This study empirically investigated the relationship between external debt and economic development of Sudan. The study covered the period from 1970 to 2011 and adopted empirical investigation and causality research approach. Data on economic development were used in establishing the relationship and the degree of significance. Regression technique was used in order to establish the nature and degree of the relationship between the variables. The study found that GDP per capita, government final consumption, exports can improve with external debt borrowing; while gross domestic saving, imports(in the first period) in the country will be reduced with external debt borrowing; although not significantly. The imports in Sudan will simultaneously reduce when more external debt are borrowed as established by the study. The study, therefore, inferred that external debt in Sudan has made both positive and negative contribution to the economic development of the country during the period covered by this study.


The Mohole project, embodying the idea of drilling through the crust of the ocean floor to penetrate the Earth's mantle, was launched 40 years ago in 1957. Since that time drilling for scientific purposes has yielded otherwise unobtainable information about the solid Earth and how the Earth has evolved. Drilling has also revealed how the rocks of the Earth record diverse and changing interactions with the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Since 1967, scientific drilling at sea has been concentrated in the International Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and two predecessor programs. Scientific drilling on the continents, in contrast, generally has been carried out through national programs.


ABSTRACT Idiopathic infertility, an etiology not identified as part of standard clinical assessment, represents approximately 20% of all infertility cases. Current male infertility diagnosis focuses on the concentration, motility, and morphology of spermatozoa. This is of limited value when predicting birth success and of limited utility when selecting the optimum treatment. At fertilization, spermatozoa provide their genomic contribution, as well as a set of RNAs and proteins that have distinct roles in development. The potential of spermatozoal RNAs to be used as a prognostic of live birth has been shown [Jodar et al. (2015) Science Translational Medicine 7(295):295re6]. This relied on a set of 648 sperm RNA elements derived from 285 genes that are perhaps indicative of future health status. To address this tenet, the present study correlated the levels of each transcript among all samples to assess linkage between transcript absence, birth success, and possible disease association. Correlations between transcript levels of the 285 genes were analyzed amongst themselves, and within the context of the entire transcript population for these samples. The transcripts ACE, GIGYF2, and ODF2 had many negative correlations and form the majority of correlations, suggesting an important function for these transcripts. Eleven of the 285 queried genes had disease-associated variants within a sperm RNA element. Three genes, GPX4, NDRG1, and RPS24 had SREs were absent in at least one individual from the test cohort. GPX4 and RPS24 are associated with developmental defects and/or neonatal lethality. This leaves the intriguing possibility that, while sperm RNAs delivered to the oocyte inform the success of live birth, they may also be predictors of human health. Abbreviations: GO: Gene Ontology; ART: assisted reproductive technology; IVF: in vitro fertilization; ICSI: intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection; RNA-seq: RNA-sequencing; TIC: timed intercourse; IUI: intrauterine insemination; SRE: sperm RNA elements; HPA: Human Protein Atlas; SMDS: sedaghatian-type spondylometaphyseal dysplasia; DBA: Diamond-Blackfan anemia; RPKM: reads per kilobase per million; TPM: transcripts per million; IPA: Ingenuity Pathway Analysis; OMIM: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man


In this study, we investigate an Fe-29Ni-22Co-4Nb-2Cr-1Ti-0.5AI-0.5Si heat resistant alloy (refer to herein as alloy 929C), in which the y' phase is the precipitation-strengthening phase. The specimens of alloy 929C are solid-solution heat treated and aged within a temperature range of 993 to 1 073 K for up to 1 440 ks. The morphological and structural changes of the precipitates in the alloy are analyzed by transmission electron microscopic observation. Internal-fringe contrast, which suggests the existence of stacking faults on the {111}, plane, is found in many of the large γ' precipitates formed in the specimens at the latter stage of aging at temperatures above 1 033 K. The metastable y' precipitates, of which some have stacking faults, are gradually transformed into a stable r] phase during aging. The effects of stacking faults introduced by cold-rolling into the y' particles on the formation of η phase are studied by subsequent annealing heat treatments. The selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns of the cold-rolled and annealed particles show that the metastable y' precipitates with stacking faults are transformed intensively into a stable η phase. In this paper, we discuss in detail the basis of these morphological and structural changes of the precipitates in heat-resistant alloys.


The nasal carrier status of 3,736 patients was determined throughout their stay in hospital. The carrier rate on admission, which was highest in patients under 20 years of age, did not appear to vary with season. The carriage of strains resistant to penicillin increased with the patients' stay in hospital from 13·% on admission to 20·5% on discharge, and the acquisition of these strains was enhanced by the administration of antibiotics. Patients discharged from hospital carrying strains of staphylococci acquired in hospital lost them more readily than patients discharged carrying the strain which they had carried on admission, 31% of those discharged carrying strains resistant to penicillin and tetracycline being readmitted carrying these strains compared with 69% of those discharged carrying strains sensitive to these antibiotics.


Between Dutch organic growers the late blight problems lead to discussions in which a temporary registration of copper products is also suggested. Some growers do not want any pesticides at all, while others see that biological potatoes from abroad are sold in the super markets in years when Dutch organic potatoes are scarce. Those potatoes come from countries, where copper products are allowed. They speak about competition falsification. In the research program to stimulate organic production the choice is made to also investigate the efficacy of copper and other products that are allowed in surrounding countries in organic farming. In the experiment of 2008 different copper containing products are tested. In 2009 this was repeated with the same products, but also other doses and combinations


This paper presents, to our knowledge, the first probabilistic projections of the world population. These projections were carried out as part of the updated 1996 revision (forthcoming in May-June 1996) of "The Future Population of the World. What Can We Assume Today?" (W. Lutz, ed., 1994). Projections are performed at the level of 13 regions to the year 2100. The approach is based on expert judgement about the trend and uncertainty of future fertility, mortality and migration in all the regions. For each of the components a group of experts defined three alternative future paths: low, central, and high. A standard normal distribution is fitted to these assumptions with the central assumption giving the most likely case (mean), and the low and high assumptions giving the range of 90% of all possible cases. Drawing randomly from these distributions, 4000 simulations produced uncertainty distributions for future population size arid age structure. The simulations presented consider both the cases of independence/dependence between regions (whether regions follow the same above or below average trend) and between fertility and mortality trends. One of the many results is that we are able to say now that there is roughly a two-thirds probability that the world population will not double any more in the future. The 95 percent confidence intervals for total world population in 2020 are 7.5-8.3 billion (median: 7.9); in 2050, 8.1-12.0 billion (median: 10.0); and in 2100, 5.7-17.3 billion (median: 10.7).


We previously reported that Cotesia vestalis (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), a parasitoid of diamondback moth (DBM) (Plutella xylostella; Lepidoptera, Plutellidae) larvae, was attracted to volatiles from crucifer plants infested by moth larvae kept in a desktop acrylic box, and that a blend of four DBM‐induced plant volatiles was responsible for this attraction. In this study, using a specially designed dispenser to release the four compounds, we demonstrated that the wasp was attracted to intact komatsuna plants (Brassica rapa var. perviridis). The experiments were performed in a climate‐controlled room, which was approximately 1000 times larger than the acrylic box used previously. Similarly, using the dispenser in the field, C. vestalis females were attracted to intact komatsuna plants with the dispenser from a distance of three metres. We also examined the effect of the volatile blend on the incidence of parasitism of DBM larvae in the field. Three small containers containing DBM‐infested komatsuna plants with dispensers, and three control containers containing only infested plants (control) were arranged in two lines running perpendicular to a komatsuna field in which both DBM larvae and C. vestalis populations were maintained, at distances of 12, 30 and 70 m. The results showed that the incidence of DBM parasitism was significantly higher in containers containing dispensers than in the control containers, suggesting that the blend could potentially be applied to DBM control in agroecosystems.


We studied the immunolocalization of cyclins D1 and E and their corresponding partner cyclin dependent kinases (cdk), cdk4 and cdk2 in 39 cases of human endometrioid endometrial carcinoma and examined the correlations between the labeling indexes of the cyclins, cdks and clinicopathologic parameters and the clinical outcome of the patients. Cyclin D1 immunoreactivity was observed exclusively in the nuclei of tumor cells in 22/39 (56%) of the cases examined. Immunoreactivity for cyclin E, cdk2, and cdk4 was detected in carcinoma cells of 37/39 (95%), 39/39 and 36/39 cases, respectively. There were no significant correlations between the labeling indices of any of the parameters examined. Cyclins D1 and E labeling indices were not significantly correlated with any of the clinicopathologic parameters examined. However, there was a significant correlation between cdk2 labeling index and the histological grade of carcinoma (p < 0.0001), and a significant correlation (p = 0.015) was also detected between the cdk4 labeling index and pathologic stages. There was no significant difference in clinical outcome of the patients according to the cyclin and ckd4 immunostaining patterns. These results indicate that cdk2 and cdk4 overexpression may be involved in the development and/or progression of human endometrioid endometrial carcinoma.


In experimental research the method for determining of viability of tissue and device for its realization were developed to improve treatment results degloving injuries of limbs.


