This publication is the final report of research performed under an NRA/Cooperative Interagency Agreement, and includes a supplemental CD-ROM with detailed data. It is complemented by NASA/CR-2012-217416 and NASA/CR-2012-217417 which include a Ph.D. Dissertation and an M.S. thesis respectively, performed under this contract. In this study the effects of unsteady wakes and flow control using vortex generator jets (VGJs) were studied experimentally and computationally on the flow over the L1A low pressure turbine (LPT) airfoil. The experimental facility was a six passage linear cascade in a low speed wind tunnel at the U.S. Naval Academy. In parallel, computational work using the commercial code FLUENT (ANSYS, Inc.) was performed at Cleveland State University, using Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (URANS) and Large Eddy Simulations (LES) methods. In the first phase of the work, the baseline flow was documented under steady inflow conditions without flow control. URANS calculations were done using a variety of turbulence models. In the second phase of the work, flow control was added using steady and pulsed vortex generator jets. The VGJs successfully suppressed separation and reduced aerodynamic losses. Pulsed operation was more effective and mass flow requirements are very low. Numerical simulations of the VGJs cases showed that URANS failed to capture the effect of the jets. LES results were generally better. In the third phase, effects of unsteady wakes were studied. Computations with URANS and LES captured the wake effect and generally predicted separation and reattachment to match the experiments. Quantitatively the results were mixed. In the final phase of the study, wakes and VGJs were combined and synchronized using various timing schemes. The timing of the jets with respect to the wakes had some effect, but in general once the disturbance frequency was high enough to control separation, the timing was not very important. This is the supplemental CD-ROM


In this paper we improve traditional steepest descent methods for the direct minimization of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) energy with rotation at two levels. We first define a new inner product to equip the Sobolev space $H^1$ and derive the corresponding gradient. Second, for the treatment of the mass conservation constraint, we use a projection method that avoids more complicated approaches based on modified energy functionals or traditional normalization methods. The descent method with these two new ingredients is studied theoretically in a Hilbert space setting, and we give a proof of the global existence and convergence in the asymptotic limit to a minimizer of the GP energy. The new method is implemented in both finite difference and finite element two-dimensional settings and is used to compute various complex configurations with vortices of rotating Bose-Einstein condensates. The new Sobolev gradient method shows better numerical performances compared to classical $L^2$ or $H^1$ gradient methods, especially when high rotation rates are considered.


The purpose of the current study was to investigate the immediate and subsequent effects of fixed-time attention on problem behavior maintained by therapist attention utilizing a three-component multiple-schedule design. The treatment analysis indicated that fixed-time attention produced a significant immediate decrease in the frequency of physically disruptive behavior (PDB), represented by low frequencies of PDB in Component 2, as well as a continued subsequent effect, represented by lower frequencies of problem behavior in Component 3 when compared to Component 1. The possible behavioral mechanisms responsible for the observed suppression in Component 2 of the treatment analysis are discussed. Evidence of behavioral contrast was observed in Components 1 and 3 of the treatment analysis in conditions in which Component 2 contained a fixed-time schedule of stimulus delivery. In addition, limitations and future research are outlined.


This paper presents a new approach based on Feed-Forward multilayered Neural Networks (FNNs) for the transient and steady-state analysis of piecewise-linear circuits. Nonlinear circuits are changed by linear circuits containing switches together with some state matrices and control inequalities by using piecewise linearization approach. One of the two problems arising in the analysis of these circuits is that control inequalities belonging to piecewise linearized components and control times for internally or externally controlled components is needed to determine switching times. Another is that the analysis time is very long. The proposed approach is considered as the solution to the problems. FNNs are used for modeling the piecewise linear circuits. By using the obtained model networks, the switching sequence and switching times from one state to another for transient and steady states are determined. The transient and steady-state solutions are fast accomplished through this knowledge. As an example, a nonlinear circuit is used for demonstrating the utility of the proposed approach, and the results are compared with that of the model constructed at Matlab/Simulink. Example circuit is analyzed in the time of 1 h 42 min by using the proposed approach but the time of 2 h 27 min by Matlab/Simulink. Moreover, simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach yields more accurate approximation for the switched nonlinear circuits.


In this paper we present a series of models, all within the context of a simple two-good economy, which bring out the distinctions among the different types of money and financial institutions. The models emphasize the physical properties of the economic goods, moneys, and trading systems. Part 1 covers models in which the money is a consumable storable; the economies in Part 2 use durable money, fiat money, or credit. Under this framework we are able to successfully contrast the role of private money lenders, banks, bilateral credit systems, and credit clearinghouses. We are also able to model the importance of the bankruptcy or default penalty in supporting the use of fiat.


Higher bone mineral density (BMD) at a young age, calcium intake, and exercise are important for prevention of osteoporosis later in life. We examined familial effects of BMD between mothers and children and adolescents aged 8-19 in Cheonan, Korea and the relationships between BMD and lifestyle parameters, including: food and nutrient intake and exercise. For daughters and sons, significant differences in BMD were observed at the three bone sites (total femur, femur neck, and lumbar spine) according to age, gender, body mass index, exercise, and milk consumption, compared to the reference value for each classification category. Mean differences in children's BMD were observed according to maternal BMD. Energy and calcium intake were lower in both children and mothers in comparison to the estimated daily energy requirement; however, their protein intake was much greater than the daily recommended intake. After adjusting for age and gender and for mother's age, body mass index, and total calorie intake, results of the food frequency test showed an association of a higher intake of meat, meat products, milk and milk products with greater BMD of total femur, femur neck, and lumbar spine of children. In addition, exercise was positively associated with higher BMD. Regression analysis showed a positive association of BMD with age, male gender, exercise, and mother's BMD. In conclusion, after adjustment for environmental parameters, maternal BMD had a positive influence on BMD in daughters and sons. This finding suggests that parents need to check their BMD in order to determine whether their children are at increased risk of low BMD. (Korean J Nutr 2013; 46(2): 147 ~ 155)


Most of the food waste and manure produced in developed countries is currently disposed of by use of either aerobic or anaerobic microbial decomposition. The former occurs with composting, while the latter takes place in lagoons and landfills. Microbial decomposition or organic matter emits substantial amounts of greenhouse gases each year, primarily in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that these emissions totalled 3.5 Gt CO2 equivalent in 2011. One potential advantage of using Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) is the animal's ability to recycle large amounts of carbon into edible insect proteins and oils rather than simply breaking it down into carbon dioxide and methane. We sought to experimentally quantify the potential impact on greenhouse gas emissions that might be produced by utilizing BSFL as an economically and environmentally useful reservoir for carbon that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere by microbial decomposition. Identical quantities of moist feed material were allowed to be completely consumed by BSFL or microbes. BSFL completely consumed the feed material in 7 days; microbial decomposition required 45 days before the material appeared to be completely consumed. Based on carbon mass balance, when BSFL were present, 28.54% of the carbon initially present within the system was lost to the atmosphere in the form of CO2 along with a negligible amount of methane. When BSFL were not present, 48.62% of the original carbon present was lost to the atmosphere. The difference between the two systems with respect to carbon lost to the atmosphere was statistically significant (p<0.05). Insect larvae converted an average of 41% of the feed carbon present into body mass in the forms of protein, edible oil, and chitin.


Abstract : The objective of this research is to exploit the findings of Project Vanguard Phase I and II to produce more robust scientific tools for graded alerting of transnational biological threats using Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE), a mosquito borne viral disease, as a case study. These new tools will play an essential role in future research and contribute to advancing TATRC s mission in the use of Indications and Warnings (I&Ws) biosurveillance for biodefense. Indications and Warnings (I&Ws) potentially alert U.S. responders of an imminent foreign bioevent weeks to months in advance. I&Ws are markers occurring globally, outside of U.S. borders, before an outbreak can affect U.S. interests, forces or domestic territory, thus allowing the U.S. time to respond. In effect, I&Ws can prime the national response infrastructure by alerting agencies of an evolving threat that could ultimately be highly disruptive or catastrophic. Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus is a zoonotic, mosquito-borne, viral disease affecting humans and equines where equines serve as amplifying hosts. It is an RNA alphavirus of the Togaviridae genus that is serologically classified into six antigenic subtypes: I-VI and six varieties: A, AB, C, D, E, F (1). Epizootic/epidemic type IAB and IC are the only subtypes associated with significant human and equine outbreaks (1,2). VEE has caused periodic outbreaks in humans and equines in Latin America since the early 1920s. Considering that epizootic VEE has not been diagnosed or isolated in the United States since 1971, there are concerns that VEE would make an effective bioterrorist agent (1,3,4). VEE is considered an incapacitating agent rather than a lethal agent such as anthrax or plague. Past outbreaks have suggested that a low infective dose is necessary for transmission (4,5).


Pmel17 is a melanocyte protein necessary for eumelanin deposition 1 in mammals and found in melanosomes in a filamentous form. The luminal part of human Pmel17 includes a region (RPT) with 10 copies of a partial repeat sequence, pt.e.gttp.qv., known to be essential in vivo for filament formation. We show that this RPT region readily forms amyloid in vitro, but only under the mildly acidic conditions typical of the lysosome-like melanosome lumen, and the filaments quickly become soluble at neutral pH. Under the same mildly acidic conditions, the Pmel filaments promote eumelanin formation. Electron diffraction, circular dichroism, and solid-state NMR studies of Pmel17 filaments show that the structure is rich in beta sheet. We suggest that RPT is the amyloid core domain of the Pmel17 filaments so critical for melanin formation.


