A protease is an enzyme that catalyzes proteolysis of proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids. As crucial elements in many biological processes, proteases have been shown to be informative biomarkers for several pathological conditions in humans, animals, and plants. Therefore, fast, reliable, and cost-effective protease biosensors suitable for point-of-care (POC) sensing may aid in diagnostics, treatment, and drug discovery for various diseases. This work presents an affordable and simple paper-based dipstick biosensor that utilizes peptide-encapsulated single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) for protease detection. Upon enzymatic digestion of the peptide, a significant drop in the photoluminescence (PL) of the SWCNTs was detected. As the emitted PL is in the near-infrared region, the developed biosensor has a good signal to noise ratio in biological fluids. One of the diseases associated with abnormal protease activity is pancreatitis. In acute pancreatitis, trypsin concentration could reach up to 84 µg/mL in the urine. For proof of concept, we demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed biosensor for the detection of the abnormal levels of trypsin activity in urine samples.


Seven erythrocyte polymorphisms, namely AcP, PGM1, PGM2, EsD, GLO I, G-6-PD and Hb, have been typed in 556 unrelated adult male subjects from Bari (South Italy) and its district. The gene frequencies obtained in this sample are compared with the hitherto reported corresponding data from other Italian population samples. The results are critically discussed.


The influences of lighting conditions, which is combined by color temperature and lighting types, on visual responses are discussed in this study. Visual annoyance tests were performed in a full-scale mock-up test space, which was prepared for a small private office environment. Lamps with color temperature of 3,500 K and 5,000 K were applied to a direct lighting type and direct/indirect lighting type. Results indicate that overall glare sensation for computer-based task was stronger than that of paper-based task. Color temperature of 3,500 K applied to a direct lighting type caused the worst glare. Overall, visual discomfort were not reported under all lighting conditions. The direct/indirect lighting type succeeded to ensure better comfort compared to the direct lighting type. The number of letters which were typed in showed no significant difference under all lighting conditions. In order to enhance good quality of lighting condition, the direct lighting type should ensure good color rendering, reduction of glare and prevention of tensed sensation. The direct/indirect lighting type condition should keep the space and desktop surface bright.


Itchy skin, a symptom of various diseases, present in 54.4 % of patients with skin pathologies, is a rather difficult task when choosing a therapy.Material and methods. Under observation were 45 patients (27 women and 18 men) with various dermatoses, accompanied by itching. All patients received Neotanin therapy (cream and spray) with standard topical therapy. Efficiency assessment was carried out taking into account the indices Prurindex, BRS, dermatological status indices for each nosology (SCORAD, EASI, PASI), and DIC.Results. In patients with idiopathic skin itching, Prurindex decreased by 100 % by the end of 3rd weeks, BRS – by 96.8 %. In atopic dermatitis, the SCORAD index decreased by 78.3 %, BRS index reduced by 91.9 %, Prurindex index decreased by 95.4 %. With eczema, the EASI index decreased by 96.1 %, the BRS and Prurindex index were reduced by 100 %. In psoriasis, the PASI index decreased by 86.5 %, BRS index – by 90.8 %, Prurindex index – by 94.2 %.Conclusions. The use of the topical Neotanin as monotherapy for idiopathic pruritus, as a part of comprehensive treatment for atopic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, significantly improves the quality of life of patients.


In the current study, we have coupled Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) for the fabrication of plain polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) tablets followed by dispensing of minoxidil ethanolic solutions using inkjet printing. The use of a drop-on-solid printing approach facilitates an accurate and reproducible process while it controls the deposition of the drug amounts. For the purpose of the study, the effect of the solvent was investigated and minoxidil ink solutions of ethanol 70% v/v (P70) or absolute ethanol (P100) were applied on the plain PVA tablets. Physicochemical characterization showed that solvent miscibility with the polymer substrate plays a key role and can lead to the formation of drug crystals on the surface or drug absorption in the polymer matrix. The produced minoxidil tablets showed sustained release profiles or initial bursts strongly affected by the solvent grade used for dispensing the required dose on drug loaded 3D printed tablets. This paradigm demonstrates that the coupling of FDM and inkjet printing technologies could be used for rapid development of personalized dosage forms.


Cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR), a retinal photoreceptor degeneration disease, is characterised by photopsia and progressive visual loss, and is considered to be related to the presence of malignancy. To our knowledge, CAR related to benign thymoma has not been previously reported. We present a case of CAR associated with benign thymoma. The patient had serum antirecoverin autoantibodies, and his thymoma tissue was positively stained by serum from another patient with CAR containing antirecoverin autoantibodies.

A 47-year-old man noticed quite suddenly visual loss, photopsia and night blindness in August 2003. When he visited our hospital in October 2003, his visual acuity was counting fingers bilaterally, and slit-lamp test revealed normal anterior segments. Funduscopic examination revealed narrowing of the retinal arteries and slight atrophy of retinal pigment epithelium (figure 1A). Goldmann perimetry showed only peripheral islands of vision, and the standard full-field 20 J single flash electroretinogram (ERG) was non-recordable (figure 1B). Chest x-ray, chest CT scanning (figure 1C) and chest MRI (figure 1D) revealed the presence of thymoma, but no other malignancy was found …


Integrating environmental aspects in the design process is getting more and more covered by the actual scientific research. Based on various fields such as "eco-design", "Design for sustainability", "eco- innovation", several specific software and methods have been developed to tackle this issue. Our work focuses on product designer software and eco-designer software that already exist. This research analyses product design and eco-design--considering their respective complexity--in order to determine the main difficulties to systematically integrate environmental aspects in the design process. Our observations have led us to work on three elements: information, software, and collaboration between designers and LCA expert. The principal objective is to facilitate the interface between product design and eco-design by linking the requirements and performances of both domains. It seems therefore necessary to help the collaboration between various experts and thus to develop a digital interface enabling designers to exchange data and to use their appropriate related software. The aim of this paper is to argue the need of a digital tool interfacing the actual tools of the design process and of eco-design (among the related software such as CAD, CAx, PLM, and LCA). This "digital interface" is presented at the end of the paper and will be created next year.


The predictive normalized maximum likelihood (pNML) approach has recently been proposed as the min-max optimal solution to the batch learning problem where both the training set and the test data feature are individuals, known sequences. This approach has yields a learnability measure that can also be interpreted as a stability measure. This measure has shown some potential in detecting out-of-distribution examples, yet it has considerable computational costs. In this project, we propose and analyze an approximation of the pNML, which is based on influence functions. Combining both theoretical analysis and experiments, we show that when applied to neural networks, this approximation can detect out-of-distribution examples effectively. We also compare its performance to that achieved by conducting a single gradient step for each possible label.


The difficulties in quantitation of in vivo 31P spectra are exacerbated by the fact that, in general, coils with inhomogeneous B1 fields are used with in vivo samples. A general method for quantitation of in vivo 31P MRS results obtained with the ISIS localization method was developed using computer simulations. The simulation calculates the preparation of the sample magnetization throughout the sample by the ISIS pulse sequence, as well as the sensitivity of signal reception. The calculation accounts for both the B1 field and the B0 gradients applied to the sample. The sensitivity of the experiment is expressed by integration of the simulated signal over the sample, assuming a homogeneous sample. The primary advantage of this approach is that a separate localization experiment on a phantom of known concentration is not required each time parameters of the localization experiment, such as dimensions or location of the localized volume, are altered. In addition, the simulations indicate the degree of contamination (signal from outside of the localized volume) that occurs, and provide a means of comparing different executions of the ISIS experiment. Experiments were performed on phantoms to verify the simulations, and experimental results on human brain and liver are reproduced to show that this approach provides reasonable estimates of metabolite levels in terms of molar concentrations.


Endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine prolactin (PRL) acts through its receptor (PRLR) to confer a wide range of biological functions, including its established role during lactation. We have identified a novel first exon of the porcine PRLR that gives rise to three different mRNA transcripts. Transcription of this first exon is tissue specific, where it increases during gestation in the adrenal glands and uterus. Within the mammary glands, its transcription is induced by estrogen and PRL, while in the uterus, its expression is downregulated by progestin. The promoter region has an enhancer element located between -453 and -424 bp and a putative repressor element between -648 and -596 bp. Estrogen, acting through the estrogen receptor, activates transcription from this promoter through both E-box and transcription factor AP-2 α binding sites. These findings support the concept that the multilevel hormonal regulation of PRLR transcription contributes to the various biological functions of PRL.


The general relativistic motion of a test particle near a rigidly rotating disk of dust is investigated. Circular orbits within the plane of the disk ~centered on the rotation axis! are special cases of the geodesic motion. One finds that there is always a ~stable or unstable ! circular orbit for positive angular momentum and a given radius. However, for sufficiently relativistic disks there are regions within the plane of the disk in which a particle with negative angular momentum cannot follow a circular path. If the disk is still more strongly relativistic, then one finds circular orbits with negative energies of arbitrary magnitude. Within the theoretical construction of the Penrose effect, this property can be used to produce arbitrarily high amounts of energy. The study of Hamiltonian mechanics forms another topic of this article. It turns out that the stochastic behavior of the geodesics is related to the position of the region containing all the crossing points of the particle through the plane of the disk. If this region contains points lying inside the disk as well as points outside, the geodesic motion shows highly stochastic behavior. However, if the crossing region is completely inside or outside the disk, the motion proves to be nearly integrable. In these cases the corresponding Hamiltonian system is close to an integrable system of the so-called Liouville class. © 1998 American Institute of Physics.@S0022-2488 ~98!03711-6#


A national initiative to find and remove "ghost patients" who are wrongly on GP patient lists has saved around £6.1m (€7.2m; $9.6m), claims the leading public spending watchdog.

