Recently, there has been growing interest in the oxyfuel combustion cycle since it enables high-purity efficiency. However, the oxyfuel combustion cycle has some important issues regarding to its performance such as the requirement of water recirculation to decrease a turbine inlet temperature and proper combustion to enhance cycle efficiency. Also, Some of water vapour remain not condensed at condenser outlet because cycle working fluid contains non-condensable gas, i.e., . The purpose of the present study is to analyze performance characteristics of the oxyfuel combustion cycle with different turbine inlet temperatures, combustion pressures and condenser pressure. It is expected that increasing the turbine inlet temperature improves cycle efficiency, on the other hand, the combustion pressure has specific value to display highest cycle efficiency. And increasing condensing pressure improves water vapour condensing rate.


Bounded Variable Elimination (BVE) is an important Boolean formula simplification technique in which the variable ordering is crucial. We define a new variable ordering based on variable activity, called ESA (variable Elimination Scheduled by Activity), for in-processing BVE in Conflict-Driven Clause Learning (CDCL) SAT solvers, and incorporate it into several state-of-the-art CDCL SAT solvers. Experimental results show that the new ESA ordering consistently makes these solvers solve more instances on the benchmark set including all the 5675 instances used in the Crafted, Application and Main tracks of all SAT Competitions up to 2022. In particular, one of these solvers with ESA, Kissat_MAB_ESA, won the Anniversary track of the SAT Competition 2022. The behaviour of ESA and the reason of its effectiveness are also analyzed.


Multicriteria optimization problems occur in many real life applications, for example in cancer radiotherapy treatment and in particular in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). In this work we focus on optimization problems with multiple objectives that are ranked according to their importance. We solve these problems numerically by combining lexicographic optimization with our recently proposed level set scheme, which yields a sequence of auxiliary convex feasibility problems; solved here via projection methods. The projection enables us to combine the newly introduced superiorization methodology with multicriteria optimization methods to speed up computation while guaranteeing convergence of the optimization. We demonstrate our scheme with a simple 2D academic example (used in the literature) and also present results from calculations on four real head neck cases in IMRT (Radiation Oncology of the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany) for two different choices of superiorization parameter sets suited to yield fast convergence for each case individually or robust behavior for all four cases.


Educational technology (EdTech) is a dynamic, evolving field and as such, in identifying and mapping research patterns in this field, a systematic approach is required. Starting from when the World Wide Web became publicly available, this study conducts a systematic review of educational technology research patterns. The review showed that after 1993, there was a sudden increase in the number of educational technology publications, and that in terms of subject areas, social sciences dominate the field, which suggests that there is a need for more interdisciplinary research. Regarding the geographical distribution of the research, the review found that most of the contributions come from the same developed countries. The following themes from over the course of almost three decades were identified: 1993–1999 multimedia learning and instructional design; 2000–2004 convergence of educational technology, distance education and online learning environments, and educational technology integration in traditional learning settings; 2005–2009 revising curriculum for educational technology, educational technology in higher education and distance education, and the bottleneck of the significant differences in educational technology research; 2010–2014 online learning and higher education, integration of ICT and full potential of educational technology; and 2015–2019 data-driven, smart educational technology, big data, and learning analytics. While critical views are increasing, this study also observed that some discourse, such as arguments that EdTech will change education and replace teachers, are constantly articulated throughout the literature.


: The book Children's transitions in everyday life and institutions , firts published in 2019, addresses children's transitions in/between institutional practices in the light of the principles of historical-cultural psychology. Organized by Mariane Hedegaard and Marilyn Fleer, the work portrays diverse empirical situations highlighting the child's perspective in the transitional processes that, occurring from a very early age in childhood, promote the restructuring of their social relationships. This potentially holds the possibility of forming new affective-cognitive capacities. The emphasis on the child's perspective and the institutional dimension in the analysis of the leading activities are pointed out, in this review, as important contributions to Brazilian scholars of this theoretical tradition. We discuss the expansion of the scope of the concept of transition, including "horizontal" passages of microgenetic level, arguing for the transformation of motives and their intentional organization in educational processes to be retained as core aspects of the problem of transitions in development.


Infectious Endocarditis is a disease almost invariably fatal if it is not treated in the proper manner. A review is presented of the cardiac abnormalities and procedures associated with its development as well as the most recent classification of the different modalities of endocarditis. The clinical manifestation, the causative organisms and diagnostic procedures are summarized. The American Heart Assciation and the American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) recommendations for management of native valve endocarditis, infective endocarditis in drug users, prosthetic valve endocarditis and culture negative endocarditis are summarized. The conditions that justify surgical interventions are also presented.


Extraordinary optical transmission is observed due to the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in 2-dimensional hexagonal anti-dot patterns of pure Ni thin films, grown on sapphire substrates. A strong enhancement of the polar Kerr rotation is recorded at the surface plasmon related transmission maximum. Angular resolved reflectivity measurements under an applied field reveal an enhancement and a shift of the normalized reflectivity difference upon reversal of the magnetic saturation (transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect-TMOKE). The change of the TMOKE signal clearly shows the magnetic field modulation of the dispersion relation of SPPs launched in a 2D patterned ferromagnetic Ni film.Extraordinary optical transmission is observed due to the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons in 2-dimensional hexagonal anti-dot patterns of pure Ni thin films, grown on sapphire substrates. A strong enhancement of the polar Kerr rotation is recorded at the surface plasmon related transmission maximum. Angular resolved reflectivity measurements under an applied field reveal an enhancement and a shift of the normalized reflectivity difference upon reversal of the magnetic saturation (transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect-TMOKE). The change of the TMOKE signal clearly shows the magnetic field modulation of the dispersion relation of SPPs launched in a 2D patterned ferromagnetic Ni film.


Crosstalk between the brain and systemic responses in blood is increasingly suspected of playing critical roles in stroke. However, how this communication takes place remains to be fully understood. Here, we show that reactive astrocytes can release a damage-associated molecular-pattern molecule called high-mobility-group-box-1 (HMGB1) that promotes endothelial progenitor cell (EPC)-mediated neurovascular remodeling during stroke recovery. Conditioned media from reactive astrocytes increase EPC proliferation in vitro. siRNA suppression of HMGB1 in astrocytes or blockade of the HMGB1 receptor for advanced glycation endproducts in EPCs prevents this effect. In a mouse model of focal cerebral ischemia, reactive astrocytes in the peri-infarct cortex up-regulate HMGB1 at 14 d poststroke, along with an accumulation of endogenous EPCs. In vivo siRNA suppression of HMGB1 blocks this EPC response, reduces peri-infact angiogenesis, and worsens neurological deficits. Taken together, these molecular and in vivo findings support a previously undescribed mechanism of crosstalk between reactive astrocytes and EPCs wherein HMGB1 promotes neurovascular remodeling and functional recovery after stroke and brain injury.


Angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulation of vascular smooth muscle results in a myriad of intracellular signals that interact to produce the final physiologic response of the cell. One of the earliest documented events following incubation of these cells with Ang II is the rapid, phos-pholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate to yield two second messengers, inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. Inositol trisphosphate releases calcium from nonmitochondrial intracellular storage sites, while diacylglycerol activates protein kinase C. Ang II also stimulates calcium influx and increases calcium efflux for the duration of the stimulus, as well as causing a biphasic change in intracellular pH. The delayed alkalinization is a consequence of enhanced Na+/H+ exchange. These signals then interact to modify the targets of phospholipase C, and result in phosphorylation of numerous cytoplasmic and cytoskeletal proteins. Thus, the signaling events induced by Ang II are complex, and dynamically interact to produce a constantly changing response for the duration of the stimulus.


Mathematics learning outcomes at MI NU Manbaul Hidayah are still low as evidenced by student learning outcomes that have not reached the KKM 65. This is because in the delivery of learning materials the teachers still uses the lecture method so that students become passive. The learning model can foster student activity in the process. The formulation of the problem from this research is whether the use of the teams game tournament (TGT) learning model can improve the learning outcomes of prime number mathematics in fourth grade students of MI NU Manba'ul Hidayah in the 2021/2022 school year?. The purpose of this study was to determine the use of the teams game tournament (TGT) learning model to improve the learning outcomes of prime number mathematics in fourth grade students of MI NU Manaul Hidayah in the 2021/2022 academic year. This research is a classroom action research conducted in one cycles,it consists of the four stages, namely planning, implementation, observation, and reflection. The subjects of this study were fourth grade students of MI NU Manbaul Hidayah, totaling 16 students including 9 boys and 7 girls. The research instrument includes test questions and observation  sheets. Data collection methods used are tests, observations, and documentation. The data were analyzed statistically using the percentage formula, if 85% of students completed the cycle was stopped. The results showed that the teams game tournament (TGT) learning model could improve student learning outcomes for class IV MI NU Manbaul Hidayah in 2021. Increased student studies based on cycles 1 is found 87,5% student reach peak and 12,5% have not yet been close.


On 5 June, China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce ("SAIC") adopted two sets of procedural provisions to implement three areas of the Anti-Monopoly Law ("AML"), namely monopolistic…


This paper assesses whether or to what extent the macroeconomic imbalances, which emerged in the "North" and "South" of the European Monetary Union before the financial and economic crisis of 2008-09, are symmetric. First, we show that the imbalances stemmed from different growth patterns and quantify the contributions of foreign and domestic demand to GDP growth in the EMU countries. Second, we calculate bilateral exports and imports between all EU countries, applying the concept of "trade in value added", and discuss their role in the emergence of trade surpluses and deficits. Third, we quantify to what extent an increase in domestic demand in the North and a decrease in the South would support the elimination of these imbalances. Finally, we calculate a hypothetical scenario in which final demand expands to such extent that all intra-EMU trade is balanced. We thereby evaluate whether or to what extent the macroeconomic imbalances can be eliminated by demand adjustments in the EMU countries.


