Several studies have investigated how the formation of informal conjectures, and the dialogue they evoke, might influence young children's learning trajectories, and enhance their mathematical thinking. In a digital environment, the visual output and its distinctive qualities can lead to interpretation and response of a particular nature. In this paper the notion of visual perturbance is explored, and situated within the data obtained, when tenyear-old children engaged in number investigations in a spreadsheet environment.


Abstract The article presents a contemporary view of the study of piyyut, demonstrating that Jewish poetry of late antiquity (in Hebrew and Aramaic) was closely related to Christian liturgical poetry (both Syriac and Greek) and Samaritan liturgy. These relations were expressed primarily by common poetic and prosodic characteristics, derived on the one hand from ancient Semitic poetry (mainly biblical poetry), and on the other from innovations of the period. The significant connections of content between the different genres of poetry reveal the importance of comparative study. Thus the poetry composed in late antiquity provides additional evidence for the lively cultural dialogue that took place at that time.


Stomatal closure can explain the inhibition of net CO2 uptake by a leaf subjected to a mild drought: the photosynthetic apparatus appears resistant to lack of water. Changes in both the water content of leaves maintained in a constant environment and the ambient CO2 molar fraction during measurements on well-hydrated leaves lead to similar effects on net CO2 uptake and whole chain electron transport as estimated by leaf chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. In particular, it is shown that photosystem II (PSII) functioning and its regulation are not qualitatively changed during desiccation and that the variations in PSII photochemistry can simply be understood by changes in substrate availability in this condition. Moreover, an analysis of the literature shows that when inhibition of net CO2 uptake by C3 leaves under drought (Phaseolus vulgaris L., Helianthus annus L. and Solanum tuberosum L.) was lower than 80 %, elevated CO2 completely restored the photosynthetic capacity. The CO2 molar fraction in the chloroplasts declines as stomata close in drying leaves. As a consequence, in C3 plants, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate oxygenation increases and becomes the main sink for photosynthetic electrons. Depending on the prevailing photon flux density, the O2 uptake through photorespiratory activity can entirely replace carbon dioxide as an electron acceptor, or not. The rate of the Mehler reaction remains low and unchanged during desiccation. However, drought could also involve CO2-sensitive modification of the photosynthetic metabolism depending on plant growth conditions and possibly also on plant species.


A prototype combined optical fluorescence/atomic force microscope (OFAFM) designed for use in neurobiology and related disciplines has been constructed and used to study filamentous actin (F-actin) and other cellular structures in fixed Xenopus retinal glial cells (XR1 glial cell line). F-actin was readily observed by both fluorescence and AFM. AFM images of nuclei and other cellular structures were also obtained. The OFAFM consists of an AFM with an interferometer detection mechanism mounted on an inverted optical microscope. Integration of optical and scanned probe imaging methods provides a unique and useful approach to studying glial (and other) cell structure and function.


The thermal electrocyclic ring-closure reaction of vinylheptafulvene (VHF) to form dihydroazulene (DHA) is elucidated herein by using DFT and 1 H NMR spectroscopy. Two different transition states were found computationally; one corresponds to a disrotatory pathway, which is allowed according to the Woodward-Hoffmann selection rules, whereas the other corresponds to a conrotatory pathway. The conrotatory pathway is found to be zwitterionic in the transition state, whereas the disrotatory transition state varies in zwitterionic character depending on solvent and substituents in the molecular framework. The conrotatory and disrotatory transition states are found to have similar energy and their relative stability varies with solvent polarity and functionalization at the C1 position. To support these findings, we chemically ring-opened diastereomerically pure 1-(benzothiazol-2-yl)-DHA to give the VHF form, then subsequently thermally reconverted the VHF to DHA in a range of solvents with various polarities. We found that, depending on solvent polarity, different ratios of anti- and syn-diastereoisomers of DHA were formed in a systematic manner, which supports the existence of two distinct thermal ring-closure pathways for VHF.


ANY study of health care systems of the nations of the world can and x~V should begin with reference to the essential element of health care, namely, the relationship between the recipient and the provider of care. This represents a moral, ethical, and legal contract in which the roles of the participants are distinct yet equally important . In such a contract the physician not only agrees to accept the person as a patient but also assumes the responsibility to provide the medical service to the best of his ability. In other words, he should not only perform personally in an optimal fashion bu t also resist a system that would restrict his best efforts. Specifically, he should not accept depersonalization of roles and diffusion of responsibility which negate the elemental clearly stated and defined patient-physician contract. T h e recipient not only asks for assistance but accepts it, implying his willingness to pay for service either personally or through an agent. T h e agent may be an organization such as Blue Cross or Blue Shield, an insurance company, or any of the various departments of government. These then are the criteria by which any health care system can be judged. First, is health service available and is it good? Secondly, since goods and services have a cost of production, has provision been made for their purchase? If not, is there a failure in the patient role or in the physician role? As the delivery systems and the payment mechanisms become more complex and depart from the elemental relationships between patient and physician, we must, as we are doing at this First International Socio-Economic Conference, examine the form of delivery and the financing of health care to determine whether our goals are being reached satisfactorily or whether there are features of form and financing that impinge adversely on the quality, quantity, and distribution of health care.


We report on the WIND observations and subsequent analysis of electrostatic ion beam driven waves in the central lunar wake. Previous reports indicate that ion beams are present in the central lunar wake, these generated by an ambipolar electric field near the wake flanks. We demonstrate that these ion beams are inherently unstable, and thus they are capable of generating the observed broadband electrostatic noise. The beam disruption process may be a dominate mechanism to replace ions in the void trailing the moon. This picture of the wake, with an extended electrostatic tail in the central region is distinctly different from the MHD wake picture discussed previously.


ABSTRACT The Planning Commission estimated a sharp reduction of poverty during the early 1980s, which it attributed largely to the poverty alleviation strategy followed during the Sixth Plan. Specifically, it was claimed that the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) was responsible for a substantial reduction in rural poverty. This claim is critically evaluated here. Drawing upon the results of an applied general equilibrium model, selected anti‐poverty interventions are compared from a macro perspective. Noting the incentive and information‐related problems, some key issues in designing anti‐poverty interventions are addressed. Section I reviews changes in rural poverty at the all‐India level. Section II explores the relationship between rural poverty, agricultural production and (consumer) prices. Distinguishing between transitory and persistent poverty, alternative measures of persistent poverty are presented in Section III. A case is then made for an interventionist anti‐poverty strategy, followed by a brief review (Section IV) of salient features and selected performance indicators of poverty alleviation programmes launched/implemented during the Sixth Plan period. Section V investigates whether these programmes — especially the IRDP — played a significant role in alleviating poverty. Section VI discusses selected anti‐poverty interventions and possible design‐related reforms; concluding observations are offered in the final section.


Japan is the only country that has been attacked by nuclear weapons, having been hit twice – at Hiroshima and Nagasaki – in the 1945 bombing during World War II. 75 years later, the two cities appear as successful as any city unaffected by bombing as reconstruction and developments
 have erased the scars left by these devastating events. The remaining human A-bomb survivors are ageing, and numbers decline year by year, leaving fewer living reminders of the misery of nuclear weapons. However, scattered throughout the two cities, stark living survivors of the two blasts
 rise, each marked by the bombs. The A-bombed trees, which represent a variety of species, provide a living reminder of the catastrophic events as their trunks lean towards Ground Zero. Professor Emeritus Masakazu Suzuki, from the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Tsukuba, notes
 that while many visitors and denizens of the two cities go about their days unaware of the existence of these trees, there are 160 trees in Hiroshima and approximately 30 in Nagasaki within a three-kilometre radius of Ground Zero. Suzuki leads a team that seeks to inform the general public
 about the existence and key characteristics of these remarkable trees. His aim is to ensure the conservation of the trees as well as promoting them as a living national asset and reminder of the atrocities of nuclear weapons.


Saltation of bed load particles on bedrock surfaces is important for landscape evolution and bedrock incision in steep landscapes. However, few studies have investigated saltation in bedrock channels where, unlike alluvial channels, the bed roughness height and the sediment size may be independent. To address this data gap, we measured the saltation hop height, hop length, and velocity of gravel saltating over a planar bed using 80–160 readings from high‐speed photography and direct measurements. Two separate dimensional analyses are used: one leading to a bed shear stress scaling and another leading to a Froude number (Fr) scaling. Our new saltation data coupled with numerous data from previous studies suggest that both shear stress and Fr‐scaling analyses are valid in characterizing bed load saltation dynamics with bed roughness ranging from smooth to alluvial beds. However, the Fr approach has the advantages that (1) there is no need to estimate a critical Shields stress τc* , which alone can vary up to 2 orders of magnitude (e.g., 0.001–0.1) due to changes in relative bed roughness and slope and (2) the Fr‐based scaling fits the saltation data set better in a least squares sense. Results show that the saltation velocity of bed load is independent of grain density and grain size and is linearly proportional to flow velocity. Saltation height has a nonlinear dependence on grain size. Saltation length increases primarily with flow velocity, and it is inversely proportional to submerged specific density. Our results suggest that either τc* or bed roughness coefficient must be properly estimated to yield accurate results in saltation‐abrasion models.