In a new report, the Audit Commission said that around 95 000 records had been found of people who should not be on patients' lists for various reasons such as having died or having moved to another doctor's practice and been registered twice.

The BMA, however, said it was concerned that "over zealous" efforts to eliminate these anomalies in patients' lists have gone too far in some places and mean some patients have been removed unfairly and mistakenly.

The commission's report published on 23 February details its latest …


In the last twelve years the US has experienced a remarkable productivity revival. This has allowed the United States to speed ahead of other major advanced economies. The article explores the contribution provided by the US government and Congress to the nurturing of the new economy. In particular it looks at the role played at macro-economic level by US monetary and fiscal policy between 1996 and 2005 and by federal funding, legislation and regulation at micro-economic level. The second part of the article discusses the future of the new economy and the factors that can support the continuation of the productivity trends of the last decade in the years to come and those that instead may determine their slowdown. If US policy-makers want to preserve an environment favorable to the new economy, they need to provide strong policy responses to two key questions: 1) How to reduce the large domestic and external imbalances that weigh on the US economy? and 2) How to reach a fairer distribution of the benefits of the new economy so as to avoid being led down the dangerous path of creeping protectionism?


Positive psychology is a new focus in the field of mental health.
The model shifts the emphasis from merely recovering from mental illness to preventing mental illness and developing good mental health.
The theory presents a reframing of human motivation.
Adolescents can be understood differently in this framework.
They can be seen as resilient and as a resource rather than as a problem.
Interventions for adolescents can be aimed at developing specific competencies and enhancing existing abilities.


A bag filter (BF) acts as an air pollution control device that removes particulates out of the air from commercial processes. Few industries, especially food manufacturing, is often to use BF to control the emission of air pollutants. This study aims to investigate the pressure drop in BF by different inlet angles. The study was developed by Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) to perform the result. There are five sets which are 180°, 225°, 270°, 315° and 360° of BF configurations develop which the selection flow model is RANS (for steady-state) and the inlet opening remain constant at 45°. There is a need for this study to reduce the pressure drop as an improvement to run exhaust fan with a lower percentage or capacity as could reduce the electric consumption for operational cost. Therefore, the lower exhaust fan specification will be determined, which may reduce future installation costs. The turbulence model used in this study is RNG k-? with swirl dominated flow to resolve flow in BF with better accuracy. The filter domain in this study was defined as porous media with some properties. The simulation shows the lowest pressure drop is achieved by configuration 360° compared to other configurations (180°, 225°, 270°, and 315°) by 7.46%.  As a conclusion, the highest pressure drop occurs at configuration 180° (original design) where the smallest inlet angle contributes higher pressure at the inlet duct compared to other configurations. In contrast, the lowest pressure drop occurs at configuration 360° (improvement design) where the biggest inlet angle contributes lower pressure at the inlet duct compared to other configurations and more uniform on its distribution. The three configurations in between original and improvement design show that the changes are directly proportional – consistent. This evidences can help to reduce the pressure drop in BF operation where savings energy generated on exhaust fan electric consumption.


The DIII-D research tokamak, which has near reactor dimensions, has been operating for approximately ten years. The hazards at the facility include high voltages, high currents, cryogenics, radiation, and normal industrial hazards. Procedures have been developed for operating the device, minimizing both the hazards to personnel and the damage caused by equipment failures, and for logging of failures. The machine and the neutral beamlines have been operated in hydrogen and are now starting operation in deuterium to expand the machine capabilities to reactor relevant regimes. Deuterium operation creates a significant amount of neutrons and therefore a neutron shield is being built around the machine area to reduce personnel radiation to As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) and to keep radiation at the site boundary at or below a limit of 20 mrem per calendar year. Gamma radiation shielding walls have been in place since the initial machine construction. The safety procedures for the DIII-D facility will be outlined and the accident experience will be discussed together with the neutron radiation monitoring program being developed. 4 figs., 3 tabs.


Abstract. This paper presents a traffic sign detection and recognition method from mobile LiDAR data and digital images for intelligent transportation-related applications. The traffic sign detection and recognition method includes two steps: traffic sign interest regions are first extracted from mobile LiDRA data. Next, traffic signs are identified from digital images simultaneously collected from the multi-sensor mobile LiDAR systems via a convolutional capsule network model. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method obtains a promising, reliable, and high performance in both detecting traffic signs in 3-D point clouds and recognizing traffic signs on 2-D images.


Key Points 1. A Nitric oxide serum can be safely formulated without the generation of nitric dioxide and is necessary for optimal cellular health. 2. Nitric oxide serum can be topically applied for many cosmetic purposes, and also has anti-inflammatory and ant-bacterial properties. 3. Nitric oxide is a free radical gas. It is produced endogenously and is synthesized from arginine by nitric oxide synthase. 4. Nitric oxide mediates vasodilation, inhibits platelet aggregation, induces disaggregation of aggregated platelets, and inhibits platelet adherence to endothelial cells. As a result, Nitric oxide is a potent vasodilator, and increases blood flow via capillary recruitment. 5. Topical Nitric Oxide Serum by itself, yields improvement in fine lines and wrinkles, and enhances the tone, texture of the skin. 6. When used prior to any other topical, the vasodilatory property primes the skin to enhance the absorption of other products. Methods: One hundred patients were enrolled into a two center, multi-limb study. Ages ranged from 15 to 76 years. The effect of a Nitric Oxide generating topical serum was studied on 100 patients in two Centers between December 2018 and December 2019. There were 82 females and 18 males. The population consisted of 42 Caucasian, 18 Asian, 8 African American, 12 Hispanic, 14 Mediterranean, and 6 Indian patients. Patients were enrolled under four categories: 1) Aging Skin; 2) Acne; 3) Scar Therapy; and 4) Wound Care. The Aging skin population utilized NO serum bid after cleansing. Photographs were taken monthly for 4-12 weeks. Linear analog scales were administered examining skin tone, wrinkles, clarity and color variation. No other products were used concomitantly. The Active acne patients were divided into mild, moderate and severe states based on nodule and pustule counts. NO serum was applied am and pm after cleansing. Photographs were taken weekly for 4-12 weeks. Pustule and nodule counts were recorded weekly. NO serum was applied bid in the treatment of atrophic scars, striae, acne scars, hypertrophic scars post Needle Radiofrequency, and around the CO2 laser excised keloid scar beds. Photographs were taken weekly for 4-12 weeks. Several wound types were examined: Surgical incisions, healing surgical flaps, diabetic ulcers, and smoking induced, vascular compromised skin. NO serum was applied qid daily. Photographs were taken at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Results: The Aging skin population reported improvement in fine lines, wrinkles, pore size, skin tone and texture, coloration and oiliness. A high level of product satisfaction with significant improvement in self-esteem was noted. The Acne population showed a range in pustule and nodule reduction ranging from 20% to 84%. The average reduction was 68%. The Scar therapy population showed positive trends. The atrophic scar patients and those with striae improved the most. Softening of hypertrophic scar tissue was noted. Keloid wound beds healed anecdotally faster than non-treated patients. Improved vascularity is speculated. The Wound healing population without exception showed excellent results. Rhytidectomy, Blepharoplasty, and Rhinoplasty patients displayed less bruising, edema, and more rapid healing. Non-healing ulcers healed within 30-45 days. Revascularization was routinely evident in compromised flaps. Conclusion: It is possible to deliver clinically relevant bioactive nitric oxide via a dual chamber NO generating delivery device. This Pilot Study shows valid proof of concept to warrant further IRB approved studies in the areas of aging skin, acne, wound healing and scar therapy. Citation: Chernoff G (2020) The Utilization of a Topical Nitric Oxide Generating Serum in Aesthetic Medicine. J Surg 5: 1329. DOI: 10.29011/25759760.001329 2 Volume 05; Issue 10 J Surg, an open access journal ISSN: 2575-9760


The notion of "emergence" has recently received renewed attention in research fields ranging from biology to cognitive sciences and philosophy of mind. Today's concept of "emergence" incorporates a long history of philosophical debates and reflections that can be traced back to James and John Stuart Mill and nineteenth-century associationist philosophy. This tradition reached its theoretical maturity in the early twentieth century with so-called classical British emergentism, which gained the attention of pragmatist philosophers from the beginning. In the current literature exploring the relationship between Pragmatism and the emergentist tradition, almost nothing is said about the interesting case of Chauncey Wright (1830-1875), a follower of J. S. Mill and A. Bain, and a crucial figure for the origins of pragmatist philosophy. After a brief historical introduction about the history of the notion of "emergence" and its relationship to classical Pragmatism, the paper aims to examine Wright's philosophy in relation, on one hand, to the pragmatist tradition and, on the other hand, to the problem of emergence. In the wake of Wright's original interpretation of Darwin's evolutionary theory, the article focuses on the key notions of "novelty" and "new uses," through which Wright developed an "emergentist" philosophy that was well ahead of its time and attracted the interest of Samuel Alexander, one of the major philosophers of classical British emergentism. In the second part, the paper analyzes Wright's reflections about the origin of human self-consciousness as a paradigmatic case of authentic evolutionary novelty. In the final part, the article focuses on the kind of pragmatic realism sketched out by Wright and summarizes the most important aspects to have emerged during the scholarly debate on the topic.


The optical frequency comb has become an indispensable tool for high precision spectroscopy. Also experiments in the field of ultrafast physics rely on the frequency comb technique to generate precisely controlled attosecond optical pulses by means of the high-order harmonic generation. However, in order to generate even shorter laser pulses or to apply this technique in investigations of nuclear structure, combs of frequencies of the order of MeV are necessary. It seems that it may not be possible to achieve such photon energies by high-order harmonic generation. In this context the possibility of the generation of Thomson and Compton-based frequency combs is presented. Diffraction of generated radiation by a sequence of laser pulses and its analogy to the diffraction grating is elucidated.


