in the making of Seoul, these articles contribute to the growing scholarly discussion on the relationship between the urban and the religious/sacred in the context of Asian cities and beyond (e.g., van der Veer 2015, Goh and van der Veer 2016). This special issue is the culmination of an interdisciplinary research team—the Seoul Lab—which contributed to the larger comparative urban research project of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity undertaken in Mumbai, Shanghai, and Singapore. In these introductory remarks we share some key concerns of the project in order to invite further scholarly discussion.


The search for novel compounds of marine origin has increased in the last decades for their application in various areas such as pharmaceutical, human or animal nutrition, cosmetics or bioenergy. In this context of blue technology development, microalgae are of particular interest due to their immense biodiversity and their relatively simple growth needs. In this review, we discuss about the promising use of microalgae and microalgal compounds as sources of natural antibiotics against human pathogens but also about their potential to limit microbial infections in aquaculture. An alternative to conventional antibiotics is needed as the microbial resistance to these drugs is increasing in humans and animals. Furthermore, using natural antibiotics for livestock could meet the consumer demand to avoid chemicals in food, would support a sustainable aquaculture and present the advantage of being environmentally friendly. Using natural and renewable microalgal compounds is still in its early days, but considering the important research development and rapid improvement in culture, extraction and purification processes, the valorization of microalgae will surely extend in the future.


Abstract Research demonstrates the importance of noncognitive skills for educational achievement and attainment. Scholars argue that gender differences in noncognitive skills contribute to the gender gap in education. However, the intersection of student race/ethnicity and gender remains underexplored. Studies that examine how noncognitive skills affect gender or racial disparities in teachers' perceptions of academic skills often assume that children's noncognitive skills have the same benefit for all children. This is questionable given that research suggests that racial biases affect teachers' perceptions of children's noncognitive skills. Using national data, our paper examines how first-grade teachers' ratings of approaches to learning affect their ratings of children's academic skills. We also test if teachers' ratings of children's noncognitive skills have similar benefits across racial/ethnic and gender categories. We use two unidimensional approaches and an intersectional approach to gauge whether an intersectional approach gives us additional leverage that the unidimensional approaches obscure. The two unidimensional approaches reveal important results that suggest that children are differentially penalized by race/ethnicity or gender. Our race/ethnicity findings suggest that, in comparison to White children with identical noncognitive skills and test scores, teachers penalize Black children in math and advantage Asian children in literacy. Findings from our gender analyses suggest that teachers penalize girls in both math and literacy. Our intersectional findings indicate that an intersectional approach gives us additional leverage obscured by both unidimensional approaches. First, we find that Black girls and Black boys are differentially penalized in math. Secondly, for teachers' ratings of literacy, our results suggest that teachers penalize Asian girls but not Asian boys in comparison to White boys. We discuss the implications of our study for understanding the complex relationship between noncognitive skills and social stratification.


Transient measurements of the excitation efficiency were performed in ZnS-based a.c. driven electroluminescent devices grown by atomic layer epitaxy. The results evidence the build-up of a bulk space-charge in the semiconductor layer from the first pulse on, even at low levels of the transferred charge (about ). At these levels, the semiconductor - insulator interfaces contribute to charge carrier injection and provide primary electrons for multiplication in the bulk. Models of space-charge generation by field emission from the bulk only are not compatible with experimental data. The multiplication rates seem rather high ; however, filamentary conduction may lead to an overestimation of .


In this paper we identify phase-locked states among the solutions of the Zakharov equations. Locked states appear as resonant island chains in the appropriate Poincare ́ plots, with the relevant surface of section obtained by projecting out the full dynamical set on a subspace defined in terms of a pair of center-manifold variables. This pair allows an accurate canonical description of the system immediately after an inverse pitchfork bifurcation destabilizes an initial homogeneous steady state. If one is very close to the bifurcation point, nonlinear saturation of the initial instability is provided by quasistatic integrable ion-acoustic fluctuations, but as one proceeds away from that point, resonant nonintegrable ion-acoustic fluctuations become gradually more important; we show that the phase-locked states result from those resonant fluctuations. If one is not too far from the pitchfork bifurcation, locking is the stable asymptotic state of the interaction. As one moves farther away, locking exists only over long but finite amounts of time. In addition, the resonance separatrix appears to bring the first chaotic activity into the system. @S1063-651X~96!09109-X#


There is significant long-term morbidity and mortality associated with the treatment of childhood cancer, and the risk of these effects continues to increase years after completion of therapy. Among childhood cancer survivors the cumulative incidence of a chronic health condition is 99% within 50 years of the original cancer diagnosis. There is a high risk for severe, disabling, or life-threatening chronic condition caused by the chemotherapy used to treat the initial malignancy. Current standards for determining chemotherapy dosage to treat solid tumor malignancies of pediatric patients is based on several factors, including the patient's surface area, age, weight, and height. To reduce the long-term effects of chemotherapy in pediatric patients our group is focused on developing novel local drug delivery systems to treat solid tumors and minimize systemic effects. The aim of the current study is to develop an in vitro method to quantify drug diffusion through tumor tissue that will allow us to optimize the dose required to treat solid tumor malignancies in vivo. We hope by modeling the significant parameters that influence drug penetration of chemotherapy drugs, we can facilitate the development of innovative drug delivery methods and more effective administration of anticancer agents to better treat pediatric malignancies and improve both short-term and long-term outcomes for childhood cancer.


AIM: To compare efficacy of diltiazem and nifedipine in single dose and long-term treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomised double-blind cross-over study enrolled 17 patients suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD) with stable angina of effort (SAE). For 1 month, each patient received diltiazem and nifedipine (60-90 mg 4 times a day and 20-30 mg 4 times a day, respectively). The effect was assessed by the pharmacodynamic test after the initial dose and in the end of each treatment course. RESULTS: In 14 eligible patients both drugs reduced the number of SAE attacks and nitroglycerin tablets, diltiazem efficiency being somewhat higher. Single doses of diltiazem and nifedipine produced the same action. In long-term treatment nifedipine effect became shorter, diltiazem effect did not change. Before the morning dose of nifedipine (11.5 hours after the previous dose) exercise tolerance of this drug worsened. This may be due to withdrawal syndrome. As to diltiazem, its exercise tolerance improved. CONCLUSION: In long-term treatment of CHD with SAE diltiasem is more effective and safe than nifedipine.


Background: Immediate implant placement with immediate esthetics has become a more common procedure over time, though ensuring good emergence of the axis of the implant has been a challenge. A novel macroimplant design with an angled platform (Co-Axis®) has been developed to ensure exit of the head of the implant in the correct prosthetic position. A systematic literature review was carried to determine the survival rate and marginal bone loss associated with these implants. Material and Methods: An electronic and manual literature search was made in accordance with the PRISMA statement. The search strategy was limited to human studies, retrospective and prospective clinical trials, cross-sectional studies, and cohort studies reporting outcomes of a novel macrohybrid implant with a 12° angled implant connection. Results: Three articles met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed in the analysis. The estimated success rate was 95.9%. The global marginal bone loss was estimated to be −0.17 ± 0.58 mm in an environment characterized by great heterogeneity (I2 = 99%). The estimated mean implant stability was 69.6 ± 0.92 (ISQ). As only two studies provided the required information, it was not possible to determine publication bias. Lastly, mean recession was estimated to be practically zero (0.06 ± 0.23 mm), with great heterogeneity. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this systematic review, it can be affirmed that immediate implant treatment with Co-Axis® implants shows a survival rate of 95.9% at one year of follow-up, with low marginal bone loss values, near-zero soft tissue recession, and favorable papilla index values. Nevertheless, the great heterogeneity of the data requires the findings to be interpreted with caution.


Purpose
Considerable research has examined the negative consequences of customer incivility on employees (e.g. turnover intention and sabotage behavior toward the customer). However, there is scant research investigating how other customers, as observers, may react to incivility. This knowledge gap should be filled because hospitality services are often consumed in the public setting where customers can observe and be influenced by each other. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by examining observing customers' willingness to revisit the company following customer incivility.

Design/methodology/approach
Participants are American consumers recruited from a crowdsourced online panel. Two scenario-based experimental studies in the restaurant setting are conducted. Customer incivility and relationship norms (communal versus exchange) are manipulated, while relationship closeness is measured.