Targeted recombination was used to select mouse hepatitis virus isolates with stable and efficient expression of the gene encoding the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The EGFP gene was inserted into the murine coronavirus genome in place of the nonessential gene 4. These viruses expressed the EGFP gene from an mRNA of slightly slower electrophoretic mobility than mRNA 4. EGFP protein was detected on a Western blot of infected cell lysates and EGFP activity (fluorescence) was visualized by microscopy in infected cells and in viral plaques. Expression of EGFP remained stable through at least six passages in tissue culture and during acute infection in the mouse central nervous system. These viruses replicated with similar kinetics and to similar final extents as wild-type virus both in tissue culture and in the mouse central nervous system (CNS). They caused encephalitis and demyelination in animals as wild-type virus; however, they were somewhat attenuated in virulence. Isogenic EGFP-expressing viruses that differ only in the spike gene and express either the spike gene of the highly neurovirulent MHV-4 strain or the more weakly neurovirulent MHV-A59 strain were compared; the difference in virulence and patterns of spread of viral antigen reflected the differences between parental viruses expressing each of these spike genes. Thus, EGFP-expressing viruses will be useful in the studies of murine coronavirus pathogenesis in mice.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop the methodology which can facilitate the concept of reconfiguration in the manufacturing system.Design/methodology/approachDesign methodology includes the calculation of similarity matrix, formation of part family, and selection of part family. ALC algorithm has been used for part family formation and three criteria have been considered for the selection of part family. These criteria are reconfiguration effort, under-utilization cost, and floor space cost. AHP has been used to calculate the weights of criteria and reference ideal method has been used for the selection of alternatives.FindingsIn the manufacturing system, machines should be grouped on the basis of reconfiguration cost. When the time period is less, light machines and Group 1 machines are added and removed. In the case study, the concept of reconfiguration is useful for families (A, B, C, D). Machines can be reused by adding/removing some modules of machines. The concept of reconfiguration becomes more useful when it is implemented with lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing techniques Jidoka and Poka-yoke are used to increase the diagnosability of the system.Practical implicationsIndustrial case study has been considered.Social implicationsMarket competition is increasing rapidly and it increases the demand and variety of products, due to which manufacturing enterprises are forced to adapt a manufacturing system which can adjust its capacity and functionality quickly at low cost. To reconfigure manufacturing system from one product/product family to another product/product family, changes can be done in hardware and/or software components in response to sudden changes in the market or in regulatory requirements.Originality/valueAn integrated approach for reconfiguration has been proposed considering the industrial application. It includes weighted Jaccard function, ALCA, AHP, RIM. The methodology for calculation of reconfiguration effort, under-utilization cost, and floor space cost has been presented for industrial case.


More than 12 million children under the age of 18 years have been orphaned worldwide, as a result of HIV/AIDS, with Nigeria having the largest number of HIV/AIDS orphans in Africa, as more people die from AIDS, the proportion and problems of orphans and vulnerable children will increase. Little is known about the health and nutrition of those HIV/AIDS orphans and inconsistent findings make it difficult to assess if orphans and other vulnerable children have specific nutritional needs. This study investigated nutritional status HIV/AIDS orphans in Sagamu. The study population consisted of fifty seronegative orphans of parents who died as a result of HIV infection and AIDS and fifty seronegative non-orphaned children whose parents were HIV negative who served as control. Nutritional status was assessed anthropometrically and biochemically. Height, weight, mid-upper arm circumference and head circumference were measured in orphans and control. Significant difference (p< 0.05) was obtained in the percentage of children having stunted growth as determined by height-for-age in the orphans 30%, compared to 8% in the control. Also haemoglobin and plasma levels of total protein, albumin, calcium and phosphate were significantly reduced (p< 0.05) in the orphans compared with the control Nutritional status seemed to be compromised in the HIV/AIDS orphaned. Micronutrient profile assessment in a large sample size is suggested.


Strategy diffusion is a common phenomenon in the collective motion of multiagents, which is the large scale of strategy penetrations of certain agents on other agents; there are many kinds of diffusion forms; among them, the collective diffusion is always seen, which implies that a social strategy accepted by collective agents may have strong authority and tend to diffuse to other agents. This paper presents a novel spatial model for the collective strategy diffusion in multiagent societies. In the model, the social distance between agents can be measured in a Euclidian space; the authority of a social strategy is determined by not only the number but also the collective social positions of its overlaid agents; social strategies that have strong authorities are impressed on the other agents, and the agents will accept (partially or in full) or reject them based on their own social strategies and social positions. Moreover, the paper also considers the concurrent form in the collective diffusion and presents that an agent's social strategy is influenced not only by the diffusion that bears on itself but also by other concurrent diffusion processes that bear on other agents, and an agent will incline to the average social strategy of the whole system, which can make the system more unified. Finally, the paper uses queue orientation as a case to study the presented model.


Although a solid understanding of fractions is foundational in mathematics, the concept of fractions remains a challenging one. Previous research suggests that multiple graphical representations (MGRs) may promote learning of fractions. Specifically, we hypothesized that providing students with MGRs of fractions, in addition to the conventional symbolic notation, leads to better learning outcomes as compared to instruction incorporating only one graphical representation. We anticipated, however, that MGRs would make the students' task more challenging, since they must link the representations and distill from them a common concept or principle. Therefore, we hypothesized further that self-explanation prompts would help students benefit from working with MGRs. To investigate these hypotheses, we conducted a classroom study in which 112 6th-grade students used intelligent tutors for fraction conversion and fraction addition. The results of the study show that students learned more with MGRs of fractions than with a single representation, but only when prompted to self-explain how the graphics relate to the symbolic fraction representations.


Urban rail networks play an important role in urban transportation. An unexpected disruption in a rail network can cause a significant degradation in the level of service. When a disruption occurs, it is crucial to provide quick and efficient substitution of services via alternative transportation modes, including bridging disconnected railway stations using bus services. The amount of disruptions, surprisingly, is high; for example, there are more than 15 000 disruptions in six months in Melbourne, Australia. The provision of bus bridging services calls for proper planning and designing of a temporary bus bridging network considering limited bus and driver resources, and prevailing urban traffic conditions. Among a number of tasks concerning bus bridging, the demand modeling of affected train passengers is a prerequisite for a satisfactory bus bridging practice. This paper explores this demand modeling problem based on the theory of compound Poisson processes and formulates it as a bulk queuing problem involving balking and reneging. The problem is carefully studied, with a series of analytical results delivered. Large-scale Monte Carlo simulations were designed and implemented to demonstrate a range of mathematical conclusions.


The article analyses the rationale of credit ratings in financial market regulation with a specific focus on bank capital regulation. Specifically, it traces the development of external credit ratings in bank capital regulation and in particular how they became a major component of Basel II. In doing so, it reviews how ratings were used in the structured finance markets before the global financial crisis began in 2007 and how their misuse contributed to the crisis. Because ratings had become an integrated feature in banking and securities market regulation, risk management in financial firms became excessively dependent on their use thereby creating agency problems and increased systemic risks in financial markets. The paper also considers the implications of the use of credit ratings in bank capital regulation for macro-prudential supervision and the control of systemic risks. It highlights the different approaches to the use of credit ratings in bank capital regulation between the European Union and the United States and suggests that the lack of harmonisation in this area could lead to market distortions and systemic risks. Finally the article concludes that credit ratings are inappropriate in prudential bank regulation especially in determining bank regulatory capital and their use should be reconsidered in the Basel III agreement.


Objectives: Post-cholecystectomy syndrome (PCS) refers to the continuation or recurrence of biliary colic and any other gastrointestinal symptoms present prior to cholecystectomy. Given that PCS is rare and underestimated in Saudi Arabia, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of PCS among Saudis. Methods: This cross-sectional study included randomly gathered subjects who self-administered the validated European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 questionnaire from September 6 to October 7, 2022. Results: A total of 518 participants who underwent cholecystectomies were included; most were female (73.6%), 153 (29.5%) were 19 to 25 years old, and the vast majority were Saudi Arabian (91.1%). The average preoperative weight was 71 ± 20.7 kg (range 20 to 258), and the mean current weight was 69 ± 19.4 kg (range 30 to 257). About 137 (26.4%) had a chronic disease, most frequently hypertension (37.2%). In the past week, most participants experienced some trouble doing strenuous activities (42.9%), slight pain (37.6%), fatigue (32.2%), insomnia (37.5%), and weakness (38.2%). There were no significant associations between age, nationality, or residence with the QLQ-C30 score (P-value = 0.152, 0.262, 0.071, respectively). A significant association was observed between gender and QLQ-C30 score (P-value < 0.001), with females scoring higher than their male counterparts. Females also reported having a higher quality of life than males. Conclusions: The prevalence of PCS was higher than reported elsewhere.


Output space mapping is a technique introduced to enhance the robustness of the space-mapping optimization process in case the space-mapped coarse model cannot provide sufficient matching with the fine model. The technique often works very well; however, in some cases it fails. Especially in the microwave area where the typical model response (e.g., |S 21|) is a highly nonlinear function of the free parameter (e.g., frequency), the output space-mapping correction term may actually increase the mismatch between the surrogate and fine models for points other than the one at which the term was calculated, as in the surrogate model optimization process. In this paper, an adaptive response correction scheme is presented to work in conjunction with space-mapping optimization algorithms. This technique is designed to alleviate the difficulties of the standard output space mapping by adaptive adjustment of the response correction term according to the changes of the space-mapped coarse model response. Examples indicate the robustness of our approach.