A double-blind, placebo-controlled 14-week study evaluated the anorectic activity of 75 mg of phenylpropanolamine HCl (PPA) in 102 overweight subjects. Changes in weight and vital signs were monitored at two-week intervals. Eighty-five subjects, 90% of the PPA group and 83% of the placebo group, completed the study. The PPA group consistently showed significantly greater weight loss than the placebo group after 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 weeks of the study. The only significant change in vital signs was a rise in diastolic blood pressure noted at week 12 in the PPA group, but this change was small (3.43 mmHg) and considered clinically insignificant. Overall, 75 mg of PPA was associated with significant weight loss as early as week 6 of the study and was shown to be a superior anorexiant in comparison with placebo.


Deep Learning (DL) is one of the hottest trends in machine learning as DL approaches produced results superior to the state-of-the-art in problematic areas such as image processing and natural language processing (NLP). To foster the growth of DL, several open source frameworks appeared providing implementations of the most common DL algorithms. These frameworks vary in the algorithms they support and in the quality of their implementations. The purpose of this work is to provide a qualitative and quantitative comparison among three of the most popular and most comprehensive DL frameworks (namely Google's TensorFlow, University of Montreal's Theano and Microsoft's CNTK). The ultimate goal of this work is to help end users make an informed decision about the best DL framework that suits their needs and resources. To ensure that our study is as comprehensive as possible, we conduct several experiments using multiple benchmark datasets from different fields (image processing, NLP, etc.) and measure the performance of the frameworks' implementations of different DL algorithms. For most of our experiments, we find out that CNTK's implementations are superior to the other ones under consideration.


The effects of rolling variables, microalloying elements and rolling geometries on the recrystallized austenitic grain size of HSLA steels were investigated. The grain growth behavior after completion of recrystallization was also investigated. The increase of pass reduction, refinement of the initial grain size, thinner rolled plate thickness and rolling in the mill with larger roll diameter tended to refine the recrystallized grain size. The smallest recrystallized grain size of 6μm was obtained by the strict control of these variables. The phenomenological equation describing the relation of the recrystallized grain size and various parameters was developed by taking account of stored energy and the nucleation site area in deformed austenite, and the experimental results were analyzed by this equation.


Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) binds competitively to IL-1 receptors but does not transduce the signal which blocks the biological activities induced by IL-1. In this study, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and mononuclear cells (MNC) from the patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (n = 11), inactive SLE (n = 13) and normal individuals (n = 13) were compared for the IL-1ra producing capacity of these cells. PMN and MNC at a concentration of 1 x 10(6) cells/ml were incubated with medium alone (spontaneous) or stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 ng/ml) for 24 h. The IL-1ra concentration in the supernatants was quantified by ELISA method. Both spontaneous and LPS-stimulated production of IL-1ra by PMN, but not by MNC, of active SLE were significantly lower than that of inactive SLE or normal groups. Prednisolone (1 and 5 micrograms/ml) did not change the production of IL-1ra by normal PMN either spontaneously or LPS-stimulation in in vitro study. Moreover, the IL-1ra producing capacity of PMN in seven active SLE on admission and after intensive immunosuppressive treatment was measured. These results suggest that the defective IL-1ra production by SLE-PMN is relevant to disease activity and may be regarded as a new indicator of disease activity in patients with active SLE.


'BRS Radiante', developed by Embrapa Rice & Beans, has been indicated for cropping in the states of Goiás/Distrito Federal, Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais since 2002. It can be commercially classified as striped colored grain type and presents superior agronomic traits such as yield potential, wide adaptation, good grain quality, erect plant type and resistance to lodging.


Introduction: Various conservative treatments for first carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis have been reported. We aim to investigate the short-term effectiveness of conservative management interventions used to improve pain and function for adults with first carpometacarpal joint arthritis in a randomised controlled trial. Methods: A pragmatic 2 2 factorial randomised controlled trial will be conducted. This randomised controlled trial will have one control group (hand therapy) and three intervention groups. Interventions will include Push Brace orthosis and hand therapy, ultrasound-guided intra-articular corticosteroid injection and hand therapy and a combination of all three interventions. A total of 276 participants will be recruited for the trial. The primary outcomes will be pain (reported using a Visual Analogue Scale) and function (using the Patient Rated Wrist/Hand Evaluation). Secondary outcomes will include osteoarthritis specific function, pinch strength, global change and quality of life. Adverse events and complications will be reported. Outcomes assessments will be completed prior to the intervention and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months post-intervention. The trial will be conducted at a private hand surgery clinic in Queensland, Australia. Conclusions: Results from this trial will contribute to the evidence on conservative management of first carpometacarpal osteoarthritis.


5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) is one of the most commonly used drugs to treat gastric cancer; however, drug-resistance in cancer cells reduces the efficacy of 5-Fu. Celecoxib may be able to reduce resistance to 5-Fu chemotherapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of a combination of 5-Fu and celecoxib on implanted gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. A tumor-bearing nude mice model was established. The mice were divided into blank control, 5-Fu, celecoxib and combination groups. The weight change and the tumor inhibition rate in each group were calculated. Immunocytochemistry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting methods were used to observe hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α), ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2) and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct-4) expression in the SGC7901 cells. Inhibition of the growth of the implanted gastric cancer was observed in the 5-Fu, celecoxib and combination groups. In the celecoxib and combination treatment groups, the mean tumor mass was significantly less than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the mean tumor mass in the combination treatment group was significantly less than that in the 5-Fu group (P<0.05). The tumor inhibition rates in the 5-Fu, celecoxib and combination groups were 26.36, 59.70 and 88.37%, respectively. The combination group exhibited the highest inhibition rate; the inhibition rates of the combination and celecoxib groups were significantly higher compared with the 5-Fu group (P<0.05). The expression levels of HIF-2, ABCG2 and Oct-4 mRNA and protein were high in the blank control group, and were further increased in the 5-Fu group. However, in the celecoxib and combination groups, the expression levels were lower compared with those in the control group. Significant differences were identified among the 5-Fu, celecoxib and combination groups (P<0.01). Celecoxib has antitumor effects in vivo. The mechanism may be associated with the reduced expression of cancer stem cell markers HIF-2α, Oct-4 and ABCG2. 5-Fu and celecoxib have a synergistic antitumor effect. The mechanism associated with the amelioration of resistance to chemotherapy in gastric cancer and the enhancement of the effect of chemotherapy may be via the reduction of the expression of HIF-2α, ABCG2, Oct-4 and other cancer stem cell markers in the tumor tissues.


Many authors agree that preliminary traction prior to closed or open reduction for congenital dislocation of the hip is helpful. Different ways of traction have been used and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. One of the problems in the very young child is the difficulty in maintaining a suitable traction that is biomechanically effective. We found that using a rocker bed made the traction more "user friendly" for the child, the parent and the doctors.


Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death in the nation, even with many efforts to prevent, diagnose, and treat cardiovascular conditions. When heart disease and stroke are not fatal, they can result in serious illness, disability, and decreased quality of life. Heart disease and stroke cost the nation $320 billion in healthcare costs and lost economic productivity in 2011, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.


Background: the UK Rare Diseases Framework is the latest policy initiative that aims to improve healthcare for rare diseases in the UK, with four priorities focussed on faster diagnosis, increasing awareness among healthcare professionals, better care coordination and improved access to specialist care and treatment. A survey of over 1,000 people living with rare diseases in the UK immediately prior to the publication of the Framework captured quantitative and qualitative data about their experiences. The qualitative analysis is presented here and compared with the content of the Framework.Results: People living with a rare condition in the UK continue to have very mixed experiences of healthcare and our findings illustrate substantial continuing unmet needs that fall under each of the four priorities of the Framework. Conclusions: Comparing the findings with what is emphasised in the Framework suggests specific key changes to policy and practice which might be missed by action plans developed under the Framework. The overall provision in the UK for people living with rare conditions needs to be improved and regularly reviewed, to ensure they are not being unfairly excluded from appropriate diagnosis, treatment or support.


We consider the problem of achieving stability for large-scale systems by decentralized diagonal control feedback structures. For this problem, a sufficient condition is proposed such that by satisfying this condition, overall stability of a large scale system is guaranteed by a decentralized diagonal controller; this controller is obtained from the set of controllers stabilizing the system consisting of the diagonal entries of the original system. More specifically, our sufficient condition is in terms of the H/sup /spl infin// norm of the closed loop diagonal transfer function matrix and the structured singular value (/spl mu/) of the off-diagonal state matrix of the system. Furthermore, by an example, we show that our sufficient condition is less conservative than the one proposed by Grosdidier and Morari (1986).


This study aims to identify Teaching-Learning (TL) methodologies applied in conjunction with mobile and extended reality applications developed for the hearing impaired community. A systematic literature review of mixed type, cross-sectional between 2016 and 2020, focused on educational mobile applications for hearing impaired children in basic school age is presented, emphasizing the type of methodology and support strategies used, as well as the type of extended reality. development and use technology. The results show little literature that records TL applications for children, the most used communication system is sign language. There are few applications that record the use of collaborative strategies, but playful ones that combine memory, cognitive, metacognitive, metacognitive and affective techniques. Regarding the type of development technology, Android applications supported by multimedia elements stand out, followed by the use of Augmented Reality and a minority for other XR technologies.