With the explosive growth of data and wireless devices, federated learning (FL) has emerged as a promising technology for large-scale intelligent systems. Utilizing the analog superposition of electromagnetic waves, over-the-air computation is an appealing approach to reduce the burden of communication in the FL model aggregation. However, with the urgent demand for intelligent systems, the training of multiple tasks with over-the-air computation further aggravates the scarcity of communication resources. This issue can be alleviated to some extent by training multiple tasks simultaneously with shared communication resources, but the latter inevitably brings about the problem of inter-task interference. In this paper, we study over-the-air multi-task FL (OA-MTFL) over the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) interference channel. We propose a novel model aggregation method for the alignment of local gradients for different devices, which alleviates the straggler problem that exists widely in over-the-air computation due to the channel heterogeneity. We establish a unified communication-computation analysis framework for the proposed OA-MTFL scheme by considering the spatial correlation between devices, and formulate an optimization problem of designing transceiver beamforming and device selection. We develop an algorithm by using alternating optimization (AO) and fractional programming (FP) to solve this problem, which effectively relieves the impact of inter-task interference on the FL learning performance. We show that due to the use of the new model aggregation method, device selection is no longer essential to our scheme, thereby avoiding the heavy computational burden caused by implementing device selection. The numerical results demonstrate the correctness of the analysis and the outstanding performance of the proposed scheme.


The concept of social stratification and hierarchy among human dates is back to the origin of human race. Presently, the growing reputation of social networks has given us with an opportunity to analyze these well-studied phenomena over different networks at different scales. Generally, a social network could be defined as a collection of actors and their interactions. In this work, we concern ourselves with a particular type of social networks, known as trust networks. In this type of networks, there is an explicit show of trust (positive interaction) or distrust (negative interaction) among the actors. In a social network, actors tend to connect with each other on the basis of their perceived social hierarchy. The emergence of such a hierarchy within a social community shows the manner in which authority manifests in the community. In the case of signed networks, the concept of social hierarchy can be interpreted as the emergence of a tree-like structure comprising of actors in a top-down fashion in the order of their ranks, describing a specific parent-child relationship, viz. child trusts parent. However, owing to the presence of positive as well as negative interactions in signed networks, deriving such "trust hierarchies" is a non-trivial challenge. We argue that traditional notions (of unsigned networks) are insufficient to derive hierarchies that are latent within signed networks.


Estimating when and where survival bottlenecks occur in free-ranging marine predators is critical for effective demographic monitoring and spatial planning. This is particularly relevant to juvenile stages of long-lived species for which direct observations of death are typically not possible. We used satellite telemetry data from fledgling Adélie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins near the Antarctic Peninsula to estimate the spatio-temporal scale of a bottleneck after fledging. Fledglings were tracked up to 106 days over distances of up to 2140 km. Cumulative losses of tags increased to 73% within 16 days of deployment, followed by an order-of-magnitude reduction in loss rates thereafter. The timing and location of tag losses were consistent with at-sea observations of penguin carcasses and bioenergetics simulations of mass loss to thresholds associated with low recruitment probability. A bootstrapping procedure is used to assess tag loss owing to death versus other factors. Results suggest insensitivity in the timing of the bottleneck and quantify plausible ranges of mortality rates within the bottleneck. The weight of evidence indicates that a survival bottleneck for fledgling penguins is acute, attributable to predation and starvation, and may account for at least 33% of juvenile mortality.


Performance evaluation methods that have been used so far failed to capture the real characteristics of network traffic. This is especially true when the service times are general such as the variable bit rate (VBR) video, which is proven to be self-similar. In the paper, diffusion approximation methods are proposed to analyse a dynamic scheduler for self-similar VBR video traffic in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. The proposed scheme employs a coupled queueing system that has been used extensively in the modelling of computer and communication systems. Diffusion approximations methods are used to decouple a queueing system which represents an ATM network node into separate G/G/1 queues. Real MPEG video traces are used in the discrete event simulation. Results are compared with the approximation, and are found to work very well under different traffic conditions.


Introduction Pediatricians are in an ideal position to influence the oral health of their young patients, from the first prenatal interview with prospective parents and the initial newborn examination through the duration of their general pediatric care. Teeth begin calcification between 14 and 16 weeks of embryonic life, and most of the crowns of the primary teeth, as well as the occlusal edges of some permanent teeth, are calcified by birth. Early plaque removal from gum pads and erupting teeth, the use of fluoride as a dietary supplement in nonfluoridated communities, and timely visits to the dentist all will help to assure a caries-free dentition and healthy oral environment for the child of the 21st century. Dentistry has emerged from its position as a little understood and poorly tolerated sideline of the itinerant surgeon to its status of partner in supporting total bodily health. Such gains as local anesthesia and the means to administer it painlessly, high-speed instrumentation to remove caries comfortably (albeit mechanically), bonded resins (eg, pit and fissure sealants, composite resin restorative materials) to prevent caries and esthetically restore broken or deformed teeth, and implants to replace missing teeth and to restore function and appearance have highlighted its recent evolution.


The UK Data Protection Act 1984 covers the collection, holding, manipulation and distribution of data concerning living individuals by computerized systems from within the United Kingdom. Individuals who visit the UK fall within the bounds of the Act as soon as they arrive. Although they may be exempt from the Act in relation to the data that they personally control within the UK, they could immediately be liable in connection with data held overseas-perhaps by their employer, client, or any other entity for whom they could be construed to be an agent. The author covers the basic elements of the Act: the definition of data, personal data, data subject, data user, computer bureau, processing, preparing the text of documents, transfer of data, and the territorial scope of the Act. He covers who might have to register and why, how to register, and other implications of the Act.


We address a range of schedulability analysis problems for multiprocessor real-time systems. As most of these problems are NP-complete and no efficient solutions have been so far proposed, we tackle these problems by employing mathematical optimization combined with the dynamic pruning of the solution search space. We show that such an approach results in solving algorithms of a significantly lower time and space complexity compared to other state-of-the-art solutions. In the best case, the complexity can be reduced from exponential down to just linear. We use the pruning approach to solve a range of schedulability analysis problems. We first derive an exact schedulability test for sporadic real-time tasks, scheduled by Global Fixed Priority (GFP). Our test is faster and less memory consuming, compared to all previously known exact tests. We achieve such results by pruning the state space through employing such constraints as i) a sufficient schedulability condition, ii) the length bound for the longest release sequence to be considered, iii) critical job release instants, iv) an optimized clock transition between checked system states, as well as others. We also extend the test to continuous-time schedulers (e.g. an event-driven scheduler, which is opposed to a tick-driven scheduler), discarding the assimption of discrete time and integer task parameters, by employing linear programming methods combined with the search space pruning, instead of naive enumeration methods. Another considered problem is the schedulability analysis of compositional multiprocessor real-time systems. Our solution is based on solving a set of mixed-integer non-convex optimization problems. Due to their high complexity, no existing solver could efficiently determine a solution. To make solving possible, we first prune the solution search space, exploring the theoretical insides of the scheduling problem, and then employ an adequate optimization solver over a reduced search space, so that it quickly finds an optimal solution. The resulted search space is so narrow, that approximate solvers perform almost as good as exact ones: in most cases an approximate solver finds a true global optimum, but significantly faster compared to an exact solver. All solutions have been implemented in C++ and Matlab environments, and they are publicly available.


Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most malign human cancers, with its underlying molecular mechanisms largely unknown. In this work, we investigated the mechanistic role of protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) gene in PC. Expression of PRMT1 in immortal PC cell lines and clinical human PC tumors was evaluated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) and western blot. In PANC‐1 and SW1990 cells, PRMT1 was either downregulated by lentiviral‐mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) or upregulated by overexpression plasmid. The effects of PRMT1 downregulation or upregulation on PC proliferation and invasion in vitro, and xenograft in vivo, were evaluated. Gene expression of PRMT1 downstream target, zinc finger E‐box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) was measured in PRMT1‐downregulated PC cells. ZEB1 was also upregulated in PRMT1‐downregulated PC cells to evaluate its functional role in PRMT1‐mediated regulation in PC. PRMT1 was downregulated in both PC cell lines and human tumors. PRMT1 downregulation in PANC‐1 and SW1990 cells significantly suppressed cancer proliferation and invasion in vitro and xenograft in vivo. However, PRMT1 overexpression did not have function impact in PC cells. ZEB1 gene expression was suppressed in PRMT1‐downregulated PC cells. Subsequently, overexpressing ZEB1 reversed the antitumor effects of PRMT1 downregulation in PC cells. PRMT1 was aberrantly upregulated in PC. PRMT1 inhibition, possibly inversely acting through ZEB1, might be an effective molecular intervention to inhibit PC growth and invasion. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 70(10):1032–1039, 2018


Trust between the supervisor and student is the most important element that can pave the way to the completion of a postgraduate degree. If the trust is eroded, it may be difficult for both supervisor and student to work in tandem for the common goal of completing a research study. Trust is the responsibility of both supervisor and student. Using an exploratory case study design, this study sought to explore issues that can erode supervisor-student trust. For data generation, semi-structured interviews were used for five master's and five PhD students who had completed their degrees; these students were purposively sampled. Data were thematically analysed, and revealed that a harsh manner of approach, a temperamental supervisor, long turnaround time, communication barriers, failure to understand a student's circumstances, impatience and intolerance, unfair treatment and disrespect can erode supervisor-student trust. Therefore, this study recommends that supervisors should always recognise that the manner in which they interact with students may either make or break that trust. Supervisors should give prompt feedback to students while students can still remember what they wrote. They should always bear in mind that students have other big responsibilities, and take that into account when relating with them.