The sterically hindered monomers dibutyl itaconate (DBI) and dicyclohexyl itaconate (DCHI) were polymerized via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) free-radical polymerization. S,S'-Bis(alpha,alpha'-dimethyl-alpha"-acetic acid) trithiocarbonate, cumyl dithiobenzoate, and cumyl phenyldithioacetate have been used as RAFT agents to mediate a series of polymerizations at 65 degreesC yielding rod polymers ranging in number average molecular weight from 9000 to 92,000 g mol(-1). The progress of the polymerization was followed via online Fourier transform-near infrared spectroscopy. The polydispersity indices of the obtained rod polymers were relatively high at 1.4-1.7. The RAFT polymerizations of the hindered monomers used in the present study displayed both ideal living and hybrid behavior between conventional and living polymerization, depending on the RAFT agent used. DCHI rod polymers generated via the RAFT process were subsequently reinitiated in the presence of styrene to produce a range of BAAB and A-B rod-coil block copolymers of molecular weights up to 164,000 g mol(-1). The chain extension yields molecular weight distributions that progressively shift to higher molecular weights and are unimodal. Thermogravimetric analysis of the pDCHI-block-pStyrene copolymers indicates thermal degradation in two separate steps for the pDCHI and pStyrene blocks. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


ABSTRACT Temperate bacteriophages possess a genetic switch which regulates the lytic and lysogenic cycle. The genomes of the enterobacterial telomere phages N15, PY54 and φKO2 harbor a primary immunity region (immB) comprising genes for the prophage repressor, the lytic repressor and a putative antiterminator, similar to CI, Cro and Q of lambda, respectively. Moreover, N15 and φKO2 contain 3 related operator (OR) sites between cI and cro, while only one site (OR3) has been detected in PY54. Marine telomere phages possess a putative cI gene but not a cro-like gene. Instead, a gene is located at the position of cro, whose product shows some similarity to the PY54 ORF42 product, the function of which is unknown. We have determined the transcription start sites of the predicted repressor genes of N15, PY54, φKO2 and of the marine telomere phage VP58.5. The influence of the genes on phage propagation was analyzed in E. coli, Y. enterocolitica and V.parahaemolyticus. We show that the repressors and antiterminators of N15, φKO2 and PY54 exerted their predicted activities. However, while the proteins of both N15 and φKO2 affected lysis and lysogeny by N15, they did not affect PY54 propagation. On the other hand, the respective PY54 proteins exclusively influenced the propagation of this phage. The immB region of VP58.5 contains 2 genes that revealed prophage repressor activity, while a lytic repressor gene could not be identified. The results indicate an unexpected diversity of the growth regulation mechanisms in these temperate phages.


We propose a process for making a nutraceutical beverage, from camu camu, which strengthens the immune system through their high levels of vitamins, essential amino acids and minerals. This process involves the primary treatment unit operations such as selection, sorting, bleaching, pulping, pulp refining and pulp pasteurization of camu camu. It has managed to drink, preserving all its nutritional properties. The report analyzes the drinking 1334 mg ascorbic acid / 100 ml and 197.90 ppm levels of calcium: magnesium 47.27 ppm to 1.24 ppm of Zn and energy 66.38 calories per 100 ml.


In this paper, the dispersion relationship is derived by using the k · p method with the help of the perturbation theory, and we obtain the analytical expression in connection with the deformation potential. The calculation of the valence band of the biaxial strained Ge/(001)Si1−xGex is then performed. The results show that the first valence band edge moves up as Ge fraction x decreases, while the second valence band edge moves down. The band structures in the strained Ge/ (001)Si0.4Ge0.6 exhibit significant changes with x decreasing in the relaxed Ge along the [0, 0, k] and the [k, 0, 0] directions. Furthermore, we employ a pseudo-potential total energy package (CASTEP) approach to calculate the band structure with the Ge fraction ranging from x = 0.6 to 1. Our analytical results of the splitting energy accord with the CASTEP-extracted results. The quantitative results obtained in this work can provide some theoretical references to the understanding of the strained Ge materials and the conduction channel design related to stress and orientation in the strained Ge pMOSFET.


At present a lot of automated systems are developing and implementing to support the educational and research processes in the universities. Often these systems duplicate some functions, databases, and also there are problems of compatibility of these systems. The most common educational systems are systems for creating electronic libraries, access to scientific and educational information, a program for detecting plagiarism, testing knowledge, etc. In this article, models and solutions for the integration of such educational automated systems as the information library system (ILS) and the anti-plagiarism system are examined. Integration of systems is based on the compatibility of databases, if more precisely in the metadata of different information models. At the same time, Cloud technologies are used data processing technology, in which computer resources are provided to the user of the integrated system as an online service. ILS creates e-library of graduation papers and dissertations on the main server. During the creation of the electronic catalog, the communication format MARC21 is used. The database development is distributed for each department. The subsystem of antiplagiarism analyzes the full-text database for the similarity of texts (dissertations, diploma works and others). Also it identifies the percentage of coincidence, creates the table of statistical information on the coincidence of tests for each author and division, indicating similar fields. The integrated system was developed and tested at the Tashkent University of Information Technologies to work in the corporate mode of various departments (faculties, departments, TUIT branches).


The present study was designed to estimate genetic parameters of 17 production, parasite-associated and haematological traits in Australian cashmere goats. It comprised 796 records of female progeny of 532 dams sired by 29 bucks over a 4-year period. Measurement of haematological and parasite-associated traits was carried out on female kids during low-level natural gastrointestinal nematode challenge at 3 and 5 months of age and at 28 and/or 35 days after artificial challenge with 10 000 infective larvae of Trichostrongylus colubriformis administered 1 week after the 5-month measurement. Production traits were measured up to 18 months of age. Year of birth significantly affected all traits apart from cashmere diameter (CSD). Twin kids had significantly lower liveweight (up to 10 months), packed cell volume and mean corpuscular volume (at 3 and 5 months) but higher specific IgG levels and mean corpuscular haemoglobin content at 3 months. Paddock of birth and early rearing and its interaction with year of birth had significant effects on worm egg count (WEC) during natural challenge, on IgG at both natural and post-artificial challenge measurements and on liveweight at early ages. The level of gastrointestinal nematode challenge in the nine different paddocks clearly influenced both WEC and IgG during natural and subsequent artificial challenge. Maternal permanent environmental effects were important only for liveweights at 3 month of age and for IgG at 5 months of age. For other traits, a simple animal model without maternal permanent environmental effects gave the best fit. Estimates of heritability (h2) of WEC and IgG were low (0.06–0.22) with the highest h2 estimates occurring after 5 months of natural infection or 35 days after artificial challenge. The majority of fleece traits were moderately to highly heritable, ranging from 0.38 to 0.78. The h2 estimates for mean fibre curvature are novel for cashmere goats and were moderate, varying from 0.32 to 0.48. Heritability estimates for erythrocyte traits were uniformly high (0.49–0.98) while those for leukocyte traits varied from low to moderate (0.09–0.43). Strong genetic and phenotypic correlations existed between major production traits. Due to the comparatively small dataset, the standard errors of genetic correlations were relatively high. CSD was positively correlated with cashmere weight and yield, an unfavourable direction. CSD was negatively correlated with fibre curvature, indicating that animals producing finer fibres produce cashmere with a higher crimp count. No phenotypic relationships were observed between WEC and fleece traits. Liveweight was weakly but negatively correlated with WEC and circulating neutrophils, while it was positively associated with eosinophils, lymphocytes and packed cell volume. This study has shown that selection for increased resistance to gastrointestinal nematode infection cashmere goats is possible but progress will be slow. WEC should remain the phenotypic marker of choice and the additional cost of alternative measures of resistance is not justified. Many of the parasite-associated traits appear to under independent genetic control.


Right now, location recommendation plays a vital role in searching attractive places. Such recommendation places are identified by social network. The social networks are FourSquare, yelp, Jiepang, Uber etc., Ongoing analysis, based on user feedback finding a best restaurant, hotels etc., Users regularly leave reviews about the site on (LBSN) after visiting. This reviews differs from low level to high level. In this paper, recommending hotels to a user based on user inputs such as kind of outing Leisure or business, sort of movement Solo or family, sort of room, number of long periods of remain. Prescribe inns to a user based on client surveys. Hotels which are most similar in terms of reviews to the particular hotel specified by the user and recommend it to them. The main aim of this paper is to suggest the voyagers the tag of the inn dependent on their wish, by inspecting the further voyagers comments/feedbacks jointly with the rating an incentive to upgrade the recommendation. The new user cold start problem is a major concern in recommender system, because of the absence of accuracy in the recommendation. To fix this complication the resulting commitment will be made in this paper, 1. Regression model 2. Correlation 3. Classification tree analysis. Finally, we evaluate user reviews and also enhancing the accuracy of recommendation.


This study was conducted to evaluate the responses of potatoes to six K solution concentrations maintained with a flow-through nutrient film system. Potato plants were grown for 42 days in sloping shallow trays containing a 1 cm layer of quartz gravel with a continuous flow of 4 ml min-1 of nutrient solutions having K concentrations of 0.10, 0.55, 1.59, 3.16, 6.44, 9.77 meq L-1. Plant leaf area, total and tuber dry weights were reduced over 25% at 0.10 meq L-1 of K and over 17% at 9.77 meq L-1 of K compared to concentrations of 0.55, 1.59, 3.16 and 6.44 meq L-1 of K. Gas exchange measurements on leaflets in situ after 39 days of growth demonstrated no significant differences among different K treatments in CO2 assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration, and transpiration. Further measurements made only on plants grown at 0.10, 1.59, 6.44 meq L-1 of K showed similar responses of CO2 assimilation rate to different intercellular CO2 concentrations. This suggested that the photosynthetic systems were not affected by different K nutrition. The leaves of plants accumulated about 60% less K at 0.10 meq L-1 of K than at higher K concentrations. However, Ca and Mg levels in the leaves were higher at 0.10 meq L-1 of K than at higher K concentrations. This indicates that low K nutrition not only reduced plant growth, but also affected nutrient balance between major cations.


