We read with interest the article describing residual risk (RR) estimates for transfusion-transmitted viral infections in Shenzhen, China. The study applied a method published earlier to data in Shenzhen. As the authors indicated, the finding of a lower RR in first-time donations (FTDs) than in repeat donations (RDs), 1 in 2,941,176 versus 1 in 438,596 for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as shown in the example calculation, is unexpected and contrasts with Western blood donor populations. RR estimates for HIV through the detuned assay or the nucleic acid test (NAT) and for hepatitis C virus (HCV) through NATs all showed a higher RR in FTD. The article speculates that the finding reflects both the differing donor demographics and the motivations for donation in the donor population that was studied, which may be appropriate. Our major reservation, however, is about the formula for estimating RR among FTD and the application of such a formula to the donor population in Shenzhen. It appears that the RR is expressed as the likelihood of a donor who is infected (prevalence rate) multiplied by the likelihood of such a donor being in the window period (WP) of the infection (ratio of WP over the entire duration of being infected or LTR). Apparently, an underlying assumption is that there is a constant likelihood of a currently or presently infected donor being in the WP of the infection throughout the LTR, which cannot be true. For example, there could be two different patterns of infection based on perinatal or horizontal (adult) infection for hepatitis B. There is zero chance of a perinatally infected donor (who is still infected currently or presently) being in the WP when he or she presents to donate blood. Further, the article indicated that the donor population in Shenzhen is markedly younger with the majority aged between 18 and 25 years. If it is assumed that firsttime donors are even younger, say 18 to 24 years, the mean age could be around 21 years old. The longest mean duration an infected donor in such a donor population could pose a risk to the blood supply should be less than 3 years (21 years minus 18 years) because it is very unlikely that all infected donors at donation get infected before they turn 18 years old. In other words, the LTR in the formula for calculating RR for FTDs in Shenzhen should be less than 3 years instead of the 10 years for HIV and 30 years for HBV or HCV. We suggest the following formula for estimating RR among FTD:


Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive human skin cancer primarily induced by Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV) driven by expression of the oncogenic T antigens (T-Ags): Large T and Small T antigen. Checkpoint inhibition therapy blocking the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) pathway has proven effective with a clinical response rate up to 58%,1 highlighting the critical role of immune surveillance for tumor control. Yet, evidence for the impact of T-Ag-specific T cells following immunotherapy is still limited.Potential CD8+ T cell epitopes derived from the T-Ags and the Viral capsid protein 1 (VP1) were predicted with netMHCpan 4.0 as 9- and 10-mer peptides with a rank score <2 for binding to 33 different HLA class I types. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from 24 MCPyV+ MCC patients prior and post anti-PD-1 therapy initiation (CITN-09/Keynote-017). T cell recognition of the MCPyV-derived peptides during therapy was evaluated using the high-throughput technology of DNA barcode labeled pMHC multimers. Phenotypic characteristics of multimer-binding T cells were evaluated for selected patients.Across all patients, 40 T-Ag-specific CD8+ T-cell populations were detected recognizing 31 epitopes restriction to 14 different HLA class I types. T-Ag-specific CD8+ T cells were detected in responders (complete and partial response, n=17) during therapy with a trend of increased number of responses observed after therapy initiation. Whereas only a single T-Ag-specific population was detectable in non-responders (stable and progressive disease, n=7). Moreover, the T cell repertoire after therapy initiation was significantly increased in the responder group compared to non-responder with the T-Ag-specific T cells showing an activated effector memory phenotype.The current study indicates that the T-Ag-specific T cells are associated with clinical benefit to checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Furthermore, the broad identification of novel T-Ag-derived T cell epitopes could potentially facilitate the use of targeted T cell therapy to enhance T cell recognition and clearance of MCC in combination with checkpoint inhibition.Supported by the Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network (CITN)Nghiem P, Bhatia S, Lipson E. Three-year survival, correlates and salvage therapies in patients receiving first-line pembrolizumab for advanced Merkel cell carcinoma. J Immunother cancer 2021;9:e002478.


In the medical evaluation, rehabilitation, and education of the hearing impaired, the first line of defense is the high-risk factor screening for sensorineural damage of all neonates. The most efficacious means of neonatal screening for those factors affecting sensorineural hearing damage is the employment of a high-risk registry. Based on a retrospective study of 109 children with sensorineural loss, high-risk factors and how improved use of the high-risk registry permits earlier detection (and statistically more successful rehabilitation) for such auditory-impaired children are discussed. The importance of pediatric screening of all neonates for hearing loss, in addition to use of the high-risk registry, is evidenced by the fact that only 46% of the children retrospectively identified in our study would have routinely appeared among the high-risk infants were the registry used alone.


OBJECTIVEObesity has been linked to increased morbidity and mortality after some surgical procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether obesity affects outcome after general neurosurgery and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODSThree data sets were analyzed, including a retrospective review of 404 patients undergoing cranial and spinal neurosurgical procedures, a prospective collection of 100 patients with aneurysmal SAH, and data from 3567 patients with aneurysmal SAH who were entered into randomized clinical trials of tirilazad. For each data set, outcome was assessed by mortality, postoperative morbidity, and Glasgow Outcome Scale score. Prognostic factors, including body weight and body mass index, were tested for their effect on these outcomes using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTSFor patients undergoing general cranial and spinal neurosurgery, independent predictors of morbidity and mortality were age, American Society of Anesthesia class, disseminated malignancy, emergency surgery, and increased duration of surgery. For patients with SAH, score on the Glasgow Outcome Scale was associated with age and admission Glasgow Coma Scale score. In the tirilazad data set, multiple factors were associated with score on the Glasgow Outcome Scale, but, as with the other 2 data sets, body weight had no relationship to outcome. CONCLUSIONObesity may have less effect on the outcome of patients with mainly cranial neurosurgical disease and aneurysmal SAH than it does on patients undergoing other types of surgery.