Received: 4 May 2021 / Accepted: 21 July 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021


UNLABELLED
The effectiveness, toxicity and prognostic factors influencing responses to cyclophosphamide (CP) iv pulses plus oral glucocorticosteroids (GC) in patients with GC-resistant ocular inflammatory diseases (OID) was evaluated in a cohort of 15 consecutive patients suffering from active, non-infectious OID refractory to oral GC. All patients underwent monthly evaluations with clinical, hematological, hepatic, renal and ophthalmologic tests. These included checking visual acuity and both anterior chamber and posterior segment inflammation. The overall effect evaluated by repeated measurements ANOVA demonstrated that after an average of 5 CP pulses 1-10, the group showed significant improvement regarding of visual acuity and inflammation (p < 0.000001). Amelioration was not sustained over time in patients with granulomatous uveitis. Patients with retinal vasculitis experienced rapid and sustained recovery. By the end of the follow-up period, 53% of the patients had improved, 20% remained stationary and 26% suffered visual acuity deterioration as compared with the baseline. No serious side effects were detected during treatment and follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
A combination of oral GC and iv CP pulses appears to be an effective way to treat patients suffering from noninfectious, non-granulomatous, GC-resistant OID.


What factors are likely to have a bearing on legal administrative quality in every-day reality? Most day-to-day administrative decisions are prepared and made by peo-ple employed by administrative bodies. There are three ways in which the choices of people in administrative organizations may be influenced. The first has to do with the beliefs and attitudes on which people's choices are based. These may have been moulded by underlying processes such as training, culture building and socialization. The second method addresses how the choices themselves are made. They may be directly governed by operational rules and by hierarchical instruction and supervision. The third way is mechanization: choices may be largely or even entirely subject to the constraints of automated decision algorithms. These three ways of influencing behaviour constitute the point of departure for an exploration of the factors which influence legal quality.


ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) pUL93 is essential for virus growth, but its precise function in the virus life cycle is unknown. Here, we characterize a UL93 stop mutant virus (UL93st-TB40/E-BAC) to demonstrate that the absence of this protein does not restrict viral gene expression; however, cleavage of viral DNA into unit-length genomes as well as genome packaging is abolished. Thus, pUL93 is required for viral genome cleavage and packaging.


The inactivated factor XIII does not change the functional state of the anticoagulating system. The i.v. administration of thromboplastin activates the anticoagulating system in rats which cannot be prevented by an artificial rise of the titre of the inactivated factor XIII in blood. The i.v. injections of the secondary adreanlin-heparin--fibrinogen complex with higher level of the factor XIII is followed by a sharp increase in the functional activity of the anticoagulating system.


This article explores the effects of the type of instruction (Content and language integrated learning, CLIL, vs.
 non-CLIL) and gender upon foreign language motivation in Primary Education learners in northern Spain. A total of 252 students with ages
 ranging from 9–12 completed a questionnaire measuring different motivation components. Results showed that CLIL students seem to manifest
 greater parental support and be more critical with their image as foreign language learners. Additionally, gender turned
 out to be a more influential factor in non-CLIL learning settings, since non-CLIL males obtained worse results than their female
 counterparts in overall motivation and intrinsic motivation. This gender effect was not observed in CLIL
 classrooms, which potentially makes this learning approach a more egalitarian educational setting for both genders in terms of foreign
 language motivation.


The extracellular microenvironment affects cellular responses to various stressors including radiation. Annexin A2, which was initially identified as an intracellular molecule, is also released into the extracellular environment and is known to regulate diverse cell surface events, however, the molecular mechanisms underlying its release are not well known. In this study, we found that in cultured human cancer and non-cancerous cells an extracellular release of annexin A2 was greatly enhanced 1–4 h after a single 20 cGy X-ray dose, but not after exposure to ultraviolet C (UVC) radiation. Extracellular release of annexin A2 was also enhanced after H2O2 and nicotine treatments, which was suppressed by pretreatment with the antioxidant, N-acetyl cysteine. Among the oxidative stress pathway molecules examined in HeLa cells, AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were mostly activated by low-dose X-ray radiation, and the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, but not compound C (an AMPKα inhibitor), suppressed the enhancement of the annexin A2 extracellular release after low-dose X irradiation. In addition, the enhancement was suppressed in the cells in which p38α MAPK was downregulated by siRNA. HeLa cells and human cultured cells preirradiated with 20 cGy or precultured in media from low-dose X-irradiated cells showed an increase in resistance to radiation-induced cell death, and the increase was suppressed by treatment of the irradiated cell-derived media with anti-annexin A2 antibodies. In addition, extracellularly added recombinant annexin A2 conferred cellular radiation resistance. These results indicate that an oxidative stress-activated pathway via p38 MAPK was involved in the extracellular release of annexin A2, and this pathway was stimulated by low-dose X-ray irradiation. Furthermore, released annexin A2 may function in low-dose ionizing radiation-induced responses, such as radioresistance.


The purpose of this research was to perform a granulometrical and flow properties study of a morphine polymeric complex and determine the influence of 3 variables—particle size of complex, pH value, and ionic strength of the dissolution medium—on the dissolution behavior. The morphine-Eudragit L complex was produced in aqueous medium from morphine hydrochloride saturated solution and Eudragit L 30D diluted until 12% wt/vol and partially neutralized (40%). To determine the rheological behavior of the complex, several rheological tests were developed: bulk and tapped densities, Hausner ratio, angle of repose, and flow rate. The results corresponding to the technological study suggest that the 100- to 250-μm fraction can be considered as free flowing powder. In relation to the dissolution behavior of the complex, the results indicate that the ionic strength has been detected as the most influencing factor when values below physiological conditions are used. In conclusion, no technological problems for the production of further solid dosage forms are expected. Furthermore, no changes in the dissolution profiles of the complex have been detected when ionic strength values are inside the physiological range.


Summary Solitary neoplasms of intrahepatic bile duct origin were found in the livers of three of twelve white suckers (Catostomus commersoni) taken from Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. The neoplasms were inhabited by a protozoan parasite which was also found in bile ducts of tumor-free C. commersoni. The tumor-bearing fish were all in the maximal size range of this species in Maryland. No neoplasms were found in the smaller specimens examined. Multiple nodular lesions were found in the liver of one brown bullhead (Ictalurus nebulosus) from the same lake. These lesions were composed of hepatocellular proliferations resembling minimal-deviation hepatomas, but the possibility that they represented nodular regenerations could not be ruled out. Both species involved are native, bottom-feeding fish, never fed hatchery diets of the type currently under investigation in connection with the epizootic of hepatomas in rainbow tout. Environmental factors deserving consideration as possible etiologic influences include: the unidentified protozoan parasite; carcinogenic hydrocarbons from motorboat exhausts; rotenone introduced into the water in fish population studies; and insecticides such as DDT. It is suggested that bottom-feeding fish may prove to be useful as indicators of environmental carcinogens.


In this research paper, a novel method of fabricating 3D-stacked modules using a silicon carrier that can integrate known good dice, with testable features and integrated cooling solution is presented. The backbone of this silicon based system in package (SiP) is the fabrication of silicon carriers with through hole conductive interconnects. Process development, issues and limitations of the novel method to fabricate silicon carriers with solder and Cu conductive interconnects are discussed in detail. Through holes in silicon wafer have been demonstrated with conventional low cost batch processing wet etch and high aspect ratio DRIE methods to address coarse pitch and fine pitch applications respectively. Ultra thin flip chip device with daisy chain are fabricated and are attached to the silicon carriers by conventional flip chip processes, forming a stack. Individual stacks are vertically integrated to form three dimensional stacked modules. A complete three dimensional stacked module has been fabricated with three individual stacks. The fabricated stack modules have been subjected to JEDEC reliability tests and the results are discussed.


We have developed a method to determine moment tensors for local earthquakes using short period (10 to 50 sec) surface waves recorded at TERRAscope stations. To correct for the substantial lateral variations in crustal structure, we applied phase corrections to the data using a regionalized phase-velocity model. We have determined moment tensors for over 180 events in the last 3 yr in southern California for magnitudes as small as 3.2 and as large as 6.5. The results are consistent with those obtained from first-motion data as well as other waveform inversions. When continuous data telemetry from the stations becomes available this method can yield moment tensors for earthquakes in southern California and adjacent regions within minutes after the occurrence of an event.

Our results confirm the relation log M_o (seismic moment) ∝ 1.5M_L (local magnitude) obtained by an earlier study.