The conjugate lateral eye movements (CLEMs) of 102 university students were measured in conjunction with the administration of the Schalling-Sifneos Personality Scale, a self-report measure of alexithymia. There was a significant positive correlation between CLEM scores and alexithymia scores for all subjects, suggesting the existence of a relationship between right hemisphere activation and alexithymic characteristics. These results are discussed in terms of some theoretical models of alexithymia.


e2v have been developing new approaches to mitigate against the effects of radiation damage in CCD sensors. The first of these is our "rad-hard" device technology, primarily developed to reduce the flat-band voltage shift following ionising radiation. With this a very significant improvement has been demonstrated, the flat-band shift reducing from typically 100-200 mV/kRad(Si) with standard devices to only 6 mV/kRad(Si), plus an associated reduction in the increase in surface dark signal. The rad-hard process thereby allows devices to be operated in environments with up to at least 500kRad total dose and/or with reduced shielding. Developments aimed at reducing the impact of proton radiation have included the manufacture of p-channel devices. Our initial data indicates that at -50°C the increase in charge transfer inefficiency is reduced by a factor of two times for parallel transfer and five times for serial transfer.


Abstract New occurrences of derbylite, Fex2+Fe3+4–2xTi4+3+xSb3+O13(OH), and graeserite, Fex2+Fe3+4–2xTi4+3+xAs3+O13(OH), have been identified in the Monte Arsiccio mine, Apuan Alps, Tuscany, Italy. Derbylite occurs as prismatic to acicular black crystals in carbonate veins. Iron and Ti are replaced by V (up to 0.29 atoms per formula unit, apfu) and minor Cr (up to 0.04 apfu). Mössbauer spectroscopy confirmed the occurrence of Fe2+ (up to 0.73 apfu), along with Fe3+. The Sb/(As+Sb) atomic ratio ranges between 0.73 and 0.82. Minor Ba and Pb (up to 0.04 apfu) substitute. Derbylite is monoclinic, space group P21/m, with unit-cell parameters a = 7.1690(3), b = 14.3515(7), c = 4.9867(2) Å, β = 104.820(3)° and V = 495.99(4) Å3. The crystal structure was refined to R1 = 0.0352 for 1955 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo). Graeserite occurs as prismatic to tabular black crystals, usually twinned, in carbonate veins or as porphyroblasts in schist. Graeserite in the first kind of assemblage is V rich (up to 0.66 apfu), and V poor in the second kind (0.03 apfu). Along with minor Cr (up to 0.06 apfu), this element replaces Fe and Ti. The occurrence of Fe2+ (up to 0.68 apfu) is confirmed by Mössbauer spectroscopy. Arsenic is dominant over Sb and detectable amounts of Ba and Pb have been measured (up to 0.27 apfu). Graeserite is monoclinic, space group C2/m, with unit-cell parameters for two samples: a = 5.0225(7), b = 14.3114(18), c = 7.1743(9) Å, β = 104.878(3)°, V = 498.39(11) Å3; and a = 5.0275(4), b = 14.2668(11), c = 7.1663(5) Å, β = 105.123(4)° and V = 496.21(7) Å3. The crystal structures were refined to R1 = 0.0399 and 0.0237 for 428 and 1081 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo), respectively. Derbylite and graeserite are homeotypic. They share the same tunnel structure, characterised by an octahedral framework and cuboctahedral cavities, hosting (As/Sb)O3 groups and (Ba/Pb) atoms.


A 28-year-old lady presented with multiple swellings in her left shoulder, associated with intermittent pain since last one and a half years. Radiologic imaging revealed multiple, well-defined, subcutaneous lesions in her left supraclavicular region. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) smears were initially reported as Ewing sarcoma, elsewhere. On review, the smears showed cohesive clusters of round-to-oval cells with scant cytoplasm, which were focally arranged in an acinar-rosetting pattern around hyaline "droplets/bodies," along with few scattered lymphocytes against a background of red blood cells. The diagnosis considered was adnexal tumor. Subsequent biopsy from the multiple lesions confirmed the diagnosis of eccrine spiradenoma. By immunohistochemistry, tumor cells were positive for CK7, epithelial membrane antigen (focally), S100 protein, and tyrosine-protein kinase Kit(C-KIT) /Cluster of differentiation (CD117). This case underscores the value of FNAC in skin adnexal tumors and constitutes as the first case report of multiple eccrine spiradenomas, initially misdiagnosed as Ewing sarcoma. Literature review of similar reported cases with treatment implications are presented.


The initial performance of the simultaneous association between high sowing density of tree species and Cuba CT-115 (Pennisetum purpureum) was characterized through a random blocks design with a factorial arrangement (4 x 5) and four replications. Factors were determined by treatments and growth from 15 to 75 days old: T1) alternate furrows of CT-115 - leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) cv. Peru; T2) CT-115 - leucaena - CT-115 - gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium); T3) CT-115 - leucaena- CT-115
- moringa (Moringa oleifera) and T4) CT-115 -leucaena - CT-115- caesealpinia (Caesealpinia platyloba). Results showed interaction for all variables corresponding to trees. The highest number of plants m-1 (P ≤ 0.001) corresponded to moringa at 45 d from sowing (8.65) and it did not differ from leucaena at 60 d. The lowest population (P ≤ 0.001) was shown in leucaena at 15 d, without differences from gliricidia, except at 15 d. Moringa reached the highest height (P ≤ 0.001) with 104.69 cm at 75 d. The
lowest height was found in leucaena at 15 d with a mean value of 3.71 cm. Leucaena showed the lowest insertion values of the first branch (P ≤ 0.001), while moringa reached 30.35 cm long. In CT-115, there were no differences among treatments, only among growth ages. It can be concluded that moringa had the best performance during the initial development stage in the simultaneous association with CT-115.
Key words: silvopastoral system, forages, trees, high density


The Audio CD Pack contains a copy of the book along with an audio CD with a recording of the complete text in both British and American English. Listen and read to discover all about caring for our beautiful planet Earth ...What is global warming? How can we keep our planet clean? Word count 3,804


Excessive pricing by a dominant firm is considered as one of the most blatant forms of abuse. Despite this, competition authorities frequently refrain from intervening against excessive prices. The non-interventionist approach is based, among others, on the premise that high prices encourage new entry and thereby should be feared less. According to this view, in many cases, excessive prices are likely to be competed away and make intervention redundant. This paper questions this conventional view and reconsiders whether excessive prices are indeed self-correcting. It illustrates how, in the majority of cases, excessive prices will not attract new entry of viable competitors, whether entry barriers are high or low. Furthermore, it shows how, at times, the prohibition of excessive prices may encourage, rather than discourage, entry. By doing so, this paper narrows and focuses the arguments against intervention. Accordingly, it concludes that if excessive pricing is not to be prohibited, it should not be because it is thought to be "self-correcting," but rather for reasons such as the need to stimulate investment or difficulties of implementation, which should be assessed on a case by case basis.


Utricularia julianae, a new species from the savannas near the Oyapock River, French Guiana, is here described and illustrated. The new species is most similar to U. tenuissima, from which it can be easily distinguished by the leaves and stolons apparently lacking (vs. leaves few and on the stolons, the stolons few or lacking, in U. tenuissima), traps ellipsoid, 0.3 mm long, with 4–5 capilliform appendages (vs. ovoid, 0.3–0.8 mm long, with 1 dorsal and 2 ventral slender appendages), corolla upper lip limb deeply bilobed (vs. broadly ovate to round), spur saccate, perpendicular to the lower lip (vs. spur narrowly cylindrical, parallel to the lower lip), among other characters. In addition, the capsules of U. julianae and U. tenuissima are unique within the genus, by being very narrowly ovoid, dehiscing by a single longitudinal slit, and with a placenta projecting outside the dehisced capsule. On the basis of their numerous morphological similarities and their peculiar capsule shape and dehiscence, the new species is tentatively placed within sect. Martinia, which P. Taylor described to accommodate U. tenuissima.


At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, an industrial capitalist order stretched its grasp across the globe, placing control of farms, mines, and forests in the hands of wealthy industrialists. Living through this period of rapid and unequal economic and environmental change, anarchists denounced what they called the monopolizing of the earth and its products. Anarchists were deeply critical of the privatization of the environment and saw restricting access to nature as a core component of inequality and poverty. This article considers the environmental politics of transnational anarchism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With anarchism's geographically and ideologically diverse participants in mind, it incorporates the natural science-informed utopian visions of Peter Kropotkin and Elisée Reclus, the revolutionary and anti-colonial food and land politics of Ricardo Flores Magón, and the nature-informed radical sex politics of Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman. It finds that "anarchism" did not just mean the destruction of the state and capitalism to its advocates, but the construction of a new political-economic-natural system that saw the liberation of people and the defense of nature as inextricably connected. The article concludes with a call to both include anarchism as a part of the genealogy of environmentalism and consider anarchism's environmental politics in ongoing conversations about the relationships between environmental crises and human inequalities.


The output of image size enlargement has important differences compared to the original sized image. In this study, an algorithm which intends to minimize the loss due to these differences, is presented. This minimization process is provided by radial bases neural networks (RBNN). In order to achieve better performance the RBNN activation function radius criteria is chosen adaptively throughout the work. It is observed that this new proposed method achieves better performance than that of methods in the literature. With the use of this method, it is foreseen that human made mistakes in disease diagnosis like computer tomography, inwhich small details are important, will be reduced.


In a 57-year-old woman, Crohn's disease involving the gallbladder and duodenum caused biliary tract obstruction and necessitated surgery. The patient's symptoms did not improve postoperatively until corticosteroids provided rapid resolution. Inflammatory bowel disease often involves the hepatobiliary tree, yet the gallbladder is rarely involved directly. This patient highlights a rare complication of Crohn's disease.


Abstract Despite a robust relationship between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and cigarette smoking, as well as increased prevalence of other substance use disorders in these individuals, little is known about the particular patterns of ADHD symptomatology associated with different forms of drug abuse. The present study compared ADHD adults with and without cocaine dependence (COCDEP) on severity of ADHD symptomatology. Groups did not differ in smoking rate or degree of nicotine dependence. COCDEP ADHD smokers reported significantly more childhood and adult hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, and a higher number of symptoms overall, during adulthood, even after controlling for group differences in age and sex. Our finding of a more severe adult ADHD symptom profile among ADHD smokers with cocaine dependence, accounted for by elevated hyperactive/impulsive but not inattentive features, suggests that cocaine use in smokers with ADHD may be driven by excesses in hyperactivity. These findings have important implications for research, since similarities and differences in patterns and severity of ADHD symptomatology may shed light on drug-specific mechanisms. Our results may also point to improved approaches for treatment of substance abuse based on attention to patterns of ADHD symptomatology specific to different drugs.


Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA; Depo-Provera) is a highly effective and convenient contraceptive method that has been used worldwide for many decades. Recently, a new lower dose of DMPA, administered as a subcutaneous injection, has been approved for use in the USA as a contraceptive and a treatment for pain associated with endometriosis. The newer formulation has a similar efficacy to the older version and, more importantly, has fewer side effects, with improved user tolerability. Similar to the intramuscular DMPA injection (Depo-Provera intramuscular or contraceptive injection), the subcutaneous injection provides effective contraceptive and pain-management therapy for endometriosis, with a 3-monthly injectable protocol for women who seek long-term and reversible contraception without the need for a daily pill or a more frequent dosing regimen.


Background & objectives: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii is a serious threat for human health worldwide. The studies on agents targeting A. baumannii are imperative due to identified A. baumannii co-infections in COVID-19. Bacteriophages are promising antibacterial agents against drug-resistant bacteria. This study intended to isolate bacteriophages against MDR A. baumannii from the water of river Ganga, to be used potentially as therapeutic and disinfectant particles. Methods: Acinetobacter phages were isolated from the Ganga water collected from Kanpur and further tested on 50 MDR A. baumannii isolates to determine host range. The phages were morphologically characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The disinfectant property of the isolated phages was tested by spraying of bacteriophage cocktail on MDR A. baumannii contaminated plastic surface, analyzed by colony-forming unit (CFU) and bioluminescence assay (adenosine triphosphate monitoring). Results: A total of seven bacteriophages were isolated against MDR A. baumannii. The bacteriophages lysed three MDR A. baumannii isolates out of 50 tested, showing narrow host range. Electron microscopy revealed hexagonal heads and long tails of bacteriophages, belonging to order Caudovirales. The bacteriophage cocktail reduced the MDR A. baumannii load efficiently on plastic surface, evidenced by reduction in CFUs and bioluminescence. Interpretation & conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that the isolated bacteriophages are potential lytic agents for MDR A. baumannii clinical isolates, and may be used as potential therapeutic agents as well as disinfectant to combat MDR A. baumannii with due consideration to phage host specificity, with further characterization.


Functional data analysis (FDA) is focused on various statistical tasks, including inference, for observations that vary over a continuum, which are not effectively addressed by multivariate methods. A feature of these functional observations is the presence of two distinct forms of variability: amplitude that describes differences in magnitudes of features, e.g., extrema, and phase that describes differences in timings of amplitude features. One area of focus in FDA is the classification of new observations based on previously observed training data that has been split into predefined classes. Existing methods fail to directly account for both phase and amplitude variability, and work under the restrictive assumption that functional observations are measured on a common, fine grid over the input domain. In this work, we address these issues directly by formulating a Bayesian hierarchical model for irregular, fragmented or sparsely sampled functional observations, where training data from different classes are available. Our approach builds on a recently developed inferential framework for incomplete functional observations and the elastic FDA framework for characterizing amplitude and phase variability. The approach operates by inferring individual parameters that separately track amplitude and phase, which can be combined to infer complete functions underlying each observation, and a class parameter, which can be used to discern the class membership of an observation based on the training data. We validate the proposed framework using simulation studies and real data applications, and showcase the advantages of this perspective when both amplitude and phase variability are present in the data.


Surgical treatment is an effective option for medically intractable epilepsy. Amygdalohippocampectomy for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy is a surgically remediable epileptic syndrome. It is a well-established surgery and various approaches to the mesial temporal lobe have been reported. To reduce the complication rate, surgeons should have sufficient knowledge of anatomy in the mesial temporal region. Here, we summarize the surgical treatments for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, focusing on anatomical understanding. We described in detail the surgical anatomy of amygdalohippocampectomy and various approaches to the mesial temporal region. In addition, we describe hippocampal transection aimed at preserving memory function, which is an alternative surgery in patients without hippocampal sclerosis. An anatomical understanding of the mesial temporal region helps surgeons not only in the field of epilepsy surgery, but also in other fields of neurosurgery, such as brain tumor and vascular surgery.


Between 2006 and 2011, the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array L-type Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) instrument acquired multi-temporal datasets under several environmental conditions and multiple configurations of look angle and polarization. The extensive archive of SAR backscatter observations over the forest test sites of Krycklan (boreal) and Remningstorp (hemi-boreal), Sweden, was used to assess the retrieval of stem volume at stand level. The retrieval was based on the inversion of a simple Water Cloud Model with gaps; single estimates of stem volume are then combined to obtain the final multi-temporal estimate. The model matched the relationship between the SAR backscatter and the stem volume under all configurations. The retrieval relative Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) differed depending upon environmental conditions, polarization and look angle. Stem volume was best retrieved in Krycklan using only HV-polarized data acquired under unfrozen conditions with a look angle of 34.3° (relative RMSE: 44.0%). In Remningstorp, the smallest error was obtained using only HH-polarized data acquired under predominantly frozen conditions with a look angle of 34.3° (relative RMSE: 35.1%). The relative RMSE was below 30% for stands >20 ha, suggesting high accuracy of ALOS PALSAR estimates of stem volumes aggregated at moderate resolution.


Full particle particle-in-cell simulations are performed to study the collisionless electron-ion coupling during ion beam emission and neutralization. Simulations show that ion beam neutralization and propagation are two closely coupled processes. Electron-ion coupling is achieved through interactions between the trapped electrons and a potential well established by the propagation of the ion beam front along the beam direction and not through plasma instabilities as previous studies suggested. In the transverse direction, the beam emission generates an expansion fan similar to that of the expansion of a mesothermal plasma into vacuum. The expansion process determines the beam potential with respect to the ambient. This suggests that a plasma beam in a vacuum chamber and a plasma beam in space may have similar charge density profiles but different beam potentials with respect to the ambient due to the limit imposed by the boundary on plasma expansion.


The instructor's manual to a user-friendly introduction to DC and AC electrical theory, circuits and equipment; the only prerequisite is algebra and a basic knowledge of trigonometry. The main text reflects changes in industry due to increasing computerization of electrical equipment. Modern solid-state components are also covered in appropriate sections throughout the book, particularly in the area of industrial controls. This material is only available to lecturers.


We examine the Diffusive Shock Acceleration (DSA) mechanism in large SEP events. We first discuss the observational constraints of the underlying particle acceleration mechanism in GLE events. We then briefly review the standard DSA mechanism and follow that by a discussion of the injection efficiency as well as an estimate of the maximum particle energy at an oblique shock.


During the past year considerable doubt has been cast on the specificity of the Abderhalden reaction. Abderhalden assumes that specific ferments capable of attacking only placental tissue are elaborated as the result of the entrance of placental cells into the general circulation. He used two methods of demonstrating the digestion of the placental tissue by the serum of pregnant women; the first method was by means of the polariscope, and the second, by means of dialyzing membranes. The second is the one he recommends for clinical purposes. According to this method, the serum and specially prepared placental tissue are introduced into a dialyzing thimble, and the thimble then placed in distilled water. The mixture is placed in the incubator, and the fluid outside the thimble tested the following day for the presence of substances reacting with ninhydrin. The latter substances are supposedly derived from the placental protein as a result


The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test has been popular in many applied fields. Published research has suggested the utility of the KS test in image processing, histogram analysis, and PET/CT scans. However, the fundamental assumption of independence in a statistical model is easily overlooked. When the KS test is applied to spatial analysis, autocorrelation may cause the KS test to have an inflated type I error (small p-values) if no adjustments for spatial correlation are applied. To adjust for autocorrelation, the KS test must incorporate spatial adjustment. The spatially-adjusted KS has a controlled type I error and non-inferior power compared to the original KS test. Utilizing the KS test with spatial adjustment, we reanalyzed a trial comparing two types of stress medications: regadenoson (administered using different timings) versus dipyridamole. To analyze the PET scans with spatial autocorrelation, we introduced a novel way of reconstructing the shape of the human heart using spherical coordinates, and compared the KS test with spatial adjustment to a KS test with adjustment for correlation. The results showed that the reconstructed PET scans analyzed by the KS test with spatial adjustment have
controlled p-values.


Parasitic worms threaten human, animal and plant health by infecting people, livestock and crops worldwide. Animals and plants share an anciently evolved innate immune system. Parasites modulate this immune system by secreting proteins to maintain their parasitic lifestyle. This thesis describes how venom-allergen-like proteins (VAPs) that both animal- and plant-parasitic nematodes release into their hosts, modulate host innate immunity. On the one hand we found that one particular secreted VAP from the potato cyst nematode can activate host defenses in tomato plants, opening an opportunity for plant breeders to generate novel nematode-resistant cultivars. We showed that plants make more efficiently use of their limited repertoire of immune receptors by guarding common virulence targets of multiple unrelated plant pathogens. While on the other hand, we describe how VAPs may be used by parasites to suppress the host defense responses mediated by extracellular immune receptors. In short, this fundamental study contributes to our understanding of the molecular basis of persistent infections by parasitic nematodes in plants and in animals.