As the applications of real-time computing technology are becoming more and more popular in many safety critical domains such as avionics, national defense and transportation systems, field network faces new requirements and challenges because of the coexistence of different kinds of synchronous real-time, asynchronous real-time and non-real-time communication requirements. The realization approach and schedulability analysis of safety critical real-time network are very crucial because of giving a way to solve the problem. Firstly, the shortcomings of the existing COTS network such as Ethernet are described. And then, a high reliable and real time Ethernet communication protocol known as E&TTE (event- and time-triggered Ethernet) based on event- and time-triggered approach is presented. The E&TTE based real time network is flexible, and the communication time is predictable. At the same time, the network scheduling model is constructed, and the global schedulability analysis is done in this paper. The rationality and feasibility of E&TTE protocol is also proven by a concrete example. With E&TTE protocol, the diverse requirements of safety critical real time network can be met better. In addition, the E&TTE protocol can be widely applied to the field control network of ordinary industry systems.


Narkoba or drugs is a materia /substance that can affect mental condition / psychologically (thoughts, feelings, and behavior,) and can cause physical and psychological dependence. Which is included in the drug are: narcotics, psychotropic and others addictive substances. Drugs an abbreviation of Narcotics and Drugs / hazardous materials that have been circulating in the communit y popular urban and rural, including for law enforcement officials. The design study is a descriptive study. This descriptive study aimed to find out the correlation between knowledge and attitude of students STIKes PHI against the dangers of smoking. The approach used in this study design was a cross sectional study in which data collection is done only once on each respondent. The number of samples obtained using formulas is equal to 84. Characteristics of respondents in the can through data collection consisted of five variables, such as age, gender, place of origin, religion, and Majors / semester. The results of this study are respondents aged over 20 years (66.7%), gender of respondents more men (56.0%) than women. The area of origin of respondents more than the area of West Kalimantan (75%). Religion 36.9% of respondents were Catholic. DIII and S-1 student knowledge which 51.2% had poor knowledge about drugs. Student attitudes towards drug showed results of 58.3% had a positive attitude towards drugs. In this study showed a significant relationship between the variables knowledge with attitudes towards drugs, p-value = 0.024.


OBJECTIVES
Two-year alcohol use trajectories were documented among residents in a project-based Housing First program. Project-based Housing First provides immediate, low-barrier, nonabstinence-based, permanent supportive housing to chronically homeless individuals within a single housing project. The study aim was to address concerns that nonabstinence-based housing may enable alcohol use.

METHODS
A 2-year, within-subjects analysis was conducted among 95 chronically homeless individuals with alcohol problems who were allocated to project-based Housing First. Alcohol variables were assessed through self-report. Data on intervention exposure were extracted from agency records.

RESULTS
Multilevel growth models indicated significant within-subjects decreases across alcohol use outcomes over the study period. Intervention exposure, represented by months spent in housing, consistently predicted additional decreases in alcohol use outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS
Findings did not support the enabling hypothesis. Although the project-based Housing First program did not require abstinence or treatment attendance, participants decreased their alcohol use and alcohol-related problems as a function of time and intervention exposure.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects and toxicity of alternating cisplatin+etoposide (EP) and ifosfamide+vincristine+epirubicin (IVE) combination regimen in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

METHODS
We have treated 38 SCLC patients with 6 courses of alternating chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin 100 mg/m2 on day one and etoposide 80 mg /m2 on the first, second and third days in courses of first, third and fifth, alternating with ifosfamide 4 g/m2, vincristine 2 mg/day and epirubicin 60 mg/m2 intravenously on day one in courses of second, forth and sixth. The courses were administrated every 3 weeks. After the sixth course of chemotherapy the patients with limited disease (LD) who had a complete response (CR) received concomitant chest irradiation. None of the patients had prophylactic cranial irradiation. The study was conducted between January 1997 and July 1997 in the Department of Chest Disease at Ondojuz Mayis University Hospital, Samsun, Turkey.

RESULTS
The mean age of the 3 female and 35 male patients was 59.5 (33-72) years. Eighteen of which had LD and 20 had extensive disease (ED). Twenty patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 1 and 18 had ECOG 2 performance status. Objective response (OR) was obtained in 26 (68%) of the patients. While 13 patients had a CR rate, 6 patients remained stable (16%). The OR rate was observed to be 100% (CR 61%, partial response [PR] 39%) in patients with LD, whereas it was 40% (CR 10%, PR 30%) in patients with ED. The median survival was 9 months in LD and 6 months in ED. Relapses after CR occurred in 11 patients with LD (local relapse in 8; one in the brain; one in the liver; one in the bone) and one patient with ED (in the brain). The observed toxicities were grade III-IV leukopenia 13%, grade III-IV nausea and vomiting 8%, and 39% alopecia.