Pen-based interfaces offer exciting opportunities in ubiquitous computing by enabling new hardware form factors and socially acceptable computing tasks. However, prevailing ink representations are not compatible across devices or even within vendors, compromising interoperability and hence true ubiquity. We propose a lossless multimodal multi-format XML ink framework called RiverInk that overcomes many of the interoperability issues faced in using platform-specific standards. This paper motivates the interoperability problems created by ubiquity, and then describes the design of RiverInk's format, APIs, and ink controls. RiverInk's framework encompasses interoperable support for both archival and streaming ink-based applications, and a range of alternatives for platforms that do not currently support ink. Three RiverInk applications were developed within the ActiveCampus ubiquitous computing environment to demonstrate both the ease of adding interoperability to an ink-based application and the degree of interoperability provided. The adaptability of the framework to new platforms is discussed


At different sections of the lower reaches of Tarim River,the MDA contents of the main constructive species of the arbor,bush,herbaceous vegetation-Populus euphratica,Tamarix ramosissima and Apocynum venetumas show an increasing tendency and a positive correlation with the water table along with the constant increase of the groundwater depth and the distance from river.Among them,the Tamarix ramosissima MDA contents of almost every section occupy the first place in the three,which proves that under the condition of moisture coercing at lower reaches of Tarim River,the oxidizing degree of the cell membrane fat of Tamarix ramosissima is relatively high and it is coerced heavy by the aridity;SOD activity of them also rises gradually with the decline of the water table and presents a positive correlation with the water table.However,POD activity keeps dropping with the gradual increase of groundwater depth and presents a negative correlation with the water table.These results indicate that the membrane fats of Populus euphratica,Tamarix ramosissima and Apocynum venetumas have a strong oxidation under the condition of serious water stress,which results in a large amount of MDA accumulation,activates the protection enzyme system in the body of Tamarix ramosissima at the same time and improves its ability of fighting drought through strengthening SOD activity.The reason why POD activity declines may be that arid environment causes POD control system in plant cell obtuseness or protein formatting ability drop,or there are many ways of removing H_(2)O_(2) in plant,the concrete reason awaits to be studied further.The comparison of SOD and POD activity of Populus euphratica,Tamarix ramosissima and Apocynum venetumas under the same water table at the same section in the lower reaches of Tarim River reflects the complement of SOD and POD functions,namely they cooperate with each other while the plant cell defends active oxygen and other peroxide free radicals,which makes plant adapt to the arid environment better.The rational ecological water level and(serious) coercing water level suitable for the plant survival,which are reflected by the MDA content and SOD activity under different water table conditions,are compared and analyzed,and then a preliminary inference is gotten.When the groundwater depth in the lower reaches of Tarim River is over 3.12 meters,the growth of Populus euphratica and Tamarix ramosissima begins to be suppressed promptly,about 6 meters of water table will cause serious coercion to Populus euphratica,and ≥8.83 meters of water table can jeopardize Populus euphratica's existence.And the serious coercing water table and critical water table of Tamarix ramosissima are about 5 meters and ≥8.83 meters,respectively.By contrast,the coercing water table to which Apocynum venetumas can bear is relatively high: more than 3.12 meters water table will cause serious coercion to its growth and lower than 4.42 meters water table will endanger its survival.


Emissions reductions of the scale required to avoid dangerous climate change will require rapid, systemic change including extensive refurbishment and replacement of infrastructure systems. The technologies required to make this systemic change exist today but many rely on critical metals which are at risk of scarcity and difficult to substitute. There has been extensive debate in the academic and policy literature about whether the availability of these critical metals will constrain the transformation required. However, policy decisions are being made without addressing these material barriers or considering how critical materials could be managed more sustainably during future infrastructure renewal. This project enhances the established stocks and flows (S&F) methodology used in industrial ecology by adding layers of extra information on material criticality. This transforms S&F from being concerned only with quantities of materials, to capturing supply constraints as well. This in turn allows us to analyse how transitions in the physical infrastructure may introduce vulnerabilities, associated with materials supply. More excitingly, it allows us to identify conflicts between low carbon pathways and sustainable resource management. This paper presents the results of a proof-of-concept case study that demonstrates the enhanced S&F methodology on a simple infrastructure system. The findings of the proof-ofconcept study will be used to propose improvements to the modelling approach and its application to policy development and decision making.


Nanotechnology is the most novel field of 21 st century. Nanotechnology has the ability to transform the agricultural and food industry with the help of various innovative tools for the molecular management of diseases, rapid disease detection, enhancing the ability of plants to absorb nutrients. Nanotechnology has the potential to increase yield of nutrient values and also plays a vital role in developing improved systems for monitoring ecological conditions and increasing the capacity of crops to absorb nutrients or pesticides. There are majority of nano-material which is known for its plant growth promoting effects. This paper reportedly contains the key role of nanoparticles in plants. This present review highlights the effects of nanoparticles on growth, flowering and seed production in plants. Recent researches on effects of nanoparticles on various plant crops have reported for an increased germination and growth of seed. The aim of this project is to study the roles of nanoparticles on various plants. Effects of these nanoparticles on plant growth and development can be easily highlighted in this review.


The present study was undertaken to develop a reproducible protocol for efficient in vitro callus initiation of chick pea (Cicer arietinum L.). The main objectives of this present study were to develop the optimal concentrations and combination of auxin and cytokinin for optimized callus induction from seeds as explants. Callus induction was initiated from seeds on MS media supplement, which varied according to the plant growth regulators treatment. Among the growth regulator combinations the highest rate of callus induction (85%) was observed in MS medium containing 2 mg L -1 of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D), 2 mg L -1 Benzylaminopurine (BAP) showed higher percentage ( 63% ) of callus formation than 1- Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), which produced 49% of callus. There were significant differences in percentage of calli fresh/dry weights (g/jar) on the different initiation ( seven) medium used were the MS+2,4-D, MS+2,4-D +NAA+ BAP and MS+ BAP had the highest fresh/dry weights (g/jar) in both induction medium.


The software-defined radio (SDR) concept aims at designing a re-configurable radio architecture accepting all cellular or non-cellular standards working in the 0-5 GHz frequency range. Some technical challenges have to be solved in order to address this concept. A fully digital SDR system implying an A/D conversion close to the antenna is not feasible in the case of mobile terminal. This paper presents the design of an analog processor which process RF signal in order to elect and convert into digital only the desired RF signal envelope. It uses the principle of a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to carry out basic analog functions with high accuracy at a low power consumption. Schematic and post layout simulations are exhibited. Estimated die area and power consumption are numbered.


To evaluate and reflect the sustainability of services in the region, an overall sector sustainability assessment was conducted taking into account four main dimensions: access to services, quality of services, efficiency of services, and financing of services. Each of these dimensions is measured through three simple and objective indicators. For each indicator, best practice values are established by looking at the best performers in the region, and countries closest to those best performers are deemed to have a more mature sector. A more complete description of the methodology to assess sector sustainability is included in the annex of the state of the sector regional report from the Danube water program. The outcomes of this assessment for the Kosovo water sector are presented, which also shows average and best practices in the Danube region. As a result, the Kosovo sector sustainability score is 63, which is close to the Danube average sustainability of 64. The assessment shows that, on average, the country performs well in terms of access to piped water and flush toilets, continuity of service, staffing level and operating cost ratio. The main deficiencies identified through the sector sustainability assessment are the investment level, nonrevenue water, and wastewater treatment coverage. The main sector challenges are: securing stable and long-term financing for compliance investments; increasing water utility billing collection; and improving the efficiency of utilities to enhance their sustainability.


Advances in sequencing technologies allow for provision of genome-scale data to oncologists and geneticists caring for pediatric cancer patients but current experience with the clinical application of genomic sequencing is limited. The goal of the BASIC3 (Baylor Advancing Sequencing into Childhood Cancer Care) study is to determine the clinical impact of incorporating CLIA-certified tumor and constitutional whole exome sequencing (WES) into the care of children with newly diagnosed solid tumors. This study follows pediatric patients with newly diagnosed CNS and non-CNS solid tumors (target enrollment n=280) at Texas Children9s Cancer Center for two years after performing CLIA-certified whole exome sequencing (WES) of blood and frozen tumor samples. Results are deposited into the electronic medical record and disclosed to families by their oncologist and a genetic counselor. The potential impact of tumor exome findings on clinical decision-making is assessed through review of the medical record over the two year follow-up period as well as through surveys of the oncologists regarding prioritization of treatment options in the hypothetical event of tumor recurrence before and after receiving tumor exome results. Preferences of patient families and oncologists for reporting this complex information are obtained by interviews and audiorecording of the exome result disclosure visits. Since the study opened in August 2012, ∼85% of potentially eligible families have consented to enrollment. The first 100 patients comprise a diverse representation of diagnoses, including 32 with CNS tumors (32%) and 68 with non-CNS tumors (68%). Despite limited diagnostic biopsies in many patents, snap-frozen tumor samples adequate for WES were obtained from 84 subjects (84%), including 62/68 non-CNS solid tumors (91%) and 22/32 (69%) CNS solid tumors. Tumor WES results have been reported for the first 55 patients, revealing a median of 9 (range of 0 to 78) protein-altering mutations per tumor and alterations of known cancer genes such as ALK, BRAF, DICER1, KIT, KRAS, NRAS, MET, JAK2, FGFR3, ARID1A, CTNNB1, and TP53. Fourteen of 55 tumors (25%) contained mutations classified as having proven or potential clinical utility. These results demonstrate the feasibility of routine tumor WES in the pediatric oncology clinic and a significant level of parental interest in receiving WES results. Potentially clinically-relevant mutations can be identified in a substantial minority of pediatric solid tumor patients but distinct from the medically actionable mutations seen in adult cancer patients. Data further assessing the clinical utility of the tumor exomes and the preferences of oncologists and parents for reporting of these results are under study. Supported by NHGRI/NCI 1U01HG006485. Citation Format: D. Williams Parsons, Angshumoy Roy, Federico A. Monzon, Dolores H. Lopez-Terrada, Murali M. Chintagumpala, Stacey L. Berg, Susan G. Hilsenbeck, Tao Wang, Robin A. Kerstein, Sarah Scollon, Katie Bergstrom, Richard L. Street, Jr., Laurence B. McCullough, Amy L. McGuire, Uma Ramamurthy, David A. Wheeler, Christine M. Eng, Yaping Yang, Jeff G. Reid, Donna M. Muzny, Richard A. Gibbs, Sharon E. Plon. Evaluating the implementation and utility of clinical tumor exome sequencing in the pediatric oncology clinic: Early results of the BASIC3 study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pediatric Cancer at the Crossroads: Translating Discovery into Improved Outcomes; Nov 3-6, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;74(20 Suppl):Abstract nr IA16.