We have carried out a numerical study of both the structural and thermodynamic properties of free-standing smectic films (FSSFs) for two cases of enhanced pair interactions in the bounding layers. Calculations, based upon the extended McMillan's approach with anisotropic forces, shows a stepwise reduction of the value of the heat capacity as the temperature is raised above the bulk smectic A-isotropic transition. The effects of surface "enhanced" pair interactions in the bounding layers and of film thickness on the orientational and translational order parameters, the Helmholtz free energy, and entropy of FSSFs have also been investigated. Reasonable agreement between the theoretically predicted and the experimentally obtained--by means of calorimetric techniques--data on the heat capacity of the partially fluorinated 5-n-alkyl-2-(4-n-(perfluoroalkyl-metheleneoxy)phenyl) (H10F5MOPP) films has been obtained.


It is no mere coincidence that the ongoing revolution in information technology has coincided with an explosive increase of reference works, not the least in religious studies and biblical studies. The unprecedented production rate of such works today led one scholar to dub our times "a golden age of reference books," resulting in the challenge of "oversupply." This article reflects historically upon the basic impulse behind the conceptualizing, planning, and production of large encyclopedias in religious and biblical studies: the sense of information overload, and the desire to bring order to it.


Current labour market developments, i.e. decreasing manpower demands, aggravation of selection, will in the years ahead confront vocational rehabilitation policy, too, with important decisions in terms of expanded service provision or intensified selectiveness. Short-term economic, labour market-oriented cost-benefit considerations will in this process be opposed by longer-term, education and social policy ones. The risk of lasting ruptures occurring between the employment-possessing population and the long-term unemployed, or those in highly jeopardized jobs, with the new social inequities thus generated, will in particular have to be given attention in future decision-making.


Recently a new peptide, pancreastatin, was isolated from porcine pancreatic extracts. It contains 49 amino acids and shows a structural similarity to chromogranin A, which occurs in secretory granules of the endocrine pancreas. Furthermore, pancreastatin has been found to inhibit glucose-induced insulin secretion in the perfused rat pancreas. However, its effects under in vivo conditions have never been studied. We have therefore investigated the effects of this peptide on insulin and glucagon secretion in vivo in the mouse. We found that an intravenous injection of pancreastatin (4.0 nmol/kg) lowered basal plasma insulin concentration at 6 min from 55 ± 8 μU/ml in control mice to 21 ± 7 microU/ml (P < .01). The peptide also inhibited the plasma insulin response to both glucose (P < .01) and the cholinergic agonist carbachol (P < .001). Furthermore, 2 min after injection of pancreastatin, plasma glucagon concentration had increased to 301 ± 19 pg/ml compared to 190 ± 12 pg/ml in control mice (P < .001). The peptide did not, however, affect the carbachol-induced plasma glucagon response. In addition, pancreastatin induced a transient hyperglycemia. Combined adrenergic blockade by means of a pretreatment of phentolamine and propranolol did not prevent pancreastatin from exerting its effects on plasma insulin levels, whereas the increase in plasma glucagon levels was abolished. Thus, in the mouse, the newly discovered intrapancreatic peptide pancreastatin 1) lowers baseline plasma insulin levels, 2) inhibits glucose- and cholinergically induced insulin secretion, 3) stimulates baseline glucagon secretion, and 4) induces hyperglycemia. The effects seen were modest in potency, and the effects on plasma insulin levels were seen also after combined α- and β-adrenoreceptor antagonism. We suggest that pancreastatin could be a regulator of islet function.


The objective of this study was to determine if the application of two antitranspirant compounds would moderate water deficit stress effects on physiological responses of "Granny Smith", "Royal Gala" and "Golden Delicious" apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees on MM106 rootstock that occur during deficit irrigation. Uniform trees were grown in pots under water supply regimes of 30%, 60%, and 80% depletion of available water (DAW) before irrigation to runoff and received applications of kaolin particle film (PF) or abscisic acid (ABA) at 0, 30 and 60 days. At 120 days, genotype and deficit irrigation affected nearly all leaf traits, but antitranspirant treatment had no significant effects. As the % DAW increased, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (T), stomatal conductance, leaf water and pressure potential, variable-to-maximal chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf number, and leaf N, P and K contents were reduced. A significant genotype by deficit irrigation interaction was evident on T, water use efficiency (WUE), and leaf osmotic pressure potential. A significant deficit irrigation by antitranspirant interaction was evident on only leaf Pn, with PF and ABA reducing it at 30% DAW and only PF reducing it at 80% DAW. However, the periodic use of PF or ABA during deficit irrigation did not alleviate most physiological effects of water deficit stress due to deficit irrigation.


This contribution deals with the worship of Apollo and Artemis in Siracusa and its territory in epigraphic documents, starting from the origin of the colony up to the Hellenistic-Roman era, and also its interrelations with the veneration of other non-Greek gods worshipped in South-Eastern Sicily. The links between the cult of Apollo and that of Anna are here specifically analysed as well as those between the cult of the Paides and another oracular goddess, Maie , who was deeply venerated in Siracusa's territory, near Akrai. As far as Artemis is concerned, particular enphasis is put on the interpretation of an inscription relating to the cult of Artemis Pheraia in Siracusa and its connections to the two underworld goddesses Demetra and Kore, thus confirming the religious syncretism originated by the merger of different cultures.


Fusion reactor fuel cycles based on the D–3He and D–D reactions have been advocated as alternatives to deuterium and tritium (D–T). In this paper we make a careful assessment of the feasibility of burning these alternative fuels in a fusion reactor. A zero-dimensional model of the energy balance including radial profile effects for plasma temperature and density with accurate algorithms for synchrotron and bremsstrahlung radiation losses is used to calculate the required plasma conditions. Radiation losses and other factors severely restrict the choice of fuel mixtures that can be brought to ignition—and even under the most favourable assumptions, ignition requires plasma conditions in terms of energy confinement time, density, temperature and beta that are significantly more demanding than the conditions required to burn D–T. These requirements are far beyond the best conditions that have been reached in any present-day magnetic confinement experiments. A very serious issue is the stringent limit on the maximum concentrations of impurities and helium ash that can be tolerated. We consider the extent to which neutrons are reduced and briefly discuss the prospects for direct conversion. Finally we look at the serious problem of supplying 3He fuel in sufficient quantities to sustain a worldwide fusion energy programme and discuss the limitations of lunar sources and the difficulties of manufacturing 3He from D–D.


I the memory of falling off the wall that makes it so I can see things the way they really happened. It's remembering that little bit of time I spent hanging upside down in the air with my legs pointing up towards the heavy clouds that makes it so I can tell what's real and what ain't. It's God who made me fall, so when I remember looking up and seeing how those green pine needles were spread out against the sky, I can see things the way God sees them, but I won't tell anybody about it because they'd mess it all up. Nobody ever listens. They just think about stuff however they want to, so I keep secret how when I close my eyes to look at the way the wall's chalky-looking rock was slipping past my Sunday shoes, I can see everything that Mama and Daddy ever did, and it's from feeling my head about to hit the ground that I know Daddy's coming up here to get me as soon as the Shrimp Man dies. I'm sitting on a piece of log that's almost rotted away. The weeds in our yard are so high that from down where I'm sitting, there's nothing to see but the weeds and the sky and the trees that run all along one side of the yard, and when I close my eyes and remember falling, I can see what Mama's doing right now, can see her standing at her register at work, trying not to think about all the things she could've done different. That store always smells like sour milk and rotten meat, and even though she's been working there for the whole summer, she hasn't gotten used to it yet. She sometimes won't notice it when she's busy, but when she's finishing ringing somebody up and their groceries are in a bag and there's nothing for her to do but wait for them to dig through their pockets or their purse to find the money that they've got crumpled up somewhere, that smell'll get all up in her nose and even sting her eyes some. She'll feel it get all on her skin too, and that's why she takes a shower as soon as she comes home, and why she won't buy anything at that store, even toilet paper or food in a can, because she thinks that smell can get through plastic and that it can seep in through her skin too. She thinks the smell in that store could make her sick, and so when the front door slides open and a fat, dark-skinned lady wearing bedroom slippers comes in, Mama breathes deep when that hot, fresh air blows in from outside. The lady's pants are slipping down on her when she walks, and so every time she takes a step, Mama can see more of the roll of fat that's sticking out from under her shirt and hanging over the top of her pants. And there're three dirty children following behind her, all of them sucking their fingers and all of them in a line and moving slower than their mother. It takes a long time for them to get through that door, so that air keeps blowing in on Mama's face until she can't hardly smell that store anymore, and she opens her mouth when she breathes so that she can get as much of that air as she can. It's quiet in that store, with nothing but the humming of the coolers and Mama breathing in and out and the slapping of that lady's slippers on the tile of the floor. The children following behind her aren't wearing any shoes, and their feet don't make a sound while they're walking through that space between the registers and the big windows with signs taped up on them. The sun's shining through the yellow paper those signs are made of, and the light at the front looks like something you


By using LI 1600 steady state porometer, the transpiration changes of the Vicia faba L.leaves were determined through a day and under the condition of the water stress, in order to evaluate the effect of environmental factors on the transpiration rate of the Vicia faba leaves. The result indicated that PFD is the principal meteorological factor influencing transpiration. The soil water content influenced the relative water content of leaf leaves, and also influenced the transpiration by stoma diffusing resistance.


