The far-upstream element-binding protein (FBP) is one of several recently described factors which bind to a single strand of DNA in the 5' region of the c-myc gene. Although cotransfection of FBP increases expression from a far-upstream element-bearing c-myc promoter reporter, the mechanism of this stimulation is heretofore unknown. Can a single-strand-binding protein function as a classical transactivator, or are these proteins restricted to stabilizing or altering the conformation of DNA in an architectural role? Using chimeric GAL4-FBP fusion proteins we have shown that the carboxyl-terminal region (residues 448 to 644) is a potent transcriptional activation domain. This region contains three copies of a unique amino acid sequence motif containing tyrosine diads. Analysis of deletion mutants demonstrated that a single tyrosine motif alone (residues 609 to 644) was capable of activating transcription. The activation property of the C-terminal domain is repressed by the N-terminal 107 amino acids of FBP. These results show that FBP contains a transactivation domain which can function alone, suggesting that FBP contributes directly to c-myc transcription while bound to a single-strand site. Furthermore, activation is mediated by a new motif which can be negatively regulated by a repression domain of FBP.


BACKGROUND: Evidence exists for reciprocal effects of insulin and desacyl-ghrelin (DAG) concentration, but the association between different fatty acid saturation in high fat diet (HFD) and these hormones remain to be established. To evaluate the impact of different sources of dietary fat and the level of fatty acid saturation on plasma insulin and DAG levels and also the association of DAG with insulin action this study was carried out. METHODS: Male weaning Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of HFDs, high fat butter (HF-B), high fat soy (HF-S), high fat olive (HF-O), high fat fish (HF-F), and a group of standard diet (SD). Blood samples were collected after 8 weeks and after they were fasted for 24 h. Body weight, food intake, plasma glucose, insulin, DAG and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were measured. RESULTS: Plasma insulin levels at fed and fasted status, were significantly higher in rats on HF-B compared to those on SD, HF-F and HF-O diets (P<0.05). Insulin concentration in rats on HF-S was also higher than those on SD, HF-F and HF-O diets (P<0.05), in the feeding status. Insulin resistance was significantly higher in rats on HF-B, compared to those on SD, HF-F and HF-O (P<0.05). Rats that were fed with HF-B diet had lower fasting plasma DAG levels than the SD, HF-F and HF-O groups (P<0.05); furthermore, the HF-F group had significantly higher DAG level than the HF-S groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Fish and olive oils may hence contribute to lower insulin level and HOMA-IR by increasing DAG concentration and may have more health benefits than other fat sources in diets.


Aziridinium ions are useful reactive intermediates for the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched building blocks. However, N,N-dialkyl aziridinium ions are relatively underutilized in the synthesis of optically active molecules as compared to other three-membered ring cogeners, aziridines and epoxides. The characterization of both optically active aziridinium ions and secondary β-halo amines as the precursor molecules of aziridinium ions has been scarcely reported and is often unclear. In this paper, we report for the first time the preparation and experimental and theoretical characterization of optically active aziridinium ions and secondary β-halo amines. Optically active secondary N,N-substituted β-halo amines were efficiently synthesized from N,N-substituted alaninol via formation and ring opening at the more hindered carbon of aziridinium ions by halides. Optically active β-halo amines and aziridinium ions were characterized by NMR and computational analyses. The structure of an optically active β-chloro amine was confirmed via X-ray crystallographic analysis. The aziridinium ions derived from N,N-dibenzyl alaniol remained stable only for several hours, which was long enough for analyses of NMR and optical activity. The stereospecific ring opening of aziridinium ions by halides was computationally studied using DFT and highly-accurate DLPNO-CCSD(T) methods. The highly regioselective and stereoselective ring opening of aziridinium ions was applied for efficient one-pot conversion of β-alaninols to enantiomerically enriched β-amino alcohols, β-amino nitriles, and vicinal diamine derivatives.


The input-ouput model remains the basis of most SAM or CGE models. It actually uses two periods: the prices indexes solve it with the current period coefficients; the corresponding physical model is monoperiodic: the current prices solve it with the base period coefficients. The Leontief model is not consistent --- both models diverge generally --- unless the interindustry matrix of direct and indirect quantities of labor is stable over time. This implies that the vertically integrated labor coefficients are stable. This assumption is satisfied when the physical production coefficients and the physical labor coefficients are stable over time, two very strong assumptions.


The constant economic pressure on poultry producers to lower their costs and increase the quality of their products has been a big challenge in today's competitive world. Moreover, the confinement of turkeys has been linked with several kinds of breast skin lesions, mainly enlarged sternal bursa (ESB), or breast blister, and focal ulcerative dermatitis (FUD), or breast button. Both of these conditions (particularly ESB) are believed to cost the turkey industry large amounts of money each year because of the need to trim the breast and the consequent downgrading of the carcass. In addition, they cost the processing plant time by slowing down the production line because of the need to employ more personnel to carry out the work of breast trimming. This paper reviews investigations into the possible causes of the lesions and concludes that many factors (strain, early body weight, photoperiod, stress, litter and floor type) influence their development.


The extend of clever gadgets has accelerated touchy statistics trade on the Internet the usage of most of the time unsecured channels. Since a large use of RFID (Radio-frequency Identification) tags in the transportation and development industries from 1980 to 1990, with the multiplied use of the Internet with 2G/3G or 4G when you consider that 2000, we are witnessing a new generation of related objects. A massive wide variety of heterogeneous sensors may also accumulate and dispatch touchy facts from an endpoint to a global community on the Internet. Privacy worries in Iot stay essential problems in the research. This paper aims to understand and additionally grant continuing doe's research topic, challenge, and Future Direction related to Iot security. A systematic mapping finds out about (SMS) is thus utilized on the way to organize the chosen Articles into the following classification: contribution type, Type of Research, Iot Security, and their approach. We take out an overall of twenty-four Articles in support of this systematic discover out about also they categorize the following described criterion. The findings of this SMS are mentioned and the researcher was once given hints on the possible route for future research.


Tools like the VIBE visualization system permit human analysts to use both an understanding of a data set's content and a recognition of structure that the visualization reveals. But what happens when a database's semantics are hidden from the analyst? What guidelines or heuristics can he or she use to reveal the "correct" underlying structure? Results of two experiments conducted at the University of Pittsburgh support the claim that VIBE analysts can uncover a meaningful clustering even without semantic clues. In one experiment artificial data sets were created in which some of the variables discriminate one or more clusters and the other half contribute only random noise. Variable selection guidelines based on computed discrimination value were used in an attempt to distinguish between the signal and noise variables. In a second experiment, a human analyst's encoding of 714 short phrases to 23 overlapping and inter-related categories was stripped of meaningful titles and relabeled with integers. A VIBE analyst was able to highlight relationships among the 23 categories solely on the basisof co-assignment of the phrases.


A novel tip transfer technology is proposed for applications in scanning probe microscopy (SPM). The technology is based on the concept of fabricating tips on an independent wafer and transferring them onto the target wafer. The transfer is also feasible on a full 4-in wafer scale. This is especially attractive for postprocessing CMOS wafers, e.g., for atomic force microscopy chips with integrated electronics. A yield of more than 90% has been achieved in a first experimental set-up. Moreover, a piece-wise tip transfer onto a free-standing cantilever is also shown. During this transfer, the tip is completely encapsulated in a resist post and, hence, protected against mechanical impact. This technology can be applied not only to SPM probe fabrication but also to create a new kind of MEMS device.


Introduction: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their ease of insertion through upper extremity veins, although they are not complications-free. PICCs can be irritating and cause endothelial injury and inflammation resulting in deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Estimates suggest that more than a third of all DVT in the upper extremities is caused by PICCs. This research highlights the incidence of upper extremity DVT in patients with PICCs and the relation with other comorbidities. Methods: A retrospective matched cohort was condconducted at a community hospital. The records of 438 patients were reviewed from 2017 to 2020. Subjects were at least 18 years old, underwent PICC insertion, and received outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT). The data included demographics and comorbidities, such as hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic kidney disease (CKD), coronary artery disease (CAD), congestive heart failure (CHF), active malignancy, previous DVT, and concomitant anticoagulation. The DVTs were confirmed by doppler ultrasound. Results: DVTs were diagnosed in 24 patients (5.7%). The average age was 64.9 years. Seventeen Arch Intern Med Res 2022; 5 (1): 071-076 DOI: 10.26502/aimr.0089 Archives of Internal Medicine Research 72 (70%) patients were males and 24 (100%) were white. The median time to diagnosis was 21 days from PICC insertion. Patients with DM were 72% less likely to be diagnosed with DVT compared to those without diabetes (OR = 0.28, P= 0.008). There was no relation between the diagnosis of DVT and the other comorbidities, including HTN (OR = 0.45, P = 0.059), CAD (OR = 0.62, P = 0.353), CHF (OR = 0.87, P = 0.79), Afib (OR = 0.91, P = 0.589), concomitant anticoagulation (OR = 0.98, P = 0.62), CKD (OR = 1.16, P = 0.725), malignancy (OR = 1.83, P = 0.242), and previous DVT (OR = 1.2, P = 0.763). Age was not associated with higher risk of DVT (OR=1.6, P = 0.304). Conclusion: The risk of DVT was 5.7 % in patients who had PICCs. There was less risk of DVT in patients with diabetes mellitus, while there was no risk association with the other comorbidities.


