Rationale Treatment of multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is challenging because it mostly relies on drugs with lower efficacy and greater toxicity than those used for drug-susceptible TB. Objectives Aim of the study was to describe the frequency and type of adverse drug reactions in a cohort of MDR-TB patients and their potential impact on treatment outcome. Methods We conducted a retrospective study in a cohort of MDR-TB patients enrolled at a tertiary referral hospital in Italy from January 2008 to December 2016. The records of patients were reviewed for epidemiological, clinical, microbiological and adverse drug reactions data. Results Seventy-four MDR-TB patients (mean age 32 years, 58.1% males, 2 XDR, 12 pre-XDR TB) were extracted from the Institute data base and included in the retrospective study cohort in the evaluation period (January 2008—December 2016). Median length of treatment duration was 20 months (IQR 14–24). Treatment outcome was successful in 57 patients (77%; 51 cured, 6 treatment completed); one patient died and one failed (2.7% overall); 15 patients were lost to follow-up (20.3%). Sixty-six (89.2%) presented adverse drug reactions during the whole treatment period. Total number of adverse drug reactions registered was 409. Three hundred forty-six (84.6%) were classified as adverse events (AEs) and 63 (15.4%) were serious AEs (SAEs). One third of the total adverse drug reactions (134/409; 32.8%) was of gastrointestinal origin, followed by 47/409 (11.5%) ototoxic drug reactions, thirty-five (8.6%) regarded central nervous system and 33 (8.1%) affected the liver. All 63 SAEs required treatment suspension with 61 SAEs out of 63 (96.8%) occurring during the first six months of treatment. Factors associated with unsuccessful treatment outcome were smoking (p = 0.039), alcohol abuse (p = 0.005) and homeless condition (p = 0.044). Neither the number of antitubercular drugs used in different combinations nor the number of AEs showed significant impact on outcome. Patients who completed the treatment experienced a greater number of AEs and SAEs (p < 0.001) if compared to lost to follow-up patients. Conclusions Our data demonstrate that, despite the high frequency of adverse drug reactions and long term therapy, the clinical management of MDR-TB patients in a referral center could reach successful treatment according to WHO target, by implementing active and systematic clinical and laboratory assessment to detect, report and manage suspected and confirmed adverse drug reactions.


Lifetimes of seven levels belonging to the 5p46d configuration of Xe II have been measured by high frequency deflection technique with a delayed coincidence single photon counting arrangement. The results have been compared with other experimental and theoretical values.


Large skeletal defects caused by trauma, congenital malformations, and post-oncologic resections of the calvarium present major challenges to the reconstructive surgeon. We previously identified BMP-9 as the most osteogenic BMP in vitro and in vivo. Here we sought to investigate the bone regenerative capacity of murine-derived calvarial mesenchymal progenitor cells (iCALs) transduced by BMP-9 in the context of healing critical-sized calvarial defects. To accomplish this, the transduced cells were delivered to the defect site within a thermoresponsive biodegradable scaffold consisting of poly(polyethylene glycol citrate-co-N-isopropylacrylamide mixed with gelatin (PPCN-g). A total of three treatment arms were evaluated: PPCN-g alone, PPCN-g seeded with iCALs expressing GFP, and PPCN-g seeded with iCALs expressing BMP-9. Defects treated only with PPCN-g scaffold did not statistically change in size when evaluated at eight weeks postoperatively (p = 0.72). Conversely, both animal groups treated with iCALs showed significant reductions in defect size after 12 weeks of follow-up (BMP9-treated: p = 0.0025; GFP-treated: p = 0.0042). However, H&E and trichrome staining revealed more complete osseointegration and mature bone formation only in the BMP9-treated group. These results suggest that BMP9-transduced iCALs seeded in a PPCN-g thermoresponsive scaffold is capable of inducing bone formation in vivo and is an effective means of creating tissue engineered bone for critical sized defects.


Rationale: We describe a rare case of the isolated tear in the cord-like middle glenohumeral ligament (MGHL) in Buford complex. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the English literature about the isolated tear of cord-like MGHL in Buford complex. The present report describes in detail our experience with the diagnosis of isolated tear of the cord-like MGHL in Buford complex and management. Patient concerns: A 50-year-old female patient visited our hospital with pain and stiffness in the right shoulder that lasted for 9 months. Diagnoses: The clinical impression was frozen shoulder by primary impingement syndrome of right shoulder and the magnetic resonance (MR) images showed tear of cord-like MGHL. Interventions: We repaired the torn MGHL with the arthroscopic technique. Outcomes: Positive outcome by arthroscopic repair demonstrates that this disease entity is one of spectrum of pathologic condition in shoulder joint. Lessons: Isolated tear of cord-like MGHL should be restored to the original anatomy for positive outcome.


Neolimnochares kakadu, sp. nov., from the Northern Territory is described; Limnochares australica Lundblad from Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, and Rhyncholimnochares womersleyi (Lundblad) from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania are redescribed.


Abstract - The paper discusses application of the topological functioning model (TFM) of the system for its automated transformation to behavioural specifications such as UML Activity Diagram, BPMN diagrams, scenarios, etc. The paper addresses a lack of formal specification of causal relations between functional features of the TFM by using inference means suggested by classical logic. The result is reduced human participation in the transformation as well as additional check of analysis and specification of the system.


Silica gardens are well-known examples for the self-assembly of inorganic material (see figure). The growth of hollow tubes results in the spontaneous formation of two compartments with highly dissimilar pH and ion concentrations, which cause electrochemical potential differences across the membrane. Initially generated gradients are relieved over time through dynamic diffusion and precipitation processes.


A control system will be easier to understand if demo devices are available that can be used as learning media. Reaction wheel inverted pendulum is an under-actuation device so that the existence of a controller is absolutely necessary. This will be very interesting if used as a teaching aid of a control system. One application of this reaction wheel inverted pendulum is for the humanoid robot balance system. In this research project the physical design of the teaching aids and the design of the controller are carried out. The design starts from designing mechanical part first, starting from the dimensions and shape of the tool to the needs of the motor. Furthermore, a controller is designed that can balance the device automatically. The controller used is based on Arduino. The test results show that the reaction wheel inverted pendulum demo device can work quite well even though there is some drawback.


This article presents a multidimensional account of the politics of resource extraction in two subnational regions of India in response to the question: what are the political conditions that facilitate extraction? Emerging from the same moment of state creation in 2000, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are adjacent mineral-rich states with similar demographic profiles and comparable levels of economic development. The authors argue that despite these similarities and India's highly centralized legislative framework for natural resource governance, the two states have developed distinctive 'extractive regimes' in the years since statehood, which contrast in important ways across three dimensions: political organization and history, institutional effectiveness, and the nature and management of social resistance. The article offers the first in-depth, comparative account of how subnational territorial reorganization in India acts as a critical juncture enabling the formation of extractive regimes, which have also converged in important ways in recent years.


The languages of film and theatre share elements such as verbal, visual and narrative content as a consequence of the proximity of their purposes as artistic genres - both produce dramatized stories. However, they have distinct interests and put emphasis on different aspects of the setting, the events and the characters. The analysis of adaptations of plays into films provides an insight into the differences and similarities of both media which can be enriched through contrast. The first part of this essay contains a summary of the main theoretical implications of film adaptation of plays based on a review of the literature. The second part focuses on the study of two scenes of the film adaptations of Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf (E. Albee) and Closer (Patrick Marber). These two scenes illustrate the key points of the intersection between these two languages regarding dialogue and mise-enscene respectively.


Eight livers surgically resected for intrahepatic gallstones were submitted to graphic reconstruction from serial histological sections to correlate the peculiar ductal changes with the pathogenetic aspects of this disease. Reconstruction was aided by a microcomputer system we have developed. Further, morphometric analysis was added to relate the obstruction of portal veins with parenchymal atrophy. Three-dimensionally, the ducts in these livers were strikingly transformed into a chain of ampullar dilatations interposed by either bending or strictures. Morphometrically, even a stenotic segment was wider than a corresponding normal one, showing that it was a relative stricture. The parenchymal lobule was atrophic or even completely destroyed due to the frequent thrombotic obstruction of portal veins about 0.5mm diameter. These 3-D morphology of intrahepatic bile ducts provided little evidence of congenital bile duct anomaly for the origin of intrahepatic gallstones. The basic ductal changes were dilations, alternated with "stenoses" that were more apparent than real. On the other hand, both the frequent obstruction of small portal veins and the lobular atrophy reflected a severely reduced portal blood flow. Not only the recurrent cholangitis that is apt to occur upon dilated ducts, but this functional incompetence of a stone-harboring, atrophic liver lobe strongly suggests a surgical indication for hepatic resection.


To meet the low delay transmission requirement for "time sensitive" business under the condition of large network load in battlefield environment, a kind of mobile ad hoc network system based on SPMA protocol is studied. Multi marine-air platforms confront scenario with message, voice and video business service running is molded with OPNET software, and the simulation is implemented to obtain the network parameters like throughput, traffic dropped and network delay under different transmission priority or backoff strategy. Results show that, the "time sensitive" network can still archive low delay business transmission under heavy network load that three kinds of business are running at the same time, and it can be further reduced when back-off services number is increased.