The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) depends on the complex astrophysics governing the birth and evolution of the first galaxies and structures in the intergalactic medium. EoR models rely on cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations, and in particular the large-scale E-mode polarization power spectra (EE PS), to help constrain their highly uncertain parameters. However, rather than directly forward-modelling the EE PS, most EoR models are constrained using a summary statistic – the Thompson scattering optical depth, τ_e. Compressing CMB observations to τ_e requires adopting a basis set for the EoR history. The common choice is the unphysical, redshift-symmetric hyperbolic tangent (tanh) function, which differs in shape from physical EoR models based on hierarchical structure formation. Combining public EoR and CMB codes, 21cmfast and class, here we quantify how inference using the τ_e summary statistic impacts the resulting constraints on galaxy properties and EoR histories. Using the last Planck 2018 data release, we show that the marginalized constraints on the EoR history are more sensitive to the choice of the basis set (tanh versus physical model) than to the CMB likelihood statistic (τ_e versus PS). For example, EoR histories implied by the growth of structure show a small tail of partial reionization extending to higher redshifts. However, biases in inference using τ_e are negligible for the Planck 2018 data. Using EoR constraints from high-redshift observations including the quasar dark fraction, galaxy UV luminosity functions, and CMB EE PS, our physical model recovers |$\tau _\mathrm{ e} = 0.0569_{-0.0066}^{+0.0081}$|.


To trace changes in the circulation of knowledge between Inner Asia and the wider Qing empire, MATTHEW  W. MOSCA  analyzes the case of Khungghar-a term used by Mongols for the Ottoman Empire but poorly understood by Han Chinese. From 1644 to roughly 1755, Han Chinese officials and geographers were largely unfamiliar with information possessed by the Manchus and Mongols managing the empire's inland frontiers. From 1755 to 1799, the transmission of intelligence between these two groups increased at the Qing court. Between 1800 and the 1911, Han Chinese geographers debated the location, identity, and strength of Khungghar, but they based their claims on textual research, and the role of frontier reports waned. The circulation of frontier knowledge throughout the Qing empire, Mosca shows, was greatly influenced by changes in the relationships between different segments of the imperial elite.


There are a number of functional protection areas on paper mill generators 20 years or older that have significant shortcomings when compared to current IEEE recommended generator-protection practices. This article identifies these protection areas and the risks of not addressing the shortcomings. It also points out the advantages of using multifunction digital relaying to upgrade generator protection as a technology that offers many advantages over older electromechanical relays. The completed upgrade project at MeadWestvaco's Luke Mill in Maryland provided a number of examples of these benefits in uncovering mill problems that, if they had gone undetected, could have resulted in costly mill shutdowns or damage to mill generators.


This paper evaluates the moment equations in the 2000 Canadian highway bridge code (CHBDC) for soil-metal box structures, which are applicable to the span less than 8 m. Finite element analyses carried out for soil-metal box structures having spans of 3-12 m using the deep corrugated metal plates under three construction stages; backfill up to the crown, backfill up to the cover depth, and live loading. The coefficients of moment equations are newly proposed based on the results of numerous finite element analyses considering various design variables, such as span length, soil depth, backfill conditions. The validity of the proposed coefficients in the moment equations of the 2000 CHBDC is investigated by the comparison with the existing coefficients and numerical results of finite element analyses. The comparisons show that the moments of the 2000 CHBDC give good predictions for the span less than 8m, but underestimate for the span greater than 8m, whereas the proposed moments give good estimates of numerical results for the spans of 3-12 m. In addition, this study suggests the use of high strength steel to satisfy the requirement of design bending strength for the span greater than 8 m.


High-order wide-output (HOWO) impedance-source converters (ISCs) have been presented for ac inverter applications that require voltage step-up ability. With intrinsic passive impedance networks as energy sources, these converters are able to achieve voltage boosting with either polarity, leading to improved dc-link voltage utilization compared with the conventional two-level converter. However, HOWO-ISCs suffer from transfer functions giving low bandwidth, a penalty of increased passive devices and right-half-plane zeros, which result in lower order distortion of the ac output power. In this paper, a modified plug-in repetitive control scheme is presented for HOWO-ISCs with accurate reference tracking (hence low distortion), fast dynamic response, and enhanced robustness. By using zero-phase-shift finite impulse response filters in both the internal model of the repetitive controller and its compensation network, the proposed method achieves zero steady-state error and an extended closed-loop bandwidth. For HOWO-ISC cases, this method outperforms conventional proportional-integral (PI) control, which has considerable steady-state error. It also eliminates the need of parallel loops for several frequencies when proportional resonant control or orthogonal transformation-based PI schemes are used to remove lower order distortion. The design process and performance analysis of the proposed repetitive control strategy are based on a novel three-phase HOWO-ISC configuration with a reduced number of switches. Simulation and experimental results confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed control approach.


Plants are natural sources of bioactive compounds, and the intensive use of wild plants to obtain them, in particular secondary metabolites, depletes natural biocenoses. Instead, modern biotechnological methods, especially cell and tissue culture in vitro, make it possible to get environmentally friendly, highly productive plant raw materials that are able to synthesize and accumulate specialized substances, which are valuable for pharmacology, cosmetology, and medicine. Regenerating in vitro-plants of different plant species such as Acorus calamus L., Phalaenopsis sp. were obtained in our research. It was proved that by changing the cultivation conditions it is possible to change the content of substances of secondary metabolites in explants and in the nutrient medium under aseptic culture.


Understanding the characteristics and mechanism of slope deformation caused by slope excavation and water storage is very important in the stability analysis of slope engineering. Therefore, based on similarity theory, a physical model test of excavation and water storage was established, and the deformation characteristics of the slope (three-stage excavation and five-stage water storage) were studied by using the monitoring technology of multiple measuring devices. The variation characteristics of the displacement, stress and pore water pressure in the slope were revealed. The results show that the contents of cement and yellow sand can regulate the physical, mechanical and hydrological properties and that gypsum and hydraulic oil have an effect on the permeability. Excavation leads to deformation of the rock mass in the middle and lower slope to the outside of the slope. This is attributed to the stress release, and local stress concentration occurs at the foot of the slope after redistribution. Moreover, the rock mass located in the fault zone shows nonglobal movement because the hanging wall rock mass will produce relative dislocation along the fault zone under self-gravity. Under water storage, the slope body is affected by the hydrostatic pressure, and transient compaction deformation occurs first. As water permeates into the slope body, the water weakens the rock mass, resulting in the gradual deformation of the rock mass near the slope surface to the outside of the slope. The above model test results can provide a valuable reference for slopes stability analysis in construction and subsequent operation.


In order to study of the effect of Nitrogen fertilizer on yield and yield components and determination the best level of this fertilizer for Agria cultivar of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), a factorial experiment was conducted based on a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with tree replications in Ghorveh, Kordestan, Iran. In this research the effects of tree levels of nitrogen fertilizer, 4 different of application times of the fertilizer and interaction of these treatments were studied. The results of variance analysis showed that there are significant differences (P≤0.01) between main treatments and interactions between them. In this study the maximum number of tubers (25.55), the maximum weight of tubers and the maximum number of stems obtained after application of 200 Kg/ha N fertilizer. The maximum tuber yield, the maximum tuber number and the maximum dry weight of tubers were observed in condition that third part of Nitrogen fertilizer used at first and the rest of fertilizer used after Earthling up.


Dysregulated Wnt/β-catenin signaling is implicated in the pathogenesis of many human cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC), making it an attractive clinical target. With the aim of inhibiting oncogenic Wnt activity, we developed a high-throughput screening AlphaScreen assay to identify selective small-molecule inhibitors of the interaction between β-catenin and its coactivator BCL9. We identified a compound that consistently bound to β-catenin and specifically inhibited in vivo native β-catenin/BCL9 complex formation in CRC cell lines. This compound inhibited Wnt activity, down-regulated expression of the Wnt/β-catenin signature in gene expression studies, disrupted cholesterol homeostasis, and significantly reduced the proliferation of CRC cell lines and tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model of CRC. This study has therefore identified a specific small-molecule inhibitor of oncogenic Wnt signaling, which may have value as a probe for functional studies and has important implications for the development of novel therapies in patients with CRC.


There is a lack of information of exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCP) and some metals, such as lead (Pb) and arsenic (As), both of which were used as arsenicals pesticides, in children living in the major agri- cultural areas of Mexico. The objective of this study was to assess the exposure of children to different OCP, As, and Pb in the Yaqui and Mayo valleys of Sonora to generate population baseline levels of these toxins. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in 165 children (age 6-12 years old) from 10 communities from both valleys during 2009. Blood samples were analyzed for OCP and Pb and first morning void urine for inorganic As (InAs). All of the blood samples had detectable levels of dichlorodiphenyl- trichloroethylene (p,p 0 -DDE) ranging from 0.25 to 10.3 lg/L. However lindane, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p 0 - DDT), aldrin, and endosulfan were detected in far less of the population (36.4, 23.6, 9.1, and 3 %, respectively). Methoxychlor and endrin were not found in any sam- ple. The average value of Pb in this population was 3.2 lg Pb/dL (range 0.17-9.0) with 8.5 % of the samples having levels\5.0 lg Pb/dL. Urinary As levels ranged from 5.4 to 199 lg As/L with an average value of 31.0 lg As/L. Levels ( 50 lg/L were observed in 12.7 % of the samples. Our results show that is important to start a risk-reduction program to decrease exposure to these toxins in Mexican communities. In addition, the results can be used to establish the baseline levels of exposure to these toxins in this agricultural region and may be used as a reference point for regulatory agencies.


The effect of fast (syllabic) compression with overshoot reduction was studied in moderately hearing-impaired and in severely hearing-impaired listeners in quiet and in noisy situations. A test battery of daily masking noises was selected using multidimensional scaling techniques. Four relevant noises were selected: a multi-talker babble, the noise in an industrial plant, in a printing office and a city-noise background. The speech measurements show that only selected patients benefit from syllabic compression, i.e. listeners with a poor speech discrimination score. The effect in noisy surroundings was tested at the critical signal-to-noise ratio of each patient, showing whether they benefited from compression in the most critical condition or not. It turns out that the effect depends largely on the speech discrimination score and the modulation of the noise signal. When the speech discrimination score is good, compression tends to impair the results. When the speech discrimination score is poor, compression helps if the noise is modulated.