Doping via electrostatic gating is a powerful and widely used technique to tune the electron densities in layered materials. The microscopic details of how these doping strategies affect the layered material are, however, subtle and call for careful theoretical treatments. The external gates do not just increase the Fermi level in the system, but also generate external electric fields which affect the layered material as well. As a result, the electron densities within the system can redistribute and might thereby affect the electronic band structure in a non-trivial way. Theoretical descriptions via rigid shifts of the Fermi level can, therefore, be highly inaccurate. Using semiconducting monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as prototypical systems affected by electrostatic gating, we show that the electronic and optical properties change indeed dramatically when the gating geometry is properly taken into account. This effect is implemented by a self-consistent calculation of the Coulomb interaction between the charges in different sub-layers within the tight-binding approximation. Thereby we consider both single- and double-sided gating. Our results show that, at low doping levels of 1013 cm−2, the electronic bands of monolayer TMDs shift rigidly for both types of gating, and subsequently undergo a Lifshitz transition. When approaching doping levels of 1014 cm−2, the band structure changes dramatically, especially in the case of single-sided gating where we find that monolayer MoS2 and WS2 become indirect gap semiconductors. The optical conductivities calculated within linear response theory also show clear signatures of these doping-induced band structure renormalizations. Our numerical results based on light-weighted tight-binding models indicate the importance of charge screening in doped layered structures, and pave the way for further understanding gated super-lattice structures formed by multilayers with extended Moiré patterns.


Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) evaluates the economic performance of alternative pavement investments. Currently, practitioners treat input parameters as static, deterministic values, which although computationally simpler, will hide the implicit uncertainty underlying the analysis. Over the past decade, an emphasis has been placed upon accounting for uncertainty by treating input parameters as probabilistic, rather than deterministic, values. This research builds upon existing pavement LCCA work by probabilistically characterizing several sources of uncertainty, including unitcost of construction activities, pavement deterioration, and forecasting of future material prices. The probabilistically characterized input parameters have subsequently been implemented in three concrete pavement case studies which vary in terms of analysis period. For each case study, uncertainty has been propagated to characterize the difference in life-cycle costs and has been used to elicit which input parameters are significant contributors to the overall life-cycle cost uncertainty in each scenario. From the analysis, uncertainty surrounding unit-cost is the dominant driver of variation across all scenarios, significantly outweighing the impact of the many other input parameters considered; this suggests practitioners should focus their efforts on deriving statistical characterization methods to reduce its variation, if possible, rather than focusing their efforts on more trivial uncertain parameters


The usefulness of lithium tri- and tetraorganozincates in chemical transformations is discussed in the context of their structures, the regiospecificity with which they effect reactions and the manner in which these differ to those resulting from the use of either homometallic reagents or of other 'ate compounds. Discussion focuses on their structural properties in solution, in the solid state, and in the gas phase by theoretical routes. The systematic reaction of lithium zincates with oxygen is considered and the question of whether certain lithium zincates should be represented instead as organolithium-organozinc co-complexes is addressed.


Despite the widespread adoption of shuttle train grain elevators and their potential for reducing rates for grain transport, few studies have evaluated their impact on railroad pricing. The aim of this paper is to assess railroad pricing behavior as well as empirically examine the impact of shuttle train movement on hard red spring wheat transport from North Dakota over time. Ordinary least squares estimation of the pricing model has rate per ton-mile as a dependent variable and supply and demand determinants as regressors. Intermodal competition and shuttle trains were found to have played a significant role in rate reduction over time.


This paper proposes a joint carrier recovery and blind decision feedback equalizer (DFE) based on Stop-and-Go-MCMA and decision-direct least-mean-square (SG-MCMA-DD-LMS) algorithm. The equalizer initially operates in modified constant modulus algorithm (MCMA) mode under Stop-and-Go principle to compensate the channel distortion and acquire phase offset. When the channel eye is opened equalizer switches to decision-direct least-mean-square (DD-LMS) mode to decrease the Mean Square Error (MSE) further and carrier recovery begins to work at the same time. Simulations show that the proposed scheme could achieve distorted channel equalization and larger carrier acquisition in fast time-varying channels.


The vulnerability of inner hair cells (IHCs) and outer hair cells (OHCs) to acoustic overstimulation is still controversially discussed. The present study was undertaken to investigate the vulnerability of IHCs and OHCs and the relation between chronological changes of auditory threshold shifts and stereocilia damages on IHCs and OHCs in guinea pigs after moderate acoustic trauma, caused by a single continuous exposure to pink noise (20 Hz to 20 kHz) of around 106 ± 2 dB SPL for 44 h. Stereocilia changes and threshold shifts of auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were assessed at regular intervals after noise exposure for 9 weeks. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the morphological changes of steriocilia as early as 1 day after noise exposure. The morphological changes included fused, bent, collapsed, and even missing stereocilia. These damages were more prominent on IHCs than on OHCs. The shift of ABR threshold was not parallel to the chronological change of the stereocilia on IHCs as well as OHCs. The elevation of the ABR threshold (40–60 dB SPL) was greatest on the 1st day after noise exposure, whereas the stereocilia showed the most damage 7 days after noise exposure. Combined with the results from previous studies, we conclude that moderate-level (around 105–110 dB) noise tends to induce more damage to the stereocilia of IHCs than of OHCs. Other damage (e.g., metabolic disturbance) than morphological damage of hair cell stereocilia may contribute partially to the hearing threshold shift induced by moderate acoustic overstimulation.


Language and spatial processing are cognitive functions that are asymmetrically distributed across both cerebral hemispheres. In the present study, we compare left- and right-handers on word comprehension using a divided visual field paradigm and spatial attention using a landmark task. We investigate hemispheric asymmetries by assessing the participants' behavioral metrics; response accuracy, reaction time and their laterality index. The data showed that right-handers benefitted more from left-hemispheric lateralization for language comprehension and right-hemispheric lateralization for spatial attention than left-handers. Furthermore, left-handers demonstrated a more variable distribution across both hemispheres, supporting a less focal profile of functional brain organization. Taken together, the results underline that handedness distinctively modulates hemispheric processing and behavioral performance during verbal and nonverbal tasks. In particular, typical lateralization is most prevalent for right-handers whereas atypical lateralization is more evident for left-handers. These insights contribute to the understanding of individual variation of brain asymmetries and the mechanisms related to changes in cerebral dominance.


Inorganic cesium lead halide perovskite has been successfully applied in the optoelectronic field due to its remarkable optical gain properties. Unfortunately, conventional solution-processed CsPbX3 films suffer unavoidable pinhole defects and poor surface morphology, severely limiting their performance on amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and lasing applications. Herein, a dual-source thermal evaporation approach is explored to achieve a uniform and high-coverage CsPbX3 polycrystalline thin film. It was found that one-step co-evaporated CsPbBr3 (OC-CsPbBr3) thin films without post-annealing exhibit an ultralow ASE threshold of ∼3.3 μJ/cm2 and a gain coefficient above 300 cm-1. The coexistence of cubic and orthorhombic phases in these materials naturally form an energy cascade for the exciton transfer process, which enables rapid accumulation of excitons. Stable ASE intensity without degradation for at least 7 h is also realized from OC-CsPbBr3 thin films under continuous excitation, which is superior to that in the solution-processed CsPbBr3 thin films. Notably, a Fabry-Pérot cavity laser based on the OC-CsPbBr3 thin film is first achieved, featuring an ultralow lasing threshold (1.7 μJ/cm2) and directional output (a beam divergence of ∼3.8°). This work highlights the noteworthy optical properties of OC-CsPbBr3 thin films, leading to potential available applications in integrated optoelectronic chips.


This research is a study of factors affecting the delay of the construction period by working together during construction between main contractors and nominated sub-contractors in high rise building at Bangkok and vicinity. The focus of factors which cause delays to the structural works, architectural work, electrical - mechanical works and sanitation work in General Contract (Dominated –Sub-contract) and Nominated Sub-contract. This study used questionnaires and interviews as tool for collecting data. Data analysis methods to compare average frequency in order to know the factors that make each type of construction delays and statistical methods Independent-Sample t-test to find out the critical factors to the construction both of the contrast delay. The results showed that factors which cause delays affecting the construction period consisted of not working together as team-work, project management experience is not enough and be deficient in skill of communicate and coordinate. It also found that the delay factor of five critical factors that make construction in terms of structure, architecture, electrical-mechanical and sanitation was always delayed. Factors include delays resulting from not working together as team work, period of plan laid down, delayed delivery area, delays in approval and construction item and shortage of skilled labor, or labor shortages during the season so aware of critical factors that delay the construction above. And find ways to prevent construction delays caused by these factors.


A 59-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea and cough. A large polypoid tumor was observed in the lower trachea and bronchoscopic polypectomy was performed using a snare to relieve symptoms. The tumor was diagnosed as a high grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma mainly by the histology of piecemeal specimens obtained by bronchoscopic resection. The primary lesion involved the trachea and the main bronchus, and there were multiple metastases in the lung. The patient was treated with the combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel. After four cycles of chemotherapy, the tumors were significantly reduced. He remains well without evidence of tumor progression for 25 months. This case suggests that the combination chemotherapy of carboplatin and paclitaxel can be an option for treatment of pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma.


Following an application from Biocodex, submitted pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Belgium, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to citrulline-malate and faster recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise. Citrulline-malate is sufficiently characterised. The claimed effect is "maintenance of ATP levels through reduction of lactates in excess for an improved recovery from muscle fatigue". The target population proposed by the applicant is healthy children above six years of age and adults. The Panel considers that faster recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise contributing to the restoration of muscle function is a beneficial physiological effect. A total of 33 references were considered as pertinent to the claim by the applicant. A number of studies were provided with hospitalised patients or outpatients who presented with various forms of asthenia or fatigue. No conclusions could be drawn from these studies for the scientific substantiation of the claim. No conclusions could be drawn from one study carried out in athletes, owing to the methodological limitations of the study. A number of mechanistic, animal and in vitro studies were submitted. In the absence of evidence for an effect of consumption of citrulline-malate on a faster recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise in humans, these studies cannot be used as a source of data for the scientific substantiation of the claim as their results cannot predict the occurrence of an effect of citrulline-malate on recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise in vivo in humans. The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of citrulline-malate and faster recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise.