Abstract We describe the field demonstration of astrobiology instruments and research methods conducted in and from the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah during the EuroGeoMars campaign 2009 coordinated by ILEWG, ESA/ESTEC and NASA Ames, with the contribution of academic partners. We discuss the entire experimental approach from determining the geological context using remote sensing, in situ measurements, sorties with sample collection and characterization, analysis in the field laboratory, to the post sample analysis using advanced laboratory facilities. We present the rationale for terrestrial field campaigns to strengthen astrobiology research and the link between in situ and orbital remote sensing data. These campaigns are supporting the preparation for future missions such as Mars Science Laboratory, ExoMars or Mars Sample Return. We describe the EuroGeoMars 2009 campaign conducted by MDRS crew 76 and 77, focused on the investigation of surface processes in their geological context. Special emphasis was placed on sample collection and pre-screening using in-situ portable instruments. Science investigations included geological and geochemical measurements as well as detection and diagnostic of water, oxidants, organic matter, minerals, volatiles and biota. EuroGeoMars 2009 was an example of a Moon–Mars field research campaign dedicated to the demonstration of astrobiology instruments and a specific methodology of comprehensive measurements from selected sampling sites. We discuss in sequence: the campaign objectives and trade-off based on science, technical or operational constraints. This includes remote sensing data and maps, and geological context; the monitoring of environmental parameters; the geophysical context and mineralogy studies; geology and geomorphology investigations; geochemistry characterization and subsurface studies. We describe sample handling (extraction and collection) methods, and the sample analysis of soils and rocks performed in the MDRS laboratory using close inspection, initial petrological characterization, microscopy, Visible-NIR spectrometry, Raman spectrometry, X-ray diffraction/X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, soil analysis, electrochemical and biological measurements. The results from post-mission analysis of returned samples using advanced facilities in collaborator institutes are described in companion papers in this issue. We present examples of in-situ analysis, and describe an example investigation on the exploration and analysis of endolithic microbial mats (from reconnaissance, in-situ imaging, sampling, local analysis to post-mission sample analysis).


Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in the area of energy efficient operation of the sensors inside the wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The energy efficiency could be achieved by designing an effective routing protocol. Cluster based routing protocol is a well known technique to increase the energy efficiency of the sensor nodes as well as extending the lifetime of the network. Cluster based routing protocol was formed a number of clusters which gather the data sensed from all sensor nodes in the network. Then, the data were sent to the sink node. In addition, the number of clusters needs to be selected properly to avoid faster network degradation. This paper shows the derivation of an analytical formula to optimize the number of clusters (k) in three level heterogeneous wireless sensor networks in order to increase the network lifetime. It was formulated by considering the energy consumption per iteration. Simulation results verify both the correctness of our mathematical models and the effectiveness of computing the k value to increase the network lifetime.


This paper presents a case study in system identiication for limit cycling systems. The focus of the paper is on (a) the use of a model structure derived from physical considerations and (b) the use of algorithms for the identiication of component subsystems of this model structure. The physical process used in this case study is that of a reduced order model for combustion instabilities for lean premixed systems. The identiication techniques applied in this paper are the use of linear system identiication tools (prediction error methods), time delay estimation (based on Kalman lter harmonic estimation methods) and qualitative validation of model properties using harmonic balance and describing function methods. The novelty of the paper, apart from its practical application, is that closed loop limit cycle data is used together with a priori process structural knowledge to identify both linear dynamic forward and nonlinear feedback paths. Future work will address the reenement of the process presented in this paper, the use of alternative algorithms and also the use of control approaches for the validated model structure obtained from this paper.


The instability of an initially flat vortex sheet to a sinusoidal perturbation of the vorticity is studied by means of high-order Taylor series in time t. All finite-amplitude corrections are retained at each order in t. Our analysis indicates that the sheet develops a curvature singularity at t = tc < ∞. The variation of tc with the amplitude a of the perturbation vorticity is in good agreement with the asymptotic results of Moore. When a is O(1), the Fourier coefficient of order n decays slightly faster than predicted by Moore. Extensions of the present prototype of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability to other layered flows, such as Rayleigh-Taylor instability, are indicated.


Abstract Human social intelligence comprises a wide range of complex cognitive and affective processes that appear to be selectively impaired in autistic spectrum disorders. The study of these neuro-developmental disorders and the study of canonical social intelligence have advanced rapidly over the last twenty years by investigating the two together. Specifically, studies of autism have provided important insights into the nature of "theory of mind" abilities, their normal development and underlying neural systems. At the same time, the idea of impaired development of the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying "theory of mind" has shed new light on the nature of autistic disorders. This general approach is not restricted to the study of impairments but extends to mapping areas of social intelligence that are spared in autism. Here we investigate basic moral judgment and find that it appears to be substantially intact in children with autism who are severely impaired in "theory of mind". At the same time, we extend studies of moral reasoning in normal development by way of a new control task, the "cry baby" task. Cry baby scenarios, in which the distress of the victim is "unreasonable" or "unjustified," do not elicit moral condemnation from normally developing preschoolers or from children with autism. Judgments of moral transgressions in which the victim displays distress are therefore not likely the result of a simple automatic reaction to distress and more likely involve moral reasoning. Mapping the cognitive comorbidity patterns of disordered development must encompass both impairments and sparings because both are needed to make sense of the neural and genetic levels.


The purpose of this descriptive study is to assess the nicotine  level of several types of cigarettes brand sold in the market. The study includes three brands of filtered cigarette and  three brands of non-filtered cigarette. The nicotine content was measured from both mainstream smoke and sidestream  smoke by using the HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). It was found that the nicotine content of nonfiltered  cigarette was higher than the filtered cigarette. The highest nicotine content in the filtered cigarettes was the  Filter-C, meanwhile the lowest was Filter-A. The highest nicotine content of the non filtered cigarettes was the Kretek- X with the lowest nicotine content the Kretek-Z. The nicotine content of sidestream smoke was 4 – 6 times than  mainstream smoke. Nicotine content level in the cigarette package should be mentioned and further studies should  determine the effect of cigarettes to the public healths.


Introduction of innovative mooring components can reduce the risk and cost associated to mooring systems of floating offshore wind turbines. The Intelligent Mooring System (IMS) is an active, hydraulic, nonlinear mooring component developed by Intelligent Moorings Limited that provides functionality akin to a shock absorber. It offers a combination of desirable stiffness characteristics for floating offshore wind application; an initial compliant response that reduces loads on the structure and a stiffer nonlinear response for larger loads to reduce platform motion and ensure effective station keeping. A salient feature of the IMS is that through variation of the internal pressure, the stiffness of the system can be adjusted in accordance with the prevailing environmental conditions.
 This paper presents the results of the physical testing of a double braided IMS at the Dynamic Marine Component test facility and compares the stiffness and strength characteristics to a single braid sleeve. The comparative analysis shows that the stiffness profiles of the double braid for the various configurations are consistent with the single braid design. Importantly, the use of a double braid results in a 50% increase of the tensile strength of the IMS. The investigation presented in this paper will aid in the design of a robust IMS for field testing prior to commercial applications in floating wind installations.


For proper growth and development, rhododendrons need acidic soils, whereas calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) in the substrate markedly limits their growth. In this study, we analysed the reactions of rhododendrons to high concentrations of calcium salts and pH in the substrate. We used 4-month-old seedlings of Rhododendron 'Cunningham's White' and 1.5-year-old seedlings and rooted cuttings of R. 'Cunningham's White' and R. 'Catawbiense Grandiflorum'. Their reactions depended mostly on calcium salt type added to the substrate (sulphate or carbonate). An increase in concentrations of phenolic compounds was detected mostly in roots of the plants grown in a substrate with a high calcium carbonate content. Addition of calcium salts to the substrate caused a significant rise in total nonstructural carbohydrates in leaves and roots of the studied plants. As compared to the control, an increase in substrate pH in the variant with calcium carbonate limited the activity of acid phosphatase, while lowering of substrate pH in the variant with calcium sulphate, significantly increased its activity. Along with the rise in substrate pH, a remarkable increase was observed in the activity of nonspecific dehydrogenase (DHA) in the substrate with CaCO 3 , as compared to the control. Unfavourable soil conditions (high calcium content and alkaline pH) caused a decrease in assimilation of minerals by the studied plants (mostly phosphorus and manganese). Our results show that the major factor limiting rhododendron growth is an increase in substrate pH, rather than an increase in the concentration of calcium ions.


The strong in-plane anisotropy and quasi-1D electronic structures of transition-metal trichalcogenides (MX3; M = group IV or V transition metal; X = S, Se, or Te) have pronounced influence on moulding the properties of MX3 materials. In particular, the infinite trigonal MX6 prismatic chains running parallel to the b-axis are responsible for the manifestation of anisotropy in these materials. Several marvellous properties, such as inherent electronic, optical, electrical, magnetic, superconductivity, and charge density wave (CDW) transport properties, make transition-metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs) stand out from other 2D materials in the fields of nanoscience and materials science. In addition, with the assistance of pressure, temperature, and tensile strain, these materials and their exceptional properties can be tuned to a superior extent. The robust anisotropy and incommensurable properties make the MX3 family fit for accomplishing quite a lot of compelling applications in the areas of field effect transistors (FETs), solar and fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, thermoelectricity, etc. In this review article, a precise audit of the distinctive crystal structures, static and dynamic properties, efficacious synthesis schemes, and enthralling applications of quasi-1D MX3 materials is made.


The article shows how the classical political thinking, based on civic virtues, and modernist thinking, based on individualism and self-interest, formed the basis of the U.S. Constitution. The Founding Fathers did not realize the full extent of the rift between classicism and modernity. When, as a result of intellectual discussions and practice of social life, this divide began to become more and more obvious, there has been a transition from the classical to the modernist paradigm in American politics. However, the dispute between classicism and modernity still continues and takes on new forms. On the one hand, contemporary political thinking is seen as a triumph of modernism, in which the individual strives for self-interest, seeks pleasures and desires power; on the other hand, this triumph is disputed by the postmodern attempt to introduce a new non-classical ethical discourse into the political mainstream. As a result of the postmodern influence, based on the concepts of difference, diversity and deconstruction, we can witness today the weakening of Western civilization. The initial project to build a political society based on civic virtues and individualist ambitions, to which the American Founding Fathers aspired, turned out to be misguided. As a solution to today's problems, the author proposes a return to the modal tradition of the West and the recognition of virtues as the basis for action, in short, a creative return to the philosophical origins of the West.