Abstract. The North-eastern part of Italy is known to be one of the most rainy regions in Europe. In this paper three extreme events are analysed, using a multi-sensor observing system including a weather radar and a dense telemetric network of surface stations, recording precipitation, wind, temperature and relative humidity. The cases examined comprise two long lasting rainfall events impacting two distinct areas, and a vigorous hail-producing thunderstorm event over the plains. In all cases, inter-comparison between remotely sensed and surface observations, including estimates and measures of precipitation and wind, helps to better understand the behaviour of the atmosphere, thus supporting operational fore- and now-casting. In the case of widespread precipitation, a relation is suggested between the wind speed and direction at medium/low levels with the location of the maximum precipitation relative to the mountains. This reflects the dynamical interaction between the mountain barrier and the atmospheric flux impinging upon it. This flux can be estimated by the automatic weather station of Mt. Cesen, a focal point for a now-casting of the rain in the Veneto Region. Analysis of strong thunderstorm activity makes extensive use of radar data. In the examined case the interaction of a sea breeze-like circulation with a mesoscale trough gave rise to a distinct convergence line that triggered a severe and long-lived hail-producing multi-cell thunderstorm. The hail was successfully detected by the radar's hail detection algorithm.


CHROMINFO is a prototype database that is intended to serve as a liaison tool for researchers working in different centers on mapping of the same mammalian chromosome. It provides a bird's-eye-view of top-level entities on a chromosome (such as gene loci, chromosome breakpoints and contigs) and relates them to one another in one dimension, the axis of the chromosome. Consensus data can be entered, edited, queried and displayed in a variety of ways. Summary evidence for consensus data can also be stored and retrieved. Information may be downloaded from the Genome Data Base periodically, and order and distance information is then incorporated. The prototype of CHROMINFO was built for human chromosome 16. Versions have been created for several other chromosomes.


Self-imposed timeouts by pigeons working under a progressive-ratio food schedule were studied under different conditions. The main findings were (1) continued production of timeouts over an extended series of sessions, (2) more frequent responding on the key with the timeout consequence than on a key having no consequence, (3) an inverse relationship between number of timeouts and level of body weight, (4) production of timeouts when the timeout duration was brief, lengthy, or controlled by the pigeon, and (5) dependence of self-imposed timeouts on variables controlling responding under the progressive-ratio schedule. Under all experimental conditions, with the exception of performances at the high body weight, timeouts were more frequent during the longer progressive-ratio steps and usually were localized in the post-reinforcement pause or the early part of the step. The timeout behavior could be interpreted as either an escape from aversive stimuli generated by the progressive-ratio schedule or as a response reinforced by the consequent stimulus change.


This research was done to identify the interest of the unemployed adult learners to education in this new branch in Qazvin city, as well as to realize the reasons they have chosen this new branch. This is a descriptive method that covers all the learners in grade 2 or three at adult knowledge - Job schools in Qazvin city. There are 2352 learners amang whom 384 learners have been chosen at random as the sample. The tool for collecting information was a 02 - question multiple choice test. The kron bakh "" quotient was 78 percent. The reults of the tests are as follow:
1. Getting a Job easily caused the unemployed adult learner to have a tendency to technical training. P>0/100
2. Getting the diploma more easily made them to choose technical training. P>0/100
3. The ease of continuing the education to the level of H,N.D. caused them to have tendency to technical education.P>0/100
4. Having a tendency to this new branch is less among persons aged 51-02 than others. P>0/100
5. The tendency of unemployed adult learners is in order of services, industry and agriculture.
6. The unemployed adult women have more tendency to technical training than the adult men. P>0/100


Metabolites can serve as biomarkers and their identification has significant importance in the study of biochemical reaction and signalling networks. Incorporating metabolic and gene expression data to reveal biochemical networks is a considerable challenge, which attracts a lot of attention in recent research. In this paper, we propose a promising approach to identify metabolic biomarkers through integrating available biomedical data and disease-specific gene expression data. A Linear Programming (LP) based method is then utilized to determine flux variability intervals, therefore enabling the analysis of significant metabolic reactions. A statistical approach is also presented to uncover these metabolites. The identified metabolites are then verified by comparing with the results in the existing literature. The proposed approach here can also be applied to the discovery of potential novel biomarkers.


Uncomplicated placement of an intraocular lens at the time of routine cataract extraction is associated with a greater inflammatory response than simple lens extraction. We have shown that certain components of prosthetic intraocular lenses are capable of activating the complement system in human serum in such a fashion as to generate peptides capable of mediating acute inflammatory reactions. Normal human serum was incubated with intraocular lenses in vitro and then examined for cleavage products of C3 and C5 and for C5-derived chemotactic activity for human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Polymethylmethacrylate lenses with nylon and polypropylene loops were found to be capable of causing cleavage of C3 (detected by crossed immunoelectrophoresis) and C5 (detected by single-dimension radioimmunoelectrophoresis) as well as generation of C5-derived chemotactic activity in human serum. Serum incubated with polymethylmethacrylate lenses without loop supports exhibited no such activity. Results of our studies indicate that certain nylon- and polypropylene-looped intraocular lenses are not "inert" biologically and may elicit acute inflammatory reactions.


Surveys of academic staff in six universities in the U.K. provide insights for publishers and universities into scholarly article, book, and other publication reading patterns of academics and differences based on academic discipline of readers. These surveys were part of the 2011 UK Scholarly Reading and the Value of the Library Study funded by JISC Collections and based on Tenopir and King Studies conducted since 1977. Reading patterns of life and environmental scientists differ from other disciplines, in particular social sciences. Scholarly articles, especially those obtained from the library's e-journal collections, are vital to the work of all academic disciplines. Life and environmental scient-ists come into contact with multiple sources of information every day, including social media, and the biggest limitation scientists describe when it comes to finding and obtaining articles is cost and time. Knowing more about academic reading patterns help publishers and librarians design more effective journal systems and services now and into the future.


Background Several reports have identified different patterns of Parkinson's disease progression in individuals carrying missense variants in the GBA or LRRK2 genes. The overall contribution of genetic factors to the severity and progression of Parkinson's disease, however, has not been well studied. Objectives To test the association between genetic variants and the clinical features and progression of Parkinson's disease on a genome-wide scale. Methods We accumulated individual data from 12 longitudinal cohorts in a total of 4,093 patients with 25,254 observations over a median of 3.81 years. Genome-wide associations were evaluated for 25 cross-sectional and longitudinal phenotypes. Specific variants of interest, including 90 recently-identified disease risk variants, were also investigated for the associations with these phenotypes. Results Two variants were genome-wide significant. Rs382940(T>A), within the intron of SLC44A1, was associated with reaching Hoehn and Yahr stage 3 or higher faster (HR 2.04 [1.58, 2.62], P-value = 3.46E-8). Rs61863020(G>A), an intergenic variant and eQTL for ADRA2A, was associated with a lower prevalence of insomnia at baseline (OR 0.63 [0,52, 0.75], P-value = 4.74E-8). In the targeted analysis, we found nine associations between known Parkinson's risk variants and more severe motor/cognitive symptoms. Also, we replicated previous reports of GBA coding variants (rs2230288: p.E365K, rs75548401: p.T408M) being associated with greater motor and cognitive decline over time, and APOE E4 tagging variant (rs429358) being associated with greater cognitive deficits in patients. Conclusions We identified novel genetic factors associated with heterogeneity of progression in Parkinson's disease. The results provide new insights into the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease as well as patient stratification for clinical trials.


Human and robot partners increasingly need to work together to perform tasks as a team. Robots designed for such collaboration must reason about how their task-completion strategies interplay with the behavior and skills of their human team members as they coordinate on achieving joint goals. Our goal in this work is to develop a computational framework for robot adaptation to human partners in human-robot team collaborations. We first present an algorithm for autonomously recognizing available task-completion strategies by observing human-human teams performing a collaborative task. By transforming team actions into low dimensional representations using hidden Markov models, we can identify strategies without prior knowledge. Robot policies are learned on each of the identified strategies to construct a Mixture-of-Experts model that adapts to the task strategies of unseen human partners. We evaluate our model on a collaborative cooking task using an Overcooked simulator. Results of an online user study with 125 participants demonstrate that our framework improves the task performance and collaborative fluency of human-agent teams, as compared to state of the art reinforcement learning methods.


Analog and mixed-signal CAD looks like a nice success story: there's been significant research in building design automation tools since the late 80's, and commercial tools have been on the market for several years now. However, the majority of AMS (analog/mixed-signal) designers still use manual design only, focused around the SPICE simulator. So why are designers not or slowly adopting these CAD tools? This paper will present a reality check on the current state of the art of AMS design tools for industrial usage


The presence of the introduced Yabbie Cherax destructor in a number of wild aquatic systems in the Pilbara and Southwest Coast Drainage Divisions of Western Australia is documented. This is of great concern as all native freshwater crayfi shes in Western Australia are endemic and restricted to the southwest while the Pilbara Division has no native species. An introduced, wild population of C. destructor was sampled monthly from the Hutt River (Pilbara Drainage Division) for determination of life-history and reproductive biology. The potential for this species to compete with the native (though also translocated) sympatric Marron Cherax cainii for food resources was also investigated in the system using stable isotope analyses. Proliferation of C. destructor in the Hutt River was attributed to specifi c traits typical of many other invasive crayfi sh species including: attaining fi rst maturity at the end of its fi rst year of life; a protracted spawning period (July to January); relatively high mean ovarian fecundity of 210.2 (±9.24 S.E.); and a rapid growth rate (curvature parameter K = 0.78 and asymptotic orbital carapace length OCL


Flexible analysis and use of multi-source data from power plants to accurately predict system failures and scan potential risks are of great significance for achieving efficient and accurate system operation analysis and decision-making. The article introduces the overall architecture and function design of a system operation analysis system based on massive data and demonstrates the functions and operation analysis results of each module of the system through application examples. The system integrates system data such as plant load information, equipment layout, (automation) electrical equipment control, signal and measurement systems, and relay protection configuration, and uses improved machine learning algorithms and weak point identification methods to expand the correlation analysis of target data. The function of fault risk level prediction and weak point identification is conducive to the power plant operation and maintenance management department to propose corresponding technologies and management methods for operation, maintenance, and repair work, which improves the scientificity and practicability of the existing analysis system. It has laid the foundation for the realization of informatization, intelligence, and lean operation analysis.