This text provides a discussion on the inclusion of gender in psychology from the discoursive constructions obtained in a qualitative investigation about students', teachers' and professionals' opinions. Since most people who support this idea relate "gender" to "sexual difference", based on to the positivist and dualistic tradition, its capacity of transformation is neutralized. In discoursive terms, this "uncommitted" version of gender is dissociated from social feminism and the feminist epistemologies that generate great resistance and fear. As it will be explained, a positivist kind of psychology with supposed neutrality and objectivity, as well as the continuous character of an androcentric and ethnocentric imaginary field, makes it difficult to question a kind of psychology that is little sensitive to power relations. Finally, there is a proposal of combining the analysis of a hidden curriculum with the understanding of argumentation and beliefs that consist part of everyday teaching and working with psychology. This way, it is possible to resume the mechanisms of science (re)production and diffusion with the academic and profesional relations and interactions that are characterized by the sex-gender system and operate discourse and action in a complex way, in the combinations of science and ideology.


Earthquakes can cause damage or even collapse to structures and the consequence of damage or failure dictates the acceptable level of seismic hazard. Uniform Hazard Response Spectra (UHRS) with certain probability level of exceedance is usually used to define seismic hazard. Seismic design codes either explicitly define UHRS, or provide adequate guidelines to develop site specific UHRS for critical structures. However, UHRS alone is not sufficient to represent seismic hazard and assess or predict seismic performance of structures. Records representing design earthquakes are required to predict seismic displacements and assess seismic performance. With increased reliance on performance-based design for infrastructures, time history analyses are becoming routine in seismic design. However, there is inadequate and sometimes conflicting guidelines on how to select and scale records. UHRS, although a key intensity parameter, is one among many earthquake and intensity parameters that may control seismic displacements. An unexhaustive list of these parameters may include earthquake magnitude, distance, site conditions, mechanism, Arias intensity, significant duration, cumulative absolute velocity, peak ground acceleration, velocity and displacement. Typically, scenario earthquakes representing the sources of hazard are obtained from seismic de-aggregation analyses, and defined in terms of magnitudedistance pairs. A suite of time histories is then selected from past earthquakes similar to the scenario earthquakes, and either uniformly scaled to approximately match the target spectra in the period range of interest, or modified to match the target spectra. Key challenges faced in the selection and scaling of the earthquake records include: how many earthquake records are sufficient to capture the epistemic uncertainty? Is uniform scaling or matching the target spectra better? Should UHRS or conditional mean spectra be used as target spectra? Are large scaling factors acceptable? How to prioritize and define ranges for various earthquake and intensity parameters? What is the impact of these parameters on the computed displacements; How to select records if the contributing sources of hazard are significantly different (for example, local crustal and mega subduction for a site located close to subduction zone)? This paper presents an overview of the methods used in current practice for the selection and scaling of earthquake records, describes various challenges faced by the practitioners and their impact on the computed seismic displacements or seismic performance through examples. It also makes recommendation for selection and scaling of records.


Skilled individual agents are firm basis of a strong soccer team. The skills available to Everest 2002 agents include kicking, dribbling, forwarding, ball interception and tackling. These intermediate sub goals are implemented by a combination of local optimization which hopes to determine the optimal primitive action from a local perspective and adversarial consideration which takes into account opponents and limitations imposed by simulation environment. Everest 2002 RoboCup simulation teams, building on 11 skilled agents and an on-line coach, won the 2nd place in RoboCup 2002 simulation league.


Water-hot gas injection that uses the waste heat from existing thermal operations can be substantially more energy efficient than CSS and SAGD which require steam generation and water treatment. This project investigated the potential of water-hot gas injection to enhance heavy oil production from Lloydminster heavy oil reservoirs and reduce GHG emissions. The co-injection of water and hot gas at higher temperatures provides a drive component, increases the reservoir temperature, and leads to substantially improved oil recovery as compared to primary production.
 Reservoir simulations (using CMG STARS) were performed for a Lloydminster greenfield heavy oil reservoir with 3 horizontal wells. Water-hot gas injection following primary production and 3 CSS cycles was evaluated for pressure drive applications. Flue gas temperatures and compositions in the field depend on the combustion fuel and O2 concentration used for combustion. Different mole% water values (0 to 90%), N2/CO2 ratios (0 to 7.43), and temperatures (80 to 450 °C) were investigated in order to evaluate many of the available options.
 Although oil production for water-hot gas injection was much lower than for steam-only injection, the energy injected/m3 of oil produced was reduced by an order of magnitude and this energy was recovered from waste flue gas. For water-hot gas injection, both oil production and energy injected/m3 of oil increased with increasing injection temperature, increasing mole% water, and decreasing N2/CO2 ratio in the injection fluid. The steam oil ratio (SOR) was ~0.6 m3 CWE/m3 oil and decreased gradually with injection temperature.
 Water-hot gas was more effective than hot gas injection as water addition to flue gas increased oil production due to the heat of vaporization that it transferred to the reservoir. CO2 in the hot gas was more effective than N2. Decreasing the N2/CO2 ratio increased oil production because of the greater solubility of CO2 and its higher molar specific heat as compared to N2. The difference in oil production between water-hot gas and hot gas injection increased with temperature.
 There was an optimum hot gas injection rate as too high a rate interfered with oil flow and reduced its production. Use of vent wells to remove excess gas and injector well pulsing were unsuccessful operating strategies. The potential of using waste flue gas energy for water-hot gas injection in Lloydminster greenfield heavy oil reservoirs to enhance oil production as compared to continued primary production, improve energy efficiency, and reduce GHG emissions was demonstrated.
 Reservoir simulations were also performed to determine the effect of water-gas injection following CHOPS. Wormholes, which grew extensively from vertical wells during primary production, provided enhanced reservoir access, substantially improved injectivity, and supported transfer of heat into the reservoir. Both pressure drive and cyclic water-hot gas injection processes significantly increased oil production as compared to continued primary production following CHOPS. The pressure drive water-hot gas process was substantially better than cyclic injection as a result of the formation of an oil bank and downward displacement of oil by hot gas. The recovery factor for water-hot gas injection in drive mode was as high as 25.8% for 20 mole% water and 80 mole% gas at 185 °C and 30.5% for 80 mole% water and 20 mole% gas at 160 °C. Heavy oil production increased with increasing injection temperature.


The analysis of left ventricular function is predominantly based on left ventricular volume assessment. Especially in valvular heart diseases, the quantitative assessment of total and effective stroke volumes as well as regurgitant volumes is necessary for a quantitative approach to determine regurgitant volumes and regurgitant fraction. In the literature, there is an ongoing discussion about differences between cardiac volumes estimated by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance tomography. This viewpoint focuses on the feasibility to assess comparable cardiac volumes with both modalities. The former underestimation of cardiac volumes determined by 2D and 3D echocardiography is presumably explained by methodological and technical limitations. Thus, this viewpoint aims to stimulate an urgent and critical rethinking of the echocardiographic assessment of patients with valvular heart diseases, especially valvular regurgitations, because the actual integrative approach might be too error prone to be continued in this form. It should be replaced or supplemented by a definitive quantitative approach. Valid quantitative assessment by echocardiography is feasible once echocardiography and data analysis are performed with methodological and technical considerations in mind. Unfortunately, implementation of this approach cannot generally be considered for real-world conditions.


The broadband high power 3-way combiner was designed and fabricated for the digital TV repeater. To achieve increase of the bandwidth and the high power capability, Wilkinson type power divider was adopted in our research. First of all, Wilkinson type power divider of equal-split and unequal-split were combined, and the characteristics of the four port in-phase power combiner was simulated for each thickness of dielectric substrates. As the results of simulation, the power combiner fabricated by using dielectric substrate of 120 mil-thickness has the characteristics as follows: insertion loss of less than -651 dB, reflection coefficient of less than -13 dB, isolation among the output ports of less than -15 dB, and pose difference among the output ports of smiler than 13. Therefore, this power combiner was possible to improve the limit of microstrip line width due to high impedance, the problem of power loss due to interaction between strip lines in a high power combiner and narrow bandwidth simultaneously. Furthermore, making broadband and high power could be achieved since the fabricated 3-way combiner has good characteristics of insertion loss, the reflection coefficient, separation between ports, and phase difference.


Time-resolved absorption and emission characteristics of naphthalene, biphenyl and a few other aromatic molecules adsorbed in the cavities of zeolites NaX and NaY have been investigated as a function of sample loading. At low loadings, biphotonic ionization was observed to generate both the radical cations of guest aromatic species and trapped electrons in the zeolite frameworks. Different types of trapped electrons were found depending on the hydration levels of the zeolite, i.e. Na43+ in dehydrated zeolites and a mixture of Na32+ and Na2+ in hydrated zeolites. As the loading was increased, increased formation of the radical anions of the guest species occurred with a significant decrease in the yield of trapped electrons. It was firmly established that radical anions are not produced from trapped electrons and neutral molecules on µs timescales. We propose, therefore, that they are produced from neutral molecules by scavenging photo-ejected electrons before they are trapped. This mechanism of anion formation is characteristic of zeolites in which acceptor molecules with restricted diffusional motions are concentrated in the vicinity of photo-ionized molecules in cage networks. The dimer cation of naphthalene was also found to be formed photochemically in the zeolite cage networks at high loadings. A specific effect of zeolite cages which facilitates the photochemical reactions of guest organic molecules is described.