This article investigates the asymptotic performance of single parity-check (SPC) product codes (PCs) from a decoding point of view. Specifically, the probability of bit error is bounded before and after the decoding of each dimension, similar to the analysis of "iterated codes" by Elias (1954). It is shown that the asymptotic probability of bit error can be driven to zero as the number of dimensions, and hence the block length, increases at signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) within 2 dB of capacity over the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel.


In 2011, more than 160 children died in an unprecedented outbreak of Hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Vietnam, predominantly associated with enterovirus 71 (EV-A71). The occurrence of encephalitis outbreaks in children at vulnerable developmental stages raised concerns of long-term consequences. Limited retrospective outcome studies in the literature lack either a healthy comparison group or a locally validated neurodevelopmental assessment tool. Brain MRI retrospective observations identified stereotypical patterns of brainstem lesions predominantly in severe EV-A71 HFMD cases with conflicting opinions on the prognostic role of MRI. I adapted the "Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (3rd edition)" for Vietnam and demonstrated that the adaptation was reliable and valid. I conducted a prospective observational cohort study to test the hypothesis that children with severe HFMD, graded per Vietnam Ministry of Health classification, would have lower cognitive, language and motor Z scores than a healthy comparison group. All HFMD cases had virological samples taken and a sample of severe HFMD cases had brain MRI scans. All Z score 95% confidence intervals were within 2 standard deviations of the comparative healthy cohort mean suggesting outcomes at six months were not significantly lower than the healthy comparative group. I identified novel nonspecific brain white matter abnormalities on MRI in all severity grades, lower motor Z scores in grade 2b children with MRI abnormalities and that Coxsackievirus A10 (CV-A10) was significantly associated with MRI abnormalities. These findings support surveillance of all enteroviruses during HFMD outbreaks and suggest MRI may be predictive of motor impairment in a subset of severe HFMD cases. No significant impairment was identified at six months follow-up, but more complex developmental skills are yet to emerge. Hence the study continues for an eighteen-month follow up to robustly determine emergence of long-term sequelae.


Background and Aims Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection at first presentation in paediatric SLE (pSLE) is a rare phenomenon. Aim- To report an adolescent girl with SLE presenting with neurological and hepatic manifestations and CMV co- infection. Methods A 12 year old girl presented with history of fever, maculopapular rash over the trunk, malar rash and jaundice. She had altered behaviour with agitation, disorientation, fluctuating consciousness, hallucinations, and altered sleep. On examination, she had malar rash, icterus, and hepatosplenomegaly. She also had catatonia, mutism, would stare intermittently, had low speech output and psychomotor retardation with rigidity. There was no focal deficit. Investigations revealed pancytopenia, transaminitis, conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, normal renal functions, antinuclear antibody (ANA) - positive (homogenous pattern), high anti-dsDNA with hypocomplementemia.Liver biopsy revealed steatosis with hepatitis. Screen for infections was negative, except CMV. Very high levels of CMV DNA in blood were noted on PCR. It was a clinical dilemma as to whether CMV was causative, co-infection or a re-activation due to immunosuppression. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain showed cortical atrophy. There was no evidence of any vascular involvement. She was treated with intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone, IV cyclophosphamide pulses and oral valganciclovir. Abstract 136 Table 1 Laboratory investigations Results A repeat CMV viral load done after six weeks of oral valganciclovir therapy was undetectable. She has been followed up for a period of 6 months. She has shown marked improvement in her neurological status and transaminases have normalised. Conclusions CMV is an important pathogen in patients with SLE; however its exact pathogenesis needs more research.


Abstract An upgrade of the low frequency observing system of the VLA developed by NRL and NRAO, called low band (LB), will open a new era of Galactic center (GC) transient monitoring. Our previous searches using the VLA and GMRT have revealed a modest number of radio-selected transients, but have been severely sensitivity and observing time limited. The new LB system, currently accessing the 236--492 MHz frequency range, promises ≥5 × improved sensitivity over the legacy VLA system. The new system is emerging from commissioning in time to catch any enhanced sub-GHz emission from the G2 cloud event, and we review existing limits based on recent observations. We also describe a proposed 24/7 commensal system, called the LOw Band Observatory (LOBO). LOBO offers over 100 VLA GC monitoring hours per year, possibly revealing new transients and helping validate ASTRO2010's anticipation of a new era of transient radio astronomy. A funded LOBO pathfinder called the VLA Low Frequency Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE) is under development. Finally, we consider the impact of LB and LOBO on our GC monitoring program.


Through the cleavage of the C-C bond, the first catalytic tandem conjugate addition-elimination reaction of Morita-Baylis-Hillman C adducts has been presented. Various S(N)2'-like C-, S-, and P-allylic compounds could be obtained with exclusive E configuration in good to excellent yields. The Michael product could also be easily prepared by tuning the β-C-substituent group of the α-methylene ester under the same reaction conditions. Calculated relative energies of various transition states by DFT methods strongly support the observed chemoselectivity and diastereoselectivity.


The persistence of unemployment increased over the recent great recession in many European countries, however, with diversified impacts. We therefore analyse such impacts in four European countries – Italy, Spain, France, and the UK – representing different institutional frameworks which may reflect the so-called continental European and Anglo-Saxon framework, respectively. We analyse the determinants of unemployment persistence by using individual level data from the EU-SILC panel for the period 2007-2013. This data enables us to take into account initial conditions and state dependence in addition to individual and household characteristics. We primarily focus on gender and regional effects which indeed have a strong impact on the persistence in the state of unemployment.


In this work, a new composite plate with natural jute fibre as the reinforcement fibres and isophthalic polyester as the resin was manufactured and subjected to a series of end milling operation by changing three input factors namely speed, feed rate and depth of cut. During each operation, the output responses namely thrust force and torque were measured. The responses were analyzed using Taguchi method to examine the relation between the input factors and output responses, and also to know the most influencing factors on the responses. The data was also analyzed using fuzzy rule model for prediction of responses for a range of input factors. The results showed that all three factors chosen have significant effect on the responses. The fuzzy model data in comparison with the experimental values shows only a marginal error and hence the prediction was highly satisfactory.


Magnetic poly(ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate) (PECA) nanoparticles containing anti-cancer drugs (Cisplatin and Gemcitabine) were prepared by inter-facial polymerization. The spherical nanoparticles (d = 250 ± 15 nm) with smooth surfaces and moderately uniform size distributions were obtained. The amount of magnetite encapsulated inside the polymer matrix was increased up to 14.26% (w/w) by controlling the initial weight ratio of monomer/magnetite. It was found that the amount of Cisplatin encapsulated in the magnetic nanoparticle is much higher than that of Gemcitabine because Cisplatin (hydrophobic) is highly soluble in the oil phase and encapsulated easier inside nanoparticles compared to Gemcitabine (hydrophilic). The presence of magnetite and its super-paramagnetic characteristic were confirmed by FTIR spectra and VSM. In-vitro experiments of drug release and magnetic mobility under external magnetic field demonstrated that magnetic poly(ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate) (PECA) nanoparticles can be a highly versatile magnetic drug carrier with sustained release behaviour and sufficient magnetic susceptibility.


In COPD, single-leg exercises allow to study muscle dysfunction mechanisms in isolation from exagerated ventilatory demand and dyspnea. Therefore, we studied the effect of a knee-extension exercise on quadriceps fatigue and its possible association with cardiorespiratory demand and oxygen extraction at the muscle level. Methods: Eight patients with moderate-to-severe COPD (FEV 1 = 45 ± 13% of predicted) performed an isokinetic knee-extension exercise at 40% of their maximal peak torque. Quadriceps isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and magnetic-stimulated twitch (Tw pot ) were measured before and after exercise to characterize muscle fatigue. Cardiorespiratory demand and muscle oxygenation (deoxyhemoglobin/myoglobin concentration, [HHb], by near-infrared spectroscopy) were assessed during exercise. Results: Patients performed a total of 7.4 ± 1.0 kJ of muscle work, which resulted in a reduction of both MVC and Tw pot of -11 ± 8 % and -22 ± 25 %, respectively. Five patients presented muscle fatigue (> 15 % reduction in Tw pot ). At the end of exercise, dyspnea and leg-fatigue Borg scores were 2.0 ± 1.0 and 0.7 ± 0.8, respectively. No significant changes in muscle oxygenation (Δ[HHb] = 13 ± 12%, p = 0.08) were seen. Changes in muscle oxygenation were not associated with muscle strength loss. Peak minute ventilation and oxygen uptake represented, on average, 50% and 41% of peak value achieved during a symptom-limited maximal exercise test. Conclusion: Despite low cardiorespiratory demand and exercise load, a single-leg exercise induced muscle fatigue in the absence of muscle deoxygenation in some patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.


BACKGROUND
Metastasis-Associated in Colon Cancer-1(MACC1) was first identified as a transcriptional activator of the HGF/MET pathway. Deregulation of HGF/MET signaling is reported as a prognostic marker for tumorigenesis, early stage invasion, and metastasis which is associated with poor clinical outcome in breast cancer patients. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the prognostic or predictive value of MACC1 expression in breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We analyzed the MACC1 expression in 105 primary breast cancer samples by Western-Blot analysis and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS
A significant correlation of high MACC1 expression with shorter disease-free survival was found within the group of lymph-node-negative patients. Additionally, an association of high MACC1 expression and shorter disease-free survival was observed within estrogen receptor positive tumors and patients without adjuvant chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION
Our results support a biologic role and potentially open the perspective for the use of MACC1 as a prognostic marker for treatment decision in breast cancer patients.