Controversy exists as to whether burst fractures without neurological deficit should be treated operatively or non operatively. We assessed the functional outcomes of non operative treatment of burst fractures using the Oswestry disability index (ODI). 57 Patients who were treated non operatively (bed rest for one week and a corset for 3 months) were assessed using the Oswestry disability index (ODI) over a 6 month period. Assessments were done at an average of 4.8 years (range 18 months–7 years) post injury. There were 37 males and 22 females with an average age of 39 years. Fifty-three percent (31) injuries were due to a fall and twenty-two percent (22) followed an MVA. 90% Of fractures occurred between T12 and L2. Plain x-rays and CT scans were obtained to evaluate the burst fracture. The initial average Cobb angle was nineteen degrees (19 0 ) (range 6 0 –53 0 ) with an average progression in Cobb angle was 7 0 and the average final Cobb angle was 26 0 (9 0 –71 0 ) The average ODI was 17.32% (range 0 48%). Personal care, sexual activity and sleeping were not significantly affected (ODI : 0 or 1 each). Fifty-five percent (11/20) who were previously unemployed returned to work and none of those patients who were previously unemployed, were employed at a later date. All 11 housewives experienced no difficulty with household chores. This study revealed that 31 patients occasionally used analgesia (paracetamol). The authors conclude that non operative treatment of burst fractures is a viable option in neurologically intact patients.


This paper describes decommissioning activities and a proposed methodology for calculation of decommissioning parameters for the NPP A-1 in Jaslovske Bohunice in Slovak Republic.


AIM
Median nerve stimulation (MNS) is a novel neuromodulation approach for treatment of ventricular arrhythmia, but little is known about its chronic effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic MNS on ventricular arrhythmia and ventricular dysfunction postmyocardial infarction (MI).

METHOD
Two weeks after MI, 12 rabbits were randomly divided into control and MNS groups, and chronic MNS was performed in MNS group for 2 weeks. Ventricular function and arrhythmias; sympathetic innervation and activity; and interleukin-1 β (IL-1 β) and norepinephrine (NE) levels were analyzed.

RESULTS
Both the total number of premature ventricular complex and episodes of ventricular tachycardia were lower in MNS group than in control group (20 560 ± 10 314 beats vs 70 079 ± 37 184 beats, P = .021, and 115 ± 63 episodes vs 307 ± 164 episodes, P = .034, respectively). Compared with control group, MNS decreased the cardiac sympathetic nerve density and level of circulating NE in MNS group (1798.42 ± 644.07 μm2 /mm2 vs 1003.79 ± 453.00 μm2 /mm2, P = .041, and 20.86 ± 4.54 pg/mL vs 11.07 ± 1.43 pg/mL, P = .002, respectively). MNS also improved the left ventricular ejection fraction (59.07 ± 1.91% vs 49.77 ± 3.47%, P = .003) and inhibited the level of IL-1 β in serum (69.19 ± 4.71 pg/mL vs 85.93 ± 12.80 pg/mL, P = .013).

CONCLUSION
Chronic MNS appears to protect against ventricular arrhythmia and improves ventricular function post-MI, which may be mediated by suppressing cardiac sympathetic activity and anti-inflammatory effects.


As crowd-sourced curation of news and information become the norm, it is important to understand not only how individuals consume information through social news Web sites, but also how they contribute to their ranking systems. In this paper, we introduce and make available a new data set containing the activity logs that recorded all activity for 309 Reddit users for one year. Using this newly collected data, we present findings that highlight the browsing and voting behavior of the study's participants. We find that most users do not read the article that they vote on, and that, in total, 73% of posts were rated (i.e., upvoted or downvoted) without first viewing the content. We also show the evidence of cognitive fatigue in the browsing sessions of users that are most likely to vote.


Longitudinal survey data from 509 couples who at Time 1 interview had recently married or had their first child did not support the hypothesis that demographic factors influence fertility intentions, decisions, and outcomes only indirectly through their effects on attitudes and motivations. Husbands' and wives' attitudes exerted reciprocal influence on one another. However, while husbands' sex-role traditionalism and motivation for parenthood strongly influenced wives' traditionalism and motivation in the case of recently married couples, this pattern was reversed for riew parents. Birth control use was directly affected by wives' fertility intentions, but not by husbands' intentions. Difficulties in examining couple interaction variables such as relative power and the possible limitations of fitting these data to a complex theoretical model using LISREL are discussed.


Promoting and retaining junior faculty are major challenges for many medical schools. High clinical workloads often limit time for scholarly projects and academic development, especially in anesthesiology. To address this, we created the East/West Visiting Scholars in Pediatric Anesthesia Program (ViSiPAP). The program's goal is to help "jumpstart" academic careers by providing opportunities for national exposure and recognition through invited lectures and collaborative opportunities. East/West ViSiPAP benefits the participating scholars, the home and hosting anesthesia departments, and pediatric anesthesia fellowship training programs. By fostering a sense of well‐being and inclusion in the pediatric anesthesia community, East/West ViSiPAP has the potential to increase job satisfaction, help faculty attain promotion, and reduce attrition. Faculty and trainees are exposed to new expertise and role models. Moreover, ViSiPAP provides opportunities for women and underrepresented in medicine faculty. This program can help develop today's junior faculty into tomorrow's leaders in pediatric anesthesia. We advocate for expanding the concept of ViSiPAP to other institutions in academic medicine.


Bisphenol A (BPA) and heavy metals are widespread contaminants in the environment. However, the combined toxicities of these contaminants are still unknown. In this study, the bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio qinghaiensis Q67 was used to detect the single and combined toxicities of BPA and heavy metals, then the joint effects of these contaminants were evaluated. The results show that chronic toxicities of chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), and BPA were time–dependent; in fact, the acute toxicities of these contaminants were stronger than the chronic toxicities. Furthermore, the combined toxicities of BPA and heavy metals displayed BPA + Hg > BPA + Cr > BPA + As > BPA + Ni > BPA + Pb > BPA + Cd in the acute test and BPA + Hg > BPA + Cd > BPA + As > BPA + Cd in the chronic test, which suggested that the combined toxicity of BPA and Hg was stronger than that of other mixtures in acute as well as chronic tests. Additionally, both CA and IA models underestimated the toxicities of mixtures at low concentrations but overestimated them at high concentrations, which indicates that CA and IA models were not suitable to predict the toxicities of mixtures of BPA and heavy metals. Moreover, the joint effects of BPA and heavy metals mainly showed antagonism and additive in the context of acute exposure but synergism and additive in the context of chronic exposure. Indeed, the difference in the joint effects on acute and chronic exposure can be explained by the possibility that mixtures inhibited cell growth and luminescence in chronic cultivation. The chronic toxicity of the mixture should be considered if the mixture results in the inhibition of the growth of cells.


A strategic model for assessment of the innovative potential of an enterprise based on category theory has been built. This approach involves the assessment of four components, three of which reflect the components of the innovation potential-resources, competences and abilities, and the fourth reflects the concrete embodiment of the implementation of the innovation potential-innovation projects. The resources, abilities and competences within this model are analyzed on the basis of the binary logic of the analysis of economic processes, which allows to evaluate the interaction of its three contents using the transitivity.


In this note we prove the uniqueness of a projection onto a given subspace with strictly contractive complement. We also show that, if one completely contractive projection is invariant under another, then the two commute.


Until recently, intracellular triacylglycerols (TAG) stored in the form of cytoplasmic lipid droplets have been considered to be only passive "energy conserves". Nevertheless, degradation of TAG gives rise to a pleiotropic spectrum of bioactive intermediates, which may function as potent co-factors of transcription factors or enzymes and contribute to the regulation of numerous cellular processes. From this point of view, the process of lipolysis not only provides energy-rich equivalents but also acquires a new regulatory function. In this review, we will concentrate on the role that fatty acids liberated from intracellular TAG stores play as signaling molecules. The first part provides an overview of the transcription factors, which are regulated by fatty acids derived from intracellular stores. The second part is devoted to the role of fatty acid signaling in different organs/tissues. The specific contribution of free fatty acids released by particular lipases, hormone-sensitive lipase, adipose triacylglycerol lipase and lysosomal lipase will also be discussed.


To improve the quality of service, internal business processes should be managed like the intermediate products are controlled for quality of final products in the manufacturing industry. The Business Process Management (BPM) aims to improve processes and requires both analysis and evaluation of practices. In this paper, we introduce the voice of call center customers (VOC) as a data source for BPM in the service industry. We adopt a VOC management framework that acquires data about business processes performance and quality of services. We develop a Web-based system for analyzing the VOC of a life insurance company, which helps decision makers understand customer needs better and helps them make consistent decisions regarding customer support. It uses conventional statistical and data mining techniques to identify customer voice patterns. We gather actual customer complaints from the service operation of the target company. Using this data, the system pinpoints problematic areas where complaints happened, the relationship among problems, and the root cause of problems.


The emergence of wireless and mobile networks has made possible the introduction of electronic commerce to a new application and research subject: mobile commerce. Understanding or constructing a mobile commerce system is an arduous task because the system involves a wide variety of disciplines and technologies. To facilitate understanding and constructing such a system, this article divides a mobile commerce system into six components: (i) mobile commerce applications, (ii) mobile stations, (iii) mobile middleware, (iv) wireless networks, (v) wired networks, and (vi) host computers. Elements in components related to mobile commerce are described in detail and lists of technologies for component construction are also given.