Adversarial testing methods based on Projected Gradient Descent (PGD) are widely used for searching norm-bounded perturbations that cause the inputs of neural networks to be misclassified. This paper takes a deeper look at these methods and explains the effect of different hyperparameters (i.e., optimizer, step size and surrogate loss). We introduce the concept of MultiTargeted testing, which makes clever use of alternative surrogate losses, and explain when and how MultiTargeted is guaranteed to find optimal perturbations. Finally, we demonstrate that MultiTargeted outperforms more sophisticated methods and often requires less iterative steps than other variants of PGD found in the literature. Notably, MultiTargeted ranks first on MadryLab's white-box MNIST and CIFAR-10 leaderboards, reducing the accuracy of their MNIST model to 88.36% (with $\ell_\infty$ perturbations of $\epsilon = 0.3$) and the accuracy of their CIFAR-10 model to 44.03% (at $\epsilon = 8/255$). MultiTargeted also ranks first on the TRADES leaderboard reducing the accuracy of their CIFAR-10 model to 53.07% (with $\ell_\infty$ perturbations of $\epsilon = 0.031$).


Thrombophilias are defined as a predisposition to thrombosis due to hematological changes which induce blood hypercoagulability; they can be inherited or acquired. They are individually characterized by a large phenotypic variability, even when they occur within the same family. Hereditary thrombophilias are, in most cases, due to changes related to physiological coagulation inhibitors or mutations in the genes of coagulation factors. High levels of plasma homocysteine may also be responsible for vaso-occlusive episodes and may have acquired (nutritional deficiencies of folate and vitamins B6 and B12) and/or genetic causes (mutations in the genes responsible for expression of enzymes involved in the intracellular metabolism of homocysteine). Considering that: (1) thromboses are events of multigenic and multifactorial etiopathology; (2) the presence of mutations in several genes significantly increases the risk of their occurrence; (3) the vascular territory (venous and/or arterial) affected involves different pathophysiological mechanisms and treatments, knowledge of genetic variants that may contribute to the risk and variability of the phenotypic manifestations of these diseases is extremely important. This understanding may provide support for a more individualized and therefore more effective treatment for thrombophilia carriers. Thus, this mini-review aims to address a comprehensive summary of thrombophilias and thrombosis, and discuss the role of polymorphisms in Factor V (FV Leiden), Prothrombin, Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) genes as risk factors for thrombophilias.


Background Regular audit from 2012 to 2014 revealed six incidents of patient's advance care plan (ACP) being missed by inpatient medical care, resulting in incongruence of medical treatment with patients' ACP. Aim To enhance the visibility and awareness of completed ACP form in the general wards at a restructured hospital by piloting 'EOC/ACP' folder for EOC (Extent of Care or medical order) form and duplicate of ACP form. Methods The 'EOC/ACP' folder was piloted in a few inpatient wards to enhance visibility of EOC and ACP forms and to remind medical team of patient's ACP. Roadshows were done to present new workflow to hospital clinical and nursing leadership. The emergency department staff was engaged as well to remind doctors to print copies of ACP forms from patients' electronic medical records to be handed over to the admitting ward team, for filing into the 'EOC/ACP' folder. Continual education is planned for new staff such as doctors and nurses on new workflow. Results Feedback received from medical and nursing teams were encouraging and this 'EOC/ACP' folder will be rolled out to the general wards in phases. Discussion As the ACP team implements the 'EOC/ACP' folder in the wards, the team will conduct regular audit on congruence of care delivered with patient's ACP preferences upon patient's death. Further enhancements include having an ACP alert, and a link to the national ACP IT system in the electronic patient records. Conclusion The 'EOC/ACP' folder is a quality improvement tool that aims to eradicate incidence of patient's ACP being missed in inpatient wards.


Contamination of ballast generally occurs due to particle breakage, infiltration of other undesired materials from the surface or base of the ballast is one of the primary reason for track deterioration. In this context, large scale direct shear tests were conducted to examine the shear behavior of unstabilized and geogrid-stabilized fresh and coal fouled ballast. Fresh granite ballast with an average particle size (D50) of 42 mm and triaxial geogrid having 69 × 69 mm aperture were used in this study. Tests were conducted at different Void Contamination Index (VCI) values ranging from 0 to 60% at a constant shearing rate (Sr) of 3 mm/min and normal stress (σn) of 90 kPa. The test results revealed that the shear strength of ballast is highly influenced by the coal fouling. The friction (φ) and dilation angles (ψ) of unstabilized ballast is found to decrease from 63.06° to 55.55° and 17.7° to 11.22°, respectively as the VCI increases from 0 to 60%. It is further observed that the breakage of ballast (Bg, computed in terms of Marsal's breakage) decreases from 9.37 to 3.98% with the presence of coal fines. However, the presence of geogrid was found to increase the friction angle and reduce the particle breakage and dilation of fresh and coal fouled ballast. These test results show the effectiveness of triaxial geogrid in stabilizing the fresh and coal fouled ballast.


Recent progress in nanophotonics is driven by the desire to engineer light-matter interaction in two-dimensional (2D) materials using high-quality resonances in plasmonic and dielectric structures. Here, we demonstrate a link between the radiation control at critical coupling and the metasurface-based bound states in the continuum (BIC) physics, and develop a generalized theory to engineer light absorption of 2D materials in coupling resonance metasurfaces. In a typical example of hybrid graphene-dielectric metasurfaces, we present the manipulation of absorption bandwidth by more than one order of magnitude by simultaneously adjusting the asymmetry parameter of silicon resonators governed by BIC and the graphene surface conductivity while the absorption efficiency maintains maximum. This work reveals the generalized role of BIC in the radiation control at critical coupling and provides promising strategies in engineering light absorption of 2D materials for high-efficiency optoelectronics device applications, e.g., light emission, detection and modulation.


Nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding is common, morbid, and potentially fatal. Cornerstones of inpatient management include fluid resuscitation; blood transfusion; endoscopy; and initiation of proton-pump inhibitor therapy, which continues in an individualized manner based on risk factors for recurrent bleeding in the outpatient setting. The International Consensus Group released guidelines on the management of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding in 2019. These guidelines provide a helpful, evidence-based roadmap for management of gastrointestinal bleeding but leave certain management details to the discretion of the treating physician. Here, 2 gastroenterologists consider the care of a patient with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding from a peptic ulcer, specifically debating approaches to blood transfusion and endoscopy timing in the hospital, as well as the recommended duration of proton-pump inhibitor therapy after discharge.


Background Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (CRGNB) bloodstream infection (BSI) pose a significant threat to the prognosis of hematologic malignancies (HM) patients. Understanding the distribution of pathogenic bacteria, changes in carbapenem-resistant trends, risk factors for CRGNB infections, and exploring the early detection measures can help reduce mortality. Methods We conducted a multicenter retrospective study of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) BSI in patients with HM in three university-affiliated hospitals in Hunan Province, China, from January 2010 to December 2020. Demographic and clinical data were collected from the hospital electronic medical records system. Results CRGNB caused 138 (15.3%) of 902 GNB BSI. The detection rate of CRGNB increased from 6.4% in 2010–2012 to 35.4% in 2019–2020. The 7-day mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with CRGNB BSI than in patients with carbapenem-susceptible Gram-negative bacteria (CSGNB) BSI [31.9% (44/138) vs 9.7% (74/764), P < 0.001], and the mortality rate in patients with carbapenem-resistant non-fermenting bacteria (CRNFB) bloodstream infections was generally higher than that of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Urinary catheter (OR, 2.814; CI=1.395–5.680; P=0.004) and prior exposure to carbapenem (OR, 4.372; CI=2.881–6.635; P<0.001) were independent risk factors for CRGNB BSI. Analysis of co-infections showed that 50%–85% of patients with CRGNB BSI had pulmonary infections, sputum culture results suggested that sputum culture positivity rate was as high as 57.1%–66.7% in patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia BSI, and the results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing of sputum cultures were consistent with the blood cultures. Conclusion Carbapenem resistance has dramatically increased in HM patients with GNB BSI in recent years and is associated with a worse outcome, especially for non-fermenting bacteria. In high-risk patients, early screening of the respiratory tract specimens may help to detect CRNFB colonization and protect patients from breakthrough BSI.


Mare's milk is similar to human breast milk and has valuable therapeutic properties. For this reason, Europeans are increasingly interested in discovering its benefits and how the chemical composition of horse milk differs from that of other species. This interest is reflected in the number of new farms selling mare's milk around the world as this milk is the most similar to human milk. Mare's milk is considered to be highly digestible, rich in essential nutrients and whey protein, which makes it very suitable as a substitute for bovine milk in paediatric diets. During the period of lactation, mammal's milk composition is subject to rapid changes in macro- and micro-elements, as well as in the quantity and quality of proteins, lipids and saccharides, being ideal food for infants. The primary use of mare's milk has been the rearing of foals, but recently, due to the similarity of its chemical composition to that of human milk, it has raised particular interest and some experiments have been done to apply it as a raw material for the preparation of special food products for human consumption. Mare's milk products are very common in Russia and Central Asia throughout Mongolia. In the 19 th century, some Russian scientists explored its therapeutic properties and then in 1859 they founded the first sanatorium where treatments with mare's milk could be made under medical control. Due to its potential health-promoting characteristics, in the Western countries, interest in mare's milk has lately increased. Â


The relationship between the surface morphology of Si after in situ annealing carried out after a-Si deposition by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) and the preferred crystal orientation is examined. Dome-shaped grains are produced with <311> preferred orientations, and scrambling grains are produced at the boundaries between the <311> and <110> preferred orientations. Here, the scrambling grains are defined as some connected dome-shaped grains. The in situ annealing results in crystallization of the surface amorphous layer on the original <311> textured films. The <311> orientation factor is significantly increased after annealing. Taking into account the reciprocal reaction during the in situ annealing between the polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) grains formed on the a-Si surface and the poly-Si grown from the interface between the a-Si and the SiO2 substrate, the origin of the scrambling grains is discussed.