Findings
Study 1 shows that following fellow customer incivility (vs civility), observing customers' intention to revisit the company was lower when they perceive a distant relationship with the employee. This intention did not differ regardless of incivility and civility when they perceive a close relationship with the employee. Study 2 shows that when observing customers perceive a communal relationship with the employee, their revisit intention was even higher following customer incivility (vs civility).

Practical implications
Hospitality managers need to train employees to identify signs of customer incivility and assume appropriate actions to reduce the negative consequences on observers. Hospitality managers should also communicate their expectations for respectful customer behaviors through an organization-wide campaign. Finally, hospitality businesses should foster a close relationship with their customers, particularly a communal relationship to offset the negative consequences of customer incivility on observers.

Originality/value
This study adds to previous research by challenging the universally negative view of customer incivility. The authors do so by examining the moderating effects of relationship closeness and norms in observer reactions to customer incivility. This study contributes to previous research drawing on script theory and deontic justice theory.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
To present a new method for the management of toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis (TRC).

METHODS
The patients were females ranging in age from 10 to 61 years (average 26.5). Four eyes of 4 patients were treated with intravitreal injections of 1.0 mg clindamycin in 0.1 mL and 1.0 mg of dexamethasone in 0.1 mL. The injections were given under general or peribulbar anesthesia. Three patients continued one systemic drug. Follow-up ranged from 11 to 26 months (mean 17.5).

RESULTS
A favorable response was noted in each eye within two weeks after the intravitreal injections. All patients required 2 to 4 intravitreal injections in the affected eye for the control of TRC. Visual acuity improved in each eye. The disc and macula were preserved in all eyes. Recurrence was noted in one case, which responded to a repeated intravitreal injection of clindamycin and dexamethasone.

CONCLUSIONS
Intravitreal injections of clindamycin and dexamethasone are well tolerated and may offer an additional strategy to treat TRC in patients who are unable to afford or tolerate systemic therapy, or whose disease progresses despite systemic therapy.


A laboratory investigation into the radio interference arising from electrical discharges on porcelain pin insulators and string insulator units (cap-and-pin type) under high, direct-voltage conditions is described. The effects of the magnitude and polarity of the applied voltage, the surface conditions of the insulators, and the relative humidity of the air, have been studied and phenomena compared with those observed under alternating-voltage conditions. Measurements have been made in the frequency range 0.15–30 MHz, and details of the techniques adopted are given. It has been shown that radio interference is much lower with direct voltages than with alternating voltages of the same peak value.


Geophysical exploration has become more and more multi-parameter and multi-method driven during the last decades. These data sets allow to obtain, to connect and to interpret subsurface properties more reliably. However the potential of these data sets is often unused and interpretation is reduced to independent inversions. We give an overview on basic principles and differences using the potential of those data sets. We show examples using data from Magnetic Resonance Sounding (MRS) and Geoelectrics.


The objective of this work was to evaluate the water deficit and its effects on the beans crop by the stomatal conductance as water deficit indicator. This study was carried out at the Experimental Irrigation Station of the Sao Paulo State University - Jaboticabal, during the 2000 agricultural seasons year. Four irrigation treatments with growing levels of ETm were studied: (T1) accumulated ETm = 22 mm; (T2) accumulated ETm = 33 mm; (T3) accumulated ETm = 44 mm; (T4) irrigation absence. In plants with appropriate supply of water, the stomatal conductance along the cycle presented maximum value around the solar noon, reaching 159 and 174 mmol m-2 s-1 for the treatment T1 and T2, respectivelly, and values of 83 and 52 mmol m-2 s-1 for the T3 and T4, respectivelly. The stomatal conductance along the cycle presented maximum value of 165 mmol m-2 s-1 for the treatment T4, while T1 and T2 obtained maximum values varied from 179 to 183 mmol m-2 s-1. The leaf temperature and the transpiration showed relation with the stomatal conductance while the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) did not differ among the treatments.


The study modelled and estimated the fertilizer demand function for wetland farmers in Cross River State. Stratified random sampling method was used to collect cross sectional data from 130 wetland farmers with the help of a well structured questionnaire and personal interview schedules. Ordinary Least Squares Method was used to estimate the specified equation. The results reveal that household size, household consumption expenditure, number of poultry birds kept by farmers, number of goats owned and perceived price of fertilizer have negative effect on fertilizer demand. Education of the farmer, farm size, extension agent contact, farm income, ability to predict rainfall, modern communication facilities, output of maize and mixed cropping in combination with maize have positive influence on fertilizer demand. Also policies that reduce production constraints and household size were recommended. In addition, policies that strengthen the present extension programme and improve rural infrastructures would help to reduce production cost while increasing fertilizer demand and farmers wellbeing. KEY WORD: Fertilizer, Wetland, Farmer, Demand, Policy


The total grid-connected installed capacity of wind power in northwest China has grown from 16,260 MW in 2013 to 43,290 MW in 2016; an increase of 88.7% each year. However, this region has suffered from increasingly serious wind curtailment since 2014, and the wind curtailment amount accounts for nearly a half of China's total. The wind curtailment rate of Gansu Province, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in this area has increased and remains high. This paper constructs an analytical model to explore the reasons of the high wind curtailment of these three provinces from the four aspects of the wind power supply capacity, demand, grid transmission capacity, power system flexibility and market mechanism and laws. The results show that the relationship between the wind energy distribution and supply and the local load is incompatible, which is the source causing the high wind curtailment in northwest China. On the one hand, the game between the local government and developers has driven the development of wind power bases. On the other hand, the electricity sector is growing slowly and oversupply of electricity is seen in many areas of China. The wind power grid of northwest China not only faces limit of grid transmission capacity, but also constraint of insufficient flexibility of the electricity system. Presently, China has not set up a market mechanism and subsidy mechanism for the peak load adjustment, thus the thermal power companies lack motivation to voluntarily adjust the peak load. Moreover, the regional segregation and market barriers are also obstacles for the wind power outward transmission.


The environmental signatures for habitability are not necessarily biosignatures, even though on Earth, they are definitive proof of habitability. It is the constant overprint of the chemical signatures of life that makes it difficult to recognize the chemical and physical properties of a potentially habitable environment as distinct from an inhabited one. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will soon embark on a mission to Mars to assess its past or present habitability, so it is useful to examine how we measure habitability on Earth and prepare for how that approach may differ for Mars. This exercise includes: (a) articulation of fundamental assumptions about habitability, (b) an inventory of factors that affect habitability, (c) development of metrics, measurement approach and implementation, and (d) a new classification scheme for planetary habitability that goes beyond the binary "yes" or "no." There may be dozens of factors that affect habitability and they can be weighted as a function of specific environment. However a robotic, in situ investigation even on Earth has constraints that prevent the measurement of every environmental factor, so metrics must be reduced to the most relevant subset, given available time, cost, technical feasibility and scientific importance. Many of the factors could be measured with a combination of orbital data and the MSL payload. We propose that, at a minimum, a designation of high habitability potential requires the following conditions be met: (a) thermally stable with respect to extremes and frequency of fluctuation, (b) has more than one energy source, (c) sufficient chemical diversity to make compounds with covalent and hydrogen bonding, (d) can moderate ionizing radiation enough to allow a stable or evolving pool of organic molecules, (e) must have water or other high quality polar solvent, (f) must be able to renew chemical resources (e.g., plate tectonics, volcanism or something else we haven't envisioned). A measurement approach we have taken to measure habitability on Earth is : 1. Study remote sensing data, maps, etc. 2. Decide how big an area to measure. 3. Determine the spatial sampling rate. 4. Determine the temporal sampling rate. 5. Determine the order of measurements 6. Decide where to begin measurements 7. Select locations at field site and proceed While science drives each of the steps, there are additional constraints, e.g., technical, time, cost, safety (risk). This approach is also executable on Mars. Measurement of past habitability is more challenging both for Earth and Mars where access to the past means subsurface access and confrontation with unknowns about preservation of the martian past. Some environments preserve evidence of past habitability better than others, and this is where selection of the landing site to maximize the preservation potential of habitability indicators will be key. Mars presents an opportunity to discover transitional states between habitable or not, and we offer a ranking scale for planetary habitability with Mars as the second test subject: CLASS ONE Uninhabitable and likely has never been so CLASS TWO Has a high potential but no confirmed observation of life (as defined above) CLASS THREE Inhabited (we find life) 3-A Globally inhabited 3-B Primitive life; early in its evolution, but not yet globally established 3-C Exists only in refugia -- planet heading toward class four CLASS FOUR Post-habitable (there once was life, but now it's gone) MSL provides an opportunity to carefully investigate the habitability of at least one site on Mars and it will reveal much about the possible states of planetary habitability