Paula Maeker, a skilled literacy expert, made this declaration as she and I spoke passionately
about empowering teachers at a conference last summer. Her statement, "Literacy is a process
not a product," is spot on. So often the pressures to increase student performance on standardized
assessments pressures educators to gravitate toward programs that promise student literacy gains.
These programs are expensive and gobble up precious dollars – and they frequently do it in
schools that already struggle with limited resources. Many of these reading programs overwhelm
instruction rather than enhance it. If we want to witness real results, the solution is improving
instruction.


Low‐voltage‐activated or T‐type Ca2+ channels (T‐channels) are widely expressed, especially in the central nervous system where they contribute to pacemaker activities and are involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Proper elucidation of their cellular functions has been hampered by the lack of selective pharmacology as well as the absence of generic endogenous regulations. We report here that both cloned (α1G, α1H and α1I subunits) and native T‐channels are blocked by the endogenous cannabinoid, anandamide. Anandamide, known to exert its physiological effects through cannabinoid receptors, inhibits T‐currents independently from the activation of CB1/CB2 receptors, G‐proteins, phospholipases and protein kinase pathways. Anandamide appears to be the first endogenous ligand acting directly on T‐channels at submicromolar concentrations. Block of anandamide membrane transport by AM404 prevents T‐current inhibition, suggesting that anandamide acts intracellularly. Anandamide preferentially binds and stabilizes T‐channels in the inactivated state and is responsible for a significant decrease of T‐currents associated with neuronal firing activities. Our data demonstrate that anandamide inhibition of T‐channels can regulate neuronal excitability and account for CB receptor‐independent effects of this signaling molecule.


A sample of 755 psychiatric emergencies taken in charge in the emergency service of the St-Luc Hospital, Brussels, was divided into two groups: patients without psychiatric background (498) and patients having received previous psychiatric care (238). A background of psychiatric follow-up strongly influence the taking on and therapeutic decisions to be made by psychiatrists: its absence protects the patient and is seen as the guaranty of a good investment from the therapist while the existence of previous psychiatric treatment rather leads to hospital in lieu of crisis intervention, even when the crisis mechanisms are not significantly different in both samples.


1. Hair loss, even when it occurs gradually, is usually accompanied by psychologic discomfort. For some chemotherapy patients, the prospect of hair loss is viewed with more dread than any of the other physical discomforts that accompany chemotherapy. 2. The pattern and extent of hair loss cannot be accurately predicted for a given patient. Chemotherapy causes alopecia by damaging hair stem cells and hair follicles making the hair brittle and causing scalp hair to break off or fall out. 3. Education and support of the patient is highly significant in helping the patient adjust to hair loss. Nurses can inform the patient in advance of anticipated hair loss, suggest techniques for coping with hair loss, and encourage alternate methods of expressing sexuality.


Objective. To evaluate a classification system to define adherence to axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) use recommendations and examine the effect of adherence on outcomes in the DESIR cohort (Devenir des Spondylarthropathies Indifférenciées Récentes). Methods. Using alternate definitions of adherence, patients were classified as adherent "timely" anti-TNF users, nonadherent "late" anti-TNF users, adherent nonusers ("no anti-TNF need"), non-adherent nonusers ("unmet anti-TNF need"). Multivariate models were fitted to examine the effect of adherence on quality-adjusted life-years (QALY), total costs, and nonbiologic costs 1 year following an index date. Generalized linear regression models assuming a γ-distribution with log link were used for costs outcomes and linear regression models for QALY outcomes. Results. Using the main definition of adherence, there were no significant differences between late anti-TNF users and timely anti-TNF users in total costs (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.54–1.36, p = 0.516) or nonbiologic costs (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.44–1.18, p = 0.187). However, in the sensitivity analysis, late anti-TNF users had significantly increased nonbiologic costs compared with timely users (RR 1.58, 95% CI 1.06–2.36, p = 0.026). In the main analysis, there were no significant differences in QALY between timely anti-TNF users and late anti-TNF users, or between timely users and patients with unmet anti-TNF need. In the sensitivity analysis, patients with unmet anti-TNF need had significantly lower QALY than timely anti-TNF users (−0.04, 95% CI −0.07 to −0.01, p = 0.016). Conclusion. The effect of adherence to anti-TNF recommendations on outcomes was sensitive to the definition of adherence used, highlighting the need to validate methods to measure adherence.


The clinical benefit of cardiac pacemakers has been long proven through numerous studies. Millions of pacemakers have been implanted worldwide and, as a result the quality of life for these patients has been drastically improved, not forgetting the reduced morbidity and mortality. The first stimulations through transthoracic electrodes were pioneered by Zoll in the early fifties (Zoll, 1952)), then came percutaneous endocardial pacing in 1959 (Furman & Schwedel. (1959).. A "permanent" pacemaker using epicardial electrodes was first described in 1960 (Chardack, 1960). Pacemakers and implantation techniques have progressed rapidly since the then; Generators are more reliable, more compact, filled with micro-electronic components, can be controlled automatically and remotely and thus providing more options for programmation and monitoring and a longer pacemaker life span (Kusomoto & Goldschlager, 1996; Trohman, et al, 2004). Leads are thinner and more resistant to damage and thus equally longer-lasting. The latest European guidelines published in 2007 confirmed the classic indications; symptomatic bradyarrhythmias including sinus node dysfunction and atrioventricular or intraventricular conduction disturbances (Vardas et al., 2007). The guidelines also recommended cardiac pacing for specific conditions (vasovagal syncope, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, heart failure with prolonged QRS duration, etc). Since over 10 years, left ventricular resynchronisation therapy has proved to be beneficial to patients presenting heart failure with complete left bundle block in association with optimal medical treatment; the European guidelines were updated for this indication in 2010 (Dickstein,2010) The correct implantation of a pacemaker is capital for optimal function. A recent trend shows pacemaker implantation can be performed as successfully in the electrophysiology study environment as in the operating room (Garcia-Bolao & Alegria, 1999). This requires a centre with a qualified team of cardiologists as well as experienced nursing and technical staff. Continued education for the team and follow-up of complications is essential. The cardiologists' or surgeons' experience, and the volume of pacemakers implanted in the centre, plays a role in reducing post-implantation complications; thus, guidelines discourage this procedure in centres with a low volume of implantation. Despite these precautions, some early complications, occurring within the first 6 weeks after implantation, may be observed. Their incidence is probably underestimated (approximately 7%), as is their severity (Kiviniemi et al., 1999; Klug et al., 2003). Less than 5% have to incur reintervention. Per-procedure mortality is extremely rare; only one case was observed in the cohort of 650 patients implanted at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Centre. The dutch


It is well known that application of a coupling agent to a glass fiber surface will improve fiber/matrix adhesion in composites. However, on commercial glass fibers, the coupling agent forms only a small fraction of the coating, the larger part being a mixture of processing aids whose contribution to composite properties is not well defined. The interfacial region of the composite will therefore be affected by the coating composition and also by the chemical reactions involved in the vicinity of the fiber and inside the surrounding matrix. The main feature of this study consists in dividing the interface region into two separate regions: the fiber/sizing interphase and the sizing/matrix interphase. A wide range of techniques was used, including mechanical and thermomechanical tests, infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, carboxyl end group titrations, extraction rate measurements, and viscosity analysis. Experiments were performed on poly(butylene terephthalate) composites and results indicate that the adhesion improvement is due to the presence of a short chain coupling agent and of a polyfunctional additive, which may react both with the coupling agent and the matrix. According to the nature of this additive, it may be possible to soften the interphase and then to increase the composite impact strength.


A precise, accurate, simple and low cost reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quality assessment of commonly used insecticide carbofuran and fipronil in its technical and formulated products. The chromatographic parameters, i.e. mobile phase composition, wavelength and flow rate of developed method was optimized in such a way that the HPLC was carried out at 280 nm by using a mobile phase, which contains 80 parts acetonitrile and 20 parts water by volume (ACN:H2O, 80:20) flowing at a rate of 1.0 mL/min. A linear relationship (R2 > 0.999) was shown by calibration curve plotted in the concentration ranged from 30-800 mg/L. The limit of detection (LODs) were found to be 14.5 mg/L and 20.9 mg/L and limit of quantification (LOQs) were recorded to be 43.9 mg/L and 63.2 mg/L for both carbofuran and fipronil respectively. The developed method's accuracy was exhibited by recovery percentage (96.0-100.8) % of water samples spiked with 100, 300 and 600 mg/L of carbofuran and fipronil, respectively. The developed RP-HPLC method is therefore simple, cheap, rapid and can be proficiently used for the simultaneous identification and quantification of carbofuran and fipronil in its technical and formulated products.


ABSTRACT References to bedding surface irregularities in the British Lias limestones as being of secondary origin are reviewed in light of recent studies in South Wales. Protuberances on both top and bottom of some limestone units are the products of loading, vertical stresses created by weight of overburden after burial, and interstratal sliding partly due to local subsidence; some structures are further. distorted by localized, multi-directional, compactional stresses. Four descriptive limestone groups have been identified and post depositional processes contributing to their formation analyzed. Many of the structures described from the Lias of Britain occur in similar Paleozoic sediments of North America, and have yet to be described.