CONCLUSION
We conclude that the described regimen is a well-tolerated, less toxic therapy for SCLC.


Lyme borreliosis is a disease caused by spirochaetes belonging to the genospecies complex Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) transmitted by Ixodes ticks. At present, serology remains the main diagnostic tool for laboratory diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis. Recently, the PCR technique has been applied for diagnosis of B. burgdorferi s.l., but, until now, a reliable, easy-to-perform and sensitive method has not been described. Here we present a new PCR-based method for the detection of both B. burgdorferi s.l. and Borrelia genospecies DNAs in serum samples collected from patients showing Lyme disease symptoms. Of 265 serum samples of patients included in this study, 7.5% were positive, 1.9% was borderline and 90.6% were negative for antibodies against B. burgdorferi by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting. The B. burgdorferi s.l. 16S rRNA gene was detected by PCR in all serum-positive and in two borderline samples. None of the serum-negative samples nor serum samples collected from healthy subjects gave positive PCR reactions. Of PCR-positive serum samples, 50% gave a positive reaction for Borrelia afzelii, 18% for Borrelia garinii and 23% for two Borrelia species. Two samples (9%) were not identified to species level. The new protocol could be considered to be reliable as neither false-positive nor false-negative reactions were recorded, and to be sensitive as it detects DNA from one bacterial cell.


Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially fatal pharmacogenetic syndrome caused by exposure to halogenated volatile anesthetics and/or depolarizing muscle relaxants. We have measured intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) using double-barreled, Ca(2+)-selective microelectrodes in myoballs prepared from skeletal muscle of MH-susceptible (MHS) and MH-nonsusceptible (MHN) swine. Resting [Ca(2+)](i) was approximately twofold in MHS compared with MHN quiescent myoballs (232 +/- 35 vs. 112 +/- 11 nM). Treatment of myoballs with caffeine or 4-chloro-m-cresol (4-CmC) produced an elevation in [Ca(2+)](i) in both groups; however, the concentration required to cause a rise in [Ca(2+)](i) elevation was four times lower in MHS than in MHN skeletal muscle cells. Incubation of MHS cells with the fast-complexing Ca(2+) buffer BAPTA reduced [Ca(2+)](i), raised the concentration of caffeine and 4-CmC required to cause an elevation of [Ca(2+)](i), and reduced the amount of Ca(2+) release associated with exposure to any given concentration of caffeine or 4-CmC to MHN levels. These results suggest that the differences in the response of MHS skeletal myoballs to caffeine and 4-CmC may be mediated at least in part by the chronic high resting [Ca(2+)](i) levels in these cells.


The aim with this thesis is to make a comparison between forcing tulips in a hydroponic system and the forcing off tulips that have been planted in soil. The results are mostly based on interviews with six Dutch and one Swedish tulip forcer and the managing director at the Horticultural Research Centre, Proeftuin Zwaagdijke, in the Netherlands.

There are benefits and disadvantages with both methods. Tulip bulbs planted in soil seem to get a brighter colour after forcing, compared with those forced "in water". Tulips forced in soil also seem to have more problems with cellblast. The latter problem differs between the varieties, such as 'Monte Carlo' which is the variety with the largest problems. Hydroponical forcing results in both more even growth and quality.

Its of great importance to keep a high level of hygiene while working with a hydroponical system. For that reason it is not recommended to combine hydroponical forcing and forcing in soil in the same greenhouse. When using a system with circulating nutrient system it is important to clean the water by using a sandfilter and UV- lamps. The plastic forcing trays have to be cleaned by using Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2).

Tulips which are forced in water have a shorter cooling period compared with the other category which needs more cooling space. Pre-cooled bulbs can be bought to save further more space.
It is therefore possible to use the same forcing trays 2-3 times during the same season.

When forcing the tulips in water, the air temperature can be kept 1-2°C lower then normal, which saves energy.
There are less problems with diseases as Fusarium in a hydroponical system and it is easier to use fungicides.

The opinion that some varieties cant be used in a hydroponic system is dominating among the respondents, but for some varieties with heavy foliage for e.g. 'Christmas Marvel' and 'Yokohama' there are advantages. One respondent (Arjen Leek) on the other hand pointed out that an ebb and flow system had no limits in this aspect. One problem that all forcers agreed with, was that bulbs bigger than 14-15 cm in circumference can't be used in hydroponic systems. Big bulbs can get problems with Pythium and to much growth.

Root growth can be a problem when forcing in hydroponic systems. The long roots can affect the water quality negatively and they can also complicate the harvesting. Short roots on the other hand have a lower uptake of nutrients.

The main reason why many Dutch growers have changed to hydroponic systems is the environmental problem with using peat as a substrate.

Tulips that are forced in hydroponic systems and soil have the same shelf life. Tulips forced in hydroponic systems do grow little more in the vase.