This paper introduces a design and optimization procedure for active and semi-active non-linear suspension systems regarding terrain vehicles. The objective of this approach is the ability to quickly analyze vehicles' suspension performances resulting from passive, active, or semi-active systems. The vehicle is represented by a mathematical model regarding a quarter of it, and equations for motion are derived and solved by using MATLAB/Simulink. In order to verify the reliability of the derived computer program, a comparison is made with one of the comprehensive commercial software packages. The decision parameters of the active damping device are optimized by using the Hooke-Jeeves method, which is based on non-linear programming. The usefulness of the treated active and semi-active systems on a concrete terrain vehicle is presented and compared with the presented passive systems by analyzing the vehicle's body acceleration, velocity, displacement, and vertical tire force, namely those aspects that directly influence driving comfort and safety.


Background and objective Although lymphocytic infiltrate (LI) has been reported in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate carcinoma (PC), its role in BPH progression to PC is still a topic of debate. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of LI in PC progression through correlation of LI to expression of nuclear factor &kgr;B (NF-&kgr;B) and cyclin D1 aiming to find a new diagnostic marker, or a potential therapeutic target that may improve PC management. Materials and methods We studied 100 BPH cases and 50% of these cases also had PC. Archived paraffin blocks were microtomed at 4–5 &mgr;m and stained with hematoxylin and eosin to revise diagnosis and grading. In addition, an immunohistochemical analysis was carried out using antibodies against CD3, CD20, NF-&kgr;B, and cyclin D1 and then these results were correlated with clinicopathological variables. Results We found LI in both BPH and PC cases, with a predominance of T lymphocytes over B lymphocytes. There was a statistically significant correlation of LI to NF-&kgr;B (P<0.001), and cyclin D1 (P<0.001), and a statistically significant correlation of NF-&kgr;B to cycling D1 was detected (P<0.001). Cyclin D1 is expressed exclusively in the malignant prostatic epithelium. Conclusion The tense LI detected in prostate hyperplasia and carcinoma may activate NF-&kgr;B and this in turn may induce epithelial cell proliferation through cyclin D1 overexpression and neoplastic transformation. Cyclin D1 can be used to differentiate between BPH and PC.


Vortex water wall high-pressure argon arc lamps are used to generate intense light and are capable of operating at radiative efficiencies greater than 50%. These lamps are being considered for use in a pulsed DC mode of operation in the next generation of rapid thermal processing applications. The results of a series of experiments have shown that the breakdown to arc transition consists of a prethermionic electrode emission phase and a nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium positive column phase. The large dynamic voltage and current range between the breakdown phase and the arc phase necessitates the use of the following power circuit topologies: a high voltage ignition circuit connected in series with an arc sustaining power source; and an arc sustaining current source consisting of a step down hysteresis current controlled DC/DC power converter cascaded with a constant off-time output voltage controlled step up DC/DC power converter. The current controlled power converter supplies the minimum arc sustaining current whereas the step-up power converter provides the minimum post ignition pre-arc positive column voltage. A switch placed across the high voltage supply is closed after ignition and allows a reduction of the current ratings of the high voltage circuit components. Finally experimental verification of the circuit operation and design guidelines are provided.


Today's technologies, techniques, and systems leveraged for managing energy trading operations in electric vehicles fall short in providing operational transparency, immutability, fault tolerance, traceability, and trusted data provenance features. They are centralized and vulnerable to the single point of failure problem, and less trustworthy as they are prone to the data modifications and deletion by adversaries. In this paper, we present the potential advantages of blockchain technology to manage energy trading operations between electric vehicles as it can offer data traceability, immutability, transparency, audit, security, and confidentiality in a fully decentralized manner. We identify and discuss the essential requirements for the successful implementation of blockchain technology to secure energy trading operations among electric vehicles. We present a detailed discussion on the potential opportunities offered by blockchain technology to secure the energy trading operations of electric vehicles. We discuss several blockchain-based research projects and case studies to highlight the practicability of blockchain technology in electric vehicles energy trading. Finally, we identify and discuss open challenges in fulfilling the requirements of electric vehicles energy trading applications.


BACKGROUND
Pain is common in children receiving medical procedures, and there is a lack of adequate awareness and management. In addition, children who undergo medical procedures involving pain may also experience stress, crying and prolonged hospitalisation. Clown intervention is a promising nonpharmacological intervention. However, studies on the effectiveness of clown intervention in pain management have reported conflicting findings.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of clown intervention in relieving pain in children, as well as its effects on cortisol levels, crying duration and length of hospital stay.

DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled studies.

DATA SOURCES
PubMed, Web of Science (SCI), Embase, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu (VIP), Wanfang Data and SinoMed were systematically searched from inception date to December 31, 2020.

REVIEW METHODS
Two reviewers independently used the Cochrane risk of bias tool to assess the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was conducted when data were available, otherwise, a narrative description was provided. Data were analysed using Review Manager 5.3. The review process is reported according to PRISMA.

RESULTS
Nine studies including 852 children met the inclusion criteria. The results showed that compared with standard care, clown intervention was beneficial for relieving pain. Further subgroup analysis showed that it was more effective with children aged 2-7 years. The duration of crying after the procedure and the length of stay were shortened, but there was no significant difference in cortisol levels.

CONCLUSION
Clown intervention may be a promising way to relieve acute pain in children, especially those aged 2-7 years. It also seems to shorten the duration of crying and the length of hospital stays, but the effect on cortisol levels is still uncertain. More high-quality randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm these results and take into account different age groups, cultural backgrounds and specific populations.


Researches on relationship between budget participation and managerial performance have shown inconclusive evidences. Therefore moderating variables are necessary. Organization commitment is one of these variables. High commitment makes individual doing his/her best for the success of the organization. This research is conducted in SKPD Offices in Badung Regency. The purpose is to investigate the effect of budget participation on managerial performance and to examine whether organization commitment can moderate the relationship between budget participation and managerial performance. Respondents consist of member of management, whether top, middle, and lower level. Sample is defined using purposive sampling technique. Result of the first hypothesis test shows that budget participation significantly and positively affects managerial performance. The second test results that organization commitment is not able to strengthen the relationship between budget participation and managerial performance. Some limitations of this research comprise the use of self rating scale on measurement of managerial performance, and the use of only one moderating variable. Further research could measure financial performance and also consider using other variables that expected to moderate the relationship between budget participation and managerial performance.


We determined experimentally two critical points in elastic electron scattering by argon where the differential cross section (DCS) attains its smallest values. The points were found to be at and at . Special attention was given to improve the angular resolution in order to determine the exact positions of the minima. These minima are important because they are a sensitive test of the validity of experimental procedures, and are used to verify theoretical predictions of DCS shapes and magnitudes, and of the polarization of scattered electrons. Normalized DCS were determined by measuring the angular distributions of elastically scattered electrons at incident energies of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, 80, 90 and 100 eV in the angular range . Results are compared with the available experimental and theoretical data. In addition, integral, momentum-transfer, and viscosity cross sections were determined by numerical integration of the measured DCS extrapolated to and to .


Radical as its consequences may be, prima facie there is nothing implausible about a distributed view of language. Linguistic theory notwithstanding, even casual observation suggests that, during iterated human activities, what we ordinarily call 'language' spreads across brains, bodies and world Seeking ways of understanding this spread, we urge fresh thinking about verbal labels. Specifically, we suggest that this central part of language is grounded in activity that is social and microcognitive. Dynamic and dialogical activity, words spoken, promote remembering. As with many computational resources-music, mathematics, navigation - to exploit labels for remembering is to take part in social as well as sub-personal activity.


We examine strategic delegation in a two-stage game. Principals first set the incentives for their respective agents, and subsequently the agents choose the strategies in the underlying game. Equilibrium predicts that principals set cooperative incentives if the game is characterized by strategic complements and competitive incentives if the game is characterized by strategic substitutes. We set up a lab experiment to test these predictions. Results show that, as predicted, principals choose competitive incentives for their agents with strategic substitutes, but contrary to prediction, principals do not set cooperative incentives in the game with strategic complements. It turns out that agents behave more cooperatively with strategic complements than equilibrium would predict. This may explain why principals do not set cooperative incentives in this case.


The nonlinear three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code NFTC and the basic algorithms included in the code are presented. NFTC code is used for simulations of nonlinear neoclassical instabilities (or neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs)) in tokamaks. An effective fully implicit numerical scheme allows the transport profile to evolve self-consistently with the nonlinear MHD instabilities and externally applied sources and sinks. It is shown that numerical code has enough accuracy for simulation of plasma instabilities in arbitrary three-dimensional geometry. The coefficients of a special finite-difference scheme in the radial direction are constructed in the form which gives the exact asymptotic dependence of the solution by the ratio of small parameters near high derivatives and the mesh step size. The reproduction of the nonlinear threshold effects for NTMs in conditions of anisotropic heat conductivity is presented.


BACKGROUND
Vascularized gastroepiploic lymph node flaps have become a popular option to treat patients with extremity lymphedema. Overall, 2 surgical approaches to harvest this flap have been described: laparoscopic and open. In this study, we analyzed complications, harvesting time, and patient satisfaction scores, comparing these 2 techniques.

METHODS
Between 2012- and 2018, all patients with extremity lymphedema and candidates for the gastroepiploic flap harvest were included. Two groups were compared: open and laparoscopic approaches. Flap harvest time, postoperative pain, complications, return of gastrointestinal motility, time to discharge, and patient satisfaction scores were assessed.