Raman scattering spectra were measured for the rare-earth hexaborides RB6 (R = Ce, Gd, or Dy). All Raman-active phonons due to B6 vibrations were observed in the range 600 – 1400 cm-1. Anomalous peaks were detected below 200 cm-1, which correspond to vibrations of rare-earth ion excited by second-order Raman scattering process. The intensity and energy of the rare-earth mode decrease with decreasing temperature. This suggests that the rare-earth ion vibrates in a shallow and anharmonic potential due to the boron cage. Using the reported values of mean square displacement of rare-earth ion, we estimated the anharmonic contribution for the rare-earth vibrations.


Eight rapeseed cultivars were studied for variability, heritability and correlation analysis of seed yield and yield components in Southern Iran for two years (2009 and 2010). These genotypes were planted in field arranged on randomized completely blocks design with three replications at the Research Centre of Islamic Azad University of Firoozabad, 95 km of Shiraz. The studied traits were days from emergence to flowering, days from emergence to physiological maturity, plant height, pod length, pods number on main stem, pods per plant, seeds per pod, 1000-seed weight, harvest index and grain yield. Results showed that genetic variability of genotypes was significant for all traits except for pod length and seeds per pod. Interaction between year and genotype was highly significant for seeds per pod. Based on broad sense heritability of traits and correlation between grain yields and other traits, pods per plant, 1000-grain weight and pods on main stem had high direct effect on grain yield in both years. Therefore, selection for increasing grain yield through these traits might be more successful. Selection of desirable varieties to increase grain yield is based on yield component. Based on the results of cluster analysis, the genotypes were grouped into four clusters irrespective of the geographical divergence. Therefore, Modena and Sarigol cultivars were the best resources to increase grain yield during both years and Okapi cultivar was the worst.

 Key words: Rapeseed, heritability, correlation, grain yield.


Casualties in emergency situations are often caused by panic and in cases where building evacuation is required, they are often caused by a disorganized evacuation. This has motivated us to design a two-layer indoor evacuation system that takes advantage of two technologies all people carry on them, namely, cellular phones with cameras and RFID cards. The proposed system integrates QR-Code and RFID-based positioning with a routing system with mounted terminals and displays for guiding people with RFID tags out of a building. People with mobile devices with cameras use an application that resolves QR-Codes into web addresses that point to dynamically generated evacuation instructions. As a proof-of-concept, we have implemented this system with commercially available tools and components as an e-scavenger hunt game which uses SCAVY, our novel evacuation (routing) algorithm, to guide players around a building visiting different locations in a load balancing manner. In this demo, we are planning to deploy this e-scavenger game and the participants would be able to follow the progress of the game (evacuation) through a system monitor dashboard.


A GaInP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) down-converter using the Weaver architecture is demonstrated in this paper. The Weaver system is a double-conversion image rejection heterodyne system which requires no bandpass filters in the signal path and no quadrature networks. The Weaver down-converter has the image rejection ratios of 48 dB and 44 dB when the RF frequency is 5.2 GHz and 5.7 GHz, respectively. A new frequency quadrupler is employed in the down-converter to generate the local oscillator (LO) signals. The frequency quadrupler is designed to minimize the phase error when generating LO signals and thus the image rejection performance is improved. A diagrammatic explanation using the complex mixing technique to analyze the image rejection mechanism of the Weaver architecture is developed in this paper. From our analysis, the image rejection can be further improved by making the LO1 and LO2 signals coherent


Upper and lower bounds on the average probability of error are obtained for direct-sequence spread-spectrum multiple-access communications systems with additive white Gaussian noise channels. The bounds, which are developed from convexity properties of the error probability function, are valid for systems in which the maximum multiple-access interference does not exceed the desired signal and the signature sequence period is equal to the duration of the data pulse. The tightness of the bounds is examined for system with a small number of simultaneously active transmitters. This is accomplished by comparisons of the upper and lower bounds for several values of the system parameters. The bounds are also compared with an approximation based on the signal-to-noise ratio and with the Chernoff upper bound.


Abstract While climate change involves spatial, epistemological, social, and temporal remoteness, each type of distance can be bridged with strategies unique to it that can be borrowed from analogous moral problems. Temporal, or intergenerational, distance may actually be a motivational resource if we look at our natural feelings of hope for the future of the world, via Kant's theory of political history, and for our children. Kant's theory of hope also provides some basis for including future generations in a theory of justice.


The years between 1258 and 67 comprise one of the most influential periods in the Middle Ages in England. This turbulent decade witnessed a bitter power struggle between King Henry III and his barons over who should control the government of the realm. Before England eventually descended into civil war, a significant proportion of the baronage had attempted to transform its governance by imposing on the crown a programme of legislative and administrative reform far more radical and wide-ranging than Magna Carta in 1215. Constituting a critical stage in the development of parliament, the reformist movement would remain unsurpassed in its radicalism until the upheavals of the seventeenth century. Simon de Montfort, the baronial champion, became the first leader of a political movement to seize power and govern in the king's name.

The essays collected here offer the most recent research into and ideas on this pivotal period. Several contributions focus upon the roles played in the political struggle by particular sections of thirteenth-century society, including the Midland knights and their political allegiances, aristocratic women, and the merchant elite in London. The events themselves constitute the second major theme of this volume, with subjects such as the secret revolution of 1258, Henry III's recovery of power in 1261, and the little studied maritime theatre during the civil wars of 1263-7 being considered.


The o-minimal structure generated by the restricted Pfaffian functions, known as restricted sub-Pfaffian sets, admits a natural measure of complexity in terms of a format  ${{\mathcal{F}}}$, recording information like the number of variables and quantifiers involved in the definition of the set, and a degree  $D$, recording the degrees of the equations involved. Khovanskii and later Gabrielov and Vorobjov have established many effective estimates for the geometric complexity of sub-Pfaffian sets in terms of these parameters. It is often important in applications that these estimates are polynomial in $D$. Despite much research done in this area, it is still not known whether cell decomposition, the foundational operation of o-minimal geometry, preserves polynomial dependence on $D$. We slightly modify the usual notions of format and degree and prove that with these revised notions, this does in fact hold. As one consequence, we also obtain the first polynomial (in $D$) upper bounds for the sum of Betti numbers of sets defined using quantified formulas in the restricted sub-Pfaffian structure.


The beta (1----3) glucan lentinan was tested for its capacity to increase the cytotoxic effect of murine peritoneal macrophages for human tumor cells in the presence of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Activity was maximum in macrophages obtained on day 5 following intraperitoneal injection of CBA mice with 2.5 mg of lentinan per kg body weight. Macrophages stimulated by lentinan were cytotoxic in conjunction with IgG1, IgG2a and IgG3 MAbs, but not with IgG2b, IgM, or IgA MAbs. The demonstration of a similar enhancing effect by lentinan on human macrophages might have implications for potentiating the tumoricidal effect of these macrophages in the presence of tumor antigen-specific MAbs.


An analysis of a loaded ECL (emitter coupled logic) gate fabricated in a modern bipolar process shows that the delay is dominated equally by intrinsic and extrinsic components. The design of technology to minimize these components is discussed. As device dimensions are reduced the extrinsic delay components dominate; these components can be minimized by optimizing packing density and using reduced ECL voltage swings. It is suggested that circuits of complexity of 100 K gates and delays of less than 20 ps will be possible in the near future.<<ETX>>


To provide a basis for designing nutrition education, two nutrition knowledge--attitudes--practices (KAP) surveys of adults aged 18 to 55 were conducted in 1989 in an urban (N = 1004) and a rural (N = 506) area of Sichuan. The results indicated that the nutrition levels in both sites were low, and an awareness of the relationship between nutrition and certain common diseases was lacking. However, both urban and rural adults possessed good attitudes toward nutrition and nutrition education. Large differences existed between urban and rural adults' food patterns, with the rural diet more monotonous than the urban one. The rural women will be a hard-to-reach audience requiring more intensive efforts. The findings suggest that nutrition education efforts for Sichuan urban and rural area adults will require different contents and emphases, different methods of delivery, and language suitable for each group, in order to obtain good results.


Springtails of the principalis-group of the genus Pygmarrhopalites from the W Caucasian caves in Abkhazia are described: Pygmarrhopalites dbari sp. nov. from Psyrtskha Cave in Novy Afon and Pygmarrhopalites kovali sp. nov. from caves of Tsebelda Karst Massif. They differ from epigean relatives mainly by troglomorphies: reduced pigmentation, elongated appendages and modified foot complex. These new species as well as a great portion of endemic Caucasian speleofauna have highly restricted distribution and require protection. A new record of Arrhopalites abchasicus Vargovitsh, 2013 in Novoafonskaya Cave is added.


This study investigated the interactions between self-concept, behaviour, and gender for young children in recognition that these relationships are still poorly understood within the early childhood and self-concept research frameworks. The research questions investigated were: (1) What are the inter-relationships between self-concept and behaviour for Year one children? (2) Are there any gender differences in these domains for Year 1 children? The participants were 21 Year (Grade) one children and their teachers, located in a Tasmanian regional town. After ethical approval was obtained, the children were first, individually administered the Self-Description Questionnaire for Preschoolers (Marsh et al., 2002) by an experienced administrator to ascertain the children's selfconcept profile. Second, the regular classroom teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997) on each child, to rate the children's multidimensional in-class behaviour. Along with this the children's in-class behaviour was systematically monitored by an observer over a two week period to validate the teachers' ratings of the children's behaviour. This research identified a low correlation between Year 1 children's self-concept and their teachers' rating of their behaviour (r =.03), with the children with higher self-concepts being more outgoing. Girls were rated by their teachers as having more peer and social problems than the boys with the boys reporting higher physical ability self-concept. Because these results are different from that typically demonstrated with older children the results are discussed from a developmental and a socialisation perspective. The results suggest a change in traditional gender socialisation given the similarity of the boys and girls on these two instruments. One implications of this research is that teachers need to accommodate greater gender role diversity within their school program.