1264 Intoduction: Treatment of malignant brain tumors, e.g., glioblastoma multiforma, invariantly fails despite extensive surgical excision and adjuvant radio-and chemotherapy are administered. Much effort has been put into establishing human multipotent cells as carriers for malignant glioma therapy. We already described VEGF -dependent interaction of adult human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) and glioma cells in vitro. Aim of our study was to characterize glioma-modulated invasive hMSC- behaviour in vivo and distribution patterns in the glioma infiltrated brain. Materials and methods: Human MSC were isolated from bone marrow biopsies carried out for haematological indications. In an experimentally induced glioma (U373-GFP) infiltrated brain (nude rats), hMSC (DiI) were implanted simultaneously. As control cells served Fibroblasts and immobilized hMSC. To exclude artificial attraction, a control incision was made. In a second setting a humanMSC cell line, transfected with a RFP/Tie-2-promotor gene were given intraveneously. hMSC, which accumulated in the glioma infiltrated brain were detected immunohistochemically. Tie2-induced expression of RFP allowed detection of those hMSC, which integrated into the endothelial lining of the neoangiogenesis of the tumor. Results: Confocal microscopy revealed a recruitment of hMSC and the infiltrating tumor. Fibroblasts as well as immobilized hMSC didn`t show any localization in close vicinity of to the tumor, thereby excluding a passive transportation phenomenon of the hMSC within the glioma-infiltrated brain.Control incisions didn`t show any hMSC-infiltration. Intraveneously administered hMSC showed extensive tropism to the glioma. The infiltrating borders of the tumor showed accumulation of hMSC as well as enhanced RFP expression of the mMSC, thereby indicating an integration into the tumor`s neovascularization. This phenomenon was confirmed immunohistochemically. Conclusion: hMSC show intensive tropism to invading glioma in vivo. Intraveneously administered mesenchymal stem cells enrich within the tumor and seem to integrate into its vasculature. hMSC proved to be hopeful candidates for a future role as glioma treatment vectors.


Currently, for the most oil companies it is possible to identify a general tendency that the reservoir permeability for the new prospects is decline. Reserves quality deterioration increases the risk of the future oil production failure. This paper describes the organization of an integrated approach to source data analysis, simulation model constructon and miscible displacement design in a low-permeable reservoir.
 At the first stage, a reservoir fluid model is constructed. Based on the lack of a qualitative oil sample from the well (original sample was significantly depressurized during testing) and on the analysis of the fluid properties of the analog fields, the prediction of the main oil parameters was made. At the second stage, using static parameters of a low-permeable reservoir, probabilistic simulation models of the field was constructed, providing a coverage of the main spectrum of reservoir uncertainties. Further, import gas resources were estimated for the injection implementation.
 The main result is an integrated assessment of the impact of uncertainties for oil properties and gas import resources on key economic indicators for a miscible displacement at the field with a low-permeable reservoir using the reservoir simulation model. The analysis verified the key parameters that have the greatest impact on the economy of the project, determined the threshold values for the volume of gas imports, and based on the feasibility study made recommendations on the choice of the pilot area for injection. A program for conducting additional laboratory experiments was also prepared, this study will allow the narrowing of the oil composition uncertainties and its interaction with injection gas. In addition, a program is developed to carry out special core experiments on gas injection, which will make it possible to correct the behavior of phase permeabilities for a miscible displacement.
 This paper shows that on the basis of reservoir simulation an integrated approach organization for the verification, accounting and analysis of uncertainties on reservoir characteristics, fluid properties and volume of imported third-party gas allows to search for and select an economically viable and sustainable option to develop an oil field using miscible gas injection technology. An implementation of this approach provides a recovery factor increase from 7% to 25%.


The theory of iterative surface-related multiple elimination holds for 2D as well as 3D wavefields. The 3D prediction of surface multiples, however, requires a dense and extended distribution of sources and receivers at the surface. Since current 3D marine acquisition geometries are very sparsely sampled in the crossline direction, the direct Fresnel summation of the multiple contributions, calculated for those surface positions at which a source and a receiver are present, cannot be applied without introducing severe aliasing effects. In this newly proposed method, the regular Fresnel summation is applied to the contributions in the densely sampled inline direction, but the crossline Fresnel summation is replaced with a sparse parametric inversion. With this procedure, 3D multiples can be predicted using the available input data. The proposed method is demonstrated on a 3D synthetic data set as well as on a 3D marine data set from offshore Norway.


Purine derivatives play an important role in the regulation of
biological functions and understanding their redox behavior is
a primary task for electrochemical methods. The aim of the
contribution is to present a new electrochemical analysis which
suggests an efficient way for a sensitive and selective
determination of purine analytes including compounds. the
increase of sensitivity and selectivity in oxidation rsponses
of guanine and its derivatives (methyl-, thio-) was achieved by
using a chemical modification of graphite (pencil, screen
printed) electrodes. The first modification of the graphite
electrode was carried out by monovalent copper ions which were
generated in situ on the electrode surface; then cuprous ions
with guanine derivatives are able to form sparingly soluble
complexes strongly adsorbed on the electrode surface, resulting
in a significant enhancement of oxidation signals. The second
modification of a graphite electrode consists in the
application of metallic (Cu or CuAg) nanoparticles (NPs) which
posses great potential application in the field of
photovoltaics, chemical sensing and biosensors. The metallic or
bimetallic NPs used were stabilized by the polypyrrolidone
(PVP) shell. To evaluate the effect of NPs on oxidation
processes of guanine derivatives we determined the size and
zeta potential f NPs by using a zetasizer. In addition, the
graphite electrode surfaces were characterized by a scanning
electron microscope (SEM). It was found that graphite
electrodes modified by metallic Cu NPs provide the best
results. A possible explanation can be accepted: while
monometalic Cu NPs forms Cu(I)-guanine complexes the bimetallic
CuAg NPs is not able to do so.


Sport is an important cultural element and one of the most widespread activities. In this context, there is a global consensus that health protection and health promotion are important potentials of sport. It has to be taken into consideration that about 20% of all injuries due to accidents resulting from sporting activities. In particular with regard to popular sports, the benefit for health could be increased by reducing the frequency of sports injuries. Thus, the general aim of the project, which receives funding from the European Commission, is to contribute to the reduction of sports injuries by developing, testing and implementing injury prevention measures and safety promotion strategies for sports with absolute high numbers of participants and injuries. On the basis of an up-to-date inventory, a consensus on best injury prevention measures and implementation strategies for handball and basketball was built, using a newly developed methodology of a web-based evaluation tool combined with successive expert consultation meetings. Prevention toolkits have been elaborated consisting of media and information to convey preventive contents to stakeholders and target groups in the handball and basketball community. In collaboration with the EHF (European Handball Federation) and the FIBA Europe (Federation Internationale de Basketball) these toolkits will be pilot-tested in two national associations, respectively (Handball: Norway, Czech Republic; Basketball: Sweden, Slovakia) with special focus on acceptance and applicability. In the light of the test implementation, general guidelines will be elaborated on how to develop, implement and sustain safety management schemes in other sports.


The preliminary experimental results of ac plasma discharges in the CT-6B tokamak have been achieved by an active plasma current feedback system and the keys to a smooth transition through current zero and some phenomena related to the current reversal phase are also presented.


Abstract Mentalizing is defined as one's capacity to think in terms of mental states underlying one's own and others' behaviors. It has been posited to develop within the context of a secure attachment relationship and has been linked to a myriad of psychological adjustment variables. Given the scarcity of research on mentalizing in Lebanon, this study aimed to investigate mentalizing in a sample of 293 Lebanese undergraduate students using a novel tool, the Mental State Task (MST). Higher mentalizing scores were found to be positively correlated with self-esteem, neurotic defenses, authenticity and adaptive emotion regulation strategies, as well as negatively correlated with psychological symptomatology. This study also provided descriptions of the six mental states measured by the MST continuum based on their correlations with related constructs. Findings diverge with the literature in relation to the association between defense styles and MST scores, which were posited to reflect cultural specificities of this sample.


Evaluating the biomechanical and performance factors of the knee joint during golf swing can provide objective and quantitative information about improving the performance and development of efficient physical training, as the legs are important for achieving an efficient swing and maximum speed of the club head in golf. In the present study, kinematic movements of the knee joint were identified during the downswing by using 3-dimensional motion analysis, and isokinetic strength was measured with driver and 5-iron clubs in 15 professional (PRO) golfers and 10 amateur (AMA) golfers. Results showed that PRO golfers had a narrower minimal angle between the thigh and lower leg in the trail knee than the AMA golfers, regardless of the club used, and the angular velocity of the lead knee was faster during the downswing with a 5-iron club in the AMA golfers than in the PRO golfers. The PRO and AMA golfers had a wider minimal angle between the thigh and lower leg, smaller total range of movement, and slower angular velocity of the trail knee when swinging a 5-iron club than when swinging a driver club. These results are expected to provide useful information to prevent golf-related injuries that usually arise in the knee joint and help improve the golf performance of amateur golfers.


In the manufacturing process of memory modules (such as SIMMs and DIMMs), first memories are tested at the die level, then at the chip level, and finally at the module level. For the latter special module testers are available. This paper gives an analysis of commercially available module testers and shows their restrictions. Then it lists the requirements for a more advanced module tester, after which a complete functional design is given. The result is a very flexible tester capable of testing FPM/EDO and SDRAM memories, programmable using Texas Instruments TMS320C6201 DSPs and Vantis CPLDs, with an expected end-user price of less than US$ 20,000.


The paxillin gene (PXN) encodes a focal adhesion associated protein that could be involved in the progression of lung cancer through its interactions with the actin cytoskeleton and key signal transduction oncogenes. PXN mutations and PXN amplifications were recently identified in nonsmall‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and amplifications were associated with MET increased copy number. The description of tumors with two to three mutations in the PXN gene and the overrepresentation of GC to AT transitions were unexpected and needed confirmation. The aim of this study was to validate the incidence of PXN somatic alterations in NSCLC and to correlate them to other common genetic alterations. PXN mutations and copy number changes at PXN, EGFR, and MET loci were analyzed on DNAs from frozen tumor samples (n = 159) that had been previously screened for mutations at EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, ERBB2, STK11, PIK3CA, and TP53. We found PXN polymorphisms including nonsynonymous ones but no PXN amplification and only 1/159 (<1%) somatic tumor mutation F416L. In conclusion, we do not deny the possible involvement of PXN in cancer but our findings do not support a major role for PXN somatic changes in lung carcinogenesis. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


BACKGROUND
Yangzheng Xiaoji is a traditional Chinese medical formulation that has been shown to have anticancer actions in patients with various solid tumours. The mechanisms of the potential anticancer action of Yangzheng Xiaoji are unknown. In the present study, we investigated the direct effects of Yangzheng Xiaoji on a range of human cancer cell lines and investigated the possible mechanism(s) of its action.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Extract of Yangzheng Xiaoji (DME25) was prepared using dimethyl sulfoxide. The influence of DME25 on in vitro growth, adhesion and migration was examined using in vitro function assays. The effects on signalling protein kinases were assessed using western blotting.