This paper investigates a silicon (Si) avalanche double photodiode (ADPD) fabricated in 40-nm standard CMOS technology. Two different types of double photodiodes (DPDs) will be introduced. The first one is a P-well/deep-N-well/P-substrate(PW/DNW/P-substrate) DPD, and the second one is a P+/N-well/P-substrate (P+/NW/P-substrate) DPD. The basic structure of the proposed ADPD is formed by P+/NW and NW/P-substrate junctions in which the avalanche effect occurs at the P+/NW junction. The P+/NW/P-substrate ADPD demonstrates responsivity of 0.84 A/W and a 3-dB electrical bandwidth of 0.7 GHz at 850 nm. For 660 nm, the ADPD shows a responsivity of 0.49 A/W with an electrical bandwidth of 1.8 GHz. For 520 nm, a responsivity of 2.04 A/W and an electrical bandwidth of 1.4 GHz are achieved.


There have been suggestions in the literature of a link between acceptance of traditional Latin American family values and the development of psychopathology. To test this hypothesis, the author surveyed 117 lower-class Puerto Rican psychiatric patients, using a scale to measure Hispanic American family-related values. The scores of these patients were compared with those of lower- and middle-class Puerto Rican nonpatients. The data provided some evidence that in poorer immigrants psychiatric morbidity is accompanied by evidence of decreased adherence to Latin American family beliefs.


In this chapter we turn to tools for interpreting affective meaning, extending our affective study of sentiment analysis in Chapter 4. We use the word 'affective', following the tradition in affective computing (Picard, 1995) to mean emotion, sentiment, personality, mood, and attitudes. Affective meaning is closely related to subjectivity, subjectivity the study of a speaker or writer's evaluations, opinions, emotions, and speculations (Wiebe et al., 1999). How should affective meaning be defined? One influential typology of affective states comes from Scherer (2000), who defines each class of affective states by factors like its cognitive realization and time course (Fig. 25.1).


ABSTRACT Stroke is one of the leading cause of death and serious long-termdisability. There are two types of stroke – hemorrhaging and ischemic. The last one can be treated with clot-busting drugs such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and urokinase, but drugs must be given to patients within 3 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms. Unfortunately, just a tiny fraction of patients enter the emergency room within first three hours. For those who are not eligible for clot busters scientists designed mechanical blood clot retrievers. There are some retrievers' generations: first – MERCI ( M echanical E mbolus R emoval in C erebral I schemia) and Penumbra; second – Solitaire and TrevoPro. Retrievers are effective but they remove clots fragmentally and fragments can embolize arteries. To avoid this adverse reaction scientist invented new generation of retrievers - Lazarus Funnel and ReCover which are close to get wide use in clinical practice. KEYWORDS Stroke, Blood Coagulation, Thrombectomy, Equipment


Realization of a modernization agenda requires improvement of competencies and intellectualization of territorial development of the management system in conditions of increasing uncertainty of the management situation and systemic risks. The purpose of our study was to analyze a spatial distribution of an intellectual potential of regions and propose a conclusion about leveling of risks from gaps in the economic space. We consider the following competencies as a basis of a potential that determines intellectualization of the management system. This is the ability to train personnel of HSQ and create and promote innovations. The factor analysis was used as a tool. The following conclusion was made: it is necessary to pay attention to development of national scientific schools because the education system is a basis for a formation of the competence economy. Moreover, it is necessary to stimulate development of the entire system of knowledge reproduction, and the entire space without gaps. The pandemic forced active development of digital platforms, transferring many spheres of public life. Opportunities for creating "the network intelligence" have increased. The need to improve competencies has increased, including development of a digital environment. It is possible to eliminate systemic risks that have arisen due to the gap in the economic space by strengthening collaborations based on digital platforms and forming "the network intelligence". The basic element of knowledge reproduction is training of qualified personnel at the university education system. Therefore, it is necessary to continue strengthening the integration and form collective models of the innovation process.


Introduction The major dynamic forces shaping the surfaces, crusts, and lithospheres of planets are represented by geological processes (Figures 1.1–1.6) which are linked to interaction with the atmosphere (e.g., eolian, polar), with the hydrosphere (e.g., fluvial, lacustrine), with the cryosphere (e.g., glacial and periglacial), or with the crust, lithosphere, and interior (e.g., tectonism and volcanism). Interaction with the planetary external environment also occurs, as in the case of impact cratering processes. Geological processes vary in relative importance in space and time; for example, impact cratering was a key process in forming and shaping planetary crusts in the first one-quarter of Solar System history, but its global influence has waned considerably since that time. Volcanic activity is a reflection of the thermal evolution of the planet, and varies accordingly in abundance and style. The stratigraphic record of a planet represents the products or deposits of these geological processes and how they are arranged relative to one another. The geological history of a planet can be reconstructed from an understanding of the details of this stratigraphic record. On Mars, the geological history has been reconstructed using the global Viking image data set to delineate geological units (e.g., Greeley and Guest, 1987; Tanaka and Scott, 1987; Tanaka et al ., 1992), and superposition and cross-cutting relationships to establish their relative ages, with superposed impact crater abundance tied to an absolute chronology (e.g., Hartmann and Neukum, 2001).


This paper explores the role of investor stewardship against a background of broader efforts to improve the sustainability of financial markets. Stewardship codes, encouraging institutional investors to act as long-term, responsible shareholders, comprise an emerging aspect of contemporary corporate governance frameworks with important implications for sustainable finance. They have the potential to promote the incorporation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into both financial and business decision-making. This paper examines the way in which 25 stewardship codes from across the world approach ESG integration and explores the possibilities for enhancing their impact on sustainability. It concludes that stewardship codes form an influential part of the overall network of regulatory instruments supporting sustainable finance. They help to secure transparency, accountability and a progressive interpretation of long-standing fiduciary duties that better balances the interests of all stakeholders.


Abstract The aim of this research is to know the influence of linguistic intelligence towards English achievement at SMA Tugu Ibu in Depok. The data for linguistic intelligence is taken from worksheet though test. Meanwhile the data for English achievement is taken from the score of English in students' academic record which is familiar called rapor. To analyze the data, the researcher uses SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solution) version 17. Based on the result of the data analysis, it is known that coefficient correlation (r) = 0,766 and determination coefficient is 58,7%. It means that there are significant and strong influence of linguistic intelligence towards English achievement. It means that there are significant and strong influence of linguistic intelligence towards English achievement. English is influenced by linguistic intelligence for 58,7%. Meanwhile, the rest 41,3% is influenced by other factors. Futhermore, the test of hypotheses through regression analysis make the result for regression equality Y = 55,48 + 1,747 X. the result for regression equality significant test is got the score of Sig = 0,000 and t observed = 6,307 so Sig score t table so H o is rejected and H 1 is accepted. It means that regression coefficient is significant. The conclusion is there are strong and significant influence of linguistic intelligence towards English achievement at SMA Tugu Ibu in Depok, West Java. Keywords           : Linguistic Intelligence English Achievement.


The Department of Defense (DOD) has joined a cooperative effort with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) to develop the space communications protocol standards (SCPS). The SCPS stack consists of a set of four protocols that operate at the network layer and above: file handling protocol (FP), transport protocol (TP), security protocol (SP), and network protocol (NP). This set of protocols has the potential to increase the efficiency and reliability of data transfer, increase interoperability with both DOD and non-DOD assets, and decrease the cost of operating our space systems. The protocols also have potential applicability to military tactical and mobile communication environments. Two experiments and a number of simulations were conducted in FY96 to evaluate the performance of a subset of the SCPS protocols. This paper summarizes the results of a third test program which was developed in FY97 to further evaluate the performance of SCPS. Although this test program did address functional testing of FP and NP, the focus was on the end-to-end performance of SCPS TP and commercial transmission control protocol (TCP) in networks that include at least one satellite communications link.


Preparation of nano-rod aluminosilicate Mazzit (MAZ) zeolite under low-cost and environmental-friendly route is attractive, but still challenging. Herein, we report a green route for synthesizing nano-rod MAZ zeolite (MAZ-N) using low-cost and environmental-friendly choline chloride as template. Various characterizations including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), N2 sorption, and thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) show that MAZ-N samples have good crystallinity and uniform porous structures. Furthermore, the crystallization process and impact of synthesis conditions of MAZ-N samples have been investigated in detail. These results suggest the potential applications of MAZ-N zeolites as supporting catalyst compounds in industrial processes.


Ice sheet movement in northeastern Poland is reconstructed from analysis of the spatial orientation of glacial landforms and glaciotectonic deformations. The orientations of both positive and negative glacial landforms (morpholineaments) of the Vistulian Glaciation were analysed. These landforms form 4 sets and follow an original crevasse system (joint net) within the ice sheet, probably resulting from horizontal stress exerted as the ice advanced from the north. Esker deposits have been glaciotectonically deformed to form a compressional fan fold, due to limited movement of the ice sheet prior to deglaciation. This movement caused the ice crevasses to be tightened and cut by strike-slip faults. Movement here was from the NNW, as determined from the orientation of deformations. Thus, the ice-flow direction changed at least by 10° during the last phase of the Vistulian Glaciation. If the ice rotated the northeastern portion of the esker, this change may have amounted to 30°.