Abstract A method for determining climatic change in precipitation data is applied to seasonal data for the United States. This method is an analysis of variance procedure with a Markov chain model used to estimate the within-groups variance. A comparison of the within-groups variance computed with an allowance for dependence to the estimate of the variance computed under the assumption of independence shows that the model with dependence is superior. The statistic which is calculated in the test for climatic change may be significantly inflated if dependence in the data is not modeled. A consequence of this is that climatic change may be inferred when, in fact, it has not occurred. The greatest possibility of this error is in the fall season, and at West Coast stations in all seasons, for the period studied.


5-[4-(2-Carboxyethylcarbamoyl)phenylazo]salicylic acid disodium salt dihydrate (CAS 80573-04-2, BX661A) is being developed as a therapeutic drug for ulcerative colitis. To determine the active therapeutic moiety of BX661A, the therapeutic effects with single and combined administration of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), 4-aminobenzoyl-beta-alanine (4-ABA) and 4-amino-N-2-pyridinyl-benzenesulfonamide (CAS 144-83-2, sulfapyridine, SP) on ulcerative colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in rats were investigated, and the following results were obtained. 1. BX661A at doses of 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg (p.o.) dose-dependently decreased the erosion area (mm2) in the large intestine with % inhibition values of 28.7, 49.1 and 61.6%, and the shortening of the large intestine with % inhibition values of 17.1, 25.7 and 48.6%, respectively. Salazosulfapyridine (SASP) at doses of 30 and 100 mg/kg (p.o.) decreased the erosion area (mm2) in the large intestine with % inhibition values of 30.7 and 45.3%, respectively, but did not improve the shortening of the large intestine. However, at a dose of 300 mg/kg (p.o.) SASP, the % inhibition value of the erosion area in the large intestine was reduced. 2. A single intrarectal administration of 5-ASA (105 mg/kg, i.r.) significantly decreased the erosion area (mm2) in the large intestine, but a single administration of 4-ABA or SP did not show any significant effect on the erosion area. Combined administration with 5-ASA (105 mg/kg, i.r.) and 4-ABA (142.8 mg/kg, i.r.) significantly decreased the erosion area (mm2) in the large intestine with a % inhibition value of 63.8%. On the other hand, the efficacy of 5-ASA disappeared with combined administration with SP (% inhibition value of 7.3%). These results suggest that 5-ASA is the active moiety for the therapeutic effects of BX661A and indicate that the efficacy of 5-ASA disappears with the combined use of SP, but not of 4-ABA. Therefore, it seems that BX661A is clinically safe and more effective than SASP in the treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis.


: Probability weighting bias refers to the deviation between the perceived likelihood and the objective likelihood of an event, which affects investment, insurance, doctor-patient communications, etc. The non-compensatory strategy in which people give more weight to "outcomes" than "probabilities", and the emotional fluctuation induced by the reference point cause probability weighting bias; changing the description of "probabilities", emotional experience of "outcomes", reference point of "gains and losses", and psychological distance from risk, can adjust such bias and optimize decision-making. Future studies need to further explore the issues, such as its application situations, mechanism correlations, and the identification of probability weighting bias.


Sustainability and leanness are organizational approach concepts for more efficient activities and increased competitiveness. This paper presents a study and an application of the concepts of sustainability and lean, with the purpose to capitalize on the benefits of the two concepts' tools when used together in an industry and education activity. A literature review was carried out to evaluate qualitatively and empirically the concepts of sustainability, lean, and enterprise games, and the possibility to integrate the first two concepts into a new tool applied into an enterprise game. An online survey was done to identify which tools are used within companies in the region, how and what training methods they used, and what the reported benefits are. The survey results were used to design a new tool integrated in a new enterprise game (SLIM) developed by the authors. The game was tested and validated in educational laboratory with students and actual employees from companies. The game follows the frame of an enterprise game, considering the simulation of enterprise classical functions. The game's purpose is to improve the activity in successive rounds. A scorecard is used to fill in and compute the key performance indicators (KPIs), and a new indicator is proposed (SLIMx). Applications of the instrument/game include: students' training in an educational laboratory; lifelong learning; professional training in companies; and professional perfection/reconversion of potential employees and the unemployed. The SLIM game was simulated in a team of 15 players over three rounds, with teachers playing the role of the supervisor. A number of possible improvements have been identified. The next step is testing it in enterprises with various fields of activity. SLIM has proven to be an effective solution to improve organizational efficiency and motivate players to gain new knowledge.


PURPOSE
Mutations in CACNA2D4 exon 25 cause photoreceptor dysfunction in humans (c.2406C→A mutation) and mice (c.2451insC mutation). We investigated the feasibility of an exon-skipping therapeutic approach by evaluating the splicing patterns and functional role of targeted exons.

METHODS
Splicing of the targeted α2δ4 (CACNA2D4) exons in presence and absence of the mutation was assessed by RT-PCR in vivo on mouse retinae and in vitro in HEK293T cells using splicing-reporter minigenes. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed to evaluate the impact of different Cacna2d4 variants on the biophysical properties of Cav1.4 L-type calcium channels (CACNA1F).

RESULTS
Splicing analysis revealed the presence of a previously unknown splicing isoform of α2δ4 in the retina that truncates the gene open reading frame (ORF) in a similar way as the c.2451insC mutation. This isoform originates from alternative splicing of exon 25 (E25) with a new exon (E25b). Moreover, the c.2451insC mutation has an effect on splicing and increases the proportion of transcripts including E25b. Our electrophysiological analyses showed that only full-length α2δ4 was able to increase Cav1.4/β3-mediated currents while all other α2δ4 variants did not mediate such effect.

CONCLUSIONS
The designed exon-skipping strategy is not applicable because the resulting skipped α2δ4 are nonfunctional. α2δ4 E25b splicing variant is normally present in mouse retina and mimics the effect of c.2451insC mutation. Since this variant does not promote significant Cav1.4-mediated calcium current, it could possibly mediate a different function, unrelated to modulation of calcium channel properties at the photoreceptor terminals.


Objectives: The prevalence of heart failure is increasing in the future and its growth is further enhanced by increasing average age. Studies have demonstrated the positive effects of physical activity on heart failure. The aim of this cross-sectional self-report study was to determine the relationship between psychosocial, demographic and medical factors, and the intention to and the performance of physical activity in patients with heart failure. Additionally, the role of the received advice with regard to physical activity was examined. The basis of this study was formed by the Protection Motivation Theory by Rogers (1975).
Methods: 93 patients (76.3% man, median age of 70) with heart failure were included in the study. Participants completed a questionnaire for measuring physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire, IPAQ), quality of live (Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, MLHFQ), heart-focused anxiety (Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire, CAQ), role of the partner (Role Partner Questionnaire) and self-efficacy (Self-efficacy Questionnaire, SEQ). Several items were constructed for measuring the intention, severity of and vulnerability for heart failure, response efficacy en barriers in relation to physical activity. For the descriptive analyses medians, interquartilranges and percentages were calculated. The significant differences between the patients who did en did not receive an advice were examined by using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests and logistic regression analyses were performed to predict the intention and physical activity.
Results: About two third of the patients who received an advice concerning physical activity declared to have the intention of preforming physical activity. One half actually showed physical activity at a level of more than 600 MET-minutes per week. One quarter was not physically active at all. The intention for physical activity was significantly (p < 0.05) positively predicted by receiving an advice concerning physical activity and self-efficacy and negatively by perceived barriers. 81% of the model was explained by these factors. Physical activity was significantly (p < 0.05) positively predicted by receiving an advice concerning physical activity and perceived severity and vulnerability for heart failure and negatively predicted by avoidance of exertion and heart-focused sensations, response efficacy and perceived barriers. 58% Of the model was explained by these factors.
Conclusion: This study provides unique in-depth insights into the predictors for physical activity and its intention. In particular psychosocial factors on the basis of the protection motivation theory form an important reference point for the future improvement of the supplied care in patients with heart failure.


AIMS
Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity is central to the development of left ventricular (LV) remodelling and dysfunction after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We assessed the relationships with LV structure and function and outcome, of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and MMP-9, and compared with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP).

METHODS AND RESULTS
We studied 404 patients with AMI. Primary outcome measures were the associations of TIMP-1, MMP-9, and NTproBNP with death or heart failure, and with LV dimensions, function and remodelling (ΔLVEDV, change in LV end-diastolic volume between discharge and follow-up). Cut-off concentrations for prediction of death or heart failure were identified from receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. In multivariable analysis, TIMP-1 and NTproBNP had predictive value for LV ejection fraction pre-discharge (TIMP-1 P = 0.023; N-BNP P = 0.007) and at follow-up (TIMP-1 P = 0.001; N-BNP P = 0.003). MMP-9, TIMP-1, and NTproBNP correlated directly with LV volumes. MMP-9 (P = 0.005) and TIMP-1 (P = 0.036), but not NTproBNP, correlated with ΔLVEDV. For the combined endpoint of death or heart failure the area under the ROC curve was 0.640 for MMP-9, 0.799 for NTproBNP and 0.811 for TIMP-1. Patients with TIMP-1 > 135 ng/mL (P < 0.001) or NTproBNP >1472 fmol/mL (P < 0.001) had increased risk of endpoint. Consideration of both NTproBNP and TIMP-1 further improved risk stratification.