Abstract. LiDAR scanning technology is an established method for capturing landscapes, buildings, or roads in order to create a so-called spatial digital twin of the reality, stored as a large collection of 3D coordinates called 3D point cloud. This spatial data offers high density and precision at the cost of hard to extract shape or object information. One popular application of LiDAR 3D point clouds is road condition quality exams. This task is challenging due to a lack of dedicated algorithms to extract and evaluate road point cloud features and due to the large variety of road damages. Deep learning approaches are very promising, but require extensive training data. The data and damage characteristics make data labeling a very difficult and tedious task that often results in mislabeled data, even when performed by trained human operators.We propose a semi supervised generative adversarial network (GAN) based approach for labeling 2D images rendered from LiDAR point cloud data captured by mobile mapping vehicles, named Competitive Reconstruction Networks (CRN). Our solution trains multiple networks with the same architecture in an "all vs all" fashion. Our method achieves reliable and robust results on two road image datasets as well as the MVTecAD dataset, and surpass comparable anomaly detection approaches in anomaly detection performance. We also implemented a data generation pipeline to render training images from 3D point cloud of roads and remap anomaly scores back to those 3D point clouds to use the full potential of the 3D data for further analysis.


3D acquisition techniques to measure dynamic scenes and deformable objects with little texture are extensively researched for applications like the motion capturing of human facial expression. To allow such measurement, several techniques using structured light have been proposed. These techniques can be largely categorized into two types. The first involves techniques to temporally encode positional information of a projectorpsilas pixels using multiple projected patterns, and the second involves techniques to spatially encode positional information into areas or color spaces. Although the former allows dense reconstruction with a sufficient number of patterns, it has difficulty in scanning objects in rapid motion. The latter technique uses only a single pattern, so this problem can be resolved, however, it often uses complex patterns or color intensities, which are weak to noise, shape distortions, or textures. Thus, it remains an open problem to achieve dense and stable 3D acquisition in real cases. In this paper, we propose a technique to achieve dense shape reconstruction that requires only a single-frame image of a grid pattern. The proposed technique also has the advantage of being robust in terms of image processing.


It is widely believed that impoverished contexts harm children. Disentangling the effects of family background from the effects of other social contexts, however, is complex, making causal claims difficult to verify. This study examines the effect of exposure to classroom poverty on student test achievement using data on a cohort of children followed from third through eighth grade. Cross-sectional methods reveal a substantial negative association between exposure to high-poverty classrooms and test scores; this association grows with grade level, becoming especially large for middle school students. Growth models, however, produce much smaller effects of classroom poverty exposure on academic achievement. Even smaller effects emerge from student fixed-effects models that control for time-invariant unobservables and from marginal structural models that adjust for observable time-dependent confounding. These findings suggest that causal claims about the effects of classroom poverty exposure on achievement may be unwarranted.


Powdery mildew of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) is an economically important disease. It is caused by Leveillula taurica, an obligate biotrophic ascomycete with a partly endophytic mycelium, and haustoria, i.e. feeding structures formed in the mesophyll cells of infected host plant tissues. The molecular basis of its pathogenesis is largely unknown because genomic resources only exist for epiphytically growing powdery mildew fungi with haustoria formed exclusively in epidermal cells of their plant hosts. Here, we present the first reference genome assembly for an isolate of L. taurica isolated from sweet pepper in Hungary. The short-read-based assembly consists of 23,599 contigs with a total length of 187.2 Mbp; the scaffold N50 is 13,899 kbp and N90 is 3,522 kbp, and the average GC content is 39.2%. We detected at least 92,881 transposable elements covering 55.5 Mbp (30.4%). BRAKER predicted 19,751 protein-coding gene models in this assembly. Our reference genome assembly of L. taurica is the first resource to study the molecular pathogenesis and evolution of a powdery mildew fungus with a partly endophytic lifestyle.


There exists an entrenched conventional wisdom that the Full Faith and Credit Clause is irrelevant to the question of whether one state must recognize another state's marriage. Marriage, according to this conventional wisdom, is simply another subject for ordinary lawmaking -- no different from things like workers' compensation, insurance regulation, gas royalties, or fishing licenses -- where each state gets to decide policy for itself. According to this view, marriage is nothing really special. States can apply each other's laws as a matter of comity if they choose, but nothing in the Constitution forces them to do so. The Court has never actually spoken to the question.In this Essay, I urge a reconsideration of the conventional wisdom. For more than a century, and continuing through last summer's landmark same-sex marriage decision in United States v. Windsor, the Supreme Court has characterized marriage as something "sacred," "the most important relation in life," "one of the 'basic civil rights of man,' fundamental to our very existence and survival," a "status of immense import," and something essential to an individual's "personhood and dignity." If marriage is indeed as special, even unique, in our legal tradition as the Supreme Court says it is, then it is reasonable to argue that once a state has created a marriage, other states should be bound to recognize and respect it.


Measuring the effects of educational methods on learning achievement is a vital aspect of tertiary education. These effects can be measured by summative evaluation whether conventional, virtual or hybrid teaching and learning methods are used. As learning technology adjusts to a new era, so do the techniques for generating feasible and effective learning outcomes. Hybrid learning, or blended learning, combines online learning components with conventional face-to-face (FtF) instruction. The objectives of the present study were to (1) determine students' learning achievement without the hybrid method, (2) determine students' learning achievement with the hybrid method, (3) identify differences between cases that do and do not use hybrid learning and (4) determine the appropriate characteristics of online material to be implemented in the Curriculum Information Document Online System (CIDOS). Hybrid learning with the contextualised method is a proven concept that incorporates cognitive science, behaviourism and multiple intelligence theories in a single learning environment. The present study used a statistical t-test to analyse 66 respondents' test results in non-hybrid and hybrid learning environments and to assess the differences between them. The study comprised 33 students of Diploma in Manufacturing Technology (DTP 1) course and 33 students of Diploma in Electronic Engineering (DEP 1A) course, who were interviewed over the course of 5 months starting from July 2010. In the hybrid environment, CIDOS is used as a tool for online learning in a Computer Application (BC101) course that helps first semester students discover meaningful learning objectives in the context of the real world. The findings of this study indicate the existence of a significant difference in learning achievement with the application of a combined method using Learning Management System (LMS) exploration, assessment using CIDOS, teamwork projects, and time management and instructional technology skills. Based on the findings of this study, Malaysian Polytechnics, a technical institution, would benefit from supporting e-learning policy, technology-enabled classrooms and enhanced LMS deployment among its staff and students.