Morbidity and mortality in hypertension are mainly determined by arterial lesions which may occur in different regional circulations: kidney, cerebral, coronary ..., causing respectively nephroangiosclerosis, stroke or myocardial infarction... Despite the arteries heterogeneity, structural and functional abnormalities are usually observed at an early stage of hypertension in both large and small arteries. These alterations modify arterial wall physiological and mechanical properties which can be expressed clinically by increasing arterial pulsatility or pulse pressure; they facilitate establishment and progression of atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis. Since arteries constitute the target, site and common denominator of hypertension cardiovascular complications, several noninvasive techniques may be usefull to assess their haemodynamic: casual and ambulatory blood pressure measurements can evaluate pulse pressure which can be also directly measured in different sites of the arterial tree using the "Tonometer" device; ultrasound techniques can be applied: Doppler signal to assess the arterial flow, video-echo signal to analyse the arterial structure such as intima-media thickness, or echo-tracking systems for direct measurements of arterial wall distension and thickness; pulse wave velocity is widely used as index of arterial distensibility; its assessment, using the Complior device showed that hypertensive patients present a decrease of arterial distensibility and that antihypertensive treatment do not always reverse this abnormality. Since cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are due to arterial lesions, it is important to evaluate the effect of cardiovascular prevention on the arterial wall. Large therapeutical trials, including arterial evaluation, are necessary to assess whether this consideration may particularize patients with high cardiovascular risk and contribute to their treatment and prognostic improvement.


Background: Early detection of proneness to hypertension may help an individual to lead a healthy life by altering the life style. Subjects having the predisposing factors of hypertension tend to show higher and prolonged responsiveness to blood pressure following stress. Methods: Normotensive, non-smoking healthy sedentary male students and staff of Nepal Medical College (n=50, age group 18-35 years) participated in the study, conducted between May 2008 and June 2008. Participants with hypertensive parents, either or both, were considered volunteers from hypertensive families. The cold pressor test was carried out. The changes in blood pressure and heart rate among the volunteers of the hypertensive and normotensive families were compared using Student's t-test. Results: In the present study, sympathetic stimulation exerted through the cold pressor test resulted in an elevation of blood pressure and heart rate in all the young male normotensive individuals. Blood pressure and heart rate returned to the baseline 5 minutes after the withdrawal of the stressor in the cases of the volunteers with no history of familial hypertension. On the other hand, the subjects whose parents, either or both, were reported to be hypertensive showed elevated diastolic blood pressure even 5 minutes after the withdrawal of the stressor. Conclusion: The present study revealed that the normotensive young male subjects who presented prolonged elevated diastolic pressure in response to sympathetic stimulation through the cold pressor test were prone to develop hypertension in the future.


We report results from a systematic study to identify the molecular basis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency on a sample of 299 male subjects from the Hellenic population. Our stepwise approach involved partial biochemical characterization and quantitation of the enzyme's activity, MboII restriction endonuclease digestion to identify the G6PD Mediterranean variant, which represents the most frequent G6PD variant in our population and a nonradioactive polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism methodology for the detection of the underlying molecular defect(s) in the rest of the non-Mediterranean G6PD-deficient individuals. Through this approach, six different G6PD variants were identified (G6PD Mediterranean, G6PD Hermoupolis, G6PD Cassano, G6PD Seattle, G6PD Ierapetra and G6PD Acrokorinthos), two of which were new (G6PD Hermoupolis, G6PD Acrokorinthos). In essence, this study underlines the remarkable genetic heterogeneity of the G6PD deficiency in the Hellenic population, while the finding of the double mutant, G6PD Hermoupolis, may help to outline the relationship and evolution of mutations in the human G6PD locus.


The head fake in basketball has been used as a paradigmatic example to investigate the cognitive mechanisms of deceptive actions in sports. When a player looks to one side while passing the ball to the opposite side, responses of the observer are slower and more error prone than when the player looks into the pass direction. It is not known if this head-fake effect is based on the processing of the action-irrelevant gaze direction or on the head orientation, or on both. Three experiments were designed to examine the impact of these two different sources of information conflict during the processing of head fakes in basketball. In Experiment 1, the size of the head-fake effect was not reduced when the eyes of the player were covered. In Experiment 2a and 2b, the relative influence of gaze direction and head orientation was disentangled. In both experiments, the head-fake effect remained fully present when only the head orientation was changed while the eyes gazed into the pass direction, whereas (vice versa) the effect was (almost) gone when the eyes looked away while the head was oriented into the pass direction. These findings suggest that the head-fake effect in basketball is based on the automating processing of the head orientation, but not on the (otherwise socially important) gaze information.


Mycoplasmas isolated from bovine mastitis in California were classified into five distinct species. These included Mycoplasma bovis, M. bovigenitalium, M. alkalescens, M. canadenfe, and an unidentified strain, ST-6. Strains frequently recovered from the nose of young calves proved to be M. arginini, M. bovirhinis was recovered from the respiratory tract but was not a common finding.


Mutants of Escherichia coli containing genetic fusions of lacZ to the pck (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) locus were isolated by using Mu d(lacZ Ampr) bacteriophage. Synthesis of beta-galactosidase in these strains is regulated by cyclic AMP and glucose (catabolite repression). Synthesis of beta-galactosidase by pck-lacZ fusions was induced in log-phase cells growing on gluconeogenic media, was repressed by glucose, and was also induced up to 100-fold at the onset of stationary phase in LB medium. This stationary-phase induction required cyclic AMP and some other unknown regulatory signal.


Introduction: Signet-ring cell (SRC) carcinoma is a common subtype of gastric adenocarcinoma associated with poor prognosis. Metastatic involvement of the parotid gland has been reported in gastric cancer patients, but never bilaterally nor in association with the SRC histotype. Here, we report the first case and a brief review of the literature. Case description: A 47-year-old woman was referred to our center for a signet-ring gastric carcinoma with synchronous hepatic and peritoneal metastases. After 3 lines of chemotherapy, the patient reported a progressive bilateral enlargement in the periauricolar area. An ultrasound of the salivary glands and a fine needle biopsy were diagnostic for parotid metastases of gastric origin. In the literature, only 3 cases of parotid gland metastases arising from gastric cancer are described – none with a feature of SRC carcinoma. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of gastric SRC carcinoma with bilateral parotid metastases. This case highlights the importance of considering a parotid enlargement as a possible sign of disease progression in a patient with gastric cancer. Fine-needle biopsy and immunocytochemistry are essential in establishing the origin of the secondary lesion.


Objective Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non-coding RNAs (ncRNA) circularized without a 3' polyadenylation [poly-(A)] tail or a 5' cap, resulting in a covalently closed loop structure. circRNAs were first discovered in RNA viruses in the 1970s, but only a small number of circRNAs were discovered at that time due to limitations in traditional polyadenylated transcriptome analyses. With the development of specific biochemical and computational methods, recent studies have shown the presence of abundant circRNAs in eukaryotic transcriptomes. circRNAs play vital roles in many physiological and pathological processes, such as acting as miRNA sponges, binding to RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), acting as transcriptional regulatory factors, and even serving as translation templates. Current evidence has shown that circRNAs can be potentially used as excellent biomarkers for diagnosis, therapeutic effect evaluation, and prognostic assessment of a variety of diseases, and they may also provide effective therapeutic targets due to their stability and tissue and development-stage specificity. This review focuses on the properties of circRNAs and their immune relationship to disease, and explores the role of circRNAs in immune-related diseases and the directions of future research.


Self-ballasted compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have been developed and improved in these twenty years. In Japan, the CFLs that have diffusive glass globes to replace incandescent lamps have been developed, but their sizes were too large to fit in the luminares of incandescent bulbs. Thus, we have developed the self-ballasted CFL of an "A60" bulb shape, which has the maximum diameter of φ60 mm and the length of 123 mm. This lamp could be substituted for a 60 W incandescent lamp. In order to realize this lamp size, we optimized the discharge tube diameter, filling gas type and pressure, the shape and making-process of the discharge tube. After all, the triple-"U" connected tube is selected, which has a decisive advantage against a multi-folded tube on the luminous maintenance during life, but also has a disadvantage on the luminous run-up characteristics. We investigated the behaviors of mercury, especially the mercury diffusion phenomenon released from the auxiliary amalgam-flags after ignition by both experiments and calculation. The luminous run-up characteristic has been much improved.


Opportunistic microorganisms produce significant morbidity and mortality in preterm and term infants. Because of the heightened susceptibility of infants to opportunistic fungal infections, neonatal lymphocytes were assessed for their capacity to inhibit the growth of Candida albicans. Lymphocytes from both preterm and term cord blood demonstrated significantly less effect upon C. albicans than did lymphocytes from adults. Neonatal lymphocytes of infants <32 weeks of gestation showed a marked reduction in growth inhibitory capacity compared to infants >32 weeks of gestation. Lymphocytes from female infants had a significantly greater fungal growth inhibitory capacity than did lymphocytes from male infants. These results show that neonatal lymphocytes have a reduced capacity to inhibit the growth of C. albicans. This reduced antifungal capacity may underlie the increased susceptibility of such infants to opportunistic microorganisms, like C. albicans.


A heuristic model of space time under the influence of an underlying stochastic background is presented. It is shown that it is possible to view the whole of relativistic quantum mechanics as a Markovian stochastic process under certain conditions in a complex five dimensional space which models the influence of the background. Compactification of the extra dimension leads to the Klein-Gordon equation with the probabilistic interpretation in-built in the theory. The question of positivity of the variance in the context of complex space-time is circumvented by suggesting that positivity can break down after compactification.