Aspergillus infection can be a major cause of morbidity in immunocompromised patients, especially when there is pulmonary involvement. Diagnosis of aspergillosis is often complicated by the varied clinical presentation and compromised medical status of such patients. Four cases of head and neck Aspergillus infections in bone marrow transplant patients are presented. Involvement predominantly was limited to the oral cavity and/or sinuses, and in one case, the ear. Two cases were successfully managed with a combined antibiotic and surgical approach, and one case with antibiotics only. The fourth case was managed with antibiotics and surgery, but fatal hemorrhage secondary to sinus involvement developed.


Understanding solar radiation data is essential for modelling solar energy systems. The purpose of the present study was to estimate global solar radiation on horizontal surface using meteorological parameters for a period of eleven years (1996 "" 2006). Monthly average global solar radiation, H has been estimated for Onitsha and Calabar, Nigeria using predicting models generated by simple linear and multiple regression analyses. The models included a one variable model with relative humidity as the independent variable and two three-variable models correlating H with relative humidity and each of average temperature, cloudiness index and number of sunshine hours. The values of the global solar radiation estimated by the models and the measured solar radiation were tested using the mean bias error (MBE), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean percentage error (MPE) statiscal techniques. The values of the correlation coefficient (CC) were also determined for each model. The model that indicate a good agreement between the measured and estimated values for Onitsha and Calabar are  and  respectively. The developed models can be used for estimating global solar radiation in Onitsha and Calabar and other locations with similar climatic factors.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the accuracy of the time series model used to forecast cancer mortality rates in Spain published in Atención Primaria for the year 2000.

DESIGN
Descriptive study.

SETTING
Spain.

PARTICIPANTS
All cancer deaths recorded in Spain during the year 2000.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS
The forecast for cancer mortality rates in males and females for the year 2000 was obtained from a paper published in 1999 in the journal Atención Primaria. Official data on cancer mortality rates for the year 2000 were obtained from the Spanish Statistical Office (INE) in 2003.

RESULTS
In 2000, 59,212 males and 35,860 females died of cancer. The figures predicted by the time series model were 60,561 for males and 36,183 for females. Thus, the actual cancer mortality figures published by the Statistical Office fell within the confidence intervals of the forecasts for both gross mortality and cancer deaths.

CONCLUSIONS
The difference between the true cancer mortality rate and the forecast is very small and not significant for health planning. Time series analysis is highly effective as a basis for decision-taking in cancer health planning. Cancer health policy and management can also benefit from the strength of these models.


Background. Our previous study has demonstrated that nobiletin could reverse the behavioral alterations in stressed mice. However, the relation of its antidepressant-like action with neurotrophic molecular expression remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the antidepressant-like mechanism of nobiletin related to the neurotrophic system in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Methods. Depressive-like anhedonia (assessed by sucrose preference) and serum corticosterone secretion were evaluated in the CUMS, followed by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), its tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB), and the downstream target synapsin I expressions in the hippocampus. Results. Anhedonia, which occurred within week 2, was rapidly ameliorated by nobiletin. While fluoxetine needed additional 2 weeks to improve the anhedonia. In addition, nobiletin administration for 5 weeks significantly ameliorated CUMS-induced increase in serum corticosterone levels. Furthermore, we also found that CUMS-induced deficits of hippocampal BDNF, TrkB, and synapsin I were ameliorated by nobiletin. Conclusions. Taken together, these findings suggest that nobiletin produces rapidly acting antidepressant-like responses in the CUMS and imply that BDNF-TrkB pathway may play an important role in the antidepressant-like effect of nobiletin.


Studying intonational variation conveying the expression of emotion in speech is presented here as being particularly attractive when the pitch variation is represented in the theoretical framework of a model of intonation. Using such a framework while considering the meaning associated with these variations in terms of identification of emotion in speech facilitates a generalization of study results. Moreover, such an approach provides the opportunity to test the adequacy of the model for processing such extreme variations as the ones occurring in emotional speech. The model can be evaluated and could eventually be extended or fine-tuned. Ultimately, interpreting data in the framework of such a model provides a methodological background for investigating intonation phenomena conveying emotion in speech against the background of intonation phenomena relevant to speech communication. The approach proposed is discussed and illustrated by reporting how it has been applied, in particular to own work, using a specific model of intonation. Using this approach while investigating how prosody conveys meaning would stimulate us to consider the power of existing intonation models for modeling expressiveness. Hence, such an approach helps shedding light on functionality of intonation in terms of conveying meaningful information in the oral communication stream. From this point of view, studies on emotional speech contribute to developing and refining theories concerned with prosody.


SUMMARY The presence of alcohol in an aerated external medium increases the respiration rate of carrot discs. If the alcohol is labelled no labelling appears in the CO2 emitted or the acids formed in the tissue. Alcohol dehydrogenase is shown to be located almost wholly among the soluble proteins of the cytoplasm. The failure to oxidize alcohol is attributed to its spatial separation from the terminal oxidase system located in the mitochondria.


The Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigeria is characterized for managing large volume of dispersed data making distributed data processing a necessity. When voter rolls are error-ridden and a quarter of eligible voters cannot vote, registration laws are not only failing their primary function of ensuring that voters are qualified to vote but also acting as barriers to citizens democratic participation. The traditional voter registration methods employed by many developing countries for periodic elections have many associated problems such as incomplete, inconsistent, unavailability and erroneous records. This article presents an application of distributed database system for a complete and continuing voter registration in Nigeria. The system has its component parts physically stored in a number of distinct real databases at a number of distinct sites. Each site has its own local real databases, its own local users, its own local DBMS and transaction management software including its own local locking, logging, recovery, replication, fragmentation, e.t.c. software and its own local data communication manager. Distributing data across sites within state and local government allow voters data to be resident where they are generated or most needed, but still accessible from other sites within the state and local government areas. Java and Oracle were the developmental platform of the system. Some important relations for the systems were presented and possible management transaction and operation models were presented. The system require a Unix/windows NT operation system in a network environment such as provided by communication networks in Nigeria and an internet connection.


Abstract In the wake of massive structural changes within the world trade the WTO faces important challenges. Like an invisible world govemment the WTO uses its agreement as a sort of basic law. This basic law demands equal chances for every human being in the world. Therefore it is important to strengthen the WTO in order to pave the way for fair conditions within the world trade. This essay asks which circumstances are necessary to achieve this goal.


Based on the change of hardness HB, the parameter β, the microstructure and Mossbauer spectra of 7 kinds of steels the conclusion is made that in the conditions of CO2 (dry ice) cleaning, using dry ice for repair and modification of pipes and dry snow for cooling (−78.3 °C) no significant change in the mechanical properties of the cleaned surfaces, mechanically processed steels and the steel pipes can be expected.


This paper presents a new approach to design multiplierless constant rotators. The approach is based on a combined coefficient selection and shift-and-add implementation (CCSSI) for the design of the rotators. First, complete freedom is given to the selection of the coefficients, i.e., no constraints to the coefficients are set in advance and all the alternatives are taken into account. Second, the shift-and-add implementation uses advanced single constant multiplication (SCM) and multiple constant multiplication (MCM) techniques that lead to low-complexity multiplierless implementations. Third, the design of the rotators is done by a joint optimization of the coefficient selection and shift-and-add implementation. As a result, the CCSSI provides an extended design space that offers a larger number of alternatives with respect to previous works. Furthermore, the design space is explored in a simple and efficient way. The proposed approach has wide applications in numerous hardware scenarios. This includes rotations by single or multiple angles, rotators in single or multiple branches, and different scaling of the outputs. Experimental results for various scenarios are provided. In all of them, the proposed approach achieves significant improvements with respect to state of the art.


Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a prevalent etiology that leads to cirrhosis. Various factors affect liver fibrosis progression. In the current study, we aimed to assess the probable role of opium consumption and intravenous drug abuse (IVDU) on liver inflammation and fibrosis. Materials and Methods: This is a case-control study conducted on 58 patients with hepatitis C virus infection in 2012. Anti-HCV antibody and quantitative HCV-RNA burden were performed for all patients. Then, they underwent a liver biopsy for the determination of inflammation grading and liver fibrosis based on the Hepatic Activity Index (HAI). Regarding inflammation grade, patients were divided into two groups of 0-4 grade as controls and 5-18 as cases. Considering the fibrosis score, patients were divided into two groups of 0-2 score as controls and 3-6 score as cases. Results: This study was conducted on HCV-positive patients; among them, 74.1% were smokers, and 53.4% were opium addicts. Regarding liver inflammation grading, 52.2% of cases and 25.7% of controls were IVDU and 65.2% versus 45.7% were opium addict (P-value=0.04 and 0.145, respectively). On the other hand, regarding fibrosis score, 60% of cases versus 50% of controls were opium addicts, while 30% of cases versus 39% of controls were IVDUs (P-value>0.05). Conclusion: Contrary to the previous studies, we found no association between opium addiction with either liver inflammation or fibrosis. Based on this study, IVDU was only associated with liver inflammation, but liver fibrosis


Folate and iron status was monitored at monthly intervals in 40 adult males who were living in a metabolic unit for 2 to 8 months and consuming diets containing 150 to 250 micrograms of folate per day. There were significant (p less than 0.02) declines in hematocrit, serum folate, and serum ferritin. Men who participated in studies for 6 months or more or those with initial serum folate levels more than 10.5 ng/ml and erythrocyte folate levels more than 481 ng/ml also exhibited a highly significant (p less than 0.001) decline in red blood cell folate. Men with erythrocyte folate below 480 ng/ml or serum folate below 10 ng/ml and who participated in the studies for less than 5 months showed little or no change in folate status. The findings may reflect adjustments in body folate to reflect dietary intakes. Also a folate intake of 200 +/- 68 micrograms/day appeared to be adequate for maintenance of folate stores in adult males. A correlation between iron stores and folate status was also observed. However, this relationship may be coincidental.