It has recently been identified that the assessment of peak periods of activity better considers the stochastic nature of match-play and the influence that contextual factors have on these peak periods. Limited research exists attempting to link the tactical and physical aspects of performance, especially in female players. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess post-goal locomotor patterns and positional differences on peak match demands in elite female soccer players. Using 10 Hz global positioning system units, a total of 133 player match observations were recorded from 14 matches played by an elite Scottish women's professional soccer team. The total distance (TD), high-speed running distance (>18 km/h) (HSRD) and PlayerLoad™ (PL) were assessed for 1, 3 and 5-minute peak periods using a rolling epoch approach. Playing position and post-goal activity were used as modulating factors. Linear mixed models established a main effect for playing position for the HSRD at peak 1-minute ( p<.001), 3-minute ( p < .001) and 5-minute ( p < .001) epochs. There were also main effects for the playing position for TD at peak 1-minute ( p= .001) and PL at peak-3minute ( p = .002). Team-level data showed a main effect for condition (score vs. concede) for 3-minute TD data and main effects for time (pre vs. post) for 1,3 and 5-minute epochs for PL data. The average and peak values were shown to differ across playing positions for all variables. Likewise, potentially indicative of tactical adjustments significant differences were observed at both a team and player level following scoring or conceding a goal.


General analysis of expected per-terminal signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) and ergodic per-cell sum spectral efficiency for a multi-cellular system with coordinated regularized zero-forcing (RZF) precoding is presented. An application to two-tier small-cell networks is considered, assuming independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) and semi-correlated Rayleigh fading channels, with spatial correlation at the base station. Our analysis caters for equal and unequal correlation matrices for each terminal. For the i.i.d. case and when each terminal is assigned an equal correlation matrix, our expressions are averaged over the eigenvalue densities of the channel correlation matrices, which follow an uncorrelated and correlated complex central Wishart distribution. With unequal correlation matrices, we exploit the high signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) convergence of RZF precoding to zero-forcing (ZF) precoding and use a second-order Neumann series expansion to derive closed-form approximations to the expected RZF SINR and ergodic sum spectral efficiency, via the expected ZF SNR and ergodic sum spectral efficiency. Our numerical results show the adverse effects of intercellular interference, along with the improvements in the above-mentioned performance metrics with network-wide coordination over cell-wide and macro-only coordination strategies. The derived expressions are robust to changes in system dimensions, operating SNRs, and correlation levels.


Purpose: A total thyroidectomy for the treatment of bilateral thyroid benign nodules is still controversial. This study prospectively compared the prognosis and complications of a total thyroidectomy with those after a subtotal thyroidectomy. Methods: Between September 2003 and October 2006, a total of 110 consecutive patients with bilateral thyroid benign nodules underwent either a total (n=77) or subtotal thyroidectomy (n=33). Temporary or permanent hypoparathyroidism, temporary or permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, operation time, the length of hospital stay, postoperative thyroxine dosage in both operation groups were compared. In addition, the detection rate of a malignancy through a permanent biopsy was examined. Results: There was a higher rate of temporary hypoparathyroidism, longer length of hospital stay and higher thyroxine dosage needed in the total thyroidectomy group than in the subtotal thyroidectomy group. There were no significant differences in the permanent hypoparathyroidism, temporary or permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy and operation time between the two groups. The histopathological diagnosis was a malignant tumor in 13 patients. Conclusion: This study suggests that a total thyroidecotmy can be performed without increasing risk of complications. A total thyroidectomy avoids recurrent nodules for the removal of the whole thyroid tissue, which avoids the need for secondary surgery with an increased risk of complications when compared with primary thyroid surgery. A total thyroidecotmy is considered the first choice for the management of bilateral thyroid benign nodules.


In Russia, the change from a centrally planned economy to a market economy has led to major changes in its national innovation system. It is progressively ruled according to the functioning principles in large industrial countries. First, the national innovation system is defined and the theoretical evolution of the concept is presented. The article then describes the current changes (legal incentive framework, restructuring, networking of institutions), their expected advantages (strengthening innovation and growth) and their limits (extraversion of the Russian economy). Referring to F. List's contribution, we stress the importance of an active industrial policy for the structuring of the national innovation system. JEL codes: O3, P21, P27


Fedotozine has been shown to act on gastrointestinal sensitivity through peripheral kappa-opioid receptors. The present study investigated the action of fedotozine and reference compounds, morphine and (+/-)-U-50,488H, on duodenal pain in anesthetized rats. The noxious stimulus was produced by duodenal distension (100 mm Hg; 30 s). Fedotozine (1-5 mg/kg i.v.) produced a dose-dependent inhibition of the cardiovascular reflex induced by duodenal distension (ED50 = 1.87 mg/kg) but had no effect at doses up to 300 micrograms/rat by either intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) or intrathecal routes (i.t.). The mu-opioid receptor agonist, morphine, was active by both i.v. (ED50 = 0.62 mg/kg) and i.c.v. routes (ED50 = 2.17 micrograms/rat) as was the kappa-opioid receptor agonist, (+/-)-U-50,488H (trans-(+/-)-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-[1- pyrrolidinyl]cyclohexyl)benzeneacetamide) (ED50 = 0.25 mg/kg and 149 micrograms/rat for i.v. and i.c.v. routes, respectively). The selective kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, nor-binaltorphimine (10 mg/kg s.c.), abolished the response to fedotozine (5 mg/kg i.v.) and (+/-)-U-50,488H (2 mg/kg i.v.) but not that to morphine (1 mg/kg i.v.). In contrast, naloxone (30 micrograms/kg i.v.) blocked the response to morphine (1 mg/kg i.v.) but not that to fedotozine (5 mg/kg i.v.) or (+/-)-U-50,488H (2 mg/kg i.v.). It is concluded that the antinociceptive effects of fedotozine on duodenal pain are mediated by peripheral kappa-opioid receptors.


Depending on their condition, most neonates in a neonatal intensive care unit require multiple diagnostic imaging examinations. Therefore, radiographers who perform these diagnostic imaging examinations should use optimal imaging techniques, to limit radiation dose and to ensure optimal image quality. The study wished to determine if radiographers were producing consistent optimal chest images and limiting radiation doses for neonates in a neonatal intensive care unit. A descriptive quantitative study was done by utilising a checklist compiled from literature to evaluate 450 neonatal chest images. Evaluation of the images indicates that radiographers seem unable to adhere to radiation control regulations. The authors propose including the checklist as part of a radiation safety improvement process, as it proved to be an assessment tool for identifying areas in image quality that require improvement.


Gastric outlet obstruction caused by a large gallstone in the duodenum or pylorus (Bouveret's syndrome) is a rare complication of gallstone disease. The presenting symptoms are often nonspecific and include nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain and a history of gallbladder disease. Although the diagnosis is established only at surgery in many cases, preoperative recognition by imaging techniques and endoscopy is desirable. Surgical treatment aims at removal of the ectopic gallstone, closure of the fistula and cholecystectomy. A case of Bouveret's syndrome is presented where endoscopic extraction of the duodenal gallstone was accomplished providing definitive treatment for this patient.


The magnetization of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) has the potential to aid tissue engineering approaches by allowing tracking, targeting, and local retention of cells at the site of tissue damage. Commonly used methods for magnetizing cells include optimizing uptake and retention of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). These appear to have minimal detrimental effects on the use of MSC function as assessed by in vitro assays. The cellular content of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) will, however, decrease with cell proliferation and the longer-term effects on MSC function are not entirely clear. An alternative approach to magnetizing MSCs involves genetic modification by transfection with one or more genes derived from Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1, a magnetotactic bacterium that synthesizes single-magnetic domain crystals which are incorporated into magnetosomes. MSCs with either or mms6 and mmsF genes are followed by bio-assimilated synthesis of intracytoplasmic magnetic nanoparticles which can be imaged by magnetic resonance (MR) and which have no deleterious effects on MSC proliferation, migration, or differentiation. The stable transfection of magnetosome-associated genes in MSCs promotes assimilation of magnetic nanoparticle synthesis into mammalian cells with the potential to allow MR-based cell tracking and, through external or internal magnetic targeting approaches, enhanced site-specific retention of cells for tissue engineering.


Node movement feature of Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) closely resembles with that of mobile ad hoc network (MANET) but its high speed mobility and unpredictable movement characteristics are the key contrasting feature from that of MANET. The similarity nature suggests that the prevailing routing protocol of MANET is very much applicable to VANET. However, on the same line, the dissimilarity characteristics result in frequent loss of connectivity. This necessitates upgradation of the existing routing protocols to adapt itself into VANET scenario. The key parameter that needs to be fed into these protocols is a realistic mobility model which contains criterion linked to speed, road intersections, traffic light effect etc. In this paper, we compare performances of reactive routing protocols named Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector (AODV) and Ad hoc On Demand Multipath Distance Vector (AOMDV) in VANET using different Mobility Models provided in VanetMobiSim framework. The performances are evaluated by varying mobility, number of sources and node speed while packet delivery fraction, end to end delay and normalized routing load are used as performance metrics. The simulations have shown that AOMDV performs comparatively better than DSR and AODV in different mobility models in terms of end to end delay as performance metric.