Aim Vascular epiphytes are ubiquitous features of wet tropical forests where they contribute substantially to local and regional plant diversity. While some basic epiphyte distribution patterns are relatively well studied, little effort has been made to understand the drivers responsible for constraining their global distribution. This study quantifies the substantial contribution of epiphytes to global gradients and centres of vascular plant diversity and explores whether epiphytes vary from terrestrial plants in relation to contemporary and historical environmental variables. Location Global. Time period Present. Major taxa studied Vascular epiphytes. Methods We integrated EpiList 1.0, a comprehensive list comprising > 30,000 vascular epiphyte species, and species distributions derived from the GIFT database to describe the global biogeography of epiphytes. We used generalized linear mixed effects models to assess the relationship between epiphytic and terrestrial plant diversity, and contemporary and historical environmental predictors. Results We find that epiphytes substantially contribute to global centres of vascular plant diversity, accounting for up to 39% of the vascular flora in the Neotropics. Epiphytes decrease in species numbers with increasing latitude at a rate three times faster than terrestrial plants, a trend that is driven mainly by the distribution of tropical forests and precipitation. Further, large regional differences emerge that are explained by several large endemic angiosperm families (e.g., Neotropical Bromeliaceae) that are absent in other tropical regions. Main conclusions Our results show that epiphytes are disproportionately diverse in most global centres of plant diversity and play an important role in driving the global latitudinal diversity gradient for plants. The distribution of precipitation and tropical forests emerge as major drivers of the latitudinal diversity gradient in epiphyte species richness. Finally, our findings demonstrate how epiphyte floras in different biogeographical realms are composed of different families and higher taxa revealing an important signature of historical biogeography.


Aim. To study the effect of «treat-to-target» antirheumatic therapy on diastolic dysfunction of the left (DDLV) and right (DDLV) ventricles in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during 18 months of observation. Material and methods. The study included patients with early RA (n=66; 71% women; age - 56 [46; 61] years) with moderate/high activity (DAS28 5.3 [5.0; 6.2]), seropositive on rheumatoid factor (77%) and/or cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (100%), disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD) and glucocorticoids naive. Treatment with methotrexate (MTX) with the escalation of the dose up to 25-30 mg/week subcutaneously was initiated in all the patients. After 3 months in 47 (71%) patients biologics were added to MTX due to its inefficiency. In 18 months remission of RA was achieved in 44% of the patients. 51 (77%) patients had a cardioprotective therapy. The target blood pressure (BP) level was achieved in 38 (58%) patients. Evaluation of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, 24-hour BP monitoring and echocardiography were performed in all patients initially and in 18 months of MTX/MTX + biologics use. Results. After 18 months DDLV incidence decreased by 7% (from 49% to 42%; p>0.05) and DDRV incidence decreased by 5% (from 24% to 17%; p>0.05). A more significant decrease in DDLV incidence [from 23 (62%) to 18 (49%)] and of DDRV incidence (from 12 (32%) to 6 (16%)] (р=0.05), was found in MTX + biologics group than in MTX only group [DDLV incidence remained unchanged - 7 (28%), and DDRV incidence increased from 3(12%) to 4 (16%); p>0.05]. The normalization of left ventricle (LV) diastolic function in early RA patients depended primarily on the efficacy of antihypertensive treatment, and of right ventricle (RV) diastolic function - on the achievement of target BP level and RA remission. Reduced erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) plasma levels were associated with the improved LV diastolic function [E/A LV and ΔESR (r=-0,3; p<0,04), E/A LV and CRP (r=-0,2; p<0.05), A LV and ESR (r=0.3; p<0.01)] and improved RV diastolic function [ΔA RV and ΔCRP (r=0.4; p<0.003), ΔE RV and ΔCRP (r=0.3; p<0.01), E/A RV and DAS28 (r=-0.5; p<0.001), E/A RV and CRP (r=-0,3; p<0.05)] by the 18th month of the study. Conclusion. In early RA patients after 18 months the downward trend of DDLV incidence and a significant reduction of DDRV incidence were found, more expressed in patients treated with MTX + biologics. The achievement of RA remission and target BP level is a prerequisite for the normalization of LV and RV diastolic function and slowing the progression of heart failure.


We present our personal experience we got during a three week period in the United States studying different quality control programs in the American health care system. Quality Assurance, a control system leaning on inspections, is widespread in the American industry and the health care organizations. W.E. Deming, an economist, developed some decades ago a philosophy to lead any kind of organization more efficiently and successfully. This theory is called CQI, Continuous Quality Improvement. Following Deming's ideas, first the Japanese and then the American industry have made great improvements during the last two decades. Since 1987 American health care organizations are using more and more the tools of the CQI to improve their quality and reduce the rising costs. Visiting nearly twenty different hospitals or institutes, sponsored and organized by "Johnson&Johnson", we could convince ourselves, that the CQI has several advantages in comparison to the traditional quality control or assurance methods.


This article discusses the use of expert systems in the engineering environment. An examination of typical computational requirements for engineering software is used as a means of assessing the suitability of expert system shells for a given application. It is suggested that where the greatest flexibility is required an artificial intelligence language, or tools based on such languages, should be used for the development of large expert systems. An example is given of the development of an expert system for monitoring the condition of helicopter rotors using the artificial intelligence language Prolog.


We report the first map of large-scale (10 pc in length) emission of millimeter-wavelength hydrogen recombination lines (mm-RRLs) toward the giant H ii region around the W43-Main young massive star cluster (YMC). Our mm-RRL data come from the IRAM 30 m telescope and are analyzed together with radio continuum and cm-RRL data from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and HCO+ 1–0 line emission data from the IRAM 30 m. The mm-RRLs reveal an expanding wind-blown ionized gas shell with an electron density ∼70–1500 cm−3 driven by the WR/OB cluster, which produces a total Lyα photon flux of s−1. This shell is interacting with the dense neutral molecular gas in the W43-Main dense cloud. Combining the high spectral and angular resolution mm-RRL and cm-RRL cubes, we derive the two-dimensional relative distributions of dynamical and pressure broadening of the ionized gas emission and find that the RRL line shapes are dominated by pressure broadening (4–55 ) near the YMC and by dynamical broadening (8–36 ) near the shell's edge. Ionized gas clumps hosting ultra-compact H ii regions found at the edge of the shell suggest that large-scale ionized gas motion triggers the formation of new star generation near the periphery of the shell.


New methods to quantify rare biomarkers from patient samples are critical for developing pointof-care diagnostic platforms. To be compatible with resource limited settings, these assays have to provide fast and accurate results without sacrificing ease of use. Biosensing in homogeneous fashion is the preferred format which satisfies these criteria, but the lack of amplification method is a bottleneck that limits their use for sensitive applications. To address this issue, this thesis explores physical signal amplification means to increase the sensitivities of homogeneous assays. We identified several key applications where the use of these technologies could make a positive impact in improving medical diagnostics systems and advancing biological research. We first outline the use of electrokinetic concentration to realize a continuous signal amplification scheme that increases the sensitivity of homogeneous mobility shift assays. By simultaneously concentrating and separating reacted and unreacted species (with different mobilities) in this device, we can perform sensitive, quantitative and ratiometric measurement of target biomarkers. Using this platform, we improved the sensitivity of aptamer affinity probe capillary electrophoresis to achieve pM detection limit of IgE and HIV-RT in simple buffer and serum sample. This work is timely and impactful as it directly addresses the sensitivity shortcomings of using aptamers as low cost and robust substitutes for antibodies in point-of-care applications. Next, we presented a herringbone nanofilter array device which can perform continuous sizeselective concentration of biomolecules based on their direct interaction with nanostructures with comparable critical dimensions. We demonstrated the use of this platform to perform a novel homogeneous immunoassay for detecting a cardiac biomarker, C-reactive protein, at clinically relevant concentrations. Finally, we demonstrated that the concentration-enhanced mobility shift assay platform is a powerful tool for probing biological activities such as cellular kinase activities. We have developed technology to isolate, grow and lyse single cells, and used our platform to measure kinase activities from single cells. Through rational design of peptide substrates and spacers, this platform has the ability to simultaneously concentrate and separate multiple analytes. This enables users to obtain simultaneous measurements of multiple cellular kinase activities that could reveal important information about their functional relationships. Thesis Supervisor: Jongyoon Han Title: Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Associate Professor of Biological Engineering


"Ideas are the currency of the 21st century. You can have brilliant ideas—truly revolutionary ideas — but if you cannot persuade others to act, those ideas don't matter" Gallo (2014, para.1) This study explores how intrapreneurs within a well-known innovative organisation promote their idea, based on the idea selling framework of Dutton, Ashford, O'Neill, & Lawrence (2001). Conducting a single in-depth case study, this thesis further makes a contribution to the theory by identifying selling tactics proposed by the authors in practice, as well as the rationale behind such behaviours. The findings are that promotional tactics do not follow exactly as how they are proposed in theory. Instead, the choice of idea selling tactics from the intrapreneurs is affected by affect heuristic (emotional bias), which are commonly founded among people with entrepreneurial spirits. Recognising the role of affect heuristic in idea promotion, this paper suggests that more intervention should be done from the side of organisations, to increase the likelihood of successful idea selling, as well as increase firms' innovative capability.