RESULTS
A total of 177 patients were included, of which 126 underwent laparoscopic harvest and 51 patients underwent open approach. Only 2 patients in the laparoscopic group had prior abdominal surgery not related to cancer treatment compared with 7 patients in the open approach (P < 0.01). Average surgical completion time for the laparoscopic versus open approach was 136 and 102 minutes, respectively (P < 0.02). Postoperative complications for the laparoscopic versus open were as follows: 1 patient developed pancreatitis and 2 developed ileus in the laparoscopic approach, whereas 3 patients developed ileus, 1 developed small bowel obstruction, 2 developed superficial site infection, and 1 developed minor wound dehiscence in the open approach. No patient required further surgical intervention. Average return of gastrointestinal function was 1 day (laparoscopic) and 2 days (open), respectively. On a pain scale, pain scores at postoperative day 1 and upon discharge were on average 3 versus 7 and 2 versus 5, respectively (P < 0.05). Lengths of hospital stay were on average 2 days in the laparoscopic group and 5 days in the open group (P < 0.001). Patient satisfaction scores based on pain and scars were significantly better in the laparoscopic group versus open group (P < 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS
These data support that a minimal invasive approach is ideal and efficient when resources are available. In addition, the lower complication rate and high patient satisfaction scores give promising feedback to continue offering this technique.


DNA methylation is one of the principal epigenetic modifications playing an essential role in regulating gene expression. The TET family (1-3) is implicated in initiating the demethylation process by converting 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethyl cytosine (5hmC) during embryogenesis. Previous studies in mice suggest that TET1 is required for pluripotency and maintenance of embryonic stem cells by managing their epigenetic marks, specifically DNA methylation. This raises the possibility that TET1 is capable of establishing distinct epigenetic marks during embryo development, thus regulating pluripotency-related genes. However, this has not been demonstrated in any species. Previously we have demonstrated that the level of TET1 (mRNA and protein) was high in porcine blastocysts. In this study, we generated TET1 knockout embryos and analysed expression patterns of pluripotency-related genes in blastocysts to study the role of TET1 in maintaining pluripotency during porcine embryo development. The CRISPR/Cas9 system was applied to disrupt the TET1 gene during embryogenesis. Three single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) were designed based on our previous cloning of the TET1 gene. In vitro-synthesised Cas9 mRNA (20 ng µL−1) and sgRNAs (10 ng µL−1 each) were injected into the cytoplasm of zygotes after IVF. A total of 605 zygotes were used for microinjection and subsequently 54 blastocysts were formed. As a control, 89 IVF blastocysts were developed from 240 embryos. Nine to ten blastocysts per group were collected on Day 7 to analyse gene expression patterns of TET family and pluripotency-related genes using quantitative RT-PCR. Three biological and 3 experimental replications were used. Differences in the gene expression were evaluated by ANOVA. As expected, there was a 2-fold decrease in the transcript level of TET1 in TET1-knockout blastocysts compared with that in control IVF blastocysts (P < 0.05). Interestingly, an increase in TET3 mRNA (P < 0.01) and numeric increase of TET2 mRNA was observed in TET1-knockout blastocysts. We could also detect an elevated level of pluripotency-related genes in TET1-knockout blastocysts; the expression of NANOG, ESRRB, ZFP42, and TCL1A was up-regulated. However, there was no significant change in the expression level of other pluripotency-related genes (POU5F1, SOX2, KLF2, PRDM14, and DPPA3) in TET1 knockout blastocysts. In this study, we found that TET1 is involved in regulating expression of pluripotency-related genes: NANOG, ESRRB, ZFP42, and TCL1A. The loss of functional TET1 resulted in elevated expression of these genes. The reason for this is still under investigation, although TET3, known to have a positive correlation with the level of NANOG, could be involved. A 3-fold increase in TET3 mRNA response to the TET1-knockout may suggest a compensatory mechanism between TET1 and TET3 during porcine embryogenesis. To further understand these actions, we intend to analyse DNA methylation (5mc and 5hmc) levels on the promoter region of the genes. In addition, embryos lacking functional TET1 and TET3 will be generated to explore a potential compensatory effect of TET3 under the absence of TET1.


Alumina granules charged with P were used as an amendment to improve the ability of a soilless medium to retain P and provide it to plants. Commercially available alumina was acidified, saturated with P, and evenly distributed in a medium of peat, vermiculite, and sand to grow potted marigolds (Tagetes spp.) to a commercially salable stage. Marigolds grown in medium amended with P-charged alumina had adequate nutrition and similar or superior shoot growth (as measured by height, number of branches, and flower production) and fresh and dry weights compared to marigolds grown using commercial fertilizer. Phosphorus-charged alumina at 1% or 2% of total medium volume was sufficient to grow marigolds for at least 8 weeks and substantially reduced P leaching compared to conventionally fertilized controls. Alumina amendments in this range did not cause Al toxicity, as evidenced in root growth and leaf Al content.


Summary

1. Participatory research methodologies incorporating local knowledge are important to the success of ecological research and the sustainable management of natural systems. However, methods of this type are not commonly employed in the natural sciences.

2. We adopted a scientifically rigorous ethnographic research methodology to incorporate local knowledge into understanding a natural limnological phenomenon in the Brazilian Pantanal. Known locally as 'dequada', it is associated with fish kills.

3. Using primarily open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews, 30 older head-of-household men were interviewed, by the same interviewer, in a small community representative of the few local riverside settlements. Their opinions were then contrasted with current scientific knowledge.

4. In concordance with the scientific community, the local community cited decomposition of organic material as the principal cause of fish mortality due to the dequada. Local people therefore can have a well-founded understanding of their environment.

5. This study demonstrates the importance of incorporating local knowledge to corroborate and, often, to guide the process of scientific inquiry. In this case, local knowledge added to scientific knowledge by providing a more complete understanding of the management and conservation of a natural system. We recommend that ecologists should be ready to acknowledge that local understanding can be greater than that of 'outsiders'.


Incubation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Glu-6-PDH) from Leuconostoc mesenteroides with the lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal leads to the formation of cross-linked protein. This is accompanied by the appearance of protein-associated fluorescence with excitation and emission maxima of 340 and 415 nm, respectively, and with the disappearance of histidine and lysine residues. Cross-linked protein is less susceptible than native Glu-6-PDH to proteolysis by the multicatalytic protease, a multienzymic proteolytic complex involved in the intracellular degradation of damaged proteins. In addition, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-modified Glu-6-PDH inhibits the multicatalytic protease and can therefore prevent the efficient degradation of oxidized protein. These findings may have important implications for the accumulation of altered protein and fluorescent material in vivo, processes that are believed to be involved in age- and disease-related impairment of cellular function.


Adults with intellectual disability (ID) have significantly lower levels of fitness compared to the general population. The study examined the effects of a multicomponent familiarization intervention, consisting of a visual activity schedule and a video-enhanced system of least-to-most prompting, both displayed via an iPad, on the acquisition of resistance-training exercise tasks by adults with ID, aged 18-44 years, in a community fitness center. Twelve participants were randomly allocated to an experimental group (EG) and 12 to an active control group (CG). ANOVA revealed EG correctly and independently performed a significantly greater number of steps of four resistance-training exercise tasks compared with CG, relative to preintervention levels (p < .01). The intervention was effective in promoting functional performance of resistance-training exercise tasks among adults with ID.


Abstract Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma (CLM) is a very rare smooth muscle tumor arising from the dermis or subcutaneous tissue in the skin. Superficial leiomyosarcoma originates in the superficial dermis or subcutaneous tissue and represents about 3% of the soft tissue sarcomas. CLM presents in persons of all ages but with a peak between 60-70 years old. It may also occur anywhere on the body; the existing cases reported it on the face and trunk. The clinic of leiomyosarcoma consists in a firm dermal nodule, which can be painful, pruritic or paresthestic. The tumor is of 1-3 cm in diameter and can often be seen as a solitary formation. We report one case of a cutaneous leiomyosarcoma arising in the chest region of a 79- year-old male. Leiomyosarcoma is a rare entity whose clinical presentation may appear nonspecific, making diagnosis difficult. Primary tumor excision with wide oncological safety margins is considered, when suitable case, the most appropriate method. Other therapeutic methods, such as radio- or chemotherapy are described as without significant benefits. Despite the claims of radical surgical treatment, due to recurrence rates, the prognosis remains poor. We recommend long-term follow-up of patients to capture a subsequent malignant disease progression.


Objective— The purpose of this study was to determine the role of the endothelial glucocorticoid receptor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Approach and Results— Control mice and mice lacking the endothelial glucocorticoid receptor were bred onto an Apoe knockout background and subjected to high-fat diet feeding for 12 weeks. Assessment of body weight and total cholesterol and triglycerides before and after the diet revealed no differences between the 2 groups of mice. However, mice lacking the endothelial glucocorticoid receptor developed more severe atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta, brachiocephalic artery, and aortic sinus, as well as a heightened inflammatory milieu as evidenced by increased macrophage recruitment in the lesions. Conclusions— These data suggest that the endothelial glucocorticoid receptor is important for tonic inhibition of inflammation and limitation of atherosclerosis progression in this model.


Summary
In tropical countries, traditional fermented foods are usually home-made products obtained through spontaneous fermentation or backslopping. They are now facing an evolution aiming at responding to quality, safety and mass production issues. This requires acquisition of knowledge on raw materials, microbial ecosystems and fermentation processes. Vietnam is a laboratory for such studies as traditional fermented foods play an important role in the diet of Vietnamese and as these foods are very diverse. Among the most popular are nem chua (sausage reminding Thai Nham), dua muoi (cabbage reminding Kimchi), tom chua (shrimps) and the well-known nuoc mam. The challenge for these products to enter the industrial era is to reach a level of quality and safety without losing their character. Beside the research for starters to elaborate these products, the world of fermented products is also a world of innovation and the microbial ecosystem of traditional products can also be used for the adaptation of fermented products from other regions, such as wines (from grape or other fruits), for cross-cultural innovations such as soy-yogurts, for technology transfer from one fermentation (soy sauce) to another one (fish sauce) and for evolution of traditional products towards higher nutritional qualities such as nem chua nam (replacing part of the sausage meat by mushrooms). Finally, these complex microbial ecosystems are a source of probiotic, antimicrobial compounds and biocatalysts, which can benefit health and improve food processes worldwide. After a presentation of Vietnamese traditional fermented foods, this article aims at illustrating the diverse applications of research on fermented products through examples obtained in past research and in the Tropical Bioresources and Biotechnology project.