RESULTS
DME25 suppressed adhesion and migration of various cancer cell, including those of breast, prostate, lung, osteosarcoma and colorectal cancer. Further investigation showed an involvement of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway in the inhibitory effect on the adhesion of cancer cells by DME25.

CONCLUSION
Yangzheng Xiaoji exerts its anticancer effects not only via synergistically working together with chemotherapy, but also by directly inhibiting adhesion and migration of cancer cells. The PI3K/AKT pathway is a potential signalling pathway targeted by Yangzheng Xiaoji.


This study examined the developmental patterns in unwanted early sexual experiences (UESE) of 3,689 fi rst year university students (South Africans = 1,081 and Belgians = 2,608). The Early Sexual Experience Checklist (ESEC) (Miller, Johnson & Johnson, 1991) was administered to all consenting first -year university students attending an orientation programme at a South African and a Belgian University. The data was processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15.0. The chi-square test was used to compare di fferences between groups and ANOVA was used to determine the UESE with regard to bothersomeness. Of the respondents 21% indicated that they had an UESE before their 16th birthday (39.2% South Africans and 13.5% Belgians). Of South African women, 31.3% (231) reported UESE compared to 14.2% (226) of Belgian women and of South African men; 56.4% (189) indicated that they had an UESE compared to 12.3% (125) of Belgian men. Of respondents indicating an UESE, 16.8% (130) reported that they had an UESE before the age of 12 years and 62.9% (485) reported an UESE between the ages of 12 and 16 years. Significant differences were found between the under-12- year old group and the 12-16-year old group for severity, frequency and duration of UESE as well as the perpetrator relationship. Relatives were also disproportionately represented as perpetrators of younger children. The under-12- year old group reporting UESE was more bothered about the event at the time it occurred than the 12-16-year old group but not significant ly. When completing the checklist the under-12-year old group was significantly more bothered by the UESE than the 12-16-year old group. This was the first study to be undertaken among the students of a South African and a Belgian University regarding the developmental patterns in UESE.


The Editors and Publisher have retracted this article because the text had already been published in Njarui et al 2016. The content conveyed by this article is therefore not original and redundant. The corresponding author, Donald Njarui, recognizes this involuntary duplication publication and agrees to the retraction of this article. The online version contains the full text of the retracted article as electronic supplementary material.Supplementary materialhttp://www.tropicalgrasslands.info/public/417_Njauri_et_al.pdfReferences(Note of the editors: All hyperlinks were verified 28 June 2019.)Njarui DMG; Gatheru M; Ghimire SR. 2016. Agro-morphological characterisation of Brachiaria grass accessions. In: Njarui DMG; Gichangi EM; Ghimire SR; Muinga RW, eds. Climate smart Brachiaria grasses for improving livestock production in East Africa - Kenya Experience. Proceedings of a workshop, Naivasha, Kenya, 14–15 September 2016. p. 27–36. hdl.handle.net/10568/80421


Background: We hypothesize that numbers of coronary angiography (CAG) for patients with Kawasaki disease decreased because of the lowering of cardiac sequelae due to kawasaki disease. Objective: To evaluate changes in the number of CAG in the recent ten years. Methods: The proportions of hospitals in which CAG was available described using the data of 11th (1989-1990) to 15th (1997-1998) nationwide surveys. The proportions of patients with cardiac sequelae and the distribution of annual numbers of CAG in these hospitals of which facility data had been collected consecutively in the recent decade were compared. Results: The proportion of hospitals in which CAG is available was 9.0% in the 15th survey, similar to 8.5% in the 11th survey. The numbers of patients reported, full-time pediatricians and total beds in these facilities were similar in each survey. The proportion of one to four cases in the annual number of CAG was 52% in the 15th survey; it was higher than in the 11th survey, 42%. The number of hospitals in which CAG is available and facility data has been collected consecutively was 59. In these facilities, the proportion of patients reported with cardiac sequelae was 11.5% in 14th (1995-1996) survey, similar to 12.5% in the 11th survey. However, the proportion of one to four cases in the annual numbers of CAG was 41% in the 15th survey,which was significantly higher than in the 11th survey, 27% (P=0.02). Conclusions: There was no change in the proportion of patients reported with cardiac sequelae in Kawasaki disease and the number of hospitals in which CAG is available, but the annual number of CAG in hospitals decreased during the recent decade. The decline of the number of CAG would be explained that other tools for the examinations, such as echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and scintigraphy, became available to evaluate cardiac sequelae with Kawasaki disease.


There are four Bowen–Franks groups associated to each shift of finite type. For an irreducible shift of finite type, we show that a 4-tuple of automorphisms corresponding to the four Bowen–Franks groups can be induced simultaneously by a specific path of flow equivalence from the shift to itself, if and only if it is F-compatible. The F-compatibleness defined in this paper describes completely the intrinsic relations among the four automorphisms induced by a flow equivalence. This result is one of the key ingredients in classifying reducible shifts of finite type up to flow equivalence. In the mean time, it also discloses a new and sharp difference between the invariants of flow equivalence for an irreducible shift of finite type, and the invariants of stable isomorphism for the associated simple Cuntz–Krieger algebra.


This paper discusses a resonant gate driver that employs a new method of driving a power MOSFET or IGBT. This resonant gate driver recycles the energy stored in the gate capacitance to reduce the CV/sup 2/f losses associated with a conventional gate driver. Reducing the CV/sup 2/f losses reduces the power consumption and hence the subsequent power dissipation in the resonant gate driver. Less power dissipation enables the driver to operate to higher frequencies. In addition, this topology allows the resonant gate driver to drive the MOSFET gate with a much higher peak to peak voltage swing than it is supplied with and to drive the gate negative in its off cycle. The resonant gate driver can drive the gate with a variable frequency and duty cycle, and very fast switching of the power MOSFET is obtained. An introduction into the low loss capacitance driver circuit topology (patent pending) is presented. The design considerations of implementing a practical MOSFET gate driver using this topology are discussed. Practical implications and considerations of using this topology to drive power MOSFETs/IGBTs are briefly put forward. Experimental test circuits and results are then presented.


Integral expressions for spectral-angular and spectral distributions of the radiation power for the sequence of electrons moving in magnetic fields in isotropic transparent medium are investigated using the improved Lorentz`s self-interaction method. Special attention is given to the research of the fine structurre of the spectral distribution of the synchrotron-Cherenkov radiation of one, two, three and four point electrons moving along the spiral in medium. The effects of coherent radiation of harmonics and oscillations in spectrum of the synchrotron-Cherenkov radiation of two, three and four point electrons are established and investigated using the direct numerical method for calculation the function of spectral distributions of the radiation power.


This paper presents designs of compact 21 and 30 m aperture telescopes with primary focal of f/0.7 and f/0.56. The 20 20 telescope moves on three axes; the elevation axis (which is below the primary vertex), the azimuth axis, and a tracking axis at the center of 100 m diameter tracks. The 30 m telescope has an elevation and azimuth axis. All of the axes move on hydrostatic bearings. A primary requirement for such large telescopes is stiffness against deformation by wind gusts. The mass and stiffness needed for the structure is substantially independent of the primary mirror mass, which can therefore be set by thermal and diffraction issues. For the 21 m design, whose primary has seven 8.4 m glass segments weighing 128 tons, the total moving mass is 905 tons, and the lowest resonant frequency 6.5 Hz. For the 30 m design, whose primary has, 13 whole and 6 half, glass segments 8.7 m, across the points, weighing 256 tons, the total moving mass is 3,460 tons, and the lowest resonant frequency 5.3 Hz. These practical designs offer two versatile telescopes with high performance.


This paper investigates the impact of higher education on corporate innovation. To establish causality, we exploit a policy-induced exogenous shock in the supply of Chinese college-educated labor starting in 2003. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that Chinese firms in skilled industries generate better innovation outcomes as measured by patents and citations than those in unskilled industries. This effect is more pronounced among firms headquartered in a province with more science and engineering college graduates, young firms that are more likely to hire young graduates, and firms located near universities. Moreover, higher education expansion increases a firm's innovative human capital in terms of the number of educated employees and inventors. Finally, we show that technological innovation is a mechanism through which higher education affects productivity growth and, thus, the economy.


The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease, which remains a serious public health concern and continues to victimize thousands of people, primarily in the poorest regions of Latin America. In the search for new therapeutic drugs against T. cruzi, here we have evaluated both the in vitro and the in vivo activity of 5-hydroxy-3-methyl-5-phenyl-pyrazoline-1-(S-benzyl dithiocarbazate) (H2bdtc) as a free compound or encapsulated into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN); we compared the results with those achieved by using the currently employed drug, benznidazole. H2bdtc encapsulated into solid lipid nanoparticles (a) effectively reduced parasitemia in mice at concentrations 100 times lower than that normally employed for benznidazole (clinically applied at a concentration of 400 µmol kg−1 day−1); (b) diminished inflammation and lesions of the liver and heart; and (c) resulted in 100% survival of mice infected with T. cruzi. Therefore, H2bdtc is a potent trypanocidal agent.