Lease land farming is legally prohibited in most parts of India, including Kerala. Even then the system is widely practiced, in an informal way. This study analyses the present structure and dynamics of lease land farming, focussing on the lease farming in pineapple. The study was conducted in the Muvattupuzha Block Panchayath of Ernakulam district, a major centre for pineapple farming, where pineapple is cultivated as an intercrop in rubber plantations. The average leasing period is 3.5 years and about 90 per cent of the lessors insist on written agreement, without any formal registration. The common practice is to pay the full rent as cash in advance, in the beginning of the crop year. Nearly 35 per cent make an agreement to plant and manage the main crop (rubber) along with a cash payment. Hardly 15 per cent of the respondents, pay the cash rent and also manage the rubber which is already planted. On an average, the lease rents for different situations ranged from Rs.67,031 to Rs.88,888 per hectare per year which adds to the income of land owners, while providing a living to the lessees. This differential lease rent observed in the region could be accorded to various geographical and ecological factors such as topography of land, market availability, irrigation facility and soil productivity. Legalising lease farming system can supplement the income of lessors and lessees, while adding to the agricultural production.


Li-ion battery cathode materials were synthesised via a mechanical activation and thermal treatment process and systematically studied. LiFePO4/CNT composite cathode materials were successfully prepared from LiFePO4 material. The synthesis technique involved growth of carbon nanotubes onto the LiFePO4 using a novel spray pyrolysis-modified CVD technique. The technique yielded LiFePO4/CNT composite cathode material displaying good electrochemical activity. The composite cathode exhibited excellent electrochemical performances with 163 mAh/g discharge capacity with 94% cycle efficiency at a 0.1 C discharge rate in the first cycle, with a capacity fade of approximately 10% after 30 cycles. The results indicate that carbon nanotube addition can enable LiFePO4 to display a higher discharge capacity at a fast rate with high efficiency. The research is of potential interest for the application of carbon nanotubes as a new conducting additive in cathode preparation and for the development of high-power Li-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles.


A fermion dark matter candidate with a relic abundance set by annihilation through a pseudoscalar can evade constraints from direct detection experiments. We present simplified models that realize this fact by coupling a fermion dark sector to a two-Higgs doublet model. These models are generalizations of mixed bino-Higgsino dark matter in the MSSM, with more freedom in the couplings and scalar spectra. Annihilation near a pseudoscalar resonance allows a significant amount of parameter space for thermal relic dark matter compared to singlet-doublet dark matter, in which the fermions couple only to the SM Higgs doublet. In a general two-Higgs doublet model, there is also freedom for the pseudoscalar to be relatively light and it is possible to obtain thermal relic dark matter candidates even below 100 GeV. In particular, we find ample room to obtain dark matter with mass around 50 GeV and fitting the Galactic Center excess in gamma-rays. This region of parameter space can be probed by LHC searches for heavy pseudoscalars or electroweakinos, and possibly by other new collider signals.


We propose a transformation from the multi-class SVM classification problem to the singleclass SVM problem which is more convenient for optimization. The proposed transformation is based on simplifying the original problem and employing the Kesler construction which can be carried out by the use of properly defined kernel only. The experiments conducted indicate that the proposed method is comparable with the one-against-all decomposition solved by the state-of-the-art SMO algorithm.


We study the D-brane solutions to type IIB superstring in ten dimensions and find interpretation in terms of compactification of a twelve dimensional three-brane of (a specific) F-theory on a torus T 2. In this framework , there also exist a two-brane which may be argued to be equivalent to the three-brane by utilizing the electric-magnetic duality in eleven dimensions. In this context, we propose for the existence of an isometry in one of the transverse directions to the three-brane in F-theory. As a consequence the two-brane may be identified with the three-brane in twelve dimensions itself. The twelve dimensional picture of D-branes in type IIB theory suggests for the reformulation of type IIB superstring in terms of three-brane of F-theory.


With the rapid development of the Internet services and the fast increasing of intrusion problems, the traditional intrusion detection methods cannot work well with the more and more complicated intrusions. So introducing machine learning into intrusion detection systems to improve the performance has become one of the major concerns in the research of intrusion detection. Intrusion detection systems were proposed to complement prevention-based security measures. In this paper, we first introduces the basic structure of the intrusion detection system, then analysis intrusion Detection Techniques Based on Machine Learning Method, including the Bayesian based method, the neural network based method, the data mining based method and the SVM based method.


This article presents a vision of the education after the revolt of the Pasquines (Posters) that appeared in the city of Santa Fe of Bogota in 1794. In this article we analyze proposal offered in the colonial authorities to face the problems that affected, between other areas, that of the education. To avoid the social conflict, it proposes to finish with the studies of the New Philosophy, to close the printers and the Library. Likewise, the propose to intervene in the catechism of the catholic doctrine to introduce questions and answers that reinforce the paper of the crown and the loyalty of the subjects.