A B S T R A C T The present study was aimed at evaluating the mechanical properties of Aluminium 2024 alloy reinforced with B4C. An effort is made to enhance the mechanical properties like tensile strength and hardness of AMCs by reinforcing 2024 Al matrix with B4C particles. By stir casting method, aluminium matrix was reinforced with boron carbide particulates of 325 mesh size. Composite combinations of different weight % - 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% & 5% were fabricated. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the fabricated AMCs were analyzed. Based on the results obtained from tensile strength test and hardness test of the metal matrix composites of different weight %, comparison study was made. The optical microstructure images reveal the homogeneous dispersion of B4C particles in the matrix. The reinforcement dispersion has also been identified with X-ray diffraction (XRD). The tensile strength and hardness were found to increase with the increase in wt. % of the reinforcement


PURPOSE
The histopathological effects of the COVID-19 period on the upper gastrointestinal system are not clearly known. This study is the first in the literature to compare the results of upper endoscopic biopsy before and during the COVID- 19 period.

METHODS
Data of 10510 patients who underwent upper endoscopy with a given biopsy sample during the procedure between March 2019 and March 2021 were retrospectively scanned. Patients are divided into two groups as the prepandemic period patients and the COVID-19 pandemic period patients. The pathological data of these patients were statistically analyzed according to the Sydney classification.

RESULTS
Group 1 comprised of 6,787 patients with 3,915 females and 2872 males (F:M=1.3:1), while Group 2 with 1,734 females and 1,455 males (F:M=1.2:1), and this gender difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p=0.002). A comparison of the patient groups in terms of the inflammation, activation, intestinal metaplasia, and presence of H. pylori revealed a significant difference, with higher rates recorded in the COVID-19 period than in the pre-pandemic period (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
In the pandemic period, the results of the upper endoscopic biopsy are adversely affected by various factors compared to the pre-pandemic period.

KEY WORDS
Biopsy, COVID-19, Sydney classification, Upper endoscopy.


Regarding the unfavourable changes in agroecosystems resulting from the excessive application of mineral fertilizers, biopreparations containing live microorganisms are gaining increasing attention. We assumed that the application of phosphorus mineral fertilizer enriched with strains of beneficial microorganisms contribute to favourable changes in enzymatic activity and in the genetic and functional diversity of microbial populations inhabiting degraded soils. Therefore, in field experiments conditions, the effects of phosphorus fertilizer enriched with bacterial strains on the status of soil microbiome in two chemically degraded soil types (Brunic Arenosol—BA and Abruptic Luvisol—AL) were investigated. The field experiments included treatments with an optimal dose of phosphorus fertilizer (without microorganisms—FC), optimal dose of phosphorus fertilizer enriched with microorganisms including Paenibacillus polymyxa strain CHT114AB, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain AF75BB and Bacillus sp. strain CZP4/4 (FA100) and a dose of phosphorus fertilizer reduced by 40% and enriched with the above-mentioned bacteria (FA60). The analyzes performed included: the determination of the activity of the soil enzymes (protease, urease, acid phosphomonoesterase, β-glucosidase), the assessment of the functional diversity of microorganisms with the application of BIOLOGTM plates and the characterization of the genetic diversity of bacteria, archaea and fungi with multiplex terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and next generation sequencing. The obtained results indicated that the application of phosphorus fertilizer enriched with microorganisms improved enzymatic activity, and the genetic and functional diversity of the soil microbial communities, however these effects were dependent on the soil type.


This paper explores the interaction mechanism between the conjugated polyelectrolyte {[9,9-bis(6'-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)hexyl]fluorene-phenylene}bromide (HTMA-PFP) and model lipid membranes. The study was carried out using different biophysical techniques, mainly fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy. Results show that despite the preferential interaction of HTMA-PFP with anionic lipids, HTMA-PFP shows affinity for zwitterionic lipids; although the interaction mechanism is different as well as HTMA-PFP's final membrane location. Whilst the polyelectrolyte is embedded within the lipid bilayer in the anionic membrane, it remains close to the surface, forming aggregates that are sensitive to the physical state of the lipid bilayer in the zwitterionic system. The different interaction mechanism is reflected in the polyelectrolyte fluorescence spectrum, since the maximum shifts to longer wavelengths in the zwitterionic system. The intrinsic fluorescence of HTMA-PFP was used to visualize the interaction between polymer and vesicles via fluorescence microscopy, thanks to its high quantum yield and photostability. This technique allows the selectivity of the polyelectrolyte and higher affinity for anionic membranes to be observed. The results confirmed the appropriateness of using HTMA-PFP as a membrane fluorescent marker and suggest that, given its different behaviour towards anionic and zwitterionic membranes, HTMA-PFP could be used for selective recognition and imaging of bacteria over mammalian cells.


Bckground: The evidence on the effectiveness of Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) in reducing malaria transmission has grown rapidly in recent years, but the same cannot be said for its utilization rates. This study therefore aimed to assess the perception and utilization of LLINs among primary healthcare workers in Osun State, Nigeria.
 Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out among selected PHC workers in public healthcare facilities in selected LGAs in Osun State, Nigeria. Two hundred and seventy six respondents were selected using multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire, analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.
 Results: All the respondents had heard about LLIN, however only 118 (42.8%) had good knowledge on LLIN. One hundred and seventy five (63.4%) were currently using LLIN, of which only 113 (64.6%) slept under LLIN the night before the survey. Significant determinants of LLIN use were marital status, group of health workers and their attitude towards the use of LLIN. The respondents with positive attitude towards LLIN were twice more likely to use LLIN than those with negative attitude.
 Conclusion: The study concluded that less than half of the primary healthcare workers had good knowledge about LLIN, and positive attitude towards LLIN while about three-fifths of the respondents were currently using LLIN.
 Attitude towards LLIN was an important determinant of its use. It is therefore recommended that there should be training and re-training of healthcare workers on LLIN, to ensure that they have adequate knowledge.


The categorical stability of 523 students with mild handicaps during their school years was investigated in a retrospective study of special education records in three high schools. The students had final classifications as learning disabled (LD), educable mentally retarded (EMR), emotionally disturbed (ED), and speech impaired (SP). Twenty-four percent had at least two different classifications during their school years. In analyzing stability of classification according to the initial category designation, the least stable category was SP, and the most stable was ED. Of the students who changed classification sometime during their special education history, most had changed to one different category, but some had changed to two different categories. Most of the changes took place during the secondary years. The ED and EMR categories tended to receive proportionately more members from other categories than did the LD and SP categories. The SP category tended to receive few members from other categories of handicapping conditions, while the LD category received an intermediate number relative to its large size. The strongest predictor of reclassification was initial classification in the SP category.


A segment of the inner rift valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was investigated in detail from the American submersible Alvin . Fifteen traverses were made across the floor and up the first major fault scarps in the valley walls. The asymmetric morphology of the inner floor is found to be the primary result of volcanic activity modified by tectonic activity. Analysis of the tectonic features revealed that the rift is evolving within a single stress field that has its least principal strain axis (the compressional axis) aligned with the valley axis of N20°E. This is in contrast to the direction normal to plate divergence (N0°E). The tectonic elements in the inner floor are primarily vertically dipping tension fractures, whereas the fault scarps of the flanking walls are closer to a 60° dip and reflect a component of downdip shear. The information base obtained from Alvin was broadened with information collected in the area with more conventional techniques.

Through an analysis of this information, primarily the topography, it was possible to extrapolate the detailed observations obtained from the submersible to intervening areas to produce a comprehensive geological interpretation of the study area. An evolutionary model was developed which suggests that the inner rift is a product of axial volcanic activity. Shortly after formation, the original volcanic edifice is modified by vertical collapse, which leads to a reduction of the bottom relief. This process is reversed in the outer portions of the valley as uplift begins. Tensional extension changes into vertical shear as the volcanic blocks are incorporated into the walls and elevated. During the various stages of uplift, readjustment takes place on the terraces, which results in the preservation of the original volcanoes as recognizable units. This model, which spans 180,000 yr of inferred time, is examined in detail in an attempt to identify its weaknesses as well as to delineate the specific factual constraints upon which it is built. Alternate interpretations are proposed and tested in a similar fashion; the result is the identification of key problems that need to be solved.


There has been spectacular progress in the development of string and superstring theories since its inception thirty years ago. Development in this area has never been impeded by the lack of experimental confirmation. Indeed, numerous bold and imaginative strides have been taken and the sheer elegance and logical consistency of the arguments have served as a primary motivation for string theorists to push their formulations ahead. In fact the development in this area has been so rapid that new ideas quickly become obsolete. On the other hand, this rapid development has proved to be the greatest hindrance for novices interested in this area. These notes serve as a gentle introduction to this topic. In these elementary notes, we briefly review the RNS formulation of superstring theory, GSO projection, D-branes, bosonic strings, dualities, dynamics of D-branes and the microscopic description of Bekenstein entropy of a black hole.