24 females (aged 18 to 28 yr.) completed two 24-min., randomly ordered bicycle ergometer exercise bouts at workloads maintaining steady state at 30% and 60% heart-rate reserve. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded at 3-min. intervals from Minutes 9 to 24 of exercise. State anxiety was measured prior to, immediately following and 50 min. after cessation of exercise. Regression analysis indicated no relationship between RPE and the pre- to postexercise changes in state anxiety.


Using the sublattice method and density functional theory, the electronic struc-ture of a LiTlTe2 crystal with the chalcopyrite structure was studied for the first time and the equilibrium parameters of the crystal lattice a=6.7526 Å, c=13.3037 Å, u(Te)=0.2423 were calculated. It has been established that the valence bands of the LiTlTe2 crystal and its closest analogue LiInTe2 actually coincide in topol-ogy, and the LiTlTe2 crystal is a direct-gap semiconductor with a band gap of 0.63 eV and a crystal splitting of 0.04 eV. The partial contributions of the densi-ty of states are analyzed and the features of the formation of the valence and conduction bands of LiInTe2 and LiTlTe2 crystals due to the contributions of their sublattices are revealed: the structure of the valence bands of both crystals is completely determined by the interaction in the cationic tetrahedra of InTe4 and TlTe4. The vibrational modes and elastic constants are calculated, confirm-ing the stability and mechanical stability of the LiTlTe2 crystal.


In recent years, intensified attention in the humanities has been paid to data: to data modeling, data visualization, "big data". The Women Writers Project has dedicated significant effort over the past thirty years to creating what Christoph Schoch calls "smart clean data": a moderate-sized collection of early modern women's writing, carefully transcribed and corrected, with detailed digital text encoding that has evolved in response to research and changing standards for text representation. But that data—whether considered as a publication through Women Writers Online, or as a proof of the viability of text encoding approaches like those expressed in the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Guideline s—is only the most visible part of a much larger ecology. That ecology includes complex human systems, evolving sets of tools, and a massive apparatus of documentation and organizational memory that have made it possible for the project to work coherently over such a long period of time. In this article we examine the WWP's information systems in relation to the project's larger scholarly goals, with the aim of showing where they may generalize to the needs of other projects.


In this study, three novel donor–acceptor (D–A)-type random conjugated terpolymers of PBDTT–PPzBT–H, PBDTT–PPzBT–F and PBDTT–PPzBT–O were synthesized by copolymerizing electron-rich 5,8-dialkylthienyl substituted benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene (BDTT) and two electron-deficient phenanthro[4,5-abc]phenazine (PPz) and benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (BT) units. By changing the substituents at the 5,6-positions of BT, the optoelectronic properties of the terpolymers could be rationally adjusted for application as donor materials in polymer solar cells (PSCs). As a result, these terpolymers exhibited different light absorption properties, HOMO energy levels and hole mobilities, which contributed to the optimization of short-circuit current (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF) properties, respectively. Interestingly, a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.3% was obtained with an Voc of 0.75 V, a Jsc of 13.0 mA cm−2 and a FF of 64.8% in the PBDTT–PPzBT–O based PSCs using [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as an acceptor, while PBDTT–PPzBT–H and PBDTT–PPzBT–F based devices also demonstrated a PCE of more than 4.5%. To the best of our knowledge, these are the highest recorded maximum PCE, Jsc and FF values obtained to date compared with previously reported phenazine copolymeric derivatives in BHJ-PSCs. This study illustrates the potential of these random conjugated terpolymers as promising donor materials in the application of PSCs.


Cooperative wireless networks will facilitate a beneficial evolution of multimedia communications, setting out from the today's multitude of communication standards and radio interfaces both in the licensed and the unlicensed domain. The deployment of cognitive wireless solutions, which will form the communication platforms, will be a key asset because we expect to see an increasingly flexible, ad-hoc utilization of the available spectrum in the unlicensed domain and a co-existence of communication standards in the licensed bands. In this communication, the authors will illustrate a platform based approach towards cognitive wireless communications. Three software defined radio concepts designed by the authors will be presented, namely the HAWK (Highly Adaptable Wireless Kit), the FALCON (Flexible Access Logic for Communication Networks), and the MUSTANG (MUlti-STAndard single chip transceiver for the Next Generation), finally, giving an outlook on their wireless optical communication device, termed ARGOS. These concepts form the basis of the authors' cognitive wireless termed PROMETHEUS.


Traumatic brain injury is followed by many changes in cognition, emotion, social interaction and functioning, and communication. These changes may range from severe to subtle. They create complex difficulties for the individual and his or her network of support. Presented here is a review of the literature on the changes and their impact. The review comprises Part I, on brain injury and its effects, and Part II, on social interaction research.


The NST 37-2 steel represents about 75% volume of Nigerian-produced steel which is yet to be fully characterized for its fatigue behavior. Thus, its suitability for many applications is questionable. This paper presents a framework based on the theory of elasto-plasticity in order to make appropriate recommendations in this regard. Experimentally, tensile tests were carried out on test specimens to establish the baseline material properties of the steel in annealed, as-rolled, normalized and hardened/tempered conditions. Fatigue tests were then conducted at 60% Su; 70% Su and 80% Su of the test material and fractographic examinations on the test specimens were subsequently carried out. The frequency harmonic fatigue analysis was implemented in the ANSYS software environment for the numerical study. The elastic-plastic material property was described by the von Mises yield criterion, the flow rule of Prandtl-Reuss, and the kinematic hardening rule of Prager. The numerical results indicate with respect to rate-dependence fatigue behavior that the annealed test specimen is most resilient under cyclic deformation as compared with the normalized, hardened/tempered and as-rolled specimens respectively. The experimental and numerical results were found to be in close agreement and based on the general performance, the steel material is recommended for use in low cycle, quasi-static fatigue applications.


Our primary motivation in this paper is to determine whether evolved texture feature extraction programs are competitive with human derived programs for a difficult real world texture classification problem. The problem involves distinguishing images of three classes of bulk malt. There are subtle differences between the three classes. We have used a number of human derived methods, Haralick, Gabor, Haar, histogram and Galloway, to get feature vectors for the malt problem. We have also used a number of feature extraction programs that were evolved from thirteen Brodatz textures. We performed classification with a 1 nearest neighbour classifier. The evolved features gave an accuracy of 67% which is considerably better than the 53% achieved with the Haar features, but not as good as the 77% achieved with the Galloway features. Analysis of the evolved features suggested that they are capturing some texture regularities not captured by the human derived methods. We conclude that the evolved features are competitive with the human derived features and can provide enhanced accuracy when used in conjunction with human derived features.


This guides primarily describes resources available at the UMD Libraries for research on the history of the Philipines and the experience of Filipino Americans. The guide also directs researchers to collections and resources beyond the UMD Libraries.


Vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation (VGAM) is a rare, intracranial vascular anomaly that, until recently, has usually been diagnosed postnatally. Today, however, with the advances in high‐resolution ultrasonography and colour Doppler, prenatal diagnosis is relatively easy. Due to novel intravascular embolization techniques, the prognosis of neonates with VGAM has markedly improved. A healthy infant with normal neurodevelopmental and cardiovascular status is now a reality. For the best outcome, however, careful planning of the appropriate time, mode, and place of delivery should be undertaken. To achieve this goal, in utero prognostic factors should be determined. This report illustrates, for the first time, prenatal ultrasonographic indices that may predict the outcome in two cases with a prenatal diagnosis of VGAM. The indices included mapping of intracranial feeding arteries, assessment of the width of the straight sinus, assessment and measurement of flow in the straight sinus, existence of 'steal' retrograde aortic flow, and the appearance of high‐output cardiac state. By using these prenatal ultrasonographic parameters, fetal outcome may be predicted and appropriate management decided upon. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


To enable the exponential expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) applications, IoT devices must gather and transmit massive amounts of data to the server for further processing. By employing the same signals for both radar sensing and data transmission, the integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) approach provides simultaneous data gathering and delivery in the physical layer. Over-the-air computation (AirComp), which leverages the analog-wave addition property in multi-access channels, is a communication method that also supports function computation. In order to leverage the individual benefits of ISAC and AirComp, this work focuses on Integrated Sensing Communication and Computation (ISCCO) framework for the IoT network. Since the IoT sensors are small size low cost devices and each is equipped with single antenna, and hence to make the processing of received echo simple this work assume that the waveform transmitted by each sensor is orthogonal to each other. Furthermore, joint optimal power allocation for each sensor in the IoT network and the combining vector at the EC is designed such that the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio at the EC is maximized. However, the design challenge lies in the non-convex joint optimal power allocation for each IoT device and the combining vector at the server. To address this, an iterative algorithm is proposed which provides closed-form solution for each quantity in each iteration. Results show that the proposed optimal power allocation and orthogonal waveform design scheme outperforms the equal power allocation-based design.


In this article briefly provides bibliographic information about the historical development of Turkicness and the Turkism movement.Before proceeding to the information about the studies and authors,who written on the topic, the process of formation of the concepts of Turkishness and Turkism is described.It has been stated that the Turkism movement in the Ottomans was influenced by Western orientalists.Information was given about the books in which Turkists such as Ziya Gökalp and Yusuf Akçura expressed their views.Finally, studies giving information about the Turkestan independence struggle were introduced. More studies are needed on the subject in libraries and archives of Turkey and the world. The archives of the Russian Federation and former Soviet republics are among the most important resource centers on the national independence movements of the Turks under Russian rule and the development of the ideal of Turkish unity. For example, in funds numbered 1, I-1, 1010 and I-47 in the Uzbekistan State Archives, there are very important documents about the activities carried out by the Turkestan Turks for their national independence and the measures taken by the competent Russian authorities against them. Among these documents, there are many reports prepared by the Russian administrators and the papers they presented. There is very important information about the position of Islam in Turkestan, the struggle of the people of Turkestan against Russian rule, the work of Tatar teachers in the Cedit schools and the measures taken by the administration of tsarist Russia against the Jadit schools and Tatar teachers.