This report reviews a number of conceptual bases for the interpretation of atmospheric source-receptor phenomena, including spatial attributes, nonlinearity, and temporal attributes. Source- receptor properties are commonly expressed and interpreted in terms of statistical parameters. Definitions of these parameters often vary from one user to the next, however, and the resulting potential for confusion suggests the need for a standard and accepted set of terms for applied use. Time-averaging is an important consideration in describing system linearity/nonlinearity as well as temporal and spatial variability. Unless expressed in terms of a conceptual model (such as a steady-state system) where a time-averaging is implied, explicit statement of the averaging time, or period of observation, is necessary for satisfactory definition of pertinent statistical features. This plus a number of additional contributing factors tend to complicate the description of source-receptor phenomena and underline the need for consistent terminology. This report provides a description of source-receptor linearity as well as several statistical measures of spatial and temporal variability in the source-receptor sequence. These are suggested for use as standard terminology in future source-receptor studies and in applied emission-control policy analyses. 8 refs., 8 figs.


The effects of four single amino acid replacements on the stability and folding of the alpha subunit of tryptophan synthase from Escherichia coli have been investigated by ultraviolet differences spectroscopy. In previous studies [Miles, E. W., Yutani, K., & Ogasahara, K. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 2586], it had been shown that the urea-induced unfolding at pH 7.8, 25 degrees C, proceeds by the initial unfolding of the less stable carboxyl domain (residues 189-268) followed by the unfolding of the more stable amino domain (residues 1-188). The effects of the Phe-22----Leu, Glu-49----Met, Gly-234----Asp, and Gly-234----Lys mutants on the equilibrium unfolding process can all be understood in terms of the domain unfolding model. With the exception of the Glu-49----Met replacement, the effects on stability are small. In contrast, the effects of three of the four mutations on the kinetics of interconversion of the native form and one of the stable partially folded intermediates are dramatic. The results for the Phe-22----Leu and Gly-234----Asp mutations indicate that these residues play a key role in the rate-limiting step. The Glu-49----Met mutation increases the stability of the native form with respect to that of the intermediate but does not affect the rate-limiting step. The Gly-234----Lys mutation does not affect either the stability or the kinetics of folding for the transition between native and intermediate forms. The changes in stability calculated from the unfolding and refolding rate constants agree quantitatively with those obtained from the equilibrium data. When considered with the results from a previous study on the Gly-211----Glu replacement [Matthews, C. R., Crisanti, M. M., Manz, J. T., & Gepner G. L. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 1445], it can be concluded that the rate-limiting step in the conversion of the intermediate to the native conformation involves either domain association or some other type of molecule-wide phenomenon.


BACKGROUND
Since the introduction of cold corneoscleral segment storage prior to keratoplasty there have been continuous efforts to ameliorate the preservation media in order to better maintain the quality of the corneal epi- and endothelium. Recent studies have shown that basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) preserves the viability of, for example, retinal ganglion cells and pigment epithelium cells. Therefore, we investigated the effect of different concentrations of FGF-2 added to a modified Optisol storage medium on endothelial damage after corneal storage at 4 degrees C.

METHODS
. Bovine corneas were stored at 4 degrees C for 14 days and for another 24 h at 34 degrees C. Various FGF-2 concentrations (4, 20 and 40 ng/ml) were added to the medium either at day (D) 1, D14, or both D1 and D14. Quantitative evaluation of corneal damage after 14+1 days of storage was conducted by means of the Janus green photometry assay. Histological and ultrastructural investigations of the preserved endothelium were also performed. Bovine cell culture experiments using the TUNEL assay aimed to elucidate the role of FGF-2 on prevention of endothelial apoptosis.

RESULTS
The mean endothelial damage in control corneas increased from 4.9 +/- 1.8% (fresh corneas) to 13.4 +/- 2.4% after 14+1 days of storage. FGF-2 at 20 ng/ml or 40 ng/ml added at any of the indicated time points significantly reduced the overall endothelial damage by 5.1-7.3%, corresponding to 38-54% less endothelial damage than in control corneas (P<0.001). Light- and electron microscopic investigations confirmed this protective effect of FGF-2 on corneal endothelial cells. The TUNEL assay revealed a true anti-apoptotic effect of FGF-2 on endothelial cells in culture.

CONCLUSION
Our study clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of FGF-2 to enhance cell survival of the corneal endothelium after storage at 4 degrees C. A clinical interest could be seen in the potential future application of FGF-2 as an adjuvant to corneal preservation media in order to better maintain endothelial viability during corneal storage.


Changes in time and technology cause very rapid development, so it also happens in the business world, especially business start-ups. These developments led leaders to think of preparing a business start-up that was being pioneered in the face of these rapid changes. Employee Creativity is a problem that significantly influences the running of a business start-up. Transformational Leadership is believed to have an extraordinary impact on the development of creativity. Applying the right leadership pattern according to needs will result in better performance, but a supportive work environment will help maximize the role of the leader. This research contributes to completing the research gap of previous studies of Transformational Leadership on Employee Creativity that has different results. The novelty of this research is to combine the concepts of Knowledge Sharing and Task Conflict Behavior as mediations that are believed to be able to optimize the role of a transformational leader resulting in higher employee creativity. The population of this research is the start-up business leaders in Indonesia. The data analysis method used was the Structural Equation Model). The results of this study prove that there is a significant relationship between Transformational Leadership with Employee Creativity and Knowledge Sharing, then Knowledge Sharing has a significant effect on Employee Creativity. At the same time, Transformational Leadership has no significant effect on Task Conflict Behavior, and Task Conflict Behavior does not significantly influence Employee Creativity. Mediation test results show that Knowledge Sharing acts as a mediator between Transformational Leadership and Employee Creativity, while Task Conflict Behavior is not as significant as a mediator.


This Master Thesis is about the sand erosion challenges with the Francis turbines. The background for studying this subject is the fact that the sand erosion problem is a very negative factor for the development of new hydro electric power plants in many developing countries. The target with this Master Thesis has been to develop a new design, a revised version of the Francis turbine, reducing the sand erosion by 30- 50 per cent compared with today´s version of turbines. The present version of Francis turbines is consisting of three different vane cascades, The stay, guide and runner cascade. The sand erosion is in proportion with the relative speed between the sand particles and the steel cubed. This challenge has thus been analyzed and solved by reducing this speed through the turbine. Regarding the stay vanes, a new design has been proposed where the stay vanes are pressing the spiral casing from outside and not from the inside. This will result in the fact that the whole sand erosion problem has been removed. It has been proposed to remove the the guide vane cascade. This will consequently remove the sand erosion problem here as well. A favourable solution is to increase the reaction degree. For the runner a study of four different parameters has been carried out. These parameters were the number of pole pair in the generator, outlet angle, reaction degree and UCu distribution. The analysis shows that a reduction of sand erosion at the runner outlet was possible by selecting a higher number of pole pair along with a higher outlet angle than what is standard practice today. This result is of high significant importance since the sand erosion is biggest at the runner outlet. A change in the reaction degree may enable the erosion at the inlet of the runner, whereas a change in the UcU will change the erosion between the inlet and outlet. By selecting favourable parameter values, a substantial reduction of sand erosion in a Francis turbine will be possible. The turbines in this Master thesis have been designed in the computer program Matlab. A proposal for new design based upon the results of the parameter study has been analyzed in a CDF analysis. This analysis has been made in Ansys CFX.