To efficiently support safety-related vehicular applications, the ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) concept has become an indispensable component of vehicular networks (VNETs). Due to the high mobility of VNETs, exchanging near-instantaneous channel state information (CSI) and making reliable resource allocation decisions based on such short-term CSI evaluations are not practical. In this paper, we consider the downlink of a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) system conceived for URLLC based on idealized perfect and realistic imperfect CSI. By exploiting the benefits of the massive MIMO concept, a two-stage radio resource allocation problem is formulated based on a novel twin-timescale perspective for avoiding the frequent exchange of near-instantaneous CSI. Specifically, based on the prevalent road-traffic density, Stage 1 is constructed for minimizing the worst-case transmission latency on a long-term timescale. In Stage 2, the base station allocates the total power at a short-term timescale according to the large-scale fading CSI encountered for minimizing the maximum transmission latency across all vehicular users. Then, a primary algorithm and a secondary algorithm are conceived for our V2I URLLC system to find the optimal solution of the twin-timescale resource allocation problem, with special emphasis on the complexity imposed. Finally, our simulation results show that the proposed resource allocation scheme significantly reduces the maximum transmission latency, and it is not sensitive to the fluctuation of road-traffic density.


Along age reproduktif women will undergo menstruation , and the blood out in a the period of menstruating an average of about 50 cc and blood will lose iron of 12,5-15 mg per month , or similar to 0,4-0,5 mg a day .One strategy to increase intake fe are they consume suplementasi fe .When iron in the blood below normal will lead to anemia .Anemia is a the state of when the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin under normal .Prevalence of anemia in indonesia, which is 21.7 % , with the proportion of 20.6 % in urban and 22,8 % in rural .By age group , patients anemia was 5-14 years amounting to 26,4 % of 18,4 % in age group of 15-24 years old .The purpose of this research is to find the effectiveness of consumption tablet fe during menstruation to elevated levels of hemoglobin in a student of d-iii obstetrics university sand pengaraian. The kind of research quantitative analytic to the research used is praeksperimen and approach one group pretest posttest.The population and sample in research it is a whole a student of level i and ii prodi d-iii obstetrics university sand pengaraian who total of 24 respondents.Tekhnik the sample collection use of sampling saturated.The results of the study the average levels hemoglobin on measuring pre-test is 11,8 gr / dl with standard deviations 1.4 gr / dl.On measuring post-test obtained the average levels hemoglobin is 13.9 gr / dl with standard deviations 1.2 gr / dl. Look its mean value the difference between pre-test and post-test is -2,1 gr / dl with standard deviations 1.7 gr / dl.The results of statistical tests obtained value p = 0.0001 ( & lt; 0,005 ).Conclusion there was a correlation consumption tablet fe during menstruation to elevated levels of hemoglobin.Advice to the institution university education sand pengaraian it is hoped the result this research can be used as as a source of informa.


Title of thesis: PHYSICAL AND POTENTIOMETRIC CONSTANT OF FERROUS AND FERRIC PHYTATE APPLIED TO ORGANIC PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT IN POORLY DRAINED SOIL Lynne Heighton, Master of Science, 2005 Thesis directed by: Assistant Professor Ronald L. Siefert Department of Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science Inositol phosphates are metabolically derived organic phosphates that increasingly appear to be an important sink and source of phosphate in the environment. Inositol hexakis dihydrogen phosphate or phytic acid is the most common inositol phosphate in the environment. Iron is abundant in many terrestrial systems. Mobility of phytic acid iron complexes are potentially pH and redox responsive. Ferric and ferrous complexes of phytic acid were investigated by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, enzymatic dephosphoralation and potentiometrically in solution. The redox potential and concentration of iron were measured in a soil column containing a benchmark poorly drained soil from Maryland (Elkton). Ferrous phytate was found to form quickly and persist for a longer period then ferric phytate. Dissociation constants were 1.113 and 1.186 and formation constants were 0.899 and 0.843 for ferric and ferrous phytate respectively. Enzymatic dephosphoralation recoveries supported the magnitude of the kinetic and equilibrium rate constants. PHYSICAL AND POTENTIOMETRIC CONSTANT OF FERROUS AND FERRIC PHYTATE APPLIED TO ORGANIC PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT IN POORLY DRAINED SOIL.


In this paper, laboratory work dealing with the frequency characteristic of the plasma impedance of spherical and cylindrical electrode systems is reported. The influence of the ion sheath on various features of the impedance characteristic is considered as the main point of interest throughout this work. Those features are the series and parallel resonance as well as additional resonances due to the excitation of electroacoustic and cyclotron harmonic waves. The dependence of the series and parallel resonances on dc biasing leads to a method of determining the ion sheath capacity Ci for a cylindrical electrode system. These Ci values agree fairly well with those obtained from a theoretical model for the density and potential distribution in the sheath of a cylindrical sensor aligned with a supersonic plasma flow. The amplitude of resonances due to excitation of longitudinal plasma waves (electroacoustic and cyclotron harmonic) reduces or even vanishes for sufficiently negative dc bias. Positive bias first leads to an increased amplitude up to a certain dc bias value above which, however, the amplitude decreases again due to electron absorption at the sensor surface. It is verified experimentally that large RF amplitudes exist across both the ion sheath and the plasma body in the regime of the series resonance, leading to a strong rectification effect. In this regime cyclotron harmonic waves are effectively excited, even if a strong negative dc bias voltage is applied.


We report on structural, electronic, and optical properties of boron-doped, hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at a substrate temperature of 150°C Film properties were studied as a function of trimethylboron-to-silane ratio and film thickness. The film thickness was varied in the range from 14 to 100 nm. The conductivity of 60 nm thick films reached a peak value of 0.07 S/cm at a doping ratio of 1%. As a result of amorphization of the film structure, which was indicated by Raman spectra measurements, any further increase in doping reduced conductivity. We also observed an abrupt increase in conductivity with increasing film thickness ascribed to a percolation cluster composed of silicon nanocrystallites. The absorption loss of 25% at a wavelength of 400 nm was measured for the films with optimized conductivity deposited on glass and glass/ZnO:Al substrates. A low-leakage, blue-enhanced p-i-n photodiode with an nc-Si p-layer was also fabricated and characterized. © 2009 Materials Research Society.


The mechanical properties of low-pressure die cast (LPDC) A356-T6 automotive road wheels are evaluated and correlated with their corresponding microstructures. In this study, two types of alloy wheels processed using different LPDC gating system are investigated. The yield stress, tensile stress, and elongation values tested at room temperature are correlated with the secondary den-drite arm spacing (SDAS) with respect to the gating system, and are also compared with similar studies. The SDAS and precipitatesare examined using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. The phase infor-mation is also investigated using X-ray diffraction. Charpy impact tests are also performed from-100℃ to 200℃, and the fracture surfaces are examined using SEM. The impact energy is demonstrated to increase with increasing temperatures without exhibiting specific transition behaviors as in other nonferrous alloys. The fracture toughness is also evaluated using three point bend test with single-edged bend specimens. The obtained fracture toughness values are in good agreement with those in similar studies.


Summary The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of vertical and horizontal rotations in the evolution of geological structures. In the Aegean region pervasive normal faulting, probably listric in nature, is responsible for substantial vertical rotation of footwall and hanging wall blocks as well as fault planes. The experience of the Basin and Range Province suggests that strain fields deduced from micro- or macro-structural analyses of fault planes in such an environment are unlikely to be correct unless the detailed 3-dimensional geometry of the motion on the largest faults is known. A particular hazard is the interpretation of rotated low angle gravity glides and high angle antithetic normal faults as thrusts and reverse faults respectively. In northeast Iran, a combination of thrust and strike slip faulting has led to substantial horizontal rotations whose sense can only be deduced by a knowledge of the history of movement on major structures or by palaeomagnetism. In zones of major continental deformation present day strike azimuths, as well as horizontal and vertical directions, are of no particular significance, and the interpretation of even quite young structural data without a knowledge of the rotations involved may lead to incorrect geological reconstructions.


Conceptual modeling is key to Model‐Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approaches. OPM (Object‐Process Methodology) and SysML (OMG Systems Modeling Language) are two state‐of‐the‐art conceptual modeling languages. While both languages aim at the same purpose of providing a means for general‐purpose systems engineering, these languages take different approaches in realizing this goal. As each of the languages has its relative strengths and weaknesses, ways to create synergies between them are considered in this work. We propose combining advantages of each language through automatic generation of several SysML views from an OPM model. To this end, we developed a new algorithm and software application for implementing the OPM‐to‐SysML views generation, and evaluated the results through an experiment conducted for this purpose. The formally constructed experiment described in this paper, which has been designed to test the quality of the auto‐generated diagrams and their impact on system comprehension, indicates that the addition of some auto‐generated SysML views to an OPM system model has increased system comprehension level. Our approach can benefit various stakeholders by promoting better system understanding, standardization, and improved interoperability. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 14:


Received: 17 December 2014 Accepted: 29 January 2014 Published: 20 February 2014 Weirs are common structure to regulate water surface and flow control in water conveyance channel and hydraulic structure. One of effective and economical method to increase the efficiency of weirs is utilization of labyrinth weirs which length of weirs increase with modification of plan form and therefore flow discharge will be increase. Compared to the separate using of weir and gate structures, there are some advantages including the Simultaneous passage of floating substances (wood, ice, etc.) and sedimentation in using combined weir-gate structure. The Rectangular Labyrinth weir-gate is one of the combined models. In this research five physical models that discussion weirs height and effective length changes on discharge coefficient of flow over and under the combined Rectangular Labyrinth weir-gate. Tests were performed on Sari Agriculture Science and Natural Resources University's research flume with width of 0.50 (m) and length of 12 (m) and discharge in range of 10-90 (Lit/s). Comparisons have shown that upstream head water increasing the discharge coefficient reduced. Also discharge coefficient and passed discharge of Rectangular Labyrinth weir-gate are increasing with increase of weir's height (P). Data analysis shows that increase of weir's effective length till Ht/L (Ht: Total upstream head, L: Effective length) less than 0.03 lead to increasing in discharge coefficient of Rectangular Labyrinth weir-gate. we compared of Rectangular Labyrinth weir-gate with sharp crested weir-gate. The results have shown that till a boundary of current (Ht/P<0.4) amount of discharge coefficient of Rectangular Labyrinth weir-gate is almost equal to or more of discharge coefficient of sharp crested weir-gate. Sharp crested weir © 2014 PSCI Publisher All rights reserved.