Using the definitions of δand δ′-shocks for the systems of conservation laws [12], [13], [39], the Rankine–Hugoniot conditions for δand δ′-shocks are derived. We present a construction of solutions to the Cauchy problems admitting δand δ′-shocks. In particular, the Riemann problem admitting shocks, δ-shocks, δ′-shocks, and vacuum states is considered. The geometric aspects of δand δ′-shocks are studied. Balance relations connected with area transportation, in particular, mass and momentum transportation relations for the zero-pressure gas dynamics system, are derived. We also study the algebraic aspects of δand δ′-shocks. Namely, the flux-functions of δand δ′-shock solutions are computed. Though the flux-functions are nonlinear, they can be considered as "right" singular superpositions of distributions thus being well defined Schwartzian distributions. Therefore, singular solutions of the Cauchy problems generate algebraic relations between distributional components of these singular solutions. The validity and naturalness of the above-mentioned definitions of δand δ′-shocks are discussed.


Femtocell is a small cellular base station it is to boost service quality and provide value added services within a home or a small business and it connects to the service provider's network via broadband (such as DSL or cable). Its typically support 2 to 5 mobile phones. It is essentially routes mobile calls over the internet. A Femtocell increases its coverage, especially at indoors; it is true in many homes where wireless signal cannot reach inside or poor signal strength due to security. Femtocells are considered an important element of Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC). Traditional FMC requires use of dual mode (WiFi) handsets but ordinary cellphones can be used for FMC. One of the most significant advantages of Femtocell wireless is that by directing home mobile calls on the internet, operators can free up the wireless network. In emerging markets, wireless network congestion rates point to the idea that Femtocells would be a boon in such locations.


Storage management cost is one of the most important issues in the current computer system. Network storage is deployed in many companies to decrease this cost. In the network storage system, both the server computer and network storage have cache memory for the same storage. In most cache implementation, LRU replacement algorithm, which is suitable for accesses with temporal locality of reference, is adopted. However, accesses to network storage do not have usual temporal locality but have negative temporal locality. Consequently, caches in network storages do not work effectively. In this paper, we propose a new cache replacement algorithm, which is suitable for negative temporal locality of reference. Our simulation evaluation demonstrated that the proposed algorithm provides better cache hit ratio than other existing algorithms.


The work presented in this paper addresses the problem of target height finding under low-elevation condition in ground-based 3D radars. A novel method that effectively suppresses the multipath reflections is proposed here to enhance the low-elevation performance of 3D phased array radar system. The performance of our method is evaluated using measured data recorded by an experimental S-band 3D phased array radar. (5 pages)


Working towards a net zero future requires change and adaptation from us all. Innovation offers many potential solutions on how to successfully make that change within the oil and gas industry. Consequently, maximising the value that technological innovation presents is vital for delivering a sustainable net zero. Yet, the oil and gas industry has developed a reputation for being conservative and reluctant to adopt new technology, with companies sometimes referred to as "fast followers". In recent years, the industry has begun to change with an incremental increase in innovation activities. Despite these efforts, and a need to accelerate innovation, there appears to be a resistance to adopt new technology.
 Evidence from O&G industry bodies indicate that psychological factors play a key role in technology adoption; not surprisingly, as workers, managers, investors, and regulators can all have a powerful influence on an organisation's receptivity to new technology. Recent research has provided insight into the psychological factors that influence technology uptake decisions in the oil and gas industry. Through a series of studies, the psychological technology adoption framework (P-TAF) was developed which outlined the 15 key psychological factors that influence technology adoption decisions. These are organised into 6 categories: personality, attitudes, motivations, cognitive factors, social factors, and organisational level factors. The work emphasised the influence that overarching organisational culture can have on how people respond to and introduce technology within their company. Whilst technology readiness levels are commonly applied to start-ups and their innovations, less is known about the readiness culture which facilitates innovation uptake.
 To bridge this gap, a preliminary measure of organisational innovation adoption culture was developed as based upon the previous psychological research, empirical innovation measures, and organisational culture models. This was piloted as an online survey with 36 people working in the technology space in O&G in June 2020. These results were used to later refine the culture measure to develop a 33-item scale consisting of eight categories. This new measure was deployed as part of an industry benchmarking study of innovation adoption culture within O&G consisting of 82 managers from 12 companies and in December 2020. Participating organisations were given the opportunity to receive a snapshot of their technology adoption culture. An overview of the measure and a summary of survey results will be given during the presentation as well as recommendations on how to support an innovation adoption culture. A considerable volume of new technology needs to be developed and adopted to be able to reach net zero and understanding the psychological and cultural barriers is imperative to delivering that.


Altered DNA methylation is ubiquitous in human cancers and specific methylation changes are often correlated with clinical features. DNA methylation biomarkers, which use those specific methylation changes, provide a range of opportunities for early detection, diagnosis, prognosis, therapeutic stratification and post-therapeutic monitoring. Here we review current approaches to developing and applying DNA methylation biomarkers in cancer therapy. We discuss the obstacles that have so far limited the routine use of DNA methylation biomarkers in clinical settings and describe ways in which these obstacles can be overcome. Finally, we summarize the current state of clinical implementation for some of the most widely studied and well-validated DNA methylation biomarkers, including SEPT9, VIM, SHOX2, PITX2 and MGMT.


The cornea is a simple, nonvascularized structure, advantageous for studying the molecular components of epithelial and stromal wound repair. Fibronectin (Fn), of uncertain source and composition, accumulates in healing corneas. We postulated that local synthesis of Fn occurs, as exogenous plasma/tear-derived Fn, which lack the embryonic EIIIA and EIIIB segments, have no consistent beneficial effect on healing. Two contrasting corneal wounds were examined by in situ hybridization: a wound of the anterior stroma, basement membrane, and epithelium (anterior excimer laser keratectomy) and a superficial wound restricted to the epithelium that preserved the basement membrane (mechanical scrape). Both wounds heal without scarring. In normal corneas, only the endothelium had detectable Fn mRNA, containing the V and EIIIB domains, sporadically and at low levels. After anterior keratectomies, extensive expression of Fn mRNA occurred in a specific distribution that changed during the phases of healing. Before re-epithelialization (days 1 and 2) V+, EIIIA+, and EIIIB+ isoforms were diffusely found in stromal cells under and adjacent to the wound. After re-epithelialization (days 3 to 42) and reconstitution of laminin in the regenerating basement membrane zone, V+, EIIIA+, and EIIIB+ isoform synthesis was largely restricted to subepithelial stromal cells at the epithelial/stromal interface. In addition, the corneal epithelial cells focally expressed Fn mRNA. The endothelium showed increased levels of V+, EIIIA+, and EIIIB+ Fn mRNA in open and recently re-epithelialized wounds. At 12 weeks after keratectomy, Fn mRNA expression returned to control levels. In contrast, scrape wounds had only a modest increase of stromal and endothelial Fn mRNA (EIIIA+, EIIIB+, and V+) during the first 7 days and no evidence of epithelial Fn synthesis. Embryonic Fn isoforms are synthesized transiently by the cornea in response to even the most superficial wounds and are likely to be relevant to corneal healing and restoration of structure without scar formation.


Background: Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disease involving cognitive and motor impairments. Motor dysfunctions, such as eye movements or neurological soft signs, are proposed as endophenotypic markers. Methods: Supervised machine-learning methods (Support Vector Machines) applied on oculomotor performances using comprehensive testing with prosaccades, antisaccades, memory-guided saccade tasks and smooth pursuit, as well as neurological soft signs assessment, was used to discriminate patients with schizophrenia (SZ, N=53), full siblings of patients (FS, N=45) and healthy volunteers (C, N=48). 80% of patients were used in a training/validation set and 20% on a test set. The discrimination was measured using the classi�cation error (rate of misclassi�ed patients). Results: The most reliable classi�cation was between C and SZ, with only 15% and 12% of error rates for validation and test, whereas the SZ vs. FS classi�cation provided the highest error rates (32% of error rate in both validation and test). Interestingly, neurological soft signs were selected as the best predictor, together with a combination of measures, for the two classi�cations: C vs. SZ, SZ vs. FS. In addition, memory-guided saccades were consistently selected among the best two multimodal features for the classi�cations involving the control group (C vs. SZ or FS). Conclusions: Taken together, these results emphasize the importance of neurological soft signs and sensitive oculomotor parameters, especially memory-guided saccades. This classi�cation provides promising avenues for improving early detection of / early intervention in psychosis.


The obvious decline in the demand for pottery wares in Nigeria is worrisome as the trend is pushing many potters out of business. Meanwhile the nation needs to harness all its resources for economic growth, but the pottery, through which the resources could be exploited seem not to enjoy patronage. In this work, literatures were reviewed to fathom the determinant for the demand for pottery. It was discovered that the attributes of the pottery wares, price of alternative imported pottery wares, and that of vessels made of materials other than clay, effect of poor advertisement, taste, interest and orientation, and the income of the consumers are the major determinants for the demand for pottery wares. Homemade tiles, personalized pottery, and ceremonial wares are pots with unique selling points identified for the potters to engage in. The Nigerian potters needs to improve on the qualities of their products in order to compete favourably with imported wares and wares made of plastics and metals at the market.


This book provides the latest scientific research regarding the importance of infrastructure charges in establishing competitive conditions in the railway market. The current charging regimes applied throughout the EU member states are analyzed as well as the planning and scheduling that determine how and when the company's resources will be used in the case of railway organizations. Railway noise emission and its reduction are considered among the most important topics in the future development of transportation systems. This book gives an overview on the noise emitted by wheels and rails from the basic emission mechanisms up to noise attenuation by means of passive/active control. The importance of the vertical track stiffness as a means to guide railway track bed design for high speed railway lines are discussed as well. A rational approach to substructure design is described, which it is hoped will further an understanding of the process of appropriate track design and enable the adaptation of existing design procedures to provide a realistic design for the conditions at hand.