OBJECTIVES
Dental students require basic life support (BLS) training to build their competency in cardiac arrest response. Online learning differs from the types of learning commonly practiced in Asia. We compared online learning and didactic lecture for BLS training in Thai dental students on knowledge, skill, and satisfaction.

METHODS
This was a randomized controlled, single-blinded, non-inferiority trial in fifth-year students from Khon Kaen University's Faculty of Dentistry from August 2015 to February 2016. Online learning was conducted using Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) 2.9 and required 90 min. Those in the didactic lecture group received a 90-min lecture covering similar content. Both groups received 2 h of skill training. After training, we evaluated their ability to pass a skills test, knowledge scores (immediately after training and 3 months later), and course satisfaction (5-point Likert scale).

RESULTS
We included 78 students and randomized them to online learning (39) or didactic lecture (39). The difference in proportion (95% confidence interval [CI]) of students passing the skills test on their first attempt was -1.5 (-20.8, 23.8), and all passed on their second attempt. The mean differences (95% CI) between the groups' immediate and 3 months knowledge scores were -2.5 (-6.2, 1.2), and -1.3 (-4.9, 2.3), respectively. The mean difference (95% CI) in satisfaction score was 0.02 (-0.28, 0.32).

CONCLUSION
Online learning and didactic lectures yielded comparable knowledge and skills, including satisfaction in Thai dental students. Online BLS training may alternatively aim for self-paced learning and increase flexibility. The recommendation is to increase online BLS learning in Thai culture.


This article aims to describe and analyze the impact of the Revival and Union of Spain Party (PRUNE) on the process of socio-political articulation of Muslims in Spain. In particular it aims to describe and analyze the political and historical context of the emergence of this party in the European Union; their background in Spain, particularly in the Autonomous Cities of Ceuta and Melilla; and their impact on the process of socio-political articulation. The main hypothesis considers the PRUNE challenges a number of difficulties that could strongly diminish its impact on the overall process.


Many studies have shown that cells use temporal dynamics of signaling molecules to encode information. One particular class of temporal dynamics is sustained and transient signals, i.e. signals of long and short durations respectively. This paper formulates a detection problem for distinguishing sustained signals from transient ones. The solution of the detection problem is to compute the likelihood ratio of observing a sustained signal to a transient signal. We show that, if the logarithm of this likelihood ratio is positive (i.e. when the signal is likely to be sustained), then this log-likelihood ratio can be approximately computed by a coherent feedforward loop. Although the capability of coherent feedforward loops to discriminate sustained signals is known, its statistical information processing interpretation has not been pointed out before.


The following paper presents a Bayesian model for seismic hazard mapping. The main features of the model are as follows.

Faults are modeled by deterministically located dipping planes; several planes (trapezoids) can be combined within a source to satisfy geometric constraints. Area sources are modeled by horizontal trapezoids, and line sources at constant depth are modeled by one or a series of straight line segments.

The tectonic model considers a rupture area (plane sources) or a rupture length (line sources) associated with each magnitude event.

The seismicity is modeled in two steps. On each source, events, which occur independently of magnitude, are assumed to follow a Poisson model. Distribution of magnitudes is obtained using a Bernoulli process. Subjective information is incorporated using Bayesian statistical concepts to both the above models to supplement insufficient data.

A lognormal distribution is used to take into account the uncertainty in attenuation. The significant distance for attenuation purposes is chosen as the closest distance from the rupture area (length) to the site.

Finally, to simplify the mapping procedure, this model makes it possible for a number of mapping parameters (governed by core limitations) to be obtained in a single run at the nodes of a whole grid.


ABSTRACT It is commonly acknowledged that offshore the quasigeoid very closely coincides with the geoid. Nevertheless, the numerical assessment supporting this assumption has not yet been provided. Moreover, the rigorous definition of the quasigeoid surface and consequently the geoid-to-quasigeoid separation offshore is not given in geodetic literature. To address these issues, we define in this study the quasigeoid surface offshore in the context of the mean sea level. We then derive the spectral expressions for computing the geoid-to-quasigeoid separation offshore and apply these expressions estimate the vertical separation between the geoid and the quasigeoid over the world's oceans and marginal seas using the global dataset of the DTU15 mean dynamic topography. By taking the analogy of defining the geoid-to-quasigeoid separation inland by means of the disturbing potential differences of values evaluated on the geoid and at the topographic surface, the computation offshore is practically realized from values of the disturbing potential on the geoid and at the mean sea surface. Our result shows that the geoid-to-quasigeoid separation offshore is completely negligible, with most of the values within the interval ±0.3 mm.


Abstract This paper attempts not to continue the methodological interrogation of "belief" as a category central to Religious Studies, but to problematize and analyze the ubiquity of such interrogations. Investigations of "belief," I argue, are also occasions to explore the discipline's less obvious investments in intellectual and institutional traditions still shackled to the very category under scrutiny. The stand-alone category "religion" that is so central to political culture and disciplinary formation depends on "belief" to facilitate recognition. Thus, while Religious Studies now habitually discredits "belief" as a ubiquitous analytical category, it also partly depends on "belief's" presences for its disciplinary self-justification.