Nurses' control over practice is essential to nursing care quality and fosters teamwork at the point of care delivery. This article describes a study to measure the impact of nurses' control over their practice from the perspective of teamwork. The purpose of this study was to measure the relationship of control over practice to the five following dimensions of teamwork: team structure, leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication. The study method was a secondary analysis of 456 surveys from registered nurses working in a five-hospital system. Study results demonstrated that the global measure of teamwork correlated with control over practice and nursing experience, but not with teamwork training. All five individual dimensions of teamwork were perceived as better for those who had a high level of control over practice compared to those who did not. In the discussion section, we consider situation monitoring since this dimension demonstrated an interaction effect between teamwork training and control over practice. Nursing control over practice demonstrates a positive relationship with teamwork and should be considered in future education, policy, and research efforts. Further study is needed to understand control over practice as a potential moderator or mediator of other predecessors of effective teamwork.


Emission from electronically excited sodium atoms (Na*) was observed when argon saturated aqueous solutions of the anionic surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium octyl sulfate, sodium 1-pentanesulfonate, and sodium 1-octanesulfonate were sonicated using 358 kHz ultrasound. The same emission band, centered at about 590 nm, was also obtained in aqueous NaCl solutions, although a ∼100-fold higher concentration than that used for the surfactant solutions was required to obtain an emission of comparable intensity. The results have been interpreted in terms of the surfactant adsorbing at the gas-solution interface of the bubbles generated by the ultrasound, generating an electrostatic surface potential, and attracting Na+ counterions to the bubble surface. It is reasoned that Na+ ions are simultaneously reduced and electronically excited at the bubble-solution interface during the final stages of the collapse phase of the acoustically driven bubble. It is proposed that sodium ion bound water molecules reduce interfacial Na+ under the extreme, perhaps supercritical, conditions the interface experiences on bubble implosion.


In various epithelial tissues, the epithelial monolayer acts as a barrier. To fulfill its function, the structural integrity of the epithelium is tightly controlled. When normal epithelial cells detach from the basal substratum and delaminate into the apical lumen, the apically extruded cells undergo apoptosis, which is termed anoikis. In contrast, transformed cells often become resistant to anoikis and able to survive and grow in the apical luminal space, leading to the formation of multilayered structures, which can be observed at the early stage of carcinogenesis. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms still remain elusive. In this study, we first demonstrate that S100A10 and ANXA2 (Annexin A2) accumulate in apically extruded, transformed cells in both various cell culture systems and murine epithelial tissues in vivo. ANXA2 acts upstream of S100A10 accumulation. Knockdown of ANXA2 promotes apoptosis of apically extruded RasV12-transformed cells and suppresses the formation of multilayered epithelia. In addition, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) are elevated in apically extruded RasV12 cells. Treatment with ROS scavenger Trolox reduces the occurrence of apoptosis of apically extruded ANXA2-knockdown RasV12 cells and restores the formation of multilayered epithelia. Furthermore, ROS-mediated p38MAPK activation is observed in apically delaminated RasV12 cells, and ANXA2 knockdown further enhances the p38MAPK activity. Moreover, the p38MAPK inhibitor promotes the formation of multilayered epithelia of ANXA2-knockdown RasV12 cells. These results indicate that accumulated ANXA2 diminishes the ROS-mediated p38MAPK activation in apically extruded transformed cells, thereby blocking the induction of apoptosis. Hence, ANXA2 can be a potential therapeutic target to prevent multilayered, precancerous lesions.


The crystal structure of the late lanthanoids' catena-polyphosphates Ln(PO3)3 (Ln=Tb-Yb) is incommensurately modulated (Dy(PO3)3: space group Cc(0beta0)0; Z=4; a=1417.4(4), b=670.96(14), c=1009.5(3) pm; beta=127.62(2) degrees, q=0.364b*; Rall=0.057, wRall=0.071; 293 K) and consists of infinite chains of corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. The cations are coordinated 6-fold in an almost octahedral arrangement over the whole modulation period. All atoms comprise a sinoidal positional modulation. The basic structure can be derived from a fcc packing which explains the pseudo-face-centering observed in the diffraction patterns. The crystal structure of Lu(PO3)3 is isotypic with C-type phosphates (Cc; Z=12; a=1397.2(1), b=2001.8(2), c=995.56(9) pm; beta=127.351(6) degrees; R1=0.042, wR2=0.097, 293 K), and Gd(PO3)3 crystallizes in a new structure type (I2/a; Z=16; a=2601.7(2), b=1351.1(1), c=1008.4(1) pm; beta=119.311(6) degrees; R1=0.039, wR2=0.092; 293 K). Both can be described in terms of superstructures of the basic structure unit cell of the incommensurate phases, and thus, a consistent structural description of many polyphosphates is provided. Tb(PO3)3 was obtained as single phase adopting a novel synthesis under reducing conditions. The absence of an inversion center in the incommensurate phases and Lu(PO3)3 was proved by a SHG experiment. The vibrational spectra are also discussed.


A new neutron-measuring instrument that is intended to measure a neutron personal dose equivalent, H(p)(10) was developed. This instrument is composed of two parts: (1) a conventional moderator-based neutron dose equivalent meter and (2) a neutron shield made of borated polyethylene, which covers a backward hemisphere to adjust the angular dependence. The whole design was determined on the basis of MCNP calculations so as to have response characteristics that would generally match both the energy and angular dependencies of H(p)(10). This new instrument will be a great help in assessing the reference values of neutron H(p)(10) during field testing of personal neutron dosemeters in workplaces and also in interpreting their readings.


Although email is frequently often thought of as a quick and efficient form of communication, often little thought is given to how email affects the employee. This paper has made steps towards gaining a better understanding of email communication and how it can be used more effectively in an organisation. The results obtained from this study can also provide the basis for communication usage policies and training, which could then reduce wasted time and improve employee productivity. It has also shown both the value of obtaining metrics and the difficulties involved. The paper highlights some of the problems, and some of the issues that need to be addressed with email communication within a large organisation.


Delta Air Lines entered e-business with much aplomb when it agreed to provide Priceline.com with its excess inventory (seats on planes) in exchange for a 10% equity position. When Priceline stock soared, Delta sold part of its holding for $750 million. Delta management recognized that e-business offered many different business opportunities and has identified ways to lower costs (e.g. selling tickets on line), increase revenues (e.g. selling excess inventory through Priceline), and experiment with new business concepts (developing MYOBTravel.com for small and medium-sized businesses). This case stud y describes Delta?s e-business initiatives, noting the organizational structure used to aggressively pursue new opportunities. Of particular note is the role of the IT transformation that positioned Delta for the opportunities e-business created. Seeking to avert a Y2K crisis, Delta invested $1 billion in its IT infrastructure and developed a publish-and-subscribe environment to support a cross-functional customerorientation.


Objectives: Hepatitis C is a blood borne infection primarily disrupting the functional and architectural integrity of liver and has a considerable share in worldwide mortality and morbidity. Treatment strategies against the causative RNA-based virus has widely evolved over time with newer Direct Acting Antivirals (DAA) being recently introduced. This study serves to assess the efficacy of Sofosbuvir (DAA) in patients of HCV genotype 3a with prior treatment with interferon. Study Design: An Open label, Prospective Quasi Experimental Study. Setting: Mayo Hospital, Lahore. Period: September 2016 to December 2017. Material and Methods: 212 patients with genotype 3a who had been previously treated with interferon (INF). They were treated with Sofosbuvir 400mg once daily and Ribavirin 400mg thrice daily. The treatment duration was 24 weeks following which the end of treatment response (ETR) was determined by quantifying viral load by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Results: Of the 212 patients enrolled, 50 patients did not give follow up either due to availability issues or due to non-compliance. 13 patients left the treatment due to comorbidities. 149 patients completed the treatment out of whom 131 patients showed positive response (87.9%). Nine patients with high viral load showed relapse while nine patients were non-responders. Conclusion: In interferon experienced patients of HCV genotype 3a, Sofosbuvir has shown to reach sublimecure rates which may serve to obviate conventional treatment strategies owing to their longer treatment duration and significant adverse effects. As demonstrated by this study, the modest safety profile coupled with an enhanced therapeutic efficacy of Sofosbuvir is expected to revolutionize treatment strategies against Hepatitis C limiting the spread and hence the incidence of disease.