Observations of ultraviolet (UV) metal absorption lines have provided insight into the structure and composition of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) around galaxies. We compare these observations with the low-redshift (z ≤ 0.3) CGM around dwarf galaxies in high-resolution cosmological zoom-in runs in the FIRE-2 (Feedback In Realistic Environments) simulation suite. We select simulated galaxies that match the halo mass, stellar mass, and redshift of the observed samples. We produce absorption measurements using trident for UV transitions of C iv, O vi, Mg ii, and Si iii. The FIRE equivalent width (EW) distributions and covering fractions for the C iv ion are broadly consistent with observations inside 0.5Rvir, but are underpredicted for O vi, Mg ii, and Si iii. The absorption strengths of the ions in the CGM are moderately correlated with the masses and star formation activity of the galaxies. The correlation strengths increase with the ionization potential of the ions. The structure and composition of the gas from the simulations exhibit three zones around dwarf galaxies characterized by distinct ion column densities: the discy interstellar medium, the inner CGM (the wind-dominated regime), and the outer CGM (the IGM accretion-dominated regime). We find that the outer CGM in the simulations is nearly but not quite supported by thermal pressure, so it is not in hydrostatic equilibrium, resulting in halo-scale bulk inflow and outflow motions. The net gas inflow rates are comparable to the star formation rate of the galaxy, but the bulk inflow and outflow rates are greater by an order of magnitude, with velocities comparable to the virial velocity of the halo. These roughly virial velocities (${\sim } 100 \, \rm km\, s^{-1}$) produce large EWs in the simulations. This supports a picture for dwarf galaxies in which the dynamics of the CGM at large scales are coupled to the small-scale star formation activity near the centre of their haloes.


Advances in large language models (LLMs) have empowered a variety of applications. However, there is still a significant gap in research when it comes to understanding and enhancing the capabilities of LLMs in the field of mental health. In this work, we present the first comprehensive evaluation of multiple LLMs, including Alpaca, Alpaca-LoRA, FLAN-T5, GPT-3.5, and GPT-4, on various mental health prediction tasks via online text data. We conduct a broad range of experiments, covering zero-shot prompting, few-shot prompting, and instruction fine-tuning. The results indicate a promising yet limited performance of LLMs with zero-shot and few-shot prompt designs for the mental health tasks. More importantly, our experiments show that instruction finetuning can significantly boost the performance of LLMs for all tasks simultaneously. Our best-finetuned models, Mental-Alpaca and Mental-FLAN-T5, outperform the best prompt design of GPT-3.5 (25 and 15 times bigger) by 10.9% on balanced accuracy and the best of GPT-4 (250 and 150 times bigger) by 4.8%. They further perform on par with the state-of-the-art task-specific language model. We also conduct an exploratory case study on LLMs' capability on the mental health reasoning tasks, illustrating the promising capability of certain models such as GPT-4. We summarize our findings into a set of action guidelines for potential methods to enhance LLMs' capability for mental health tasks. Meanwhile, we also emphasize the important limitations before achieving deployability in real-world mental health settings, such as known racial and gender bias. We highlight the important ethical risks accompanying this line of research.


Currently, NMOz (Normal Moveout Versus Azimuth) plays an important role in anisotropy-related processing. It can also provide parameters required for both anisotropic migration and kinematic fracture prediction. However, NMOz algorithm is developed on the basis of the traveltime formula with a presumed hyperbolic moveout, which losses considerate accuracy due to the truncation of quartic moveout and thereby usually fails to describe kinematic behaviors at large offsets. In this paper, we present a concise and more accurate traveltime formula for TTI media (with a horizontal reflector) by incorporating quartic moveout, which is proven to be in better agreement with most routine VTI or HTI approximations. In practice, we apply the new traveltime formula into a fractured physical model and a carbonate reservoir. Results show that events of common-offset azimuthal CRP gather from anisotropic migration becomes more flattened and the reflection energy is also remarkably concentrated even for large offsets. Besides, predicted fracture intensity and strike both show a close tie to tectonic movements, which may helps a better understanding of fracture evolutions.


Since 2015 immigration has increased significantly into Colombia. As immigrants who are not insured to the national health system present to public hospitals for medical care. However, there is little knowledge about the prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases amongst them. Ours was a cross-sectional study at a university hospital reviewing 154 medical records of Venezuelan immigrants treated by the Internal Medicine Specialty between 2017 & 2018. Non-communicable diseases representing 66.3% are the main cause of hospitalization, possibly owing to poor primary care.


In order to increase the radio-frequency identification (RFID) operation distance, read range analysis was performed based on a simple equivalent circuit of the ultra high frequency (UHF)-band passive RFID tag. The analysis shows that a tag with a large Q -factor leads to an increased input voltage in the tag chip and thus enhances the efficiency. Based on this analysis, a compact (37.5 mm 44 mm) RFID antenna employing inductive coupling between the radiation and feeding portions was designed. Simple adjustments of the two structural parameters of the antenna allowed for easy control of the antenna resistance and inductive reactance, from which a high Q -factor requirement could be readily satisfied. For a conjugate match to the tag chip impedance of 11-j127 Omega, a Q -factor of 11.5 was achieved. The designed RFID tag has a 3 dB radar cross-section (RCS) bandwidth of 6.5 , which is wide enough to handle the impedance detuning caused by the material properties of the attached objects. The designed RFID tag antenna was fabricated and a reading range test in an anechoic chamber was performed using two methods. When a measured RCS of the RFID tag was used, the detection distance was 9.8 m for a reader sensitivity of 65 dBm and 4.7 m for a tag sensitivity of 11 dBm. Using a commercially available tag chip, the range test resulted in 4.3 m, which is compatible with the derived range equations. The tag antennas having lower Q -factors (77+j100 Omega and 55+j155 Omega) have also been fabricated, and their measured read ranges were 2.6 and 1.1+m, respectively.


Shrinkage and cracking characteristics of swelling clays at two sites under border strip irrigation were examined. At one site, irrigation water salinity was varied. Image analysis of soil surface photographs was used to quantify surface ped geometry. Volumetric surface soil samples were used to find temporal and spatial variation of water content and bulk density both on the surface and with depth. Qualitative observations of cracking behavior were made in the field. There was no spatial dependence for water content and bulk density at the scale of several centimeters or between peds. Larger, more polygonal peds were observed in higher salinity treatments, wheel traffic rows, and after repeated irrigations. Surface shrinkage increased with salinity. Dry bulk density was higher on the high salinity treatment both on the surface and with depth. Despite larger area, perimeters of the 9000 ppm treatment peds were less than perimeters for other treatments. Surface percent crack area followed percent change in bulk density.


In this paper, we study the relationship between private and public real estate in the US and UK markets. We demonstrate a strong link between public and private real estate returns in each of these markets. To uncover these relationships, we correct for appraisal smoothing and properly account for the lead-lag relationship between public and private returns. We find that public returns lead private returns, even after removing appraisal smoothing in private returns. We also discuss how real estate risk changes over longer horizons. In particular, our results suggest that private and public returns become more correlated at longer investment horizons. This carries important implications for risk management and strategic asset allocation.


This article argues that biopolitical infrastructures have been central features of Turkey's ongoing colonization of Kurdish territories and populations and that the Green Revolution, despite its promise of progress and abundance, needs to be understood as part of this history of racialized state-making. In doing so, it joins recent literature that uncovers the local roots of the Green Revolution in domestic politics and land struggles in the global south, also revealing the entwined histories of accumulation and colonial and racial dispossession with agricultural norms and practices. Drawing on research in the records of the Economic Cooperation Administration, US Agency for International Development, Rockefeller Foundation Archives, Turkish parliamentary debates, and contemporaneous journals, I show how the Green Revolution can in fact be retold as an episode in a longer history of struggles over the distribution and use of land, the construction of agricultural infrastructures, and how these questions have been complicated by class, ethnic, racial, gender, and political divisions. The paper thus situates Turkey in a transnational history of agrarian development, while also relating the adoption of high yield seeds, pesticides, and grain cultivation to projects of land consolidation, internal colonialism, and racialized methods of state formation.


How well a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) can be verified has been debated for many decades. Verification was of major contention in 1999 during the U.S. Senate debate on ratification. Then-governor George Bush claimed in 2000 and again in 2002 as president that the treaty, which the U.S. signed in 1996, is not verifiable. Since 1995, the international CTBT Organization focused on detecting and locating globally many small seismic events. While its staff filters out many obvious earthquakes, the identification of nuclear explosions and problem seismic events is reserved for national CTBT agencies. Since the findings of national authorities typically are classified, it is difficult to ascertain how well seismic events can be identified. Nevertheless, only a tiny fraction of events detected over the past 42 years were singled out in unclassified scientific and governmental documents or the media as problem events whose identification potentially compromises the verifiability of a CTBT.