This article examines the impact of blockchain technology in the financial sector and international trade. The aim of the article is to measure the effect of blockchain technology on international trade and financial business. The paper uses methods of analysis and synthesis of information from researched academic articles, government programs, reports, and statistical data. The averages and regression analysis (in particular, the calculation of the Pearson coefficient) are used for getting analytical results. Graphic methods are used to summarize the information and to present the understudy materials. According to the results of the study, it can be concluded that blockchain technology has great potential for the development of international trade and financial business. It is possible by improving the settlement of international trade, applying smart contracts in the formation of the transaction, improving logistics chains, and reducing the speed of information and delivery processing, increasing the economic turnover. Blockchain has a positive impact on reducing costs for merchants and the banking sector, predicted by 2030 to decrease costs by 11% using this technology. The technology will have a very significant impact on the development of intellectual property, which could be particularly activated by the possibility of reducing the impact of pirated copying. It is possible to reduce corruption and fraud by applying blockchain technology in public procurement, which currently accounts for the bulk of international trade. Blockchain technology will add $3 trillion in additional business value by 2030 and $866 bln in international trade, including financial business.


In this letter, the charge-pumping (CP) technique is validated for germanium MOSFETs. Effects of the smaller Ge bandgap on CP are discussed through both experiments and simulations. The standard CP setup with ~ 100-ns transition times at room temperature tuned for Si/SiO2 MOS evaluates the Ge interface-trap density only near midgap, and the total density is thus strongly underestimated. We show two CP methods which can be used to correctly reflect the actual complete interface-trap density by probing closer to the band edges. The use of low-temperature measurements to probe traps near the band edges with CP is discussed. CP measurements are demonstrated with transition times down to 6-ns at 300-K without making use of RF structures. Using these fast measurements, it is possible to obtain an interface state density closer to the band edges for Ge MOSFETs at 300-K.


Flooding impacts are on the rise globally, and concentrated in urban areas. Currently, there are no operational systems to forecast flooding at spatial resolutions that can facilitate emergency preparedness and response actions mitigating flood impacts. We present a framework for real‐time flood modeling and uncertainty quantification that combines the physics of fluid motion with advances in probabilistic methods. The framework overcomes the prohibitive computational demands of high‐fidelity modeling in real‐time by using a probabilistic learning method relying on surrogate models that are trained prior to a flood event. This shifts the overwhelming burden of computation to the trivial problem of data storage, and enables forecasting of both flood hazard and its uncertainty at scales that are vital for time‐critical decision‐making before and during extreme events. The framework has the potential to improve flood prediction and analysis and can be extended to other hazard assessments requiring intense high‐fidelity computations in real‐time.


Previously the author's (Lopez-Bravo et al., 2007) proposed the Load Balanced WASPNET Scheduler (LBWS), a novel scheduling approach for WASPNET optical packet switching (OPS) nodes. Unlike the original WASPNET description, LBWS is fully distributed and its computational cost is independent from switch size. Since it predicts packet delays at packet ingress based on a deterministic evolution of the switch configuration, it is not necessary to emulate RAM memories. However, LBWS does not maintain the packet sequence. In this paper we present the LBWS algorithm with packet ordering (OLBWS), the first step to prevent mis-sequencing in a LBWS scheduler. We show that despite the algorithm simplicity a reasonable throughput can be achieved.


This work describes a data fusion architecture for robotic assembly tasks based on human sensory-motor skills. These skills are transferred to the robot through geometric and dynamic perception signals. Artificial neural networks are used in the learning process. The data fusion paradigm is addressed. It consists of two independent modules for optimal fusion and filtering. Kalman techniques linked to stochastic signal evolutions are used in the fusion algorithm. Compliant motion signals obtained from vision and pose sense are fused, enhancing the task performance. Simulations and peg-in-hole experiments are reported.


SUMMARY Fowl cholera resulting from infection with Pasteurella multocida causes huge economic losses in the poultry industry. Necrotic hepatitis is reported to be a significant lesion associated with fowl cholera in chickens. Clarifying the underlying molecular mechanism of hepatic injury caused by P. multocida infection is needed to develop new strategies to control fowl cholera. Pasteurella multocida Q (the standard reference strain) and P. multocida 1G1 (a clinical strain) were used to infect healthy laying hens. Clinical signs were observed and gross lesions in livers were observed postmortem. Histologic lesions and the localization and expression of protein molecules associated with necroptosis, apoptosis, and inflammation in hepatic tissues were examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. Western blot analysis was used to determine the expression of liver injury–related genes. Necroptotic molecules such as RIPK1 (receptor interaction protein kinases 1), RIPK3 (receptor interaction protein kinases 3), and MLKL (mixed lineage kinase domain–like protein) were observed by immunostaining primarily in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes within or around necrotic foci, and inflammatory mediators HMGB1 (high-mobility group box 1) and IL-6 (interleukin-6) were found in the cytoplasm of heterophils, monocytes/macrophages, and hepatic sinusoids. In addition, MMP9 (matrix metalloproteinase 9) and TIMP1 (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1) were observed in hepatic parenchymal cells, inflammatory cells, and interstitial spaces, whereas the apoptotic effector molecule caspase-3 (cysteine-containing aspartic proteolytic enzymes 3) was mainly found in hepatocytes. The expression of RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL was significantly higher in the infected chickens than in the controls. HMGB1 and IL-6 protein levels were also increased in infected chickens relative to those in controls. Both MMP9 and TIMP1 were highly expressed in infected chickens. In addition, caspase-3 protein levels were significantly elevated in infected chickens. Necroptosis, apoptosis, and inflammation played a significant role in hepatic injury caused by P. multocida.


AlGaN/GaN HEMTs show low on-state resistance and small gate capacitances, which makes them good candidates for switching applications. Up to now, their exploitations in dc/dc converters have been largely investigated in high power electronics but with switching frequencies under 1 MHz. In this brief, the potentialities of GaN HEMTs are investigated for high-speed dc/dc converters. To this aim, a 10-MHz GaN 16-34-V boost converter with above-90% efficiency is presented. Such converters are well suited for high-efficiency power amplifiers based on dynamic bias control for high peak-to-average-power-ratio applications.


Background Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis is a life-threatening autosomal dominant systemic disease due to pathogenic TTR variants (ATTRv), mostly affecting the peripheral nerves and heart. The disease is characterised by a combination of symptoms, organ involvement and histological amyloid deposition. The available disease-modifying ATTRv treatments (DMTs) are more effective if initiated early. Pathological nerve conduction studies (NCS) results are the cornerstone of large-fibre polyneuropathy diagnosis, but this anomaly occurs late in the disease. We investigated the utility of a multimodal neurological and cardiac evaluation for detecting early disease onset in ATTRv carriers. Methods We retrospectively analysed a cohort of ATTRv carriers with normal NCS results regardless of symptoms. Multimodal denervation and infiltration evaluations included a clinical questionnaire (Lauria and New York Heart Association (NYHA)) and examination, intra-epidermal nerve fibre density assessment, autonomic assessment based on heart rate variability, Sudoscan, meta-iodo-benzyl-guanidine scintigraphy, cardiac biomarkers, echocardiography, MRI and searches for amyloidosis on skin biopsy and bone scintigraphy. Results We included 130 ATTRv carriers (40.8% men, age: 43.6±13.5 years), with 18 amyloidogenic TTR gene mutations, the majority of which was the late-onset Val30Met variant (42.3%). Amyloidosis was detected in 16.9% of mutation carriers, including 9 (6.9%) with overt disease (Lauria>2 or NYHA>1) and 13 asymptomatic carriers (10%) with organ involvement (small-fibre neuropathy or cardiomyopathy). Most of these patients received DMT. Abnormal test results of unknown significance were obtained for 105 carriers (80.8%). Investigations were normal in only three carriers (2.3%). Conclusions Multimodal neurological and cardiac investigation of TTRv carriers is crucial for the early detection of ATTRv amyloidosis and initiation of DMT.


The introduction describes the geographical distribution of the mango, and gives new data on its occurrence on Java and Madura, and calculates the financial profits for the population. The observations on flowering are described, which may contribute to the knowledge on flowers and inflorescences in general, and may serve as guides in crossing experiments with mango varieties. The chapter on yields contains facts of value for trade and in crossing techniques. Results of crossing experiments are discussed. Two varieties could set fruit without wind and insects; another one was closely dependent on wind. The preliminary fruit set was 5 to 24 times as large as final yield. Flies were the only regular visitors, although not in large numbers. There were no wild bees in Pasuruan. Introducing hives each of 13,000 to 15,000 bees per 10 trees into the mango gardens showed that some mango varieties were frequently visited, others less so. The commercial varieties attracted many (or fairly many) bees. Although no definitive conclusions could be drawn, an increased yield of 23 fruits per tree would already meet the expenses of bee-keeping. For peasant culture the profits would be even greater.


Spatially confined semiconductors form an exciting type of material with potential for numerous applications, many of which rely on the material's optical properties and excitation dynamics. For successful realization of the applications a detailed analysis of excitations in these materials is needed, extending beyond the ideal case and including various defects, such as photoionization, doping and surface dangling bonds. High-level ab initio electronic structure calculations on two representative classes of semiconducting clusters have lead to much progress on achieving a thorough understanding of the excitation properties of these materials when they are altered with charging, doping or dangling bonds. The calculations show that the defects introduce new intra-band transitions, blue-shift the optical absorption spectra and push the normal excitonic and multiexcitonic transitions to higher energies. Generally, doping and charging have similar effects on the excited state properties, while introduction of dangling bonds cause less severe changes, since the latter defect can be partially accommodated by reorganization in the local bonding pattern.