ABSTRACT We report the first archived collection of the invasive obligate wetland monocot Butomus umbellatus in the Allegheny River, a major tributary to the Ohio River. The specimen we discovered represents the first formally collected specimen in Pennsylvania outside of the Lake Erie watershed. Our collection complements multiple observations on iNaturalist throughout the larger Ohio River watershed that collectively suggest a recent, rapid expansion of the species southward. Such observations highlight the potential to rapidly identify novel or advancing invasive species using citizen science prior to recognition in formal herbarium collections and associated databases.


INTRODUCTION: Ulcerative colitis (UC) associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC-UC) is considered a unique inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) entity. PSC diagnosis in an IBD individual entails a significantly higher risk of gastrointestinal cancer; however, biomarkers for identifying patients with UC at risk for PSC are lacking. We, therefore, performed a thorough PSC-UC biomarker study, starting from archived colonic tissue. METHODS: Proteins were extracted out of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded proximal colon samples from PSC-UC (n = 9), UC (n = 7), and healthy controls (n = 7). Patients with IBD were in clinical and histological remission, and all patients with UC had a history of pancolitis. Samples were processed by the multienzyme digestion FASP and subsequently analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Candidate proteins were replicated in an independent cohort (n: PSC-UC = 16 and UC = 21) and further validated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In the discovery step, 7,279 unique proteins were detected. The top 5 most differentiating proteins (PSC-UC vs UC) based on linear regression analysis were selected for replication. Of these, 1-acetylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase 1 (AGPAT1) was verified as higher in PSC-UC than UC (P = 0.009) in the replication cohort. A difference on the group level was also confirmed by immunohistochemistry, showing more intense AGPAT1 staining in patients with PSC-UC compared with UC. DISCUSSION: We present AGPAT1 as a potential colonic biomarker for differentiating PSC-UC from UC. Our findings have possible implication for future PSC-IBD diagnostics and surveillance.


The present paper gives an account regarding the findings from the design and implementation of an intervention model for psychology, conducted with children between 5 and 7 years old. The results were obtained by establishing measures of central tendency and variability for each of the groups; scores were compared pretest - posttest trials, using a univariate analysis of variance (ANCOVA) and nonparametric tests with U Mann-Whitney for variables without normal distribution. Within each group a comparison of intergroup differences of mean pretest, posttest with Wilcoxon rank sum. Subsequently, an analysis of covariance to compare mean Post-Test between the two groups adjusted for baseline levels, using this procedure, it was concluded that the intervention program designed improved the performance of participating children.


Human infectious diseases are a significant threat to global human health and economies (e.g. Ebola, SARs), with the majority of infectious diseases having an animal source (zoonotic). Despite their importance, the lack of a quantitative predictive framework hampers our understanding of how spillovers of zoonotic infectious diseases into the human population will be impacted by global environmental stressors. Here, we create an environmental‐mechanistic model for understanding the impact of global change on the probability of zoonotic disease reservoir host–human spillover events. As a case study, we focus on Lassa fever virus (LAS). We first quantify the spatial determinants of LAS outbreaks, including the phylogeographic distribution of its reservoir host Natal multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensis) (LAS host). Secondly, we use these determinants to inform our environmental‐mechanistic model to estimate present‐day LAS spillover events and the predicted impact of climate change, human population growth and land use by 2070. We find phylogeographic evidence to suggest that LAS is confined to only one clade of LAS host (Western clade Mastomys natalensis) and that the probability of its occurrence was a major determinant of the spatial variation in LAS historical outbreaks (69·8%), along with human population density (20·4%). Our estimates for present‐day LAS spillover events from our environmental‐mechanistic model were consistent with observed patterns, and we predict an increase in events per year by 2070 from 195 125 to 406 725 within the LAS endemic western African region. Of the component drivers, climate change and human population growth are predicted to have the largest effects by increasing landscape suitability for the host and human–host contact rates, while land‐use change has only a weak impact on the number of future events. LAS spillover events did not respond uniformly to global environmental stressors, and we suggest that understanding the impact of global change on zoonotic infectious disease emergence requires an understanding of how reservoir host species respond to environmental change. Our environmental‐mechanistic modelling methodology provides a novel generalizable framework to understand the impact of global change on the spillover of zoonotic diseases.


ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effects of exposure to emissions from sugar cane burning on inflammatory mechanisms in tissues of the trachea and lung parenchyma in Wistar rats after different periods of exposure. Methods: This was an experimental open randomized study. The animals were divided into four groups: a control group (CG) underwent standard laboratory conditions, and three experimental groups were exposed to emissions from sugar cane burning over different periods of time, in days-1 (EG1), 7 (EG7), and 21 (EG21). After euthanasia with 200 mg/kg of ketamine/xylazine, fragments of trachea and lung were collected and fixed in 10% formalin. Histological analyses were performed with H&E and picrosirius red staining. Results: No inflammatory infiltrates were found in the tissues of CG rats. The histological examination of tissues of the trachea and lung parenchyma revealed that the inflammatory process was significantly more intense in EG7 than in the CG (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). In comparison with the CG and EG1, angiogenesis in the lung parenchyma and collagen deposition in tracheal tissues were significantly greater only in EG21 (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusions: In this sample, emissions from sugar cane burning induced acute focal and diffuse inflammation in the lamina propria of tracheal tissues, with no loss of ciliated epithelial tissue. In the lung parenchyma of the animals in the experimental groups, there was interstitial and alveolar edema, together with polymorphonuclear cell infiltrates.


With the increasing prevalence of IoT environments, the demand for processing massive distributed data streams has become a critical challenge. Data Stream Processing on the Edge (DSPoE) systems have emerged as a solution to address this challenge, but they often struggle to cope with the heterogeneity of hardware and platforms. To address this issue, we propose a new hybrid DSPoE architecture named GALOIS, which is based on WebAssembly (Wasm) and is hardware-, platform-, and language-agnostic. GALOIS employs a multi-layered approach that combines P2P and master-worker concepts for communication between components. We present experimental results showing that operators executed in Wasm outperform those in Docker in terms of energy and CPU consumption, making it a promising option for streaming operators in DSPoE. We therefore expect Wasm-based solutions to significantly improve the performance and resilience of DSPoE systems.


Background: Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an autosomal recessive inherited metabolic disease caused by deficient activity of the branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase (BCKD) enzymatic complex. BCKD is a mitochondrial complex encoded by four genes: BCKDHA, BCKDHB, DBT, and DLD. MSUD is predominantly caused by mutations in the BCKDHA, BCKDHB, and DBT genes encoding the E1α, E1β, and E2 subunits of the BCKD complex, respectively. The aim of this study was to characterize the genetic basis of MSUD by identifying point mutations in the BCKDHA, BCKDHB, and DBT genes in a cohort of Chilean MSUD patients, and to describe their phenotypic heterogeneity. It is a descriptive cross-sectional study with 18 MSUD patients was carried out using PCR and DNA sequencing. Results: Four new pathogenic mutations were identified in the 18 patients that were analyzed: one in BCKDHA (p.Thr338Ile); two in BCKDHB (p.Gly336Ser e p.Pro240Thr); and one in DBT (p.Gly406Asp). Four additional pathogenic mutations found in the analyzed patients have been described previously. Conclusion: There were no correlations observed between genotypes and phenotypes. Thus, if MSUD is diagnosed more promptly, such as in neonatal screening, it might be possible to establish genotype-phenotype relationships more efficiently. Keywords: inborn errors of metabolism; maple syrup urine disease; branched-chain amino acids; valine; leucine; isoleucine.


The relationship between agriculture and industry is very important in any economic development. The whole process of development can be understood in the context of the relationship between agriculture and industry and its evolution. This is because first, agriculture and industry are usually the biggest and primary material production sectors in the economy, they provide physical goods for a society's survival and the foundation for any further development. Second, it becomes more and more clear that one sector cannot develop properly without the other. The purpose of this paper is to explore the agriculture industry relationship from the point of view of the intersectoral terms of trade, which is considered as the most important factor in agriculture industry relationship because the connection between the two sectors is mainly through product exchanges.


Transmission spectroscopy is one of the most successful methods of learning about exoplanet atmospheres. The process of retrievals using transmission spectroscopy consists of creating numerous forward models and comparing them to observations to solve the inverse problem of constraining the atmospheric properties of exoplanets. We explore the impact of one simplifying assumption commonly employed by forward models of transiting exoplanets: namely that the planet can be treated as an isolated, non-rotating spherical body. The centrifugal acceleration due to a planet's rotation opposes the gravitational pull on a planet's atmosphere and increases its scale height. Conventional forward models used for retrievals generally do not include this effect. We find that atmospheric retrievals produce significantly different results for close-in planets with low gravity when this assumption is removed, e.g., differences between true and retrieved values of gas abundances greater than 1σ for a simulated planet analogous to WASP-19 b. We recommend that the correction to the atmospheric scale height due to this effect be taken into account for the analysis of high precision transmission spectra of exoplanets in the future, most immediately JWST Cycle 1 targets WASP-19 b and WASP-121 b.


The Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) has recently received National Science Foundation (NSF) approval to begin the construction process. ATST will be the most powerful solar telescope and the world's leading resource for studying solar magnetism that controls the solar wind, flares, coronal mass ejections and variability in the Sun's output. This paper gives an overview of the project, and describes the project management principles and practices that have been developed to optimize both the project's success as well as meeting requirements of the project's funding agency.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that primary tumor vascularity in a murine model of intraocular melanoma positively correlates with the development and hematogenous spread of metastasis.