Automatic segmentation of knee bony anatomy is essential in orthopedics, and it has been around for several years in both pre-operative and post-operative settings. While deep learning algorithms have demonstrated exceptional performance in medical image analysis, the assessment of fairness and potential biases within these models remains limited. This study aims to revisit deep learning-powered knee-bony anatomy segmentation using plain radiographs to uncover visible gender and racial biases. The current contribution offers the potential to advance our understanding of biases, and it provides practical insights for researchers and practitioners in medical imaging. The proposed mitigation strategies mitigate gender and racial biases, ensuring fair and unbiased segmentation results. Furthermore, this work promotes equal access to accurate diagnoses and treatment outcomes for diverse patient populations, fostering equitable and inclusive healthcare provision.


An arc fault establishes a current path in the air which may cause malfunction of direct current (dc) system and even a fire hazard. Arc fault detection is essential to improving the reliability, efficiency, and safety of the dc system. However, the randomness of dc arc faults makes it difficult to define their characteristics. In this paper, a magnetic-sensing-based technique is proposed to detect dc arc. This paper developed a promising dc-arcing detection technique based on the analysis of frequency-domain features of the magnetic field measured by a magnetic sensor. The effects of the supply voltage, load current, and electrode diameter on the frequency domain of the arc current were investigated. The experimental results show that the proposed detection technique could reliably discriminate the normal operation and arc fault. This technique is cost-effective because it can be implemented with low-cost magnetoresistive sensors and does not require an expensive current transformer.


The cone calorimeter is one of the major fire tests. The measurement method is based on the evaluation of mass flow and oxygen concentration of fire effluents to calculate heat release rate. Different studies highlighted that the governing parameter for uncertainty at important values of heat release rate was the characteristic constant of an orifice plate used to measure mass flow (C‐factor). This parameter is usually determined each testing day by oxygen consumption calorimetry with a reference methane burner. This publication presents a calibration method for volumetric flow rate without using orifice plate and then an extension to C‐factor determination without methane burner and calorimetry. The uncertainty calculation applied to a real example highlights the fact that the method is suitable to respect tolerance of standardized test conditions for both parameters. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We prepared physically linked allyl alcohol polymer/polyacrylamide double network hydrogels via one-pot strategy. These double network supermolecular fracturing fluids were found to have a better viscosity at high temperature compared to the conventional polyacrylamide systems. After testing with a rheometer, the fluid viscosity could stay 320 mPa s at 150 °C under 170/s shear rate. With NMR and FT-IR results' help, we determined that abundant polar groups of chains were still free, which could complex ions to keep, even enhance the chain stability. Thus, these double network systems showed excellent salt resistance with the non-covalent interactions and physical entanglements, and the viscosity of the allyl alcohol polymer/polyacrylamide system did not drop but increase. The viscosity in high salinity could increase nearly 40 % compared with the initial situation. Overall, the novel fracturing fluid system could maintain a high viscosity and better rheological properties under high salinity and showed excellent high-temperature stability, to make up the lack of fracturing fluid at this stage. It is expected to potential fluid issues caused by low water quality and harsh downhole temperatures were resolved or mitigated.


The existance of high energy particles with energies >10 eV in the space is a basic problem in fundermental physics, because it means a violation of the GZK theoretical limitation. JEM-EUSO will try to detect such high energy particles in the space by t he oprical fluorescence from the high energy paticl es incident to the atmosphere. For caliblation of the optical background an atmospheric monitoring syste m consisting of a spaceborne lidar with an ultraviolet pulsed laser and an IR camera will be used. Th e IR camera takes images at suitable time intervals, mon itoring the cloud cover in the whole field of view (FoV) of the telescope. Moreover stereo images are also take n to retrieve pixel by pixel the height of the cloud-top. The ultraviolet lidar measures the height of surface of clouds with the 30 m resolution. From these measu remnts we obtain a 3 dimentional map of clouds. The laser specifications are 20mJ/pulses at 355nm 20Hz rate, single longitudinal mode, and M2<1 with conduction cooling.


In some important berry-producing countries, such as Chile, the fruit is harvested manually. The markets for these products are generally very distant, and any damage caused to the fruit during harvesting will be expressed in its shelf life. The first step to understanding the harvesting process is to identify what happens to the harvest baskets in each stage (picking, wait-full, transport-full, freezing tunnel, emptying and transport-empty), allowing variables that can affect the shelf life to be identified. This article proposes the use of Smartbins, intelligent harvest baskets with sensors to collect weight, temperature, and vibration data. Combined analysis of the variables collected, using machine learning algorithms, allows the system to estimate which stage the basket is at with an accuracy of 80%, and to assess whether the fruit has been exposed to situations that could affect its shelf life. Due to imbalance characteristics of the data collected, the best results were obtained in longer stages (picking and wait-full stages with 89% and 86% respectively).


A change in the absorption coefficient of Pr2+:CaF2 crystal in the spectral region from 530 to 1000 nm is found after irradiation by 30-mJ, 20-ns pulses from a repetitively pulsed 1.064-μm neodymium laser with a radiation power density of 500 MW cm-2. After irradiation by 105 pulses, the spectrum of the absorption coefficient variation Δα represents a broad band (~3000 cm-1) centred at 710 nm with the maximum value of Δα=1.1 cm-1.


The effect of surgical ovariectomy on cancellous bone was investigated by comparing mechanical properties and microarchitectural characteristics of the lumbar vertebrae in ovariectomized and sham-operated ewes. Eighteen mongrel ewes, 4±1 years old, were randomly divided into three groups: 6 animals served as a control group (Baseline), 6 were bilaterally ovariectomized (OVX), and the others were used as a sham-operated group (SHAM). OVX and SHAM ewes were euthanized 24 months after surgery; the L5 vertebrae were processed for mechanical and histomorphometric analyses. Maximum load, maximum strength (p<0.0005) and elastic modulus (p <0.005) decreased by about 28% in the OVX group in comparison with the other groups. In the OVX group, vertebral cancellous bone volume, trabecular thickness and trabecular number decreased by about 32% (p<0.0005), 15% (p=0.001) and 20% (p=0.019), respectively. An overall decrease in the bone turnover rate of the OVX group was registered in terms of bone formation rate (p= 0.007) and activation frequency (p<0.0005). The variations observed in cancellous bone mechanics and histomorphometry would suggest the development of an osteopenic state in ewe vertebrae at 24 months. Such findings may be useful for future experimental investigations on biomaterials and prosthetic devices to be implanted in the osteopenic spine.


Designing and building devices that utilize electroactive polymer actuators brings into sharp focus the performance required of these materials. Using the example of a "rehabilitation glove", it is shown that the performance of polypyrrole actuators fall short of that required. In particular, the need to simultaneously produce 5% actuator strain at a 5 MPa isotonic stress cannot be achieved with the actuators investigated in our laboratories to date. However, significant improvements in the performance under load have been achieved with the use of ionic liquid electrolytes. The use of new materials such as composites of conducting polymers and carbon nanotubes offers the possibility of further improvements in actuator performance. Finally, redesigning the glove actuator offers a compromise solution that allows existing actuators to be used in a prototype device.


BACKGROUND Many systematic reviews have focused on assessing the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the outcomes and complications associated with total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but primarily dealt with obesity compared to normal weight (NW). None of these reviews attempted to assess the effect of low BMI or underweight (UW) compared to NW in patients undergoing THA or TKA. AIM This review aims to compare specific operative outcomes such as operation duration, length of hospital stay, and post-operative complications including mortality, infections, deep vein thrombosis, etc. along with re-hospitalization and reoperation rates between UW and NW patients undergoing THA, TKA or both. METHODS An electronic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), Web of Science (WoS), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) along with a manual search. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for cohort studies. The data were subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analysis. RESULTS Thirteen retrospective and five prospective cohort studies were included. The quality of included studies was assessed to be good to fair. The length of hospital stay after TKA or THA was found to be significantly higher for UW patients when compared to NW patients, with a mean difference: 0.39 95%CI: [0.06, 0.72], P = 0.02 (in days). Studies presenting both THA and TKA together as total joint arthroplasty showed an increased incidence of mortality in patients treated with THA or TKA alone, Odds ratio: 4.18 95%CI: [2.88, 6.07]. A higher incidence of post-operative complications was also observed in UW patients undergoing THA. CONCLUSION UW patients undergoing THA or TKA had a higher incidence of post-operative complications and were associated with a higher readmission rate. Moreover, UW patients were associated with an increased incidence of mortality in the studies that reported THA and TKA together.


This paper argues against a natural resource curse for human development. We find evidence that changes in human development from 1970 to 2005, proxied by changes in the Human Development Index, are positively and significantly correlated with natural resource abundance. While our results are consistent with those of other authors who have recently argued that natural resources do not adversely affect growth, we find strong evidence that natural resources have a positive effect on human development and particularly on its non-income dimensions. However, results from Latin America interactions show that the positive impact of natural resources in this region is significantly smaller than in the rest of the world. These results contribute to a broader discussion about the "resource curse" by showing that natural resources may be a blessing rather than a curse for human development, primarily through its effects on education and health rather than income.


Owing to the popular usage of JPEG images, the steganographic tools for JPEG images emerge increasingly nowadays, among which OutGuess, F5, and the model based steganography are the most advanced. Advancing the previous work, we present a new universal steganalysis method based on statistical moments derived from both image 2-D array and JPEG 2-D array in this paper. In addition to the first order histogram, the second order histogram is considered. Consequently, the moments of 2-D characteristic functions are also used for steganalysis. Extensive experimental works have shown that the proposed method outperforms in general the prior-arts of steganalysis methods in attacking the three aforesaid steganographic schemes.