Quantitative analysis of amino acids (AA) and acylcarnitines using tandem mass spectrometry is an emerging technology used to screen neonatal dried blood spot samples for disorders in the metabolism of AA, organic acids and fatty acids. This paper provides a brief review of some of the technically oriented issues which emerged at the 4th meeting of the International Society for Neonatal Screening in Stockholm, 1999. The information covers sample preparation, instrumentation, data acquistion modes, internal standards, interpretation, confounding factors and practical screening experience.


not everyone's favourite reading. The Faith and Order Commission has produced a number of reports which resemble the curate's egg in having a stronger flavour in some parts than in others. One God One Lord One Spirit. On the Explication of the Apostolic Faith Today, ed. Hans-Georg Link (F & 0 Paper No. 139, WCC Publications [1988], £5.95/ Sw Fr 15.00/$9.95, pp. 139, ISBN 2-8254-0906-5) describes the attempts of the Commission to create a 'common ecumenical explication' of the NicaeaConstantinople creed of 381. Its appeal is likely to be limited, since it sets out in a detail some will find tedious successive recensions, not of the creed, but of WCC commentary on it. Even one of the contributors, Dietrich Ritschl, writes with a marked lack ofenthusiasm for the complex processes described. Living Today Towards Visible Unity, ed. Thomas F. Best (F & 0 Paper No. 142, WCC Publications [1988], £5.95/Sw Fr 15.00/$9.95, pp. 135, ISBN 28254-0917-0) is a report of the fifth international consultation of united and uniting churches. Not surprisingly it is a collection of contributions, on the experience of uniting, of very varied levels and from very varied standpoints. Their geographical origin ranges from Madagascar to Milton Keynes, from Belgium to Indonesia. They are equally varied in their interest too, but at least all are brief enough not to become burdensome.


Crosstalk between tracks on printed circuit boards can degrade the signal quality in electronic circuits and systems. An additional track, grounded at regular intervals, may be introduced between the interfering tracks to reduce the unwanted coupling. Analysis techniques for this geometry have thus far all used a quasi-TEM approach for the characterization of the coupled transmission lines, which starts failing progressively as the frequency rises. In this paper, a full-wave spectral domain analysis which includes the effects of dispersion and loss, is presented. The method produces accurate results over a wide frequency range, and is particularly useful for the faithful prediction of high frequency signal distortion.


The Regional Ground Water Forum is a group of ground-water technical specialists, representing EPA's Regional Offices, organized to exchange up-to-date information related to groundwater remediation at hazardous waste sites. Proper site characterization has been identified by the EPA Regional Ground Water Forum as a major issue of concern for decision-makers at many hazardous waste sites. In order to have a thorough understanding of the processes involved in remediating the subsurface, a working knowledge of the major physical, chemical, and biological factors which affect the fate of contaminants in the vadose zone must be achieved. This paper summarizes the basic concepts of soil science as related to the management of hazardous wastes and serves as a foundation from which to build a thorough understanding of soil processes.


The Goss texture is a characteristic feature of grain-oriented transformer steel sheets. Generator sheets, which are produced as non-oriented steel sheets, should have isotropic features. However, measurement results of generator sheets, confirmed by crystallographic studies, indicate that these sheets are characterized by certain, quite significant anisotropy. The first purpose of this paper is to present the influence of textures of generator and transformer steel sheets on their magnetization characteristics. The second aim is to propose a method which takes into account the sheet textures in the calculations of magnetization curves. In calculations of magnetization processes in electrical steel sheets, models in which the plane of a sheet sample is divided into an assumed number of specified directions are used. To each direction a certain hysteresis loop, the so-called direction hysteresis, is assigned. The parameters of these direction hystereses depend, among other things, on the texture type in these steel sheets. This paper discusses the method which calculates the parameters of these direction hystereses taking into account the given sheet texture. The proposed method gives a possibility of determining the magnetization characteristics for any direction of the field intensity changes.


The design of the ITER ICRF system has been under revision for several years. The paper presents the status of the design proposal based on a 24 strap antenna plug (6 poloidal by 4 toroidal short radiating conductors) in which the straps are passively combined in 8 poloidal triplets by means of 4‐port junctions. These triplets are connected in parallel pairwise through matching elements to form 4 load‐resilient conjugate‐T circuits. All adjustable matching elements are located outside the plug, i.e. in the ITER port cell and in the generator area.


In this paper, we focus on the diversity order of the decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative networks with relay selection. Many detection schemes have been proposed for the DF; but it has been shown that the cooperative maximum ratio combining (C-MRC) can achieve almost the same performance as the optimum maximum likelihood detector and has a much lower complexity. Therefore, we first combine the C-MRC with the relay selection and show that it achieves the full diversity order by deriving an upper bound of its average bit error rate (BER). In order to reduce the signaling overhead, we then combine the link-adaptive regeneration (LAR) with the relay selection. By deriving an upper bound of the average BER, we show that, when there are two relays, the diversity order of the LAR with relay selection is upper-bounded by three and lower-bounded by 3 - epsiv, where xi is an arbitrarily small positive number.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional interrelationship between synergistic muscle activities during low-level fatiguing contractions. Six human subjects performed static and dynamic contractions at an ankle joint angle of 110 degrees plantar flexion and within the range of 90-110 degrees (anatomic position = 90 degrees) under constant load (10% maximal voluntary contraction) for 210 min. Surface electromyogram records from lateral gastrocnemius (LG), medial gastrocnemius (MG), and soleus (Sol) muscles showed high and silent activities alternately in the three muscles and a complementary and alternate activity between muscles in the time course. In the second half of all exercise times, the number of changes in activity increased significantly (P < 0.05) in each muscle. The ratios of active to silent periods of electromyogram activity were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in MG (4.5 +/- 2.2) and Sol (4.3 +/- 2.8) than in the LG (0.4 +/- 0.1), but no significant differences were observed between MG and Sol. These results suggest that the relative activation of synergistic motor pools are not constant during a low-level fatiguing task.


The article discusses various classifications of nouns. The traditional division of nouns does not always represent a coherent scheme that would cover the entire class of substantive units. However, it is indisputable that in the vast majority of works that consider the classification of nouns, the authors distinguish a subgroup of abstract nouns


The problem of this study is to investigate the differences in perceived parental behavior patterns, child rearing attitudes, and learning disabilities in natural and adoptive families. The purposes of this study are to compare the child rearing attitudes of adoptive and natural parents, to compare the child's perception of parental behavior in adoptive and natural families, to discover if the two groups differ in their ability to predict their children's perceptions of parental behavior, and to investigate the incidence of learning disabilities among adoptive children. Findings indicate that significant differences exist between natural and adoptive parents as measured by the PAS and the CRPBI-R. Adoptive fathers are not as likely as natural fathers to feel it is impossible to change a child from his already determined way of behaving and believe parental or environmental influences to be more important than natural or inherent causations. The younger the child was at the time of adoption, the better the adoptive parents were able to predict what the child would report about parental discipline. Adoptive parents are also found to be more accepting of childhood behaviors and feelings and have more mutual trust and understanding of their children than are natural parents. There is not a significantly greater proportion of adopted children in Plan A than natural children.


This sector-wide impact assessment (SWIA) on limestone, gold and tin mining in Myanmar analyses the impacts of mining of these commodities on the environment, local communities and workers. It covers sector-wide, cumulative and project-level impacts, looking at both the formal and informal parts of the sector. Recommendations are made to the Myanmar Government, businesses, civil society, ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) and other governments on how adverse impacts of the mining sector can be avoided and addressed, and how positive impacts can be maximised. By outlining key findings from the extensive fieldwork undertaken for the assessment and making concrete recommendations, the assessment seeks to contribute to building a platform for dialogue about how Myanmar's mining sector can be shaped to contribute to poverty reduction and development.


The galaxiid fishes exhibit a gondwanan distribution. We use mitochondrial DNA sequences to test conflicting vicariant and dispersal biogeographic hypotheses regarding the Southern Hemisphere range of this freshwater group. Although phylogenetic resolution of cytochrome b and 16S rRNA sequences is largely limited to more recent divergences, our data indicate that the radiation can be interpreted as several relatively recent dispersal events superimposed on an ancient gondwanan radiation. Genetic relationships contradict the findings of recent morphological analyses of galaxioid fishes. In particular, we examine several hypotheses regarding phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic Lepidogalaxias. Although most workers consider Lepidogalaxias to be an unusual scaled member of the Southern Hemisphere galaxioids, it has also been suggested that this species is related to the Northern Hemisphere esocoids. Our data strongly suggest that this species is not a galaxiid, and the alternative hypothesized esocoid relationship cannot be rejected. The species-rich genus Galaxias is shown to be polyphyletic and the generic taxonomy of the Galaxiinae is reassessed in the light of phylogenetic relationships. Juvenile saltwater-tolerance is phylogenetically distributed throughout the Galaxiinae, and the loss of this migratory phase may be a major cause of speciation.