METHODS
Forty 12-week-old C57BL6 mice were inoculated in either the anterior chamber (AC) or posterior compartment (PC) of 1 eye with 5 x 10(5) cells/microL of Queens tissue culture melanoma cells. The inoculated eye was enucleated at 2 weeks; the mice were sacrificed at 4 weeks postinoculation, and necropsies were performed. The enucleated eyes were examined for histologic and ultrastructural features, including relationship of tumor cells to tumor vascular channels, vascular pattern, and mean vascular density.

RESULTS
Melanoma grew and was confined to the eye in 12 of 20 AC eyes and 10 of 20 PC eyes. Histologic and electron microscopic examination showed tumor invasion into vascular channels. Five of 12 AC tumors (42%) and 8 of 10 PC tumors (80%) metastasized. All of the AC tumors, but none of the PC tumors, that distantly metastasized also metastasized to ipsilateral cervical lymph nodes (P = .00535). There was no statistically significant difference of vascular pattern between the melanomas that did and did not metastasize to lungs in the PC group (P = .24), although there was a significant difference in the AC group (P = .02). Tumors with high-grade vascular patterns were more likely to metastasize than tumors with low-grade vascular patterns in the AC group. The mean vascular density positively correlated with the presence and number of metastases in both groups (P = .0000 and P < .001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference of vascular pattern and mean vascular density for AC versus PC melanoma (P = .97).

CONCLUSIONS
The rate of metastasis in this murine intraocular melanoma model positively correlates with primary tumor vascularity. The melanoma metastasizes via invasion of tumor vascular channels. AC melanoma also metastasizes through regional lymphatics.


The cleft lip and palate cases are the most frequently seen congenital deformities. Retardation of the maxillary development and collapse are the most significant characteristics in these cases. It is aimed to correct the functions like mastication, deglutition and speech which were disturbed due to anatomic deficiency and to obtain an acceptable occlusion and esthetics, by means of the therapy. As much as the preoperative orthopedic procedures applied just after the birth, the orthopedic and orthodontic appliances used in mixed and permanent dentition periods affect the prognosis in these cases. The purpose of the treatment in permanent dentition is to correct the malocclusion and to prepare the dentition to prosthetic restorations. In this article the orthodontic treatment of a case in permanent dentition, with cleft palate and lip characterized with severe maxillary collapse will be presented.


ABSTRACT The massive influx of refugees into Europe in the past few years has given rise to different kinds of challenges among which is the challenge to successfully communicate with newly arrived immigrants. In this article, we will focus on the public service provision sector where quality of service is to a large extent determined by the capability of a service provider and his or her "client" to understand one another. The article centres on a study involving public organisations providing asylum services or (mental) healthcare services in the multilingual and multicultural city of Brussels. Several interviews were conducted to gain insight into the communication problems such organisations face, as well as their communication requirements and solutions when providing services to people of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. We will focus on the types of bridging functions commonly deployed by these organisations in multilingual service encounters and on the motivations for using them. In addition, we will discuss the subject of technology-enabled communication in the context of public service provision. Finally, in presenting the results of our study we will formulate specific recommendations on how to improve the use and integration of bridging functions into common service practice.


In this paper, interfacial adhesion of epoxy resin/ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibre composites by polymerization grafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto fibre surface was investigated. To optimize the grafting process, experiment design method was applied using the time and monomer concentration as grafting variables. In order to confirm the formation of glycidyl methacrylate bonds onto the polyethylene chains, attenuated total reflectance-infra red test was performed. Besides, Pull-out test was utilized to measure the interfacial shear strength of fibres with the matrix for both modified and unmodified ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibre composites. Tensile test was carried out. Three amounts, 11%, 25%, and 40%, of polymerized glycidyl methacrylate grafted onto the fibre surface was obtained. The grafting percent of glycidyl methacrylate onto the fibre showed enhancement by increasing the amount of glycidyl methacrylate monomer and the reaction time which was bigger by monomer increment. The interfacial shear strength of 11%, 25%, and 40% glycidyl methacrylate grafted fibres with epoxy matrix showed 126%, 195%, and 220% enhancements, respectively, in comparison with untreated fibre. The tensile strength of 11% glycidyl methacrylate grafted polyethylene fibre-epoxy composite showed about 10% enhancement; however, the tensile strengths of 25% and 40% glycidyl methacrylate grated polyethylene fibre-epoxy composites showed decrement. Toughness results showed improvement for 11% glycidyl methacrylate grafted composite due to appearing of energy absorbing mechanisms while fracturing.


In this thesis, we handle the problem of extracting 3D information from multiple images of a robotic work site in the context of teleoperation. A human operator determines the virtual path of a robotic vehicle and our mission is to provide him with the sequence of images that should be seen by the teleoperated robot moving along this path.
The environment, in which the robotic vehicle moves, has a planar ground surface. In addition, a set of wide baseline images are available for the work site. This implies that a small number of points may be visible in more than two views. Moreover, camera parameters are known approximately. According to the sensor error margins, the parameters read lie within some range. Obstacles of different shapes are present in such an environment. In order to generate the sequence, this ground plane as well as the obstacles must be represented. The perspective image of the ground plane can be obtained through a homography matrix. This is done through the virtual camera parameters and the overhead view of the work site. In order to represent obstacles, we suggest different methods; these are volumetric and planar.
Our algorithm to represent obstacles starts with detecting junctions. This is done through a new fast junction detection operator we propose. This operator provides the location of the junction as well as the orientations of the edges surrounding it. Junctions belonging to the obstacles are identified against those belonging to the ground plane through calculating the inter-image homography matrices.
Fundamental matrices relating images can be estimated roughly through the available camera parameters. Strips surrounding epipolar lines are used as a search range for detecting possible matches. We introduce a novel homographic correlation method to be applied among candidates by reconstructing the planes of junctions in space. Two versions of homographic correlation are proposed; these are SAD and VNC. Both versions achieve matching results that outperform non-homographic correlation. The match set is then turned into a set of 3D points through triangulation. At this point, we propose a hierarchical structure to cluster points in space. This results in bounding boxes containing obstacles. A more accurate volumetric representation for the obstacle can be achieved through a voxelization approach.
Another representation is suggested. That is to represent obstacles as planar patches. This is done through mapping among original and synthesized images. Finally, steps of the different algorithms presented throughout the thesis are supported by examples to show the usefulness we claim of our approaches.


Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of noninvasive ankle distraction on intraoperative somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and peripheral nerve sensibility of the foot during ankle arthroscopy. Methods: Twenty patients undergoing ankle arthroscopy were prospectively evaluated using noninvasive ankle traction. All had preoperative clinical examination with baseline neurologic evaluation and static 2-point discrimination (2PD) test. Intraoperative SSEPs were monitored continuously throughout surgery. Thirty pounds of traction was applied using noninvasive traction. A 50% decrease in amplitude or a 10% increase in latency was considered significant. At 2 weeks postoperatively, the 2PD test was repeated. Pre- and postoperative 2PD was compared and subsequently correlated with intraoperative SSEPs. Results: Three patients sustained significant SSEP signal alterations during surgery. The changes were transient and directly related to application of traction but returned to baseline without traction release. Abnormal postoperative 2PD testing was found in the operative extremity in 12 patients but resolved by the second postoperative visit. Only 2 of 12 had intraoperative SSEP changes. Eleven patients had abnormal postoperative 2PD testing in the nonoperative limb. Nine had changes in both limbs. Routine history and clinical examination did not suggest any neurologic injury. There was no statistically significant correlation between intraoperative SSEP alterations and subsequent development of abnormal postoperative 2PD testing. Conclusion: Transient intraoperative SSEP changes occurred with noninvasive distraction but were reversible when using 30 pounds of traction. 2PD testing changes were common postoperatively but not correlated to changes in SSEP. Patients with increased 2PD did not have sensory changes detectable on clinical exam or subjective patient history. Level of Evidence: Experimental level II, prospective comparative study.


The approval of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) has expanded the armamentarium against this disease. This paper will review the historical progress and recent clinical developments of anti-EGFR therapies in the treatment of metastatic CRC. Novel strategies of targeting the EGFR pathway to improve efficacy as well as ongoing research in identifying specific molecular predictors of response will be discussed.


This experiment was conducted in Faculty of Science labs, Kufa University, carried out during 2013-2014 to study many experiments to induce callus tissues from leaves of  ( Catharanthus roseus ( L. ) G. Don in vitro using MS medium supplemented with Dichlorophenoxy actic acid (2,4-D) at difference  concentrations (0.5, 1, 1.5) mg/l with the interaction of  (BA) benzyl adenine at concentrations of (0.5, 1, 1.5) mg/l. Identically callus fresh weight, then use it in the next experiments and investigate the effect of abiotic factors (drought and sucrose) on vinblastine and vincristine production  from callus tissue, and leaves of  intact  plant. This study include determination the catalase activity, proline and total soluble carbohydrates content as responsible to the variety of the stresses in callus as well as quantities and qualities determination of vinblastine and vincristine using TLC (Thin layer chromatography ) and HPLC(high performance liquid chromatography). Results  reveled  that the highest fresh weight of callus (3.276) g was for (1mg/l 2,4-D + 1mg/l BA ) combination treatment. However, the results showed that the additions of abiotic  factors to the callus cultural  medium cause difference results in fresh and dry weights of callus in accumulation phase, reducing the fresh and dry weight in all treatments expect sucrose 40 g/l treatment which gave increase in fresh and dry weight. Also, this results showed that all treatments increase total soluble carbohydrates, proline content and catalase  enzyme activity with significant difference compared with control treatment and significant increase of alkaloids production with the superiority of (vinblastine and vincristine)  content in Callus with abiotic factors stresses than the content in control treatment( without any factor).