Polymer capacitors are promising candidates for the miniaturization and integration of electronic devices due to their flexibility and large power density. The current energy storage performance of polymer dielectrics is still not sufficient to meet the rapid development of up-to-date electronic technology. Here, we designed a compatible poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) interface with a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene) P(VDF-CTFE) nanocomposite incorporated with boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) to improve the electrical energy capability. The BNNS/P(VDF-CTFE) nanocomposite film was prepared via a solution casting method. The rigid PMMA segments in the hyperbranched polyethylene-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate) (HBPE-g-PMMA) copolymer establish an improved compatibility between the BNNSs and fluoropolymer that restricts the motion of charge carriers, which results in an enhanced interfacial polarization. The stable BNNS dispersion was exfoliated by a liquid-phase preparation with the assistance of the HBPE-g-PMMA copolymer, which was adsorbed on the nanosheets via non-covalent CH–π interactions and served as steric hindrance against aggregation. Consequently, the energy density of the 0.5 wt% nanocomposite achieved 6.6 J cm−3 with a charge–discharge efficiency of 51.5% at 400 MV m−1. This work delivers a universal strategy for the simultaneous exfoliation and functionalization of nanosheets to enhance the energy density of polymer nanocomposites that possess potential prospects for film capacitors.


Background: It has been reported that obesity and diabetes are both the risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, recent articles reported that compared with BMI, waist circumference (WC) can better reflect obesity, more closely related to visceral fat tissue which is positively associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death. Moreover, few studies have both investigated the prognostic value of both WC and diabetes during a long-term follow up. We aimed to investigate whether higher level of WC measurements and diabetes were able to predict cardiovascular mortality in general population.Methods: In this prospective cohort study, a total of 1521 consecutive subjects free of clinical cardiovascular disease were included. The end point was cardiovascular death. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression models were used to evaluate the cumulative risk of outcome at different WC levels with or without diabetes.Results: During a median follow up of 9.2 years, there were 265 patients had the occurrence of cardiovascular death. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates indicated that the patients with higher levels of WC (WC>94cm) coexist with diabetes had significantly increased risk of cardiovascular death (log-rank p<0.05). After adjustment for potential confounders, multiple COX regression models showed that the incidence of cardiovascular death was significantly higher when patients with high WC coexisted with DM (HR 3.78; 95% CI: 3.35–3.98; p<0.001).Conclusion: Patients with high WC and diabetes represent a high-risk population for cardiovascular death. WC and diabetes may provide incremental prognostic value beyond traditional risks factors.


Summary: In recent years, Python has made great inroads as an introductory language in computer science education, but few emphasize its object-oriented nature; it is most often introduced with a procedural paradigm. For those teaching object orientation in CS1, Java remains the predominant language. We suggest that Python is an excellent choice for teaching an object-oriented CS1. Based on our experiences teaching such a course for three years and authoring a textbook "Object-Oriented Programming in Python" (http://prenhall.com/goldwasser), we discuss the issues involved in adopting Python for an object-oriented CS1, and the downstream effects on the remaining curriculum.


Nurses, as the principal caregivers during labor, play a major role in structuring the social context of childbirth. The influence of nurse-patient verbal interaction on the social construction of the childbirth experience was investigated. Verbatim records of nurse-patient interaction during labor were analyzed using Stiles's (1978a) Taxonomy of Verbal Response Modes. Nurse and patient scores on three dimensions of interpersonal roles, attentiveness, acquiescence, and presumptuousness, were determined. The results indicated that nurses established and maintained control over the definition of the childbirth experience. The viewpoint of the laboring woman was seldom acknowledged as relevant. Presumption of knowledge of the laboring woman's experience and failure to determine her perception of the situation can have a negative impact on individualization of care and the creation of a patient-centered birthing environment.


Gas exchange is improved during partial liquid ventilation with perfluorocarbon in animal models of acute lung injury. The specific mechanisms are unproved. We measured end-expiratory lung volume (EELV) by null-point body plethysmography in anesthetized sheep. Measurements of gas exchange and EELV were made before and after acute lung injury was induced with intravenous oleic acid to decrease EELV and worsen gas exchange. Measurements of gas exchange and EELV were again performed after partial liquid ventilation with 30 ml/kg of perfluorocarbon and compared with gas-ventilated controls. Oxygenation was significantly improved during partial liquid ventilation, and EELV (composite of gas and liquid) was significantly increased, compared with preliquid ventilation values and gas-ventilated controls. We conclude that partial liquid ventilation may directly recruit consolidated alveoli in the lung-injured sheep and that this may be one mechanism whereby gas exchange is improved.


Cosmic rays are the only agent able to penetrate into the interior of dense molecular clouds. Depositing (part of) their energy through ionisation, cosmic rays play an essential role in determining the physical and chemical evolution of star-forming regions. To a first approximation their effect can be quantified by the cosmic-ray induced ionization rate. Interestingly, theoretical estimates of the ionization rate assuming the cosmic-ray spectra observed in the local interstellar medium result in an ionization rate that is one to two orders of magnitude below the values inferred from observations. However, due to the discrete nature of sources, the local spectra of MeV cosmic rays are in general not representative for the spectra elsewhere in the Galaxy. Such stochasticity effects have the potential of reconciling modelled ionization rates with measured ones. Here, we model the distribution of low-energy cosmic-ray spectra expected from a statistical population of supernova remnants in the Milky Way. The corresponding distribution for the ionization rate is derived and confronted with data. We find that the stochastic uncertainty helps with explaining the surprisingly high ionization rates observed in many molecular clouds.