CONCLUSION
TIMP-1 and MMP-9 correlate with echocardiographic parameters of LV dysfunction and remodelling after AMI and may identify patients at risk of subsequent LV remodelling and adverse prognosis.


The extracellular structural protein, collagen, is responsible for the functional integrity of the myocardium permitting reversible interdigitation and transmission of force between contracting myocytes. In the pressure-overloaded, hypertrophied myocardium, clinical and experimental evidence indicates that the proportion of collagen relative to muscle is increased. Factors that appear to influence collagen growth during the hypertrophic process include age, species, the rapidity with which the overload occurs, the nature of the lesion leading to the pressure-overload, and the severity and duration of the overload. Morphologically, the heart's collagen matrix consists of a complex weave with tendinous insertions that surrounds myocytes grouping them into myofibers, strands of collagen that connect adjoining myofibers, and collagenous struts that join myocytes to other myocytes and capillaries. In a primate preparation of perinephritis with systemic hypertension, it was observed that the tendinous elements of the weave and the strands of collagen lying between myofibers were increased in number and physical dimension. The functional consequences of a remodeling of the collagen matrix that accompanied myocardial hypertrophy remain to be elucidated. A better understanding of the dynamic behavior of the collagen matrix may offer new insights into the pathogenesis of ventricular dysfunction that accompanies the chronic pressure-overloaded state.


Aim Accumulating evidence supports the use of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) type to classify different clinical entities. We aimed to evaluate whether the presence and type of ANCA determine different diseases, based on clinical phenotypes, renal involvement, and response to treatment. Patients and Methods Differences in terms of clinical manifestations, disease activity, laboratory parameters, and histology were recorded between patients with focal necrotizing glomerulonephritis (FNGN) due to myeloperoxidase (MPO-), proteinase 3-ANCA(+) [PR3-ANCA(+)], and ANCA(-) disease at time of diagnosis. Patients were treated with the same protocol and followed-up for 24 months, in a scheduled basis of every month for the first year and every 3 months for the second year. Primary end points were: (i) Combined end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and/or death and (ii) The presence of major or minor relapse during follow-up and secondary endpoint was the combination of ESRD and reduction of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 50%. Results A total of 92 patients (M/F 39/53, mean age 59.1 ± 15 years) diagnosed with FNGN due to ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), 36 (39.1%) patients diagnosed with PR3-ANCA, 39 (42.4%) patients diagnosed with MPO-ANCA, and 17 (18.5%) patients diagnosed with ANCA(-) were included. Number of involved systems differed significantly between PR3-, MPO-ANCA, and ANCA(-), with only renal involvement in 3, 25.5, and 29% of patients, two systems involved in 33, 31, and 59% of patients, and > 3 systems involved in 64, 43.5, and 12% of patients, respectively (p = 0.002). Histology classification revealed focal, crescentic, mixed, and sclerotic type in 14, 64, 19, and 3% of PR3-ANCA(+), 8, 28, 18, and 46% of MPO-ANCA, and 41, 29, 6, and 24% of ANCA(-), respectively (p < 0.0001). Primary end point of ESRD ± Death was reached in 11 (30.6%), 16 (41%), and 6 (35.5%) patients with PR3-ANCA(+), MPO-ANCA(+), and ANCA(-), respectively (p = NS); similarly, ESRD± > 50% eGFR reduction in 8 (22.2%), 15 (38.5%), and 5 (29.4%) patients, respectively (p = NS), meaning that patients with MPO-ANCA(+) showed a propensity to decline renal function. Rate of relapse was increased in the presence of patients with PR3-ANCA(+), 14 (38.9%), 4 (11.8%), and 2 (10.3%) of patients with PR3-ANCA(+), MPO-ANCA(+), and ANCA(-), had at least one relapse during the two-year follow-up (p = 0.006). Conclusion Clinical phenotype and renal histology differ significantly between PR3-ANCA(+), MPO-ANCA(+), and ANCA(-) disease and FNGN; however, renal function outcome is similar, despite the increased rate of relapses in patients with PR3-ANCA(+).


Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) is an emerging paradigm taking momentum that proposes to address flexibility and shorter time-to-market by maximizing software reuse. The key characteristic of SPLE is the effective modelling and management of variability, for which a number of Variability Modeling (VM) techniques have been developed during the last two decades. Therefore, understanding their commonalities and differences is important for selecting the most suitable technique. In this paper, we propose a metamodel-based classification of VM techniques gathered through a survey of relevant literature.


Background: A pain in the neck and shoulder region is referred to as tension neck syndrome. Symptoms include neck and shoulder muscular discomfort, pain, tiredness, and stiffness, as well as headaches. Palpable stiffening patches, sensitive sots, and spasms on the trapezius or sternocleidomastoid muscles may be identified during the physical examination, which are commonly coupled with neck pain on the opposing side, as well as a decreased range of flexion, extension, or rotation. Tension neck syndrome is a prevalent occurrence among computer                 users.
Methods: The participants (n=30) will be recruited in the study suffering from tension neck syndrome and meeting the inclusion criteria. Two groups will be formed such that patients in group A will be treated by myofascial release technique whereas group B will be treated by conventional therapy. The protocol will cover 2 weeks of treatment. Regular assessment will be carried out. In the rehabilitation period, we will evaluate activity of daily living. Our outcome measures will be Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
Discussion: Tension neck syndrome is more common in women than in men, and it is linked to computer users including office professionals, students, and others. Efficacy of the myofascial release technique verses conventional therapy will be evaluated by using Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The result of the study will significantly provide affirmation on using myofascial release technique verses conventional therapy in tension neck syndrome patients.


Classical novae are expected to be bright soft X-ray sources after out burst, due to the steady hydrogen burning of the material left on top of the white dwarf after the outburst. But observations performed by ROSAT of 39 recent classical novae showed that only three objects where bright soft X-ray sources. A harder X-ray emission was found to be a more common feature, and it was understood to be caused by the heating of the gas in the ejecta by internal or external shocks. To eluci date the problem of the missing soft X-ray emission, we have performed XMM-Newton observations to monitor recent classical novae. Four out of the five observed sources are still emitting two to four years after outburst.


This article provides a brief history of womens efforts to control their reproductive lives through access to abortion in the 20th century. The first section presents a world overview that traces the development of anti-abortion laws and the subsequent liberalization of these laws. Section 2 reviews the frequency of abortions and abortion fees in the US and pays special attention to patient characteristics. The third section delineates the new type of counseling developed for abortion patients; and section 4 describes procedures for first trimester abortion (the history and advantages of vacuum aspiration the proper setting the format complications and procedural variations. Section 5 examines the practice of menstrual extraction as it occurred in the US from 1970-75 and occurs in Bangladesh. The next two sections cover abortions at 8-14 weeks and dilation and evacuation at 14-20 weeks. Section 8 looks at late mid-trimester abortion techniques and considers issues related to fetal personhood. Section 9 covers the history current use and multiple insertions of laminaria tents. Section 10 explains methods of postcoital contraception and section 11 discusses currently available abortifacients. The next two sections argue that abortion is far safer than childbirth and explore the psychological impact of abortion. The article ends with three sections on recent legal changes current problems in the delivery of abortion services in the US and the prognosis for the future.


Background: Several independent studies have replicated the genetic association between polymorphisms in ORMDL3 and GSDMB and the risk of childhood asthma. The causal mechanisms remain unknown but there is evidence suggesting that epigenetic alterations, e.g. DNA methylation, might contribute. We aim to analyze the methylation status of the genes GSDMB/ORMDL3 and the risk of asthma.

Methods: We genotyped 17 SNPs in GSDMB and ORMDL3 in the Swedish birth cohort (BAMSE, n =2033) including the GWAS hits rs2305480 and rs7216389. DNA methylation levels at 20 CpG sites were quantified in whole blood in the 17q12-21 region by EpiTYPER or pyrosequencing in a subset of the BAMSE study (n=261).

Results and conclusions: We confirmed the genetic association between the 17q12-21 region and physician-diagnosed asthma and wheezing. No association was seen to rhinitis, atopic sensitization, or allergic or non-allergic asthma after correction for multiple testing. Our analyses show that the CpG sites in GSDMB are in general highly methylated, and no differences were seen in methylation levels between asthmatic children and controls in 10 non-polymorphic CpG sites analyzed in GSDMB . However, in ORMDL3 DNA methylation levels in two CpG sites were significantly lower in asthmatic children compared to healthy controls.


In order to identify brain regions that play an essential role in the production of discourse, H2 15O-PET scans were acquired during spontaneous generation of autobiographical narratives in English and in American Sign Language in hearing subjects who were native users of both. We compared languages that differ maximally in their mode of expression yet share the same core linguistic properties in order to differentiate the stages of discourse production: differences between the languages should reflect later, modality-dependent stages of phonological encoding and articulation; congruencies are more likely to reveal the anatomy of earlier modality-independent stages of conceptualization and lexical access. Common activations were detected in a widespread array of regions; left hemisphere language areas classically related to speech were also robustly activated during sign production, but the common neural architecture extended beyond the classical language areas and included extrasylvian regions in both right and left hemispheres. Furthermore, posterior perisylvian and basal temporal regions appear to play an integral role in spontaneous self-generated formulation and production of language, even in the absence of exteroceptive stimuli. Results additionally indicate that anterior and posterior areas may play distinct roles in early and late stages of language production, and suggest a novel model for lateralization of cerebral activity during the generation of discourse: progression from the early stages of lexical access to later stages of articulatory-motor encoding may constitute a progression from bilateral to left-lateralized activation. This pattern is not predicted by the standard Wernicke-Geschwind model, and may become apparent when language is produced in an ecologically valid context.