Data-agnostic quasi-imperceptible perturbations on inputs are known to degrade recognition accuracy of deep convolutional networks severely. This phenomenon is considered to be a potential security issue. Moreover, some results on statistical generalization guarantees indicate that the phenomena can be a key to improve the networks' generalization. However, the characteristics of the shared directions of such harmful perturbations remain unknown. Our primal finding is that convolutional networks are sensitive to the directions of Fourier basis functions. We derived the property by specializing a hypothesis of the cause of the sensitivity, known as the linearity of neural networks, to convolutional networks and empirically validated it. As a byproduct of the analysis, we propose an algorithm to create shift-invariant universal adversarial perturbations available in black-box settings.


The pulping characteristics of three trees of Pinus caribaea var hondurensis with different densities grown in Jamaica were determined using the sulphate method. Ten trees, ten years old, had been selected at random from a single plantation in Jamaica and the first, fifth and ninth in order of density were pulped to assess the differences in pulping characteristics that might be due to density. Two digestions, one with 17.5% active alkali, one with 20% were made on each tree using otherwise identical conditions. At both alkali doses yields of pulp increased with increasing density of the wood and, unexpectedly, the Kappa numbers of the pulps from the medium density wood were higher than those of either of the others. The breaking lengths and bursting strengths decreased and the bulk increased with increasing density. When compared at equal digestion conditions, the tearing strengths increased but to a peak with medium density. This was influenced by the higher Kappa numbers of the pulps from medium density wood and, when compared at equal Kappa numbers, the tearing strength showed a marked increase as the wood density increased from low to medium, and a smaller increase as it increased from medium to high density. The same trends held in the case of bleached pulps. Because of the limited scale of this trial and the fact that the medium density sample yielded pulps with Kappa numbers completely out of line with the pulps from the other two samples, it is not possible to draw firm conclusions about the relationship between density and pulping characteristics, or the merit of density for predicting the quality of pulp. However, in this and in earlier similar work (Tropical Products Institute Report L25) it appears that low density trees can have the economic disadvantage of not only higher handling costs but also lower pulp yields per bone dry ton, and the technical disadvantage of giving the lowest tearing strength although with somewhat higher bonding strengths. The choice between medium and highest density is obscure. The conclusion might be different with trees at a different age and site conditions because both these affect the general level of pulp strength and they also affect the relationship between bonding and tearing strength.


In this paper the author elaborates basic concepts about Trustworthy Machine Translation(TMT), gives out its seven principles and criterions, and discusses the relationship between the TMT and terminology standardization, some important problems concerned with translation by transcription or by transliteration or by paraphrasing.


Many of the typical problems encountered in forecasting a time series are alleviated when the series follows a seasonal pattern. The seasonal effect is independent of a long-term trend and cyclic effect. Furthermore, since the seasonal effect is recurrent and periodic, it is predictable. Thus, when the time series follows a seasonal pattern, the general shape of the series is known. Questions regarding the growth trend of the series, the expansion and contraction of the seasonal pattern, and random variation affecting the series are, however, left unanswered.


Cardiac SPECT-CT is a new hybrid technique that simultaneously produces non-invasive functional information (SPECT) and anatomical information about the coronary arteries (CT). Both types of information are crucial for optimal decision making regarding coronary revascularisation. The hybrid SPECT-CT scanner is very suitable for individual patient-tailored algorithms in which SPECT based ischaemia detection can be complemented with CT coronary angiography or vice-versa. In such approaches CT corrects the limitations of SPECT and SPECT corrects the limitations of CT. Initial studies report high diagnostic performance. The SPECT-CT technique is fast, comprehensive, efficient and even financially advantageous. SPECT-CT probably contributes to a more efficient use of invasive diagnostic coronary angiography.


Deep learning models in large-scale machine learning systems are often continuously trained with enormous data from production environments. The sheer volume of streaming training data poses a significant challenge to real-time training subsystems and ad-hoc sampling is the standard practice. Our key insight is that these deployed ML systems continuously perform forward passes on data instances during inference, but ad-hoc sampling does not take advantage of this substantial computational effort. Therefore, we propose to record a constant amount of information per instance from these forward passes. The extra information measurably improves the selection of which data instances should participate in forward and backward passes. A novel optimization framework is proposed to analyze this problem and we provide an efficient approximation algorithm under the framework of Mini-batch gradient descent as a practical solution. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of our framework and algorithm on several large-scale classification and regression tasks, when compared with competitive baselines widely used in industry.


Summary Fifteen haemostasis parameters have been measured in 48 normal persons, 36 diabetics without and 44 with complications and 27 with peripheral arterial disease. Since the patients groups are older than normals, part of the differences are due to age. However, the differences are significant between normals and patients. They become highly significant for the diabetics with complications and nephropathy (Table 7). In diabetics without complications factor VIII functions, fibrinogen and thrombin time are related to age whereas there is a negative correlation for the fibrinolytic activity and antithrombin III. The diabetic complications shade off the correlations, which subsist only for VIIIR: CoF, VIIIR: Ag, ATIII and lysis before stasis. With Hbalc as dependent variable VIIIR:CoF is the only significant predictor variable in diabetics (Table 9).


Research and development of heterodyne/coherent optical-fiber communications are being accelerated because of the possibility of 20-30-dB receiver sensitivity improvement. In this paper, after brief descriptions of the history of the R & D and the classification of various techniques, recent achievements in the bit-error rate (BER) measurement of heterodyne/coherent systems are reviewed and compared with theory. The experimental systems described range from simple on-off-keying (PCM-PSK) heterodyne to sophisticated phase-shift keying (PCM-PSK) heterodyne or homodyne systems.


The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was studied in 346 subjects (148 employees and 198 mentally retarded) in four institutions for the mentally subnormal in Vizcaya-Spain. The prevalence of markers in the overall group was 32.6%; 13.5% in the employees and 46.9% in the mentally retarded. Early age and institutionalization time increases the risk of infection in the mentally retarded group, but not in the employees group. 220 subjects (118 employees and 102 mentally retarded) had negative HBV markers and were vaccinated with recombinant-DNA hepatitis B vaccine. The immunogenicity was 80% and the weight-height index the only factor implicit in the group of subjects no seroconverters. The reactogenicity of vaccine was 6.7%.


The paper presents a global model for understanding land administration systems in support of sustainable development. The evolution of these systems is presented as a response to the dynamic relation between humankind and land. The Nordic evolution is described with a focus that any land administration system is embedded in the cultural and judicial setting of the individual country/jurisdiction. The issue of spatial information infrastructures is recognised as an increasingly important component for achieving sustainable development in developed as well as developing countries. The paper discusses the conceptual, political and economic mechanisms, and examples are given with regard to the Danish conceptual approach in this area. Finally, the paper deals with the issue of decentralisation and the impact of central vs local government in land management in support of sustainable development. It is argued that competencies should rest with the lowest possible level of jurisdiction so as to combine responsibility for decision making with accountability for financial and environmental consequences.


The principal objective of the research reported in this article is to validate a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) model and a Strategic Map for the University by studying the relationships of efficiency between its dimensions. Subsequently, the validation is completed by establishing hypotheses of efficiency relationships between the perspectives proposed, employing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Empirical evidence has been obtained on the validity of the proposed BSC for a unit of academic management in the university. The first contribution of this work is the establishment of a framework of analysis of the hypothetical cause-effect relationships in the BSC in university institutions. The second contribution is to obtain the determining factors of the performance in this type of institution and, therefore, the Strategic Map. Specifically, these factors are: the participation of teaching staff in innovation activities; the number of doctorate-level staff; the academic subjects and credits in the Virtual Campus; and the scores in the surveys of student satisfaction. With respect to research, the determining factors of the performance are: the research sexennials; the funding obtained from contracts with companies; the number of research projects obtained; their financing; and the participation of teachers in these projects.


This study examines labor migration from the Balinese village of Mengwi Indonesia and its contribution to household income in the village of origin. The data concern some 150 households including 108 commuters 33 circular migrants and 108 permanent migrants and were collected in 1984. The results indicate a significant contribution from migrants particularly among low-income families. (SUMMARY IN ENG) (ANNOTATION)


ABSTRACT Wild Amazonian parrots likely consume soil to supplement sodium-deficient diets. However, it remains uncertain whether parrots can detect sodium at the concentrations found in mineral licks. During 3–8 day trials, we presented 20 captive Hispaniolan Amazon Parrots (Amazona ventralis) two foods with experimentally manipulated sodium concentrations. Parrots consumed more of the lower sodium food, confirming that they could distinguish between 891 ppm and 1,644 ppm available sodium—values well within the range of concentrations found in mineral licks in the wild. This study strongly suggests that wild parrots can use taste to detect salty soil horizons in the Amazon.


The methods used to estimate the bioavailability of elements have different approaches. These tests are based on selective extraction or simulation of the physiology of the gas trointestinal tract. The sample preparation methods require studies about extraction procedures, thermal treatment, and decomposition of organic matter. The method of decomposing organic matter assisted by microwaves introduced adequate results for most chemical elements in pulses. The content of the elements present in the extracts obtained by employing the method physiologically based extraction test (PBET) is lower than those obtained by simple bioaccessibility extraction test (SBET) due to complexing effects of metal ions. The mineral content in the gastric and intestinal stages can vary significantly with the investigated leguminous species and the elements. The thermal processing can affect the concentrations of the elements analyzed in samples from legu - minous species. This results from the heat capacity to change the speciation of chemical elements. The change speciation may modify the solubility and mobility of chemical spe - cies under the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, which alters the bioavailability. In this sense, it can be concluded that the domestic cooking process can influence the nutri - tional and toxicological potential of pigeon pea, cowpea, and mangalo.