In order to improve our understanding of the new configurations of the collective it is proposed, a theoretical discussion that relates this transformation dialectically with the urban changes that have accompanied the new architecture of global production. Firstly, the limitations of Touraine's Sociology of Action in explaining the social movements from the ambivalence of modern individualism are identified; this is then enriched with further theoretical innovations. Subsequently, an emergent subject is visualized. This subject is mobilized by a policy of lifestyle whereby s/he defines how s/he lives according to combinations of general principles of modernity and identities. As such, the urban conflicts that are generated in opposition to city transformations are resignified, in particular the emergence of the struggle for the right to the city. This is a new identity project that enables different emergent social movements to define new opportunities for urban living in specific cities.


Chemically modified DNA aptamers specific to human α-thrombin were obtained from oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN) libraries by using a capillary electrophoresis-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (CE-SELEX) method. These libraries contained 2'-O,4'-C-methylene-bridged/linked bicyclic ribonucleotides (B/L nucleotides) in the primer region and/or C5-modified thymidine bearing N(6)-ethyladenine (t) in the nonprimer region. Modified DNA aptamers showed high binding affinities to the target, with dissociation constants (Kd) values in the range of subnanomolar to several ten nanomolar levels. The introduction of base modification significantly suppressed the frequency of G-quadruplex motifs, which are often seen in thrombin-binding DNA aptamers. The resulting alternatives contained the 10-mer consensus sequence t5Gt2G2, which is frequently found in modified DNA aptamers with subnanomolar protein binding affinities. Furthermore, some base- and sugar-modified DNA aptamers with the 12-mer consensus sequence t2G2tC(A/G)A2G2t displayed binding activities that were dependent on the presence of B/L nucleotides in the primer region. Such aptamers were interestingly not recovered from a natural DNA library or from DNA libraries modified with either B/L nucleotides or t's. This emerging characteristic binding property will enable the creation of a direct selection methodology for DNA-based molecular switches that are triggered by chemical conversion of B/L nucleotides introduced to constant sequence regions in ODN libraries.


Purpose: To examine the effect of different scintillator surface treatments (BGO crystals) on the fraction of scintillation photons that exit the crystal and reach the photodetector (SiPM). Methods: Positron Emission Tomography is based on the detection of light that exits scintillator crystals, after annihilation photons deposit energy inside these crystals. A considerable fraction of the scintillation light gets trapped or absorbed after going through multiple internal reflections on the interfaces surrounding the crystals. BGO scintillator crystals generate considerably less scintillation light than crystals made of LSO and its variants. Therefore, it is crucial that the small amount of light produced by BGO exits towards the light detector. The surface treatment of scintillator crystals is among the factors affecting the ability of scintillation light to reach the detectors. In this study, we analyze the effect of different crystal surface treatments on the fraction of scintillation light that is detected by the solid state photodetector (SiPM), once energy is deposited inside a BGO crystal. Simulations were performed by a Monte Carlo based software named GATE, and validated by measurements from individual BGO crystals coupled to Philips digital-SiPM sensor (DPC-3200). Results: The results showed an increment in light collection of about 4 percent when only the exit face of the BGO crystal, is unpolished; compared to when all the faces are polished. However, leaving several faces unpolished caused a reduction of at least 10 percent of light output when the interaction occurs as far from the exit face of the crystal as possible compared to when it occurs very close to the exit face. Conclusion: This work demonstrates the advantages on light collection from leaving unpolished the exit face of BGO crystals. The configuration with best light output will be used to obtain flood images from BGO crystal arrays coupled to SiPM sensors.


The study of periodic biological processes, such as when plants flower and birds arrive in the spring is known as Phenology. In recent years this field has gained interest from the scientific community because of the applicability of this data to the study of climate change and other ecolog- ical processes. In this paper we propose the use of tangible interfaces for interactive sonification with a specific example of a multimodal tangible interface consisting of a physical paper map and tracking of fiducial markers combined with a novel drawing interface. The designed interface enables one or more users to specify point queries with the map inter- face and to specify time queries with the drawing interface. This allows the user to explore both time and space while receiving immediate sonic feedback of their actions. This system can be used to study and explore the effects of cli- mate change, both as tool to be used by scientists, and as a way to educate and involve members of the general public in a dynamic way in this research.


The sensing coverage area of surveillance wireless sensor networks, which is determined by applying the Neyman-Pearson detection rule, is considered. Using a graph model for the perimeter, the weakest breach path is found through Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm. The breach probability is a critical parameter for assessing the required number of sensor nodes and the surveillance performance of the network. Analysis indicates that for the Neyman-Pearson detection model, the most significant parameter is the false alarm rate, which is inversely proportional to the breach probability. Furthermore, the width of the field has a significant impact on the breach probability.


AML1-ETO is a leukemogenic fusion protein generated by chromosomal translocation t(8; 21) (q22; q22), one of the most frequent chromosomal abnormalities in acute myeloid leukemia. The fusion protein has been shown to present dichotomous functions on leukemic cells: growth arrest versus differentiation block. However, their precise molecular mechanisms are not completely clear. In this work, we try to explore potential AML1-ETO-targeted proteins through comparing two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE)-based global protein expression profiles of leukemic U937 cells with and without inducible expression of AML1-ETO. As a result, we identified 14 unique proteins deregulated in AML1-ETO-carrying leukemic cells, including 3 up-regulated such as hairy and enhancer of split 5 (HES5) and 11 down-regulated such as MAT1 (menage a trois-1) and mitogen-activated protein kinase organizer 1 (MORG1). These proteins were widely involved in stem cell maintenance, cell cycle, signal transduction and transcription. The further investigation on their roles in leukemic cells will uncover new clues to understanding leukemogenic effects of AML1-ETO fusion protein.


The peer review process is a quality control for scientific publication. Well done, it helps editors to improve their journals and protects readers from wasting time on ill-conceived, redundant, irrelevant or erroneous literature. Badly done it can act as an obstacle to innovation. This article tells you how to be a first rate peer reviewer.


Few electric utilities go beyond current IEC and ANSI requirements regarding the thresholds of harmonic distortion, voltage unbalance, overvoltages and voltage dips on their distribution lines on a full-time basis. Technical document IEC 1000-2-1 stipulates that those threshold values should be respected at least 95% of the time, while the draft of revised ANSI standard 519 states that specified values may be exceeded for short intervals. Thus, during certain periods of time no limits are specified; hence the need for some means of characterizing disturbances and defining thresholds that are better adapted to modern power systems. The authors therefore propose a new approach based on the thermal energy accumulated by the equipment affected by power system disturbances. In addition to a redefinition of the steady-state value, an energy-related index is given for better identifying the nature of fluctuating system disturbances.


Abstract Uterine leiomyoma is the most prevalent benign type of gynecological tumor. It affects more than 80% of women worldwide and, within this group, more than 50% may be asymptomatic. However, large fibroid volumes may be associated with symptoms of extrinsic compression, and most of the cases do not present atypical cells. We present the case of a 49-year-old woman who underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy of a 13.5-kg uterine leiomyoma with no malignancies at histopathology and review the literature about giant uterine leiomyomas and their clinical repercussion. We concluded that large volumes do not always pose a threat regarding malignancy; however, future molecular studies are needed to investigate giant uterine fibroids.


Biologics are a major growth driver for global pharmaceutical market. Biosimilars are those biologics which are developed after patent expiration of innovator biopharmaceuticals. They are known as similar biologics, follow-on biologics, follow-on protein products, subsequent-entry biologics, bio-comparables, second-entry or off-patent biotechnology or multisource products in different countries. They require separate marketing approval since they are not generic versions of biologics. They are rather new molecules owing to a number of heterogeneities as compared to the reference innovator biologics. Hence, they require full documentation on quality, safety and efficacy. Several challenges in the form of structural variability, immunogenicity, regulatory, etc. impede the way of growth of biosimilars. Structural variability results due to the complexity of structure of biologics. Immunogenicity is inherent to these products since they are proteins. The lack of a robust regulatory framework poses a risk to patient safety. This article aims to highlight the biosimilars scenario on a global basis and it throws light on the regulatory guidelines of different countries. It also discusses the major challenges involved therewith. It also considers some trends that promise the bright future of biosimilars.