Abstract. Accurate modeling of the effect of snow cover on the surface energy and mass fluxes is required from land surface models. The Interactions between Soil–Biosphere–Atmosphere (ISBA) model uses a composite soil–vegetation approach that has limitations when representing snow and soil phase change processes in areas of high vegetation cover since it does not explicitly represent the snowpack lying on the ground below the canopy. In particular, previous studies using ISBA have pointed out that the snowpack ablation tends to occur to early in the season in forest regions in the Northern Hemisphere.
The multi-energy balance (MEB) version of ISBA has been developed recently, to a large degree, to address this issue. A vegetation layer, which is distinct from the soil, has been added to ISBA and new processes are now explicitly represented, such as snow interception and an understory litter layer.
To evaluate the behavior of this new scheme in a cold forested region, long-term offline simulations have been performed for the three BERMS forest sites located in Saskatchewan, Canada.
It is shown that the new scheme leads to an improved energy budget representation, especially in terms of the ground and sensible heat fluxes, with decreases in root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 77 % and 18 %, respectively. A positive impact for soil temperatures, consistent with the improvement of the ground heat flux, is obtained, particularly in terms of bias, which is reduced from −6.2 to −0.1 K at a 10 cm soil depth on average for the three sites and 12 studied years.
The impact of using MEB on the snowpack simulation is a better agreement with observations during the snow season, especially concerning the last day of snow in the season: errors are on the order of 1 d averaged over the three sites and all of the years using MEB, which represents a reduction in error of 20 d compared to the composite scheme.
The analysis shows that this improvement is mostly caused by the ability of MEB to represent a snowpack that nearly completely covers the soil below the canopy and that decouples the soil from the atmosphere, while keeping a close coupling between the vegetation and the atmosphere.


Patricia Kerslake, Science Fiction and Empire. Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 2007. 217pp. £50 (hbk).David M. HigginsPatricia Kerslake's Science Fiction and Empire opens with the very welcome assertion that sf portrayals of empire offer 'enlightening' insights when 'interrogated by general theories of postcoloniality' (3), and the book's subsequent investigation reads key sf texts through postcolonial lenses. At first, Kerslake avoids arguing that sf itself is a postcolonial literature; instead, she frames sf as a body of fiction that can offer critical perspectives regarding colonialism due to the genre's historical entanglements with imperial discourse. This is an excellent opening move; postcolonial voices clearly offer insightful critiques of empire, and such perspectives can illuminate the imperial (and sometimes anti-imperial) discourses that operate within sf narratives. The book then explores the role of imperial imaginings in the works of Isaac Asimov, Iain M. Banks, Philip K. Dick, Robert A Heinlein, Kurd Lasswitz, Ursula K. Le Guin, Stanislaw Lem, Walter M. Miller, Kim Stanley Robinson, H. G. Wells and John WyndhamFollowing the introduction, the first chapter begins with a summary of 'the postcolonial notion of the Other' as theorised by Edward Said's Orientalism (1978). Said's interrogation of the binary oppositions between self/other and centre/periphery informs much of Kerslake's subsequent discussion of sf; her guiding argument is that sf conducts a variety of thought experiments in which 'self ' encounters 'other', and that these experiments stage a dialectical process in which the 'self ' can ultimately be discovered: 'we are never able to realise what we are in the absence of alterity', she argues, and 'the greater the possible difference between "us" and "them", the greater becomes humanity's potential to develop, and many major works of SF have focused upon this philosophical desire to discover the ultimate condition of humankind' (10). Unfortunately, this argument implies that sf as a whole is committed to the notion of 'humankind' and to an Enlightenment worldview in which human progress unfolds in relation to an 'other' against which the progressive 'self ' can be measured. While this is certainly true of some sf, N. Katherine Hayles and Donna Haraway (among others) have shown that sf may challenge Enlightenment constructions of the 'human', and it is only by avoiding certain sf voices (such as those of Octavia Butler and Samuel Delany) that such an assertion can be made without challenge.This leads to one of my moderate criticisms of the book: Science Fiction and Empire tends to treat both 'postcolonial theory' and 'science fiction' as undifferentiated objects, and Kerslake sometimes defines science fiction against postcolonialism. This opposition reduces both entities into oversimplified straw-men, and in such moments her analysis performs the binary 'othering' that she seeks to expose and unpack in sf itself. Kerslake's analysis is perhaps weakest when she valorises postcolonial theory at the expense of sf; she argues, for example, that 'Postcolonial thought accepts and embraces the concept of the Other, as it enables polyvalency and hybridity, but in SF the Other must forever remain a figure apart: poised somewhere between angel and demon, an existence hovering on the imaginary boundaries of the known' (11). While it is true that some sf holds the other at a distance, much of sf also theorises 'otherness' in complex and interesting ways; Samuel Delany and Brian Aldiss (to name just two examples) were theorising polyvalency alongside poststructuralist and postcolonial critics early in the 1960s, and contemporary television shows such as Battlestar Galactica (US/UK 2003-9), during its best moments, can offer a complex interrogation of imperial self/other constructions. In short, not all (or even most) sf frames the other as an absolute angel or demon. Furthermore, Kerslake's textual readings are sometimes at odds with her theoretical claims in this regard; her own strong analysis of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? …


Arterial hypoxaemia may be observed several days after an uncomplicated major surgical operation and may be of constant or episodic nature. Late postoperative constant hypoxaemia is mainly due to reduced pulmonary volume on account of reduced diaphragmatic function. The cause of late postoperative episodic hypoxaemia is probably opioid-induced alterations in regulation of respiration and alterations in sleep on account of pain and stress which cause intermittent hypoventilation and central and/or obstructive apnoea. The clinical significance of late postoperative hypoxaemia is not yet fully elucidated. The data available suggest, however, that it may be a contributory factor in the development of cardiac, cerebral and wound complications. The pathogenesis should, therefore, be elucidated and rational therapeutic principles against late postoperative hypoxaemia should receive higher priority.


Ordinary generating series of multiple harmonic sums admit a full singular expansion in the basis of functions $\{(1-z)^α \log^β (1-z)\}_{α ∈ℤ, β ∈ℕ}$, near the singularity $z=1$. A constructive proof of this result is given, and, by combinatoric aspects, an explicit evaluation of Taylor coefficients of functions in some polylogarithmic algebra is obtained. In particular, the asymptotic expansion of multiple harmonic sums is easily deduced.


This study was designed to evaluate attitudes toward and utilization of evidence-based practices (EBPs) among mental health professionals specializing in trauma. An Internet survey was completed by 461 trauma professionals who were recruited via International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies membership rolls and electronic mailing lists of trauma special interest groups. Although a minority of participants held negative views of EBPs, the overwhelming majority of respondents were supportive of the EBP movement. Theoretical orientation, training model, and age were associated with EBP attitudes. Favorable EBP attitudes were not as strongly related to reported clinical behaviors as might reasonably be expected. Even respondents utilizing unsupported treatments espoused positive EBP opinions, suggesting that practitioners may hold widely varying evidentiary standards.


FARO 3D handheld Laser scanner has been recently introduced to document the crime scenes, different structures and objects in more detail. It produces point cloud representations of objects and areas which have been scanned.  This study was done to test the capabilities and limitations of the FARO Freestyle 3D handheld scanner.  Mock crime scenes were created and scanned with this 3D scanner to test its effectiveness in scanning the whole crime scene as well as various pieces of evidence.  Blood stain patterns, fingerprints, broken glass, 2D and 3D footwear impressions, and written documents were all scanned for the study.  Scans was also done in the dark to see how the scanner deals with the low light situations.  It was found that the scanner could detect blood stain patterns, fingerprints, footwear impressions and writing on documents, however, the clarity of the images created decreased proportionally with the size of the evidence being scanned.  The scanner could not detect glass in colour scanning model, but it could detect objects on the glass such as fingerprints, substrates and labels.  The scanner also had a difficult time detecting very dark coloured objects but could detect them with added time.  Scanning glass and dark objects in infrared could potentially recreate opaque images, making scanning in both colour and infrared beneficial to investigators.  The measuring tool in the FARO software was incredibly useful and could measure distances to one-tenth of a millimetre.  This information is beneficial when using the Faro Freestyle in a forensic setting.


The synthesis and structural, electrochemical, spectroscopic, and magnetic characterizations of CrIII(HMC) catecholate and semiquinonate complexes are reported herein, where HMC is 5,5,7,12,12,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane. cis-[Cr(HMC)(Cat)]+ complexes (Cat = catecholate, [1]+; tetrachlorocatecholate, [2]+; and 3,5-di-tert-butylcatecholate, [3]+) were prepared from the reaction between appropriate catechol and [CrIII(HMC)Cl2]Cl reduced in situ by zinc. Chemical oxidation of [3]+ by FcPF6 resulted in cis-[Cr(HMC)(SQ)]2+ ([3]2+, SQ = 3,5-di-tert-butylsemiquinonate). Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed the cis-chelation of the Cat/SQ ligand around the Cr metal center and confirmed the Cat/SQ nature of the ligands. Reversible oxidations of Cat to SQ were observed in the cyclic voltammograms of [1]+-[3]+, while the CrIII center remains redox inactive. The absorption spectrum of the SQ complex [3]2+ exhibits an intense spin-forbidden transition in solution. Time-delayed phosphorescence spectra recorded at 77 K revealed that all catecholate complexes emit from the 2E state, while [2]+ also emits from the 2T1 state. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate the Cat complexes exist as S = 3/2 systems, while the SQ complex behaves as an S = 1 system, resulting from strong antiferromagnetic coupling of the S = 3/2 Cr center with the S = 1/2 SQ radical. Density functional theory (DFT) shows the similarities between the SOMOs of [1]+ and [2]+ and differences in their LUMOs in the ground state.


During the years of 1981 and 1982, 89 former prisoners of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp responded to questionnaires on mussulmen-prisoners in the extreme phase of starvation disease. In this article, I describe the origin of the term "mussulman," mussulmens' somatic and mental state, their behavior and camp customs. Prisoners characterized as mussulmen remain between life and death, without expressing emotional reactions and defense mechanisms apart from a hypersensibility to food-related stimuli. A mussulman was a product of the camp factory of death. A deep somatic and emotional stigma remains in those who survived the mussulmen state.