The author tries to attract attention for the careers ant the education of that what we call applied Cultural Studies after the cultural turn in the Humanities. He refers to some empirical studies and tries to put it out how differs the several institutes especially in the German spoken academic world. After all the conclusion of the author could be that there is an big demand for specialists in the area of applied cultural studies. The formation or education has to refer widely to a conception or the terminus of every-day-culture, so that it could be a big help in economic, social and education professions.


Low blood pressure truly includes a worse prognosis than the excessive blood strain. This mechanism,bills for the "reverse causation "seen within the haemodialysis' patients, the company of conventional risk elements, such as high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and obesity, appear to be a worst diagnosis.Exogenous erythropoietic products can growth blood strain and requirement of antihypertensive tablets.30 Chronic ECFV overload secondary to activation of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axisand disturbances inside the stability of vasoconstrictors and the vasodilators make a contribution to high blood pressure. Improvement in blood pressure can be introduced out with oral sodium restriction, diuretics, and fluid elimination with dialysis. Some patients will continue to be hypertensive notwithstanding of the careful attention to ECFV reputation. LVH is related with reduced endurance of sufferers on hemo/peritoneal dialysis .Lower five year survival charge in ESRD patients with LVH have a 30% than people missing LVH. This have a look at produces the mean carotid artery intima-medial thickness turned into higher in sufferers with superior CKD although it did now not attain statistical significance, probable due to smaller sample size.It was also observed that carotid intima medial thickness had no correlation with dyslipidemia. Even though the patients had maintained significantly normal cholesterol and high HDL levels, there was an increase in CIMT. Therefore, CKD patients, CIMT cannot be predicted based on the traditional atherosclerotic risk factors like serum cholesterol and HDL.


In guinea pigs that had been treated with very large doses of the aminoglycoside amikacin (14 x 450 mg/kg/day, i.m.) clear, short-latency responses to various click stimuli could be recorded at the round window. When the same cochleas were examined histologically, no outer or inner hair cells could be found along the entire length of the basilar membrane, save for a very few outer hair cells remaining at the apex. The response patterns resembled that of the compound action potential, and various characteristics suggest that they were of neural origin. Vestibular function, investigated by electronystagmography during rotation, appeared normal, as did most of the saccular and utricular hair cells. Transmission electron microscopy revealed a significant number of cochlear nerve fibres still innervating the remnants of Corti's organ. In other cochleas with similarly extensive destruction induced by another aminoglycoside (sisomycin, 14 x 125 mg/kg/day, 15 days as well as 3 months post-Rx), no responses could be recorded from the round window. Cochleas that were less affected, with the upper turns preserved, gave only small, long-latency responses. These preliminary observations are confirmed by further experiments now in progress. They suggest that unless a considerable number of inner hair cells remained undetected in the lower basal turn, a possibility that appears highly unlikely, there was either a direct mechanical excitation of cochlear nerve fibres, or an acoustical stimulation of vestibular sense organs.


Wave interaction theory can be used as a tool to understand and predict instability in a variety of homogeneous and stratified shear flows. It is however, most often limited to piecewise-linear profiles of the shear layer background velocity, in which stable vorticity wave modes can be easily identified, and their interaction quantified. This approach to understanding shear flow instability is extended herein to smooth shear layer profiles. We describe a method, by which the stable vorticity wave modes can be identified, and show that their interaction results in an excellent description of the stability properties of the smooth shear layer, thus demonstrating the presence of the wave interaction mechanism in smooth shear flows.


The significance of free alkaline ribonuclease (RNase) activity as a criterion of protein metabolism and nutrition in traumatized man is evaluated in this report. Plasma and urinary levels of RNase were measured in severely injured, hypermetabolic patients and in normal controls. Significant increases in the plasma and urinary RNase levels were seen in these polytrauma victims and they were positively correlated. Plasma RNase levels were also significantly related to blood urea nitrogen and daily urinary nitrogen excretion. Urinary clearance of RNase was increased by 220% in trauma victims, although the creatinine clearance was not affected by trauma. In a subgroup of eight patients who were fed intravenously (1.4 times basal energy expenditure calories and 250-300 mg of N per kilogram per day) for 6 days, the daily excretions of urinary RNase, nitrogen, 3-methylhistidine, creatinine, and catecholamines were measured. There was a significant negative correlation between daily urine RNase and nitrogen balance. A general increase in all the metabolic parameters on the first day of feeding was seen, suggesting a nutritional stress superimposed on the trauma-induced metabolic stress. Excretion of RNase, 3-methylhistidine, and creatinine peaked on the first day of feeding and then decreased. The normal levels could not be reached even after 6 days of adequate nutrition. The results suggest that RNase levels could be used as a biomarker of protein metabolism.


Abstract. Due to its high resolution and applicability for large area patterning, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a promising technology for photovoltaic (PV) applications. However, a successful industrial application of NIL processes is only possible if large-area processing on thin, brittle, and potentially rough substrates can be achieved in a high-throughput process. The development of NIL processes using the SmartNIL technology from EV Group with a focus on PV applications is described. The authors applied this tooling to realize a honeycomb texture (8  μm period) on the front side of multicrystalline silicon solar cells, leading to an improvement in optical efficiency of 7% relative and a total efficiency gain of 0.5% absolute compared to the industrial standard texture (isotexture). On the rear side of monocrystalline silicon solar cells, the authors realized diffraction gratings to make use of light trapping effects. An absorption enhancement of up to 35% absolute at a wavelength of 1100 nm is demonstrated. Furthermore, photolithography was combined with NIL processes to introduce features for metal contacts into honeycomb master structures, which were initially realized using interference lithography. As a final application, the authors investigated the realization of very fine contact fingers with prismatic shape in order to minimize reflection losses.


Background : Sensitivity is an important dosimetric issue particularly in personal dosimetry where the range of doses is often very low to medium. In-service aging is assumed to be of negligible effect on the response of thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD), consequently, some service providers may mix fresh TLDs to in-use ones and simply normalize the readings of TLDs through batch calibration. This may lead to an increase in the coefficient of variation of the batch. Objective: The correlation between the sensitivity of LiF(Mg:Ti) and its in-service life is quantitatively studied in this paper.  Method: Three groups of dosimeters with different service lives were chosen from the inventory of the national TLD service provider. The TLDs were then exposed to different doses and their TL responses were measured and compared.  Result: By analyzing the results obtained from groups with different in-service ages, it was shown that the sensitivity of the dosimeters degrades with age in long term, and the amount of this sensitivity loss was measured. The reading standard deviation of the dosimeters degrades with the service life for low doses but seems to be insensitive to the service life in medium and high doses. Conclusion: A more efficient annealing approach is recommended time to time for TLDs. Moreover, the calibration dosimeters must be updated whenever a big difference between the sensitivity of new and used TLDs is seen.


Methanol extract of the marine brown alga Ecklonia cava has been shown to exhibit antimicrobial activity against Propionibacterium acnes . To identify the compounds conferring this antimicrobial activity, methanol extract was fractionated using silica-gel column chromatography by increasing solvent polarity, and the antimicrobial activities of each fraction were determined in terms of the minimum inhibitory concentration. Hexane, diethyl ether, acetone, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, methanol, and water fractions were generated, with the acetone fraction exhibiting the greatest antibacterial activity (minimum inhibitory concentration = 156 μg/mL). The acetone fraction was further purifi ed by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and reverse-phase HPLC using an Alltima C18 column with an H 2 O-MeOH linear gradient from 30 to 100%. Two peaks were eluted at 18.1 (P1) and 23.8 (P2) min, both of which exhibited marked antibacterial activity (minimum inhibitory concentration = 39 μg/mL for both). The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of 1 H and 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance data and, through comparison with published data, can be phloroglucinol derivatives dieckol (P1) and phlorofucofuroeckol-A (P2). These results suggest that phlorotannins derived from E. cava have antimicrobial activity against P. acnes , and so may be useful as natural additives in antiacne cosmetics and pharmaceutical products.


The capacity of IEEE 802.11-based ad hoc networks is a critical issue because multi-hop communication requires additional capacity which is not available for transmitting application data. Furthermore, the distributed coordination function (DCF) of IEEE 802.11 causes various channel access problems which can lead to bad utilization of the channel capacity and to unfair capacity assignment for the connections in a network. In this paper we present an approach for calculating an upper bound capacity for a given fairness constraint. Our calculations can be used for networks with any node distribution, routing and traffic pattern. We also discuss the performance of the DCF in regard to the calculated upper bound capacity by simulating example scenarios. Our results show that a DCF is able to provide about 55% of the upper bound capacity.


Evidence exists for an association between use of vitamin supplements with folic acid in early pregnancy and reduced risk for offspring with cleft lip with/without cleft palate (CLP). A few observations have been made about nutrients related to one-carbon metabolism other than folate. Our prospective study attempted to extend information on nutrition and CLP by measuring nutrient analytes in mid-pregnancy sera. This study included data from a repository of women's mid-pregnancy serum specimens collected in California from 2003–04. Each woman's specimen was linked with delivery information to determine whether her fetus had CLP or another structural malformation, or was nonmalformed. We identified 89 CLP cases. We randomly selected 409 specimens as controls. Specimens were tested for homocysteine, methylmalonic acid, folate, vitamin B12, pyridoxal phosphate, pyridoxal, pyridoxic acid, riboflavin, choline, betaine, methionine, methionine sulfoxide, cysteine, cystathionine, arginine, and asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginine. We observed three analytes with odds ratios unlikely to be explained by random variation, i.e., elevated CLP risks were observed for low levels and for high levels of pyridoxal phosphate (vitamin B6), higher levels of choline, and low levels of symmetric dimethylarginine. These data did not show meaningful differences between cases and controls for any other analytes.