It is well known that quantization cannot increase the Kullback-Leibler divergence which can be thought of as the expected value or first moment of the log-likelihood ratio. In this paper, we investigate the quantization effects on the second moment of the log-likelihood ratio. It is shown via the convex domination technique that quantization may result in an increase in the case of the second moment, but the increase is bounded above by 2/e. The result is then applied to decentralized sequential detection problems not only to provide simpler sufficient conditions for asymptotic optimality theories in the simplest models, but also to shed new light on more complicated models. In addition, some brief remarks on other higher-order moments of the log-likelihood ratio are also provided.


Lhermitte-Duclos disease, or dysplastic gangliocytoma of the cerebellum, is a peculiar hamartoma arising from the cerebellar cortex. Cowden disease, which is also termed as a multiple hamartoma-neoplasia syndrome, is an unusual autosomal dominant disorder characterized by mucocutaneous lesions, including facial papules, gingival papillomas, and acral keratoses. Other systemic hamartomas are frequently present, and there are high incidence of breast, thyroid, and genitourinary malignancies. Recently, it is accepted that Lhermitte-Duclos disease is a part of Cowden disease, a new phakomatosis. Recognition of this association has clinical significance, because diligent long-term follow-up monitoring of individuals with Lhermitte-Duclos disease and Cowden disease may lead to the early detection of malignancy.


A pre-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YAG/Cr:YAG microchip laser is demonstrated with a peak power of 7.5 kW at pulse repetition rate of serveral kilohertzs. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) is 734 ps, and the pulse energy is 5.5 ?J with a fundamental spatial mode. In this system, the pre-pumped microchip laser of Nd:YAG/Cr:YAG wafer which is bonded through the thermal-bonding technique has achieved a time jitter value of 12 ?s and a Q-switched amplitude instability of 1.26% (1?) through the pre-pumped modulation technique.


Graph clustering algorithms are widely used in the analysis of biological networks. Extracting functional modules in protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks is one such use. Most clustering algorithms whose focuses are on finding functional modules try either to find a clique like sub networks or to grow clusters starting from vertices with high degrees as seeds. These algorithms do not make any difference between a biological network and any other networks. In the current research, we present a new procedure to find functional modules in PPI networks. Our main idea is to model a biological concept and to use this concept for finding good functional modules in PPI networks. In order to evaluate the quality of the obtained clusters, we compared the results of our algorithm with those of some other widely used clustering algorithms on three high throughput PPI networks from Sacchromyces Cerevisiae, Homo sapiens and Caenorhabditis elegans as well as on some tissue specific networks. Gene Ontology (GO) analyses were used to compare the results of different algorithms. Each algorithm's result was then compared with GO-term derived functional modules. We also analyzed the effect of using tissue specific networks on the quality of the obtained clusters. The experimental results indicate that the new algorithm outperforms most of the others, and this improvement is more significant when tissue specific networks are used.


The non-marine faunal remains from excavations at the sites of Bostadh Beach, Great Bernera and Loch na Beirgh, Bhaltos, Lewis were analysed to investigate aspects of the economy and environment in the first millennium AD. Both sites show structural evidence of occupancy over several hundred years, covering several structural phases with evidence of rebuilding and repairs to buildings. At the site of Bostadh the occupation phases appear to encompass the cultural change involved in the arrival of the Norse, allowing changes in economic strategies between the two cultures to be examined. The bones from four occupation phases at Bostadh were analysed, and from one occupation phase at Beirgh. The evidence from these two sites was considered in the light of work previously carried out in the Bhaltos peninsula, Lewis, and in similar studies elsewhere in north Atlantic Scotland. The general condition of the bones was good, reflecting the calcium rich machair soils of the area, and making them an important resource in the understanding of the economy and environment of Atlantic Scotland in the first millennia AD. The state of preservation and fragmentation of each of the bone specimens was recorded with the hope of furthering understanding of site formation processes. The good condition of the bones made them highly identifiable and of considerable archaeological value. A range of mammalian and avian species were retrieved from both sites indicating a mixed economy with opportunistic use made of locally available resources. The bones of red deer (Cervus elaphus) are particularly abundant within the assemblage of bones retrieved from both sites, suggesting a heavy reliance on the animals for meat. The apparent importance of red deer in the economy of these sites is unusual in north Atlantic Scotland and some consideration is therefore given as to how the animals were procured and whether some sort of management of the herds may have been taking place. Changes in the exploitation of animals over time are noted at Bostadh. Cattle and caprine (sheep or goat) bones are also present in substantial quantities. Other species represented in the assemblages include pig, otter, and dog, grey and common seal and a range of seabird species.


Objective: Preeclampsia (PE) is a prevalent pregnancy disorder worldwide with limited preventative treatments available. Obesity triples the risk for PE, yet only 10% of women with obesity develop PE. The factors that distinguish PE from uncomplicated pregnancies in the context of obesity have not been fully established. Methods: We studied a cohort of women with obesity throughout pregnancy to identify lipid mediators and/or biomarkers of PE. Blood samples were collected at each trimester and analyzed by both targeted lipidomics and standard lipid panels. Individual lipid species were compared by PE status at each trimester, as well as by self-identified race (Black vs. White) and fetal sex. Results: Standard lipid panels and clinical measurements revealed few differences between PE and uncomplicated pregnancies. Targeted lipidomics, however, identified plasmalogen, phosphatidylethanolamine, and free fatty acid species that were elevated in the third trimester of women with PE. Furthermore, race and trimester of pregnancy were considerable sources of plasma lipidomic variation in women with obesity. Conclusions: First and second trimester individual plasma lipid species do not predict the development of PE in obese women. In the third trimester, PE patients have elevated levels of plasmalogens—a class of lipoprotein-associated phospholipids that have been implicated in the response to oxidative stress.


This essay deals with three memoirs on F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sheilah Graham's Beloved Infidel (1958), Tony Buttitta's After the Good Gay Times (1974), and Frances Kroll Ring's Against the Current (1985). These texts are representative examples of an interesting sub-genre of memoir I have labeled the "secondary memoir," which takes as its focus the author's time with some other person, giving us a "moderated image" of that person, in this case F. Scott Fitzgerald. The secondary memoirs on Fitzgerald have been critically neglected and deserve scholarly attention, though they do present some problems. Although we might question the objectivity (or, conversely, the subjectivity) of each, these secondary memoirs present an image of Fitzgerald more comprehensive than the passing mentions in the memoirs of Cowley and Stein, and more sincere than the apparently contrived scenes in the memoirs of Hemingway and Callaghan. Graham, Buttitta, and Ring elegantly fill in the gaps, moderating between the rigid lines of serious scholarly study of Fitzgerald's life and the loose, superficial scribbles of the Fitzgerald myth.


Diversity is a key factor in the stability of ecosystems (Baron et al. 2003). So, knowing what affects diversity is important knowledge regarding the maintenance of freshwater ecosystems all around the world. The factor we tested that effects diversity of microorganisms was temperature. We kept two freshwater samples in different climates, one in an ambient climate and the other a hot climate, 41 degrees Celsius, synthesized in an incubator.  What we discovered was the sample kept in a hot climate was overall more diverse than the sample kept at room temperature. This provides evidence that aquatic ecosystems in hotter climates are more diverse, and therefore more stable.


Recycling the waste has been one of the most influential aspect affecting global conditions of the world. In the world of Civil Engineering, it serves the purpose of preservation of the natural building materials such as Sand, Stones, etc. Fair amount of work been done on utilization of the waste such as Fly ash, marble waste, tiles waste, plastic, etc. used as different forms of replacement, provokes the need of work still to be done. So much of the work has been done on wastes available from Marble and Tiles. The combined effect of waste marble powder (M.P) and Ceramic tile waste (CTW) as partial replacement of Cement (10%) and Coarse Aggregates (10%,20%,30% respectively) is to be observed and analyzed. The obtained results will be compared with the conventional cement concrete at 7 and 28 days of Curing. Total 24 number of cylinders casted and tested for their workability and Compressive strength. The Workability of Concrete with replacement decreased with increasing ratio of replacement as well as its Compressive Strength. The Compressive strength of concrete with replacement is approximately of same value as that of Conventional Concrete at (10%+10%) partial substitution ratio.


In Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), by contrast to sporadic cerebral small vessel disease related to age and hypertension, white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are frequently observed in the white matter of anterior temporal poles, external capsules, and superior frontal regions. Whether these WMH (specific WMH) differ from those observed in other white matter areas (nonspecific WMH) remains unknown. Twenty patients were scanned to compare specific and nonspecific WMH using high-resolution images and analyses of relaxation times (T1R: longitudinal relaxation time and T2*R: effective transversal relaxation time). Specific WMH were characterized by significantly longer T1R and T2*R (T1R: 2309 ± 120 ms versus 2145 ± 138 ms; T2*R: 40 ± 5 ms versus 35 ± 5 ms, p < 0.001). These results were not explained by the presence of dilated perivascular spaces found in the close vicinity of specific WMH. They were not either explained by the normal regional variability of T1R and T2*R in the white matter nor by systematic imaging artifacts as shown by the study of 17 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Our results suggest large differences in water content between specific and nonspecific WMH in CADASIL, supporting that mechanisms underlying WMH may differ according to their location.


Many proteins, including cytochrome c (cyt c), have been shown to form domain-swapped oligomers, but the factors governing the oligomerization process remain unrevealed. We obtained oligomers of cyt c by refolding cyt c from its acid molten globule state to neutral pH state under high protein and ion concentrations. The amount of oligomeric cyt c obtained depended on the nature of the anion (chaotropic or kosmotropic) in the solution: ClO4(-) (oligomers, 11% ± 2% (heme unit)), SCN(-) (10% ± 2%), I(-) (6% ± 2%), NO3(-) (3% ± 1%), Br(-) (2% ± 1%), Cl(-) (2% ± 1%), and SO4(2-) (3% ± 1%) for refolding of 2 mM cyt c (anion concentration 125 mM). Dimeric cyt c obtained by refolding from the molten globule state exhibited a domain-swapped structure, in which the C-terminal α-helices were exchanged between protomers. According to small-angle X-ray scattering measurements, approximately 25% of the cyt c molecules were dimerized in the molten globule state containing 125 mM ClO4(-). These results indicate that a certain amount of molten globule state oligomers of cyt c convert to domain-swapped oligomers during refolding and that the intermolecular interactions necessary for domain swapping are present in the molten globule state.


Abstract In oak (Quercus) savannas in the Midwest region of the United States, fire continues to play a significant role in its persistence within the landscape; however, in southeastern Wisconsin, quantified fire history records are limited. This study documented occurrences of fire for the last 200 y using 16 cross-dated oak sections from an oak savanna remnant in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Fire history was reconstructed by: (1) obtaining fire-scarred cross sections from cut down oaks in an area planned for an industrial park, (2) preparing sample surfaces to count rings, (3) creating skeleton plots to crossdate samples, (4) dating fire scars, (5) calculating intervals between fires and (6) determining seasonality of the fire. In addition, a master chronology was constructed for the oak savanna using the cross sections to correlate with precipitation. Throughout the entire time series, only 50% of the fire dates were associated with significantly dry years. Although the overall Weibull median interval was 4.59 y, fire frequency fluctuations and gaps reflected specific time periods of human activities. Although some studies report a high fire frequency during Euro-American settlement, in this study the mean fire interval (MFI) was 19.5 y in the early settlement years in 1840–1872 and 4.77 y in the post settlement years in 1873–1979. From 1980 to the present, MFI was 6.7 y. In addition, the data revealed time periods with no fire events: (1) during early Euro-American settlement (1840–1872), (2) land fragmentation and deforestation (1904–1920) and (3) increased industrial zoning (1989–present). Although lightning strikes occur most often during the summer months, the majority of fires that occurred during the dormant season (53%) were set by humans. These data are essential in understanding oak dynamics and in developing management programs for restoration and preservation of remnant areas of oak savanna.


The cause of glaucoma, a disease defined by degeneration of retinal ganglion cells associated with cupping of the optic nerve head (ONH) and progressive vision loss, continues to be debated despite numerous advances in ophthalmic imaging and diagnostics. Although elevated intraocular pressure is often implicated, many studies, using a variety of imaging techniques including plain fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, laser Doppler flowmetry, and color Doppler ultrasound (1-4), have suggested that insufficiencies of ONH circulation may play a role in glaucoma pathogenesis. While all of these imaging modalities have been informative, each has a set of limitations, including low spatial resolution, invasiveness, restriction to superficial vessels, lack of repeatability, and modality specific artifacts. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), an imaging technology that can produce high resolution, three-dimensional images of fundus microcirculation, is well suited to overcome many of these limitations (5).


Across taxa, sensory perception modulates aging in response to important ecological cues, including food, sex, and danger. The range of sensory cues involved, and their mechanism of action, are largely unknown. We therefore sought to better understand how one potential cue, that of light, impacts aging in Drosophila melanogaster. In accordance with recently published data, we found that flies lived significantly longer in constant darkness. Extended lifespan was not accompanied by behavioral changes that might indirectly slow aging such as activity, feeding, or fecundity, nor were circadian rhythms necessary for the effect. The lifespans of flies lacking eyes or photoreceptor neurons were unaffected by light kept at normal housing conditions, and transgenic activation of these same neurons was sufficient to phenocopy the effects of environmental light on lifespan. The relationship between light and lifespan was not correlated with its intensity, duration, nor the frequency of light-dark transitions. Furthermore, high-intensity light reduced lifespan in eyeless flies, indicating that the effects we observed were largely independent of the known, non-specific damaging effects associated with light. Our results suggest that much like other environmental cues, light may act as a sensory stimulus to modulate aging.


Adenosine, cAMP and db-cAMP were found to inhibit nerve-mediated contractions of the terminal ileum elicited by electrical stimulation (ES). Responses to ES at 30 Hz, which are believed to be of adrenergic origin, were considerably more affected than the responses to ES at 3 Hz, which may be of purinergic orign. The following order of relative inhibitory potencies was established: adenosine greater than cAMP greater than db-cAMP. Adenosine, cAMP and db-cAMP did not affect the contractile responses of the preparation to histamine, potassium and noradrenaline. Therefore, the observed inhibition of nerve-mediated contractions was thought to be due to an action on presynaptic sites, i.e. on the neural network within the intestine. This action was antagonized by an increase in external calcium and by aminophylline, which is known to increase intracellular calcium. The present experiments suggests that the inhibitory action of adenosine, cAMP and db-cAMP results from a reduction of calcium fluxes across the neural membrane and to a subsequent reduction in the release of neurotransmitter(s). The inhibitory effect of cAMP appeared to be nonspecific and was presumably related to adenosine in its molecule.


The study was undertaken to identify the effect of tamoxifen on the expression and phosphorylation of motility related proteins in the adult male rats. For this purpose, tamoxifen, at a dose of 0.4 mg/kg/day, was administered per os to the male rats for a period of 60 days. Cauda sperms, epididymal fluid and tissue proteins were extracted and analyzed by electrophoresis. Testicular tissues fixed in paraffin wax were analyzed for changes in the immunoexpression of interstitial tissue estrogen receptor alpha. Phosphorylation pattern of sperm proteins was studied in vitro after incubating with 32P-ATP. The expression of dynein and tubulin in sperms, and estrogen receptors in epididymis were analyzed by immunoblotting. Tamoxifen treatment did not alter the protein profile in the cauda sperms, epididymal fluid and tissues. Endogenous phosphorylation pattern of sperm proteins in vitro was also not affected, though it is possible that 32P incorporation observed in the 66 kDa protein could be estrogen receptor. Expression of sperm dynein, tubulin and epididymal estrogen receptors was unchanged as was the expression of testicular estrogen receptors. It was concluded that tamoxifen administration alters forward motility pattern characteristic of cauda sperm without any demonstrable change in the expression or activation of motility related proteins and the phosphorylation of the sperm estrogen receptors may be involved in the regulation of sperm motility.