Health status is critically important to experiencing quality of life, self-sufficiency, and full participation in society. For the 54 million Americans with disabilities, maintaining health and wellness is especially important to reduce the impact of impairment on functioning in these critical life areas. Yet, people with disabilities may be the largest underserved subpopulation demonstrating health status disparities that stem from preventable secondary conditions. Healthy People 2010, the nation's blueprint for improved health, addresses this problem in its objectives. In 2002 and 2005, the U.S. Surgeon General asked for public health efforts to improve the health and wellness of persons with disabilities. This article examines the concepts of health and wellness, summarizes currently available information documenting disparities in health for people with disabilities, and provides a framework for policy recommendations to reduce health disparities among people with disabilities.


The analysis of topical diagnosis of the pancreatic hormonally-active tumor was conducted in 116 patients with the hyperinsulinism syndrome. The trustworthiness of the ultrasound examination (USE) had constituted 16.3%, computer tomography--7.7%, angiography--22.4%. The tumor was revealed with the help of intraoperative USE in 7 of the total 11 patients.


This study deals with the impact of financialization on the development of charity during the nineteenth century. We argue that this has two key aspects: firstly, the growth of charitable provision via limited companies; and secondly, the financial audit by charities of the claimants who approached them. Limited companies operated mainly in the field of subsidized housing. These offered investors a satisfactory return, but at the cost of requirements regarding the level of rent and the behaviour expected from tenants which restricted the number of potential beneficiaries. The evaluation of claimants by charities was pioneered by, but not limited to, the new Charities Organization Society. This constituted a form of audit, with enquiry into claimants' behaviour, financial status and prospects, and a refusal to support those seen as unreliable or unpredictable. We argue that these developments have significant implications for the social enterprise movement of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.


In many slowly developing mammal species, males reach sexual maturity well before they develop secondary sexual characteristics. Sexually mature male orangutans have exceptionally long periods of developmental arrest. The two male morphs have been associated with behavioral alternative reproductive tactics, but this interpretation is based on cross‐sectional analyses predominantly of Northwest Sumatran populations. Here we present the first longitudinal analyses of behavioral changes of 10 adult males that have been observed in both unflanged and flanged morph. We also analyzed long‐term behavioral data on an additional 143 individually identified males from two study sites, Suaq (Sumatra, Pongo abelii) and Tuanan (Borneo, Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii), to assess male mating tactics cross‐sectionally in relation to population, male morph (unflanged and flanged), and other socio‐ecological factors. Both our longitudinal and cross‐sectional results confirm and refine previous cross‐sectional accounts of the differences in mating tactics between the unflanged and the flanged male morphs. In the unflanged morph, males exhibit higher sociability, particularly with females, and higher rates of both copulation and sexual coercion than in the flanged morph. Based on our results and those of previous studies showing that females prefer flanged males, and that flanged males have higher reproductive success, we conclude that unflanged males face a trade‐off between avoiding male‐male contest competition and gaining mating access to females, and thus follow a "best‐of‐a‐bad‐job" mating strategy.


Summary Objective: Whether chest radiography should be performed routinely in all infants after extubation, or selectively only in those with clinical deterioration, is a controversy in neonatal unit practice. In this study we investigated whetten most cases with post-extubation radiological deterioration in the lungs could be detected by clinical and capillary blood gas analysis Methods: A chest radiography was performed 6 h ours of the extubation in 115 newborn infants ventilated for a variety of diseases. Cinical findings and capillary blood gases were evoloped by a neonotolojit and a radiologist to evaluate a the chest radiographs. The infants were divided in to two groups. In group 2, there were thirty-two infants with detoriation in their post-extubation chest radiographs. In group 1, there were eighty-three infants who had normal post-extubation chest radiographs. The infants were continuously monitored for their respiratory and oxygenation status before and after extubation. Results: Compared to the pre-extubation chest radiographs, 32 of the 115 (group 2) post-extubation chest radiographs demonastrated either deterioration of the pre-existing lung pathologies or appearance of significant new pathologies. Systematic analysis of the infants' clinical findings and capillary blood gases showed that the development of significant intercostal/subcostal retraction, the increase in hood oxygen concentration, acidosis and hypercarbia after extubation were significantly higher in group 2 (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our findings show that most changes on chest radiographs after extubation are potentially predictable from the clinical condition of the infants. This selective approach will reduce the cost of hospitalization and minimize unnecessary exposure of the infants to irradiation.


Introduction: It is well known that the development of distant metastasis is the strongest prognostic factor associated with cancer mortality. Recent genomic and proteomic studies have demonstrated that the molecular profile of the metastatic lesions significantly differs from the primary tumor. For this reason, to improve response to therapy the identification of new drug targets needs to be based on the molecular profile of the metastatic lesions rather than the primary tumor. Since most targeted therapies work by modulating hyperactivated protein kinase signaling, the aim of this study was to utilize reverse phase protein arrays (RPPA) to quantitatively measure the drug target signaling architecture to identify new therapeutic options for Stage IV breast cancer patients based on the molecular profile of the metastatic lesion. Methods: Snap frozen material collected from 25 metastatic breast cancer patients enrolled in a prospective phase II trial ("Side Out" 1) were used for this study. Sites of metastasis were: liver (n=12), skin (n=5), lymph nodes (n=5), breast (n=2), and pelvis (n=1). All samples were subjected to Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) and RPPA whereby the activation/phosphorylation level of 55 drug targets and linked substrates for FDA cleared/experimental therapies were measured. Results: Unsupervised hieratical clustering analysis revealed distinct patient subgroups driven largely by pathway activation more than by site of metastasis. Based on the activation level of the drug targets and the downstream effectors, three major clusters were identified. Each cluster appeared to be driven by a specific subset of drug targets: a) pan-HER family members, b) EGFR/SRC/ERK/mTOR, and c) IGFR/RAF/MEK/PLK1. Conclusion: This is the first study evaluating the activation status of FDA approved/experimental drug targets and downstream effectors in a relatively large number of breast cancer metastatic lesions. This type of approach provides a unique opportunity for identifying new drug targets for this group of patients and provides initial insights on which pathways should be considered in the delivery of targeted therapy to this group of patients. 1. A Pilot Study Utilizing Molecular Profiling by IHC, FISH, DNA Microarray, and Reverse Phase Protein Microarray (RPMA) of Patients' Tumors to Find Potential Targets and Select Treatments for Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer, sponsored by the Side Out Foundation Citation Format: Mariaelena Pierobon, Kimberly A. Reeder, Gayle Jameson, Nicholas Robert, Stephen P. Anthony, Jasgit Sachdev, Linda Vocila, Julia Wulfkuhle, Elisa Baldelli, Lance Liotta, Emanuel F. Petricoin. Protein pathway activation mapping analysis of metastatic breast cancer reveals potential new targets for personalized therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2043. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2043


Electrical energy saving on the fluorescent lamp can be done by adjusting the lamp voltage, so that emitted light as needed. The objective of this research is to ind aout the characteristic of MERS as a dimmer of fluorescent lamp and can set the energy that it used by the lamp. The method that was done was designed the dimmer of fluorescent lamp with magnetic energy recovery switch. MERS application as a dimmer that firstly was done the simulation with PSIM software. The result of simulation as areference was made a prototype and was tested the feasibility. Worthy and unworthy criteria of MERS device can be determined they are the large of capacitance is smaller than the capacitance resonance, the maximum voltage is twice the capacitor voltage sources and have low harmonic impact. The result of MERS application as a dimmer of fluorescent lamp can improve the power factor reachers 0,882, its harmonic impact THDI = 47,8 %, THDV = 2,95 % and as achieving 73 % energy savings based on the usage. Kata   kunci   :   Perancangan   saklar   pemulih   energi magnetik, penghematan energy


We present six polymorphic microsatellite loci for Chinese tallow tree ( Triadica sebifera , Euphorbiaceae), which is native to East Asia and is an aggressive, invasive species in the southeastern USA, particularly along the Coastal Plain. Microsatellite loci were tested for polymorphism across a total of 79 individuals from populations across the native range of China and in introduced populations of the southeastern USA, California, Hawaii, and Australia. Across these samples, we found a high level of polymorphism, suggesting they will be useful for deducting the introduction history of this invasive species.


(1) The present study aims to explore the impact of job demands and resources (JDR), personal resources, and the organizational culture on workers' wellbeing and health. (2) A cross-sectional survey of Spanish workers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was conducted with a sample of 1599 workers from 154 SMEs. A multivariate multilevel analysis was performed to analyze the different relationships. (3) In light of the results obtained, we observed that job demands were negatively associated with workers' health, while job resources were positively correlated to workers' health and wellbeing. Secondly, the different types of identification at work are positively related to job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), but the intensity of this association differs with the form of identification. Finally, at the organization level, the dimensions of organizational culture are related differently to employees' job satisfaction, OCBs, and health; (4) these results confirm the role of organizational culture and its association with desirable outcomes, allowing us to expand the JDR model.


Le Flaneur, the turn-of-the-century French term for the urban stroller, the street wanderer -- an intellectual with plenty of leisure time to idly traverse the byways of the city, drifting from one quarter to another, making discoveries, meeting old acquaintances, making new ones. It remains the best way to see Paris.This volume of photography is a memoir of numerous walks through the French capital by some great photographers, who set out, like le flaneur, to capture by chance something they had never seen before. These images map and re-map the desired paths and favourite landmarks of one of the most photographed cities in the world, reprinting classic shots from the last two hundred years -- right up to the present day. They poignantly evoke the bars, the cafes, the architecture, the parks and, of course, the vibrancy of the people. Turning the pages is like taking a walk through the history of the city, noting the changes and those elements that are forever Paris -- the tree-lined boulevards, the dimly lit bistros, the narrow passages, and the banks of the River Seine.