The channel-hopping-based rendezvous is essential to alleviate the problem of under-utilization and scarcity of the spectrum in cognitive radio networks. It dynamically allows unlicensed secondary users to schedule rendezvous channels using the assigned hopping sequence to guarantee the self-organization property in a limited time. In this paper, we use the interleaving technique to cleverly construct a set of asynchronous channel-hopping sequences consisting of d sequences of period xN2 with flexible parameters, which can generate sequences of different lengths. By this advantage, the new designed CHSs can be used to adapt to the demands of various communication scenarios. Furthermore, we focus on the improved maximum-time-to-rendezvous and maximum-first-time-to-rendezvous performance of the new construction compared to the prior research at the same sequence length. The new channel-hopping sequences ensure that rendezvous occurs between any two sequences and the rendezvous times are random and unpredictable when using licensed channels under asynchronous access, although the full degree-of-rendezvous is not satisfied. Our simulation results show that the new construction is more balanced and unpredictable between the maximum-time-to-rendezvous and the mean and variance of time-to-rendezvous.


Humanism is a movement in philosophy and literature that emerged in Italy in the 14th century and spreaded to other European countries. The fast changing human thoughts had accelerated the development of science during the renaissance period. Science in the field of art potentially creates cultural strategies, so that every new finding could produce newness in the field of art. Art played a great role in producing opportunities for multidisciplinary studies. The advantage and also the disadvantage of art is the matter of certainty since it is always related to creativity and intuition. The role of human is very important in cultural strategies. Human beings are the one who create their cultural strategies with all of its steps to search, find and questioned its science.


Porous titanium with elongated and aligned pores, mimicking the anisotropic structure of bone, was created by solid-state expansion of argon trapped in elongated pores between titanium wires. Both elastic moduli and yield strengths are larger in the longitudinal direction (E = 51 GPa, sigma y = 338 MPa) than in the transverse direction (E = 41 GPa, sigma y = 267 MPa). Finite-element analysis of simplified anisotropic structures provides insight into the local micromechanical behavior of these porous materials, evaluating elastic modulus, resistance to plastic deformation, and localized stress concentrations which may be experienced under biological loading. Preliminary in vitro cell culture studies further demonstrate the influence of the elongated porous microstructure on osteoblast colonization behavior. These studies suggest that as an optimized material, titanium with aligned, elongated pores is promising for applications in orthopedic tissue engineering, as it combines high strength, toughness, and biocompatibility of titanium with the reduced stiffness and open porosity suitable for mechanical integration with bone tissue produced by aligned pores.


Type II phase gratings were produced by the use of holographic side writing in high-birefringence optical fibers with UV fluences of 0.06 J/cm(2) over 10 times lower than that previously reported for standard fibers. The grating growth, transmission and reflection spectra, temperature response, short-wavelength light ejection, and high-resolution confocal microscopy images are reported. Diffraction theory is used to interpret the grating microstructure revealed by confocal microscopy. Each period of the grating is shown to consist of a plate of oriented cracks, and arguments relating to the arrangement of the cracks and crack growth are linked to the observed grating-growth dynamics.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to carry out an in vivo assessment of bone ingrowth in two different types of porous titanium -the first being completely porous, and the second with a porous surface and dense nucleus, manufactured by powder metallurgy- and to evaluate their mechanical properties.

STUDY DESIGN
Ten scaffolds from each group were submitted to metallographic analysis and compression tests. Next, two scaffolds of each type were inserted into 14 rabbits, which were sacrificed 8 weeks after surgery. The samples were submitted for histological examination.

RESULTS
Metallographic analysis revealed interconnected pores, and the average interconnected pore diameter was about 360 mm, with 36% total porosity. The totally porous titanium samples and the titanium samples with porous surface and dense nucleus showed an average compressive strength of 16.19 MPa and 69.27 MPa, respectively. After 8 weeks, the animals showed bone ingrowth, even into the most internal pores.

CONCLUSIONS
The pore morphology was effective in permitting bone ingrowth in both groups. Titanium scaffolds with a porous surface and dense nucleus showed the best mechanical properties and most adequate interface.


A numerical method for evaluating chemical rate equations is presented. This method was developed by expressing the system of coupled, first-degree, ordinary differential chemical rate equations as a single tensor equation. The tensorial rate equation is invariant in form for all reversible and irreversible reaction schemes that can be expressed as first- and second-order reaction steps, and can accommodate any number of reactive components. The tensor rate equation was manipulated to obtain a simple formula (in terms of rate constants and initial concentrations) for the power coefficients of the Taylor expansion of the chemical rate equation. The Taylor expansion formula was used to develop a FORTRAN algorithm for analysing the time development of chemical systems. A computational experiment was performed with a Michaelis-Menten scheme in which step size and expansion order (to the 100th term) were varied; the inclusion of high-order terms of the Taylor expansion was shown to reduce truncation and round-off errors associated with Runge-Kutta methods and lead to increased computational efficiency.


In the context ofthe new economy, business organizations need to learn faster, and to maintain and to
improve knowledge, producing creative solutions based on their knowledge, skills, and new technologies
to develop a customer responsive culture in a more economic and efficient way. In order to achieve this,
CEOs and Human Resource (HR) policies should potentially contribute to knowledge development by
creating authentic learning organizations. The authors propose in this study that learning improvements
in organizations are not just a matter of techniques or aptitudes, but also a matter of feelings, attitudes,
and, above all, ofthe moral habits of their members. The authors strongly suggest complementing currently established conceptions of knowledge management and organizational learning through an explicit
inclusion of ethics and ethical learning in organizations.


Previously recognized color and pattern variants of adult Cichla temensis in Amazon flood pulse river environments reflect the cycling of individuals through seasonal sexual maturity and spawning. Individuals also vary in shape from blocky to fusiform. To determine if shape differences are related to patterns of fat reserve deposition and utilization, and to quantify the relationship of shape with color and pattern variation and life history status, specimens in each of four previously defined grades of color and pattern variation were compared using geometric morphometric techniques. Progressive shape changes occurred between grades independent of sex and correlated to gonosomatic index (GSI). Thin plate spline deformation visualizations indicate that the observed shape differences are related to fat deposition patterns. The seasonal timing of shape change and its link to color pattern variation, sexual maturity and local water level conditions suggests a relationship between the physiological and behavioral characteristics of C. temensis and the cyclical flood pulse pattern of its habitat.


A new tool for construction of models is presented that allows earth scientists without specialist knowledge in programming to convert theories to numerical computer models simulating landscape change through time. This tool, referred to as the PCRaster Python library, consists of: (1) the standard Python programming language, which is a generic, interpreted scripting language, supporting object oriented programming; (2) a large set of spatial and temporal functions on raster maps that are embedded in the Python language as an extension; (3) a framework provided as a Python class to construct and run iterative temporal models and to calculate error propagation with Monte Carlo simulation; and (4) visualization routines to display spatio‐temporal data read and written by this framework. Python is a high‐level programming language, and users of the tool do not have to be specialist computer programmers. Users of the PCRaster Python library can take advantage of several other Python libraries, such as extensions for matrix algebra and for modelling in three spatial dimensions.


This paper deals with the analysis of an unsteady evaporating droplet in connection with combustion instabilities in rocket engines. We first present a bibliographic survey. We then obtain an analytical solution in the frequency domain using the Heidmann analogy of a spherical droplet of constant volume, which represents a mean droplet at a fixed place in a chamber, in the steady regime. For the case of a moderate characteristic time of liquid thermal conduction compared with the droplet lifetime, we show that for small perturbations, the knowledge of the response factor makes it possible to determine exactly the amplification zone in the frequency domain. We first consider the simplification of Heidmann and Wieber, for which the droplet has a uniform temperature. We then present a new analysis, in which the finite thermal diffusivity of the liquid is taken into account. We find strong differences compared with the results of the preceding model. For the purpose of implementation in a numerical code, we derive a thermal transfer model with n discrete layers. For the case n = 2 we verify that this model can be optimized by adjusting the volumetric ratios between layers. Finally, the quasisteady equations of the gas phase are presented in the appendix.


In this work, the silica in rice husk was removed to create a natural template to prepare porous activated carbon. The preparation process of the activated carbon (AC) from waste rice husk consisted of carbonization, silica removal and activation. Factors affecting the preparation of AC, including the mass ratio of ZnCl2 and rice husk carbon (RHC), activation temperature and time were investigated. Based on the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) results, the specific surface area of AC prepared under optimized conditions was as high as 1673.25 m2 g−1. Then, magnetic activated carbon (mag-AC) was synthesized by in situ co-precipitation of rice husk-based activated carbon and Fe3O4. The specific surface area and average pore diameter of mag-AC were respectively 986.97 m2 g−1 and 3.62 nm, respectively. It was shown that mag-AC was a viable adsorbent for magnetic extraction of tetracycline antibiotics in water samples followed by quantification by HPLC-MS/MS. The results indicated satisfactory correlation coefficients (R2) ranging from 0.9955 to 0.9998. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantization (LOQ) were achieved in the range of 0.10 to 0.95 and 0.35 to 2.85 μg L−1 in water samples, respectively.