The importance of monitoring the temperature of the motor bearing on the water circulation pump on a regular basis to prevent pump operation failures due to bearing. The operator monitors the temperature bearing manually using a Flir measuring instrument with potential hazards in the work area namely slipping, falling and electrocution. On this basis, IoT based bearing monitoring system for circulation water pump in real time is very necessary.The design of this prototype uses hardware such as ESP32 microcontroller and MLX90614-BCC sensor, while the software used are blynk and google spreadsheet. The MLX90614-BCC sensor calibration uses a linear regression method to adjust the sensor value to the Flir TG167 so as to minimize deviations in temperature readings.The results of this prototype are able to read temperature bearing well which are integrated with the blynk on smartphones by displaying temperature values in the form of numbers and graphs and also equipped with a notification. The prototype that was built had an average measurement deviation of 0.32% on the DE sensor and 0.3% on the NDE sensor. Storage of temperature data on google spreadsheet with the amount of data that can be stored as much as 1,666,666 data. The conclusion of the research is that it has succeeded in designing and manufacturing a prototype IoT based bearing monitoring system for circulation water pump. Testing the performance of the prototype can work well. The results of the prototype test on bearing for the water circulation pump showed that DE and NDE bearing temperatures were still below 55 °C and there was no notification on the smartphone which indicates the motor bearing is still in normal condition.


Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers and one of the leading causes of cancer death in the Western world. The disease arises from the accumulation of mutations in oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes and mismatch repair genes during progression from normal colon epithelium to adenoma and metastatic carcinoma. Improved understanding of genetic events that underline tumor development and progression may contribute to new strategies for prevention, diagnosis as well as for therapy. The results of Human genome project showed that each person has its unique genetic "signature" as a consequence of a large number of inherited genetic variations. There are also sporadic molecular changes specific for each tumor type. This mini review will give some information about the most frequent molecular genetics changes in colorectal cancer and its molecular stratification due to its heredity, germline pharmacogenetic markers, somatic mutations and microsatellite instability.


As countries look towards re-opening of economic activities amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring public health has been challenging. While contact tracing only aims to track past activities of infected users, one path to safe reopening is to develop reliable spatiotemporal risk scores to indicate the propensity of the disease. Existing works which aim to develop risk scores either rely on compartmental model-based reproduction numbers (which assume uniform population mixing) or develop coarse-grain spatial scores based on reproduction number (R0) and macro-level density-based mobility statistics. Instead, in this paper, we develop a Hawkes process-based technique to assign relatively fine-grain spatial and temporal risk scores by leveraging high-resolution mobility data based on cell-phone originated location signals. While COVID-19 risk scores also depend on a number of factors specific to an individual, including demography and existing medical conditions, the primary mode of disease transmission is via physical proximity and contact. Therefore, we focus on developing risk scores based on location density and mobility behaviour. We demonstrate the efficacy of the developed risk scores via simulation based on real-world mobility data. Our results show that fine-grain spatiotemporal risk scores based on high-resolution mobility data can provide useful insights and facilitate safe re-opening.


The influence of shallow trench isolation (STI) on a 90 nm polysilicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon structure non-volatile memory has been studied based on experiments. It has been found that the performance of edge memory cells adjacent to STI deteriorates remarkably. The compressive stress and boron segregation induced by STI are thought to be the main causes of this problem. In order to mitigate the STI impact, an added boron implantation in the STI region is developed as a new solution. Four kinds of boron implantation experiments have been implemented to evaluate the impact of STI on edge cells, respectively. The experimental results show that the performance of edge cells can be greatly improved through optimizing added boron implantation technology.


A new method for 3D visualization of geological entities based on the volume element of triangular-prism is presented in this paper. This method firstly preprocesses the original drill data into grid elevation data and each layer's grids are corresponding. Then this method links the corresponding grids of two consecutive layers so as to get the quadrangular of each stratum. We divide this quadrangular into two triangular-prisms and treat them as our volume element. According to the data structure of the triangular-prisms the author proposed, this paper divides the cutting condition of triangular-prism into three types, which are full-cutting, peculiar-cutting and pseudo-cutting. The characteristics and the detailed triangular-prism cutting forms of each cutting type are also proposed in this paper. The author uses this method to simulate the 3D geological-entities of a coalmine in Huainan China and gets a satisfying result. Keywords-Geological-entities;Visualization;Triangular-prism; Cutting


Fruit is a biological material that starts deteriorating after harvest. The extent of deterioration depends on the fruit itself, but can be modified by pre–harvest management such as reproductive bud thinning (RBT). This research evaluated the effect of two methods of RBT on some fruit quality attributes of 'Cristalina' (Opuntia albicarpa) and 'Rojo Liso' (Opuntia ficus–indica) cvs. of cactus pear at harvest and after four weeks storage at room temperature. Two RBT experiments were conducted in 2004. In the first experiment, treatments were: no thinning (control) or retaining four, eight or twelve reproductive buds (RB) per mature cladode. In the second experiment, treatments were: no thinning (control, C), thinning every other bud (T1), or thinning two out of every three buds (T2) along the cladode. In the first experiment, at harvest or after storage, pulp–to–peel ratio was lower in 'Cristalina' when four RBs per cladode were retained compared with the other treatments. Total soluble solids concentration (TSSC) of 'Rojo Liso' fruit was the highest after storage when four RBs per cladode were kept. In the second experiment, fruit quality of 'Cristalina' was not modified by either RBT treatment. The highest TSSC was observed in T2 for 'Rojo Liso'. Fruit weight loss was ca 30% higher in 'Cristalina' than 'Rojo Liso' in both experiments. The maintenance of fruit quality for longer storage periods is possible through RBT, in particular for 'Rojo Liso'.


Abstract We examine Sciama's inertia theory: we generalise it, by combining rotation and expansion in one unique model, we find the angular speed of the Universe, and we stress that the theory is zero-total-energy valued. We compare with other theories of the same null energy background. We determine the numerical value of a constant which appears in the Machian inertial force expression devised by Graneau and Graneau[2], by introducing the above angular speed. We point out that this last theory is not restricted to Newtonian physics as those authors stated but is, in fact, compatible with other cosmological and gravitational theories. An argument by Berry[7] is shown in order to "derive" Brans-Dicke relation in the present context.


In order to slow down the formidable shearing stress which is caused by the heavy traffic conditions of the heavy load, the heavy tire pressure, the high velocity and so on under the wheel load, especially to solve the wheel rut problems of bituminous concrete pavement under the channel traffic, this article will analyze and research the maximum shearing stress in the semi-rigid basic unit and heavy layer bituminous concrete pavement about the situation of the different temperature, the contact situation in the different players and the different load, through mechanics analyzing of the actual shearing stress to the pavement and calculating the anti-shearing strength of the bituminous mixture by using the finite element to establish model.


ABSTRACT A firm's success critically hinges on its strategies in selecting its portfolio of products and services. In this paper, we study how differentiation and market alignment at the offering level impact firm performance. To that end, we mine firms' 10-K filings to characterise the portfolio of offerings through the lens of outward relatedness, inward relatedness, and digitisation. We define outward relatedness as a measure of alignment of firm offerings within its market space, inward relatedness as a measure of differentiation of firm offerings with its own past offerings, and digitisation as a measure of the firm's focus on IT. We find that markets react positively to firms that operate with high levels of outward relatedness, low levels of inward relatedness and high levels of digitisation. However, we find that highly digitised firms do not have to conform to peers' offerings. Digitisation enables these firms to differentiate by internally diversifying their offerings. Interestingly, our results show that only firms already highly digitised benefit from further digitisation.


During the late 1970s, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) experienced a notable regime change, manifested by a change in amplitude, dominant ENSO period, and sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) propagation characteristics. The present study shows that these features of the ENSO regime change are associated with property changes of the canonical ENSO, i.e., cold-tongue (CT) type ENSO. Another signature of the ENSO regime change is manifested in the frequent occurrence of a warm-pool (WP) type ENSO that accompanies SSTAs centered over the central Pacific near the WP edge and exhibits characteristics differing from those of the CT ENSO. The distinct manifestations of the two types of ENSO detected in this ENSO regime change are clearly identifiable with the removal of the strong background decadal signal. Since the late 1970s, the WP ENSO has featured a weak eastward (westward) propagation of the SSTA center in the developing (decaying) phase, which makes no net contribution to the observed eastward propagation, and a 2 3y r period compared toth e 4 5 yr period of the CT ENSO. Observations strongly suggest that the WP and CT ENSO are independent quasi-biennial and quasi-quadrennial modes, respectively, of the tropical Pacific climate variability. Our observations also suggest that these two ENSO modes have coexisted actively since the late 1970s when either El Nino or La Nina can be separated into the two types.