Abstract ZrSi/ZrC nanocomposites have stable high-temperature properties, where conventional materials cannot meet increasingly demanding high-temperature environments. In this paper, the microstructure and electrochemical reduction mechanism of ZrSi/ZrC nanocomposites have been studied. A mixture of ZrSiO4 and carbon black powder was processed using ball grinding, sheet pressing, and sintering, and cylindrically-sintered sheet was prepared as the cathode for the electrolytic work. A high purity graphite rod was utilized as the anode.The microstructure of the electrolytic product was characterized and analyzed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results showed that the diameter of the as-synthesized ZrSi/ ZrC fibers typically range between 100-400 nm when produced by the electrolysis of sintered pellets in equimolar CaCl2-NaCl molten salt at 850°C with a cell voltage of 2.8 V for 20 h under an argon atmosphere. The nanofibers were formed in core-shell microstructures that overlap and grow.


This paper presents a Lyapunov based approach to design an asymptotic trajectory tracking controller for robot manipulator using RBF neural network and an adaptive bound on disturbance terms. The controller is composed of computed torque type part, RBF network and an adaptive controller. The controller is able to learn the existing structured and unstructured uncertainties in the system in online manner. The RBF network learns the unknown part of the robot dynamics with no requirement of the offline training. The adaptive controller is used to estimate the unknown bounds on unstructured uncertainties and neural network reconstruction error. The overall system is proved to be asymptotically stable. Finally, the simulation results are performed on a Microbot type of manipulator to show the effectiveness of the controller.


ABSTRACT Bai, J. and Zheng, P.-F., 2019. Catalytic function of coastal economy development on inland economy. In: Gong, D.; Zhu, H., and Liu, R. (eds.), Selected Topics in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 94, pp. 727–731. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. China is striving to realize the regional integration development of coastal and inland economies. It is a key strategy for economic development at present stage in China. To scientifically lead the synergetic development of regional economy integration, this paper attempts to analyze and conclude the driving forces the coastal economy can play on the inland economy from the theoretical and practical perspectives. Based on the theories of port-Hinterland interaction and regional division of labor, it is investigated about how the economies in coastal port and inland cities in Liaoning Province are developing now. With data of GDPs and location quotient available for real cases as reference, the interactive synergy between coastal and inland community economies is measured quantitatively using the Logistic model in an attempt to conclude the push-pull powers between the two with the marginal and elastic analysis. In addition, a synergistic development strategy is also made for coastal and inland community economies. A quantitative and qualitative study is indeed significant for leading the synthetic development of regional economies.


For the superior tracking performance of real-time and robustness obtained with low computational complexity, CAMShift Algorithm is of great importance in video tracking. However, it's a semi-automatic tracker, which is in need of judging and recognizing target by manual. In this paper, an automatic tracking system has been designed by the means of combining differencing-frame and CAMShift. Firstly, foreground/background is detected through sequential double-differencing-three-frame method. The CAMShift Algorithm is then used to calculate the exact location of the target and adjust the size of search window. The location information is transformed into the characters and sent via the serial port lastly, to control the tracker for maintaining the target being always visible in the scene. The algorithm has been implemented on the hardware with the core of DM642. Our experimental results show that, the system is efficient as a video tracker without human under high contrast environment.


Robotic exploration or monitoring missions require mobile robots to autonomously and safely navigate between multiple target locations in potentially challenging environments. Currently, this type of multi-goal mission often relies on humans designing a set of actions for the robot to follow in the form of a path or waypoints. In this letter, we consider the multi-goal problem of visiting a set of pre-defined targets, each of which could be visited from multiple potential locations. To increase autonomy in these missions, we propose a safe multi-goal (SMUG) planner that generates an optimal motion path to visit those targets. To increase safety and efficiency, we propose a hierarchical state validity checking scheme, which leverages robot-specific traversability learned in simulation. We use LazyPRM* with an informed sampler to accelerate collision-free path generation. Our iterative dynamic programming algorithm enables the planner to generate a path visiting more than ten targets within seconds. Moreover, the proposed hierarchical state validity checking scheme reduces the planning time by 30% compared to pure volumetric collision checking and increases safety by avoiding high-risk regions. We deploy the SMUG planner on the quadruped robot ANYmal and show its capability to guide the robot in multi-goal missions fully autonomously on rough terrain.


BACKGROUND
Organizing pneumonia is a pulmonary disease with variable clinical and radiological features and with many differential diagnoses. Diagnosis is based on histology obtained by either transbronchial or surgical lung biopsy but these techniques have several disadvantages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsy in organizing pneumonia and to compare it to the usual diagnostic tools.

METHODS
Six cases of organizing pneumonia diagnosed with CT-guided lung biopsy are reported and discussed. A review of literature concerning the role of CT-guided lung biopsy in the diagnosis of organizing pneumonia was performed.

RESULTS
CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsies provided a higher rate of adequate samples than transbronchial biopsies (92-100% versus 77-86%). The samples were larger, which reduced the risks of misdiagnosis and increased the diagnostic yield (88-97% versus 26-55% in pulmonary nodules and 42-100% versus 66-75% in diffuse pulmonary disease). Complications were rare and generally not serious.

CONCLUSION
CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsy may be considered in place of transbronchial biopsy in the diagnosis of organizing pneumonia. Surgical lung biopsy remains the reference method for diagnosis.


This article reports on the experiences of teachers participating in the field trials of new on-line curriculum materials and associated technologies in England. During the period January to July 2001, teachers in 60 secondary schools in England participated in the trialling of on-line curriculum materials in mathematics, Japanese and Latin. The three subject projects differed in a number of respects, but overall the teacher response was extremely positive. Though this was essentially a curriculum development project with a field trial of materials and an associated evaluation, this article focuses on a number of outcomes relating to aspects of teacher professional development that were a 'side effect' of the field trials and ran across the differing subject settings.


The aim of this paper is to analyze the scientific approach to the analysis of political processes in Antonio Gramsci's and Charles Tilly's works. The attempt to compare the work of two culturally different scholars may seem unorthodox, but it is not. Gramsci and Tilly are two thinkers working in different historical contexts and from different cultural perspectives, nevertheless their intellectual elaborations have several points of contact that allow us to build a theoretical framework that may be useful for a systematic analysis of political change. Gramsci was a Marxist intellectual and political leader working in fascist Italy, in a context of crisis of democratic institutions; Tilly, on the contrary, was a liberal scholar working in the United States of the second half of the twentieth century, but both are united by a common attention to the dynamics of conflict and by their commitment to produce theories that might be rooted in historical processes. Scholarly attention has focused largely on the political originality of the work of Gramsci, yet, in our opinion, his categories may also be a useful analytical tool within a sociological framework. Gramsci, on the one hand, developed a critical attitude towards evolutionistic and determinist conceptions of history by focusing on the historical relevance of the collective will of popular masses in a dialectical relationship with the system of power. Tilly, on the other hand, reacted to the functionalistic and synchronic sociology, which was in part a product of the Durkheimian structuralist approach, by focusing on the relevance of the elaboration of a historically grounded social theory. Both of them elaborated a theory in the study of contentious dynamics by adopting a historical comparative methodology.


The experiment was carried out with the objectives to evaluate the use of morphologic descriptor in the characterization and selection of dwarf elephant grass genotypes, and to evaluate the heritability of the evaluated traits. Nine dwarf elephant grass clones were used (Taiwan A.146 - 2.14, Taiwan A.146 - 2.27, Taiwan A.146 - 2.37, Taiwan A.146 - 2.114, Merker Mexico - 6.2, Merker Mexico - 6.5, Merker Mexico - 6.31, cv. Mott, and CNPGL92F198.7) was allotted to a randomized complete block design was used with three replications. The morphologic descriptors were applied every 60 days after the staging cut. A total of five cuts were performed at 60-day intervals using a height of 10 cm from ground level. Among the evaluated dwarf elephant grass clones the tallest ones were more desirable, and this trait should be considered at the moment of selection. Heritability estimate was high for all evaluated traits of dwarf elephant grass, varying from 66% for sheath wax to 100% for mid-rib color. The Taiwan A.146 - 2.37 clone was similar to the Mott cultivar. Heritability values showed genetic variability among clones, detected at 60 days regrowth. Some of the used morphologic descriptors allowed characterization of the evaluated genotypes. The clones Taiwan A. 146-2.27, Taiwan A. 146-2.37, Taiwan A. 146-2.114, and Merker Mexico 6.31 were the tallest and showed greater total tillering intensity, and were more desirable, presenting greater potential for use under cutting.


This comment is submitted to Korea's Fair Trade Commission ("KFTC") by the Global Antitrust Institute (GAI) at George Mason University School of Law in response to the KFTC's December 16, 2015 amendments to its Review Guidelines on Unfair Exercise of Intellectual Property Rights. The GAI Competition Advocacy Program provides a wide-range of recommendations to facilitate adoption of economically sound competition policy, including how to analyze conduct involving standard-essential patents.


This article describes the modification of a procedure for fabricating a laboratory-processed, metal-reinforced, acrylic resin provisional restoration that becomes an implant-retained fixed partial denture. The modification involves the incorporation of patrix and matrix components into a cast metal framework. The prosthesis can be used as an alternative to a removable radiologic stent and surgical guide. It can function as a surgical guide during implant placement and help retract the buccal mucogingival flap during implant placement. The prosthesis also can be used as an aid in locating the implant during stage II surgery. Finally, the pontics can be converted into an implant-supported provisional restoration immediately after the implant prosthetic components are attached to the uncovered implants.


We analyze the dynamics of electromigration-induced step bunching in the absence of desorption. We show that, even when the instability occurs at long wavelength, hinting to a smooth morphology, the surface suddenly splits into bunches escorted with wide terraces, in agreement with several observations. As the size of the bunches increases, a nonstandard regime is exhibited, namely, the bunches do not match tangentially to the facet, as would the classical Pokrosvky-Talapov shape dictate. This Letter presents a complete scenario of evolution of bunches from their birth up to their ultimate stage.


Abstract Empathy is a critical part of the engineering design process. It allows engineers to more deeply understand their clients' perspectives and design solutions that meet the needs of diverse stakeholders. Studies also show that reframing engineering education to prioritize empathy for others can counteract stereotypes of engineering as impersonal and invite a wider range of identities into the field. This approach can help to address persistent gender disparities in engineering, which reflect a need for engineering education to increase its efforts to include girls' perspectives. Informal learning environments have developed strategies for framing engineering problems in human-centered ways, but more evidence is needed about how children express empathy during engineering design tasks and how expressions of empathy intersect with and support specific engineering design practices in these settings. The present study involved the development of observational methods for documenting empathy within museum-based engineering activities among girls ages 7–14. Engineering activities used elements of narratives (characters, settings, and problem frames) to prompt learners to think about who they were designing for and why. Data included observations and interviews with 245 girls, and iterative cycles of coding and qualitative analyses to develop a set of observable indicators of empathy and engineering design practices. Indicators defined how multiple facets of empathy were expressed (affective, cognitive, and prosocial, as well as connections to familiar personal experiences) based on theoretical understandings of empathy and its development. Final coding of the dataset with these indicators showed that girls' expressions of empathy supported multiple engineering design practices as learners defined problems to solve, and as they generated and iterated solutions with the needs of others in mind. We describe connections between individual facets of empathy and specific engineering practices and discuss implications for practice within formal and informal settings. Abstract Empathy is a critical part of the engineering design process. It allows engineers to more deeply understand their clients' perspectives and design solutions that meet the needs of diverse stakeholders. Studies also show that reframing engineering education to prioritize empathy for others can counteract stereotypes of engineering as impersonal and invite a wider range of identities into the field. This approach can help to address persistent gender disparities in engineering, which reflect a need for engineering education to increase its efforts to include girls' perspectives. Informal learning environments have developed strategies for framing engineering problems in human-centered ways, but more evidence is needed about how children express empathy during engineering design tasks and how expressions of empathy intersect with and support specific engineering design practices in these settings. The present study involved the development of observational methods for documenting empathy within museum-based engineering activities among girls ages 7–14. Engineering activities used elements of narratives (characters, settings, and problem frames) to prompt learners to think about who they were designing for and why. Data included observations and interviews with 245 girls, and iterative cycles of coding and qualitative analyses to develop a set of observable indicators of empathy and engineering design practices. Indicators defined how multiple facets of empathy were expressed (affective, cognitive, and prosocial, as well as connections to familiar personal experiences) based on theoretical understandings of empathy and its development. Final coding of the dataset with these indicators showed that girls' expressions of empathy supported multiple engineering design practices as learners defined problems to solve, and as they generated and iterated solutions with the needs of others in mind. We describe connections between individual facets of empathy and specific engineering practices and discuss implications for practice within formal and informal settings.


Background BK virus (BKV) is a polyomavirus that carries up to a 90% sero-prevalence in the general population. After infection the virus enters a latent phase in the renourinary epithelium. In hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients, BKV reactivation may lead to hemorrhagic cystitis with an incidence of 7%-70%. Aside from BKV, hemorrhagic cystitis (>72 h) has been linked to patient age, conditioning regimen, graft versus host disease (GVHD), and unrelated/mismatch donor. Symptoms range from dysuria to severe hemorrhage leading to clot formation, urinary obstruction and renal impairment. These complications have been shown to impact length of hospitalization, cost of care, and mortality. The incidence and impact of hemorrhagic cystitis in patients receiving fludarabine (Flu), busulfan (Bu)and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) conditioning is unknown. We carried out this study to determine the incidence and its effect on patient outcomes including overall survival, relapse, GVHD, and health care resource use. Patient Selection and Methods We reviewed the medical records of 661 consecutive patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplant from January 1, 2003 to January 1, 2013. Hemorrhagic cystitis was diagnosed with symptoms (cystitis with microscopic or macroscopic hematuria, in the absence of other causes such as bacterial/fungal infection or nephrolithiasis) of at least 1 week following stem cell transplant. Microbiological confirmation was obtained routinely after 2005. Controls were matched to cases in a 2:1 ratio in the following priority: age (+/- 10 years), donor type, disease type, GVHD prophylaxis and disease status. All cases received FluBuATG +/- total body irradiation (400 cGy), and all except two received methotrexate (MTX) and cyclosporine (CsA) for GVHD prophylaxis (only received CsA). Results Hemorrhagic cystitis was identified in 117/661 transplant recipients over ten years, for an incidence of 17.7%. After removing cases with a previous transplant, unsuitable matched controls, and incomplete data, 94 evaluable cases were matched to 188 controls. The cohort median age was 50.25 years. Diagnoses included AML (38.3%), ALL (21.3%), MDS (11.7%), CLL (13.8%), NHL (6.4%) and myeloproliferative syndromes (6.4%). Disease statuses included CR1 (31.9%, CR2 (19.1%), untreated (14.9%), PR (13%) and primary refractory (4.3%). Of the cases, 77 of 83 (92.8%) tested positive for BKV in urine by PCR. Median onset was 45 days (range 12 – 279 days). Median BK viral copies was 2242.5 x 106copies/mL (range 0.285 to 4530000). Cases had higher proportions of significant (Grade 2-4) acute GVHD (43.6% vs 27.0%, P=0.0052) and chronic GVHD (cGVHD) requiring steroids (34.9% vs 18.6%, P=0.004). The median onset of significant acute GVHD (aGVHD) was 27 days (range 11 – 103 days), and for cGVHD was 108 days (range 29 – 236 days). Out of 41 aGVHD cases, 8 occurred after BKV hemorrhagic cystitis diagnosis while 23 occurred prior. In 30 cGVHD cases, 23 occurred after BKV hemorrhagic cystitis diagnosis while 7 occurred prior. Cases also had longer hospital stays in the 6 months following transplant (65.5 days vs 40.5 days, P Conclusions This retrospective study shows that BKV hemorrhagic cystitis is a common complication of allogeneic stem cell transplant. While it does not impact overall survival even in ATG-conditioned patients, it is associated with GVHD and longer hospitalizations. Future studies are warranted to determine how BKV hemorrhagic cystitis is influenced by GVHD. Additionally, studies into the pathophysiology of BK virus reactivation with the eventual goal of developing prophylaxis, preemptive therapy or treatment are also warranted. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Formal job search has undergone massive transformations in the last two decades with the move to online platforms. This makes more stages of the job search process observable, and allows researchers to intervene in this market and improve the design of the job search process and the information available in it. This paper showcases studies that illustrate the potential of analyzing online job search data and of intervening in the online job search process. It presents the current insights and some open questions and highlights conditions under which some of the recent interventions are likely to improve market outcomes overall, rather than improving only the outcomes for the treated individuals.


The current version of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) does not consider Asperger syndrome a diagnostic category. This study was undertaken to see if there is evidence that this diagnosis should be reinstated. An online survey was conducted to examine symptoms and behaviors associated with the current diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (DSM-V), and those associated with Asperger syndrome based on the previous version (DSM-IV-TR). The study also examined other characteristics historically associated with autism, as well as impairments often reported in infancy/young childhood and medical comorbidities frequently associated with autism. The sample included 251 individuals who had received a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome and 1888 who were diagnosed with autism or ASD. Numerous similarities and differences were found between the two groups. The findings are discussed in relation to reestablishing Asperger syndrome as a valid diagnostic category as well as a subtype of ASD.


The rate and products of the uranium + water + oxygen reaction have been studied. Oxygen reduces the corrosion rate 30 to 100-fold and is consumed during the reaction. The oxygen is converted to water and does not react directly with the uranium. Only traces of hydrogen are evolved except under condensation conditions. A mechanism for the reaction is suggested. Hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide have little or no effect on the uranium + water reaction.


This work describes the preparation and characterization of a cellulose acetate fiber coated with Al(2)O(3), resulting in the organic-inorganic hybrid Cel/Al(2)O(3). Furthermore, the hybrid was modified by attaching organofunctional groups by reaction with the precursor reagents (RO)(3)Si(CH(2))(3)L (L=NH(2), NH(CH(2))(2)NH(2), NH(CH(2))(2)NH(CH(2))(2)NH(2), and N(2)C(3)H(3) (imidazole)), resulting in Cel/Al(2)O(3)/Si(CH(2))(3)NH(2) (1), Cel/Al(2)O(3)/Si(CH(2))(3)NH(CH(2))(2)NH(2) (2), Cel/Al(2)O(3)/Si(CH(2))(3)NH(CH(2))(2)NH(CH(2))(2)NH(2) (3), and Cel/Al(2)O(3)/Si(CH(2))(3)N(2)C(3)H(3) (4). The amounts of attached organofunctional groups were (in mmol per gram of the material) 1=1.90, 2=1.89, 3=1.66, and 4=1.35. The isotherms of adsorption of FeCl(3), CuCl(2), and ZnCl(2) by Cel/Al(2)O(3)/Si(CH(2))(3)L from ethanol solutions were obtained at 298 K. Accurate estimates of the specific sorption capacities and the heteregeneous stability constants of the immobilized metal complexes were determined with the aid of several computational procedures. It is shown that the sorptional capacities are much less than the concentrations of the attached organofunctional groups. As all sorption isotherms are fitted properly with the Langmuir isotherm equation, the effects of the energetic heterogeneity and the lateral interactions do not affect the chemisorption equilibria. The heterogeneous stability constants of the immobilized complexes are fairly high, which provides efficient removal of the metal ions from solutions by the hybrid materials.


Tumor initiating cells (TIC) foster treatment resistance and tumor relapse. We show here that in mouse B16 (melanoma) and ID8agg (ovarian carcinoma), and human ovarian cancer ES2, PD-L1 knockdown (shRNA) reduced TIC numbers and functions. Data shown are from 2 PD-L1lo clones/cell type. Sorted, control CD44+CD133+CD24+ (B16), CD44+CD24+ (ID8agg) and ALDHhi (ES2) TIC formed 50-75% more and bigger spheres vs. PD-L1lo TIC in vitro, consistent with reduced TIC self-renewal in PD-L1lo. In vivo, PD-L1lo B16 and ID8agg TIC exhibited reduced tumorigenicity in wild type mice, consistent with poor TIC function, but immune effects could not be excluded. B16 and ES2 PD-L1lo TIC had significantly reduced tumorigenicity versus control TIC in immune deficient NSG mice consistent with cell-autonomous, immune-independent TIC promotion by PD-L1. In further confirmation, we found reduced serial transplantability of PD-L1lo B16 TIC in NSG mice. The canonical stemness genes nanog and pou5f1 (oct4) were significantly higher in control vs. PD-L1lo TIC for B16 and ID8agg. The canonical stemness gene SOX2 was significantly higher in control vs. PD-L1lo ES2 TIC. Altogether, these data validate effects in human cells, and are consistent with PD-L1 driving TIC through stemness gene control, although specific genes differed in distinct tumors (likely due to differing mutational landscapes). mTORC1 signaling linked to stemness (assessed by raptor) was lower but mTORC2 was unaffected (rictor) in PD-L1lo vs control TIC from all 3 tumors, suggesting mTORC1 control of PD-L1-mediated TIC generation. In support, the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin reduced control TIC significantly (>50% vs. untreated). Strikingly, rapamycin significantly increased PD-L1lo TIC in all 3 tumors, suggesting mTORC1 effects differ by tumor PD-L1 status. Interferon (IFN)-γ similarly reduced control TIC and augmented PD-L1lo TIC numbers, suggesting the novel concept that PD-L1 alters IFN-γ signals. PD-L1 sensitization of TIC to IFN-γ and rapamycin is the first example of a molecule enhancing TIC treatment response to our knowledge. We recently reported that αPD-L1 directly reduces B16 and ID8agg proliferation in vitro and in vivo (accession no. 27671674). Preliminary data now show that αPD-L1 (and αPD-1) directly reduce TIC proliferation, and these effects differ from non-TIC. We challenge the paradigm that tumor PD-L1 is primarily an immune escape molecule and that αPD-L1 works primarily to block T cell PD-1 interactions. Citation Format: Harshita B. Gupta, Curtis A. Clark, Bin Yuan, Gangadhara Sareddy, Srilakshmi Pandeswara, Alvaro S. Padron, Vincent Hurez, Jose-Conejo Garcia, Ratna Vadlamudi, Rong Li, Tyler J. Curiel. Cell-intrinsic PD-L1 directs tumor initiating cell fate and rapamycin and interferon-γ response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5649. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5649


Although reflectometry is an efficient method to diagnose simple topologies (such as transmission line, Y shape network), it remains limited in the case of complex branched networks due to multipath fading of the test signal during its propagation. Generally, the knowledge of the environment in which the cable operates gives an additional idea about the fault location. The current paper proposes to introduce the cable life profile (such as environmental stress, type,
age, noise, etc.) to detect and cancel diagnosis ambiguities and provide a precise location of the fault. Bayesian Network (BN) seems to be a suitable solution to offer a coherent representation of knowledge domain (reflectometry method, cable characteristics and network heterogeneity)
under uncertainties (fault(s) location, systems reliability and measurement precision). In this work, a two-stages BN model for diagnosis using reflectometry in branched networks is proposed and simulation results are discussed.


ALU is one of the most important components in a microprocessor that carries out the arithmetic and logical operations. This paper highlights the techniques in designing a low power ALU in nanometer CMOS. Different 10 transistor full adders are compared and chosen the Full adder with least power dissipation to obtain low power and area efficient ALU. The power is reduced by 78% when compared to the existing ALU which is designed using XOR based Full adder. The proposed design does not compromise with the performance as the full adder delay is less. The functionality of the design remains the same despite the temperature and voltage variations.The power dissipation for different temperatures ranging from -50 C to +50 C has been observed. The ultimate goal is to design an ALU with the least number of transistors thereby decreasing the area and power consumption in the overall circuit that takes shape at the end.


Objectives: Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by hallucinations and delusions. Second generation antipsychotics are frequently used to treat the schizophrenia. As there are no clear-cut Indian guidelines for starting a particular drug for newly diagnosed cases of schizophrenia we decided to find out efficacy and tolerability of olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine and amisulpride at 4 weeks after the initiation of treatment. Materials and Method: Newly diagnosed cases of schizophrenia of either sex between age group 18 to 65 were recruited;30 cases in each group[N-120, n-30]. Patients were prescribed either of the study drugs in oral tablet form. Efficacy was assessed by comparing baseline [day 0] and week 4scores of PANSS, CGI and GAF score and tolerability was assessed by UKU PERT scale at 4 week. Results: Olanzapine and risperidone statistically significantly reduced total PANSS score than amisulpride and quetiapine (p<0.05).Olanzapine, risperidone and quetiapine reduced PANSS positive sub score significantly than amisulpride (p<0.05).Quetiapine reduced the PANSS negative sub score significantly than amisulpride (p<0.05).Olanzapine and risperidone were slightly better than amisulpride and quetiapine in reducing CGI-S score and improving GAF score. All drugs were equally tolerable at the end of 4 weeks.


An experiment has been performed, using a simple chaotic model, to compare different ensemble perturbation strategies. The model used is a 300 variable Lorenz 95 model which displays many of the characteristics of atmospheric numerical weather prediction models. Twenty member ensembles were generated using five perturbation strategies, error breeding, singular vectors, random perturbations (RPs), the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) and the Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (ETKF). Based on normal verification methods, such as rank histograms and spread of the perturbations, the RPs method performs as well as any other method—this illustrates the limitations of using a simple model. Consideration of the quality of the background error information provided by the ensemble gives a better assessment of the ensemble skill. This measure indicates that the EnKF performs best, with the ETKF combined with RPs being the next most skillful. It was found that neither the ETKF, error breeding nor singular vectors provided useful background information on their own. Central to the success of the EnKF is the localization of the background error covariance which removes spurious long-range correlations within the ensemble. Computationally efficient versions of the EnKF (such as the ETKF) cannot accommodate covariance localization and their performance is seen to suffer. Applying the ETKF to a series of local domains has been tested, which allows covariance localization whilst remaining computational efficient, and this has been found to be nearly as effective as the EnKF with covariance localization.


This paper focuses on the connection between agreed solutions to the insolvency of listed companies implying changes in corporate control and the rules governing takeover bids. The solution to insolvency problems sometimes leads to a change in corporate control, namely when the solution involves modifying the capital structure of the company. In such cases, when the insolvent entity is a listed company, takeover bid regulation must be taken into account, as it can render the operation impossible or economically useless, if the change in control of the company must be accompanied by a mandatory takeover bid. As seen below, there are specific rules governing these scenarios. This paper reviews how Spanish Law deals with the situation, although certain general ideas will be initially provided as an introduction to the problem.


In this letter, we present Gaussian Process Preintegration, a preintegration theory based on continuous representations of inertial measurements. A novel use of linear operators on Gaussian Process kernels is employed to generate the proposed Gaussian Preintegrated Measurements (GPMs). This formulation allows the analytical integration of inertial signals on any time interval. Consequently, GPMs are especially suited for asynchronous inertial-aided estimation frameworks. Unlike discrete preintegration approaches, the proposed method does not rely on any explicit motion-model and does not suffer from numerical integration noise. Additionally, we provide the analytical derivation of the Jacobians involved in the first-order expansion for postintegration bias and inter-sensor time-shift correction. We benchmarked the proposed method against existing preintegration methods on simulated data. Our experiments show that GPMs produce the most accurate results and their computation time allows close-to-real-time operations. We validated the suitability of GPMs for inertial-aided estimation by integrating them into a lidar-inertial localisation and mapping framework.


Hajj pilgrims must have certain vaccines for pilgrimage; these requirements aim to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. This study analyzed the trends in vaccine adherence for meningitis, yellow fever, and polio from January 2017- December 2019. These trends can help in guiding future policymaking to prevent outbreaks during Hajj and similar mass gatherings. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics for Hajj pilgrims and Hajj seasonal workers arriving in Saudi Arabia over three years (2017–2019). Health Control Centers (HCCs) collected data at points-of-entry (PoE) and entered it into Saudi Arabia's Health Electronic Surveillance Network (HESN). We reviewed HESN data to collect information on total passengers arriving per country and the number of passengers vaccinated for: meningococcal meningitis, poliomyelitis, and yellow fever. We compared data to identify the difference in vaccination by region.  We used chi-square tests to assess differences in compliance rate among these travelers by year and country of origin. The number of participating countries increased from 113 to 132. Meningitis vaccine coverage increased by 5% from 2017–2019. The increase was not statistically significant. Asia had the lowest overall adherence rate (83%). Yellow fever adherence decreased significantly using a difference of mean adherence between 2017 and 2019 (p-value 0.01). Polio vaccination adherence decreased by 5% from 2017 to 2019; this was not significant (p-value = 0.08). The vaccine coverage increased for meningitis and decreased for yellow fever and polio. Less than 100% vaccine adherence among Hajj travelers creates the potential for the spread of infectious diseases. Proof of vaccination should be required in submitted visa applications. Countries of origin and Saudi Arabia must work together to ensure that all Hajjis are adequately vaccinated before departure.