The porosity and the pore size have a great effect on the properties of packed beds. There is no doubt that any small change in the porosity of the packed bed leads to a big change in the pressure drop required for the fluid flow through the packed bed. Modified equation for porosity had been attempted depending on the parameters affecting the porosity for water flow through packed bed for sphere particles of mono size packing system. The considered parameters affecting the porosity in the packed bed of sphere packing are the particle and bed diameters. Several types and kinds of packing materials with different sizes have been used in the packed bed such as Pea Gravel, Marbles, Glass Marbles, Black Marbles, Clear Marbles, Acrylic balls, Celite spheres and Glass spheres. The effects of different parameter on the porosity using the modified equation results have been studied in the present work, and The calculation results of the porosity modified equation have been compared with Furnas equation of porosity and with experimental results taken from documented literature data; the comparisons show a very good agreement between the porosity modified equation and experimental results. Based and accurate semi-empirical equation for the pore size has been developed in this work by modifying Millington and Quirk equation. Model development and tests based on pore size analysis of experimental data. The effects of different parameter on pore size using the modified equation results have been studied in the present work, and the calculation results of the modified equation for the pore size have been compared with the experimental results taken from documented literature data; the comparisons show a very good agreement between the modified equation and experimental results. Maxwell equation of tortuosity, which is one of the main parameters affecting the fluid flow through packed bed, was modified to satisfy the proposed equations of pore size, porosity.


Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) 'South Bay' transplant growth and development were evaluated at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 mg.L -1 N fertigated at frequencies of every 1, 2, 3, or 4 days in a floatation production system to produce plants with optimum roots and shoots which easily pull from trays. Greenhouse experiments (four) were conducted to evaluate root and shoot weight, percent transplant pulling success, and leaf N content, 28 days after sowing (DAS). Field trials, using transplants produced in Greenhouse experiments 2 and 4, were conducted to evaluated subsequent yield, head quality characteristics, and leaf N content. Generally, as N concentrations increased, dry shoot weight and leaf N concentration increased, and root:shoot ratios decreased linearly or quadratically. Lettuce transplants grown in a floatation irrigation system fertigated every second to third day with 60 to 90 mg-L-' N resulted in transplants with optimum root systems to achieve the highest pulling success rate from flats. Subsequent yields and head quality were optimum for pretransplant production fertigation N concentration of 60 to 90 mg-L-', regardless of irrigation frequency.


This study investigated whether functional working memory (FWM) is related to preschool children's performance in sentence comprehension and vocabulary definition in a standardized language test. Thirty-one children aged between 4 and 6 years old participated in the study. FWM was measured using the Cantonese version of the Competing Language Processing Task (CLPT). Pearson product-moment correlations were computed to investigate the relationship between (1) CLPT and overall sentence comprehension, (2) CLPT and vocabulary definition, (3) CLPT and simple sentence comprehension, (4) CLPT and complex sentence comprehension. The correlation coefficient for (2) and (3) was not statistically significant, and that for (1) was approaching statistical significance. The correlation coefficient for (4) was positive and statistically significant with a large effect size. The implications of FWM in language assessment and the measurement of FWM in preschool children are discussed.


We consider the problem of how to reduce the cost of communication that is required for the parallel training of a neural network. The state-of-the-art method, Bulk Synchronous Parallel Stochastic Gradient Descent (BSP-SGD), requires many collective communication operations, like broadcasts of parameters or reductions for partial gradient aggregations, which for large messages quickly dominates overall execution time and limits parallel scalability. To address this problem, we develop a new technique for collective operations, referred to as Linear Pipelining (LP). It is tuned to the message sizes that arise in BSP-SGD, and works effectively on multi-GPU systems. Theoretically, the cost of LP is invariant to P, where P is the number of GPUs, while the cost of the more conventional Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) scales like O(log P). LP also demonstrates up to 2x higher bandwidth than Bidirectional Exchange (BE) techniques that are widely adopted by current MPI implementations. We apply these collectives to BSP-SGD, showing that the proposed implementations reduce communication bottlenecks in practice while preserving the attractive convergence properties of BSP-SGD.


This study researches some physical properties of furniture surfaces on which UV jet printing is applied. To this end, UV protected digital printing ink was applied on melamine faced chipboard (MFC) and Printpan (Pp) panels and their surface resistance to cold liquids (TS 12720), hot liquids (TS 4980), dry heat (TS EN 12722), wet heat (TS EN 12721), water vapor (TS EN 438-2), glowing cigarette (TS 4756), and abrasion (TS 4755) was identifi ed. As a result, it was found that UV jet printing ink applied on melamine faced chipboard and printpan panels is not resistant to cold liquid, water vapor, glowing cigarette and abrasion but relatively resistant to hot liquid, dry heat and wet heat.


A theorem on boundary continuity of holomorphic mappings between domains in is proved under purely local restrictions on both the mapping and the domains. Bibliography: 36 titles.


Abstract The University of Parma hosts approximately 260–300 Erasmus students every year, 54% of whom are Spanish-speakers. These students need to be placed in Italian language courses according to the CEFR levels. We noticed however that the same multiple-choice, on-line placement test, administered to students from both the Germanic/Slavic and the Romance linguistic areas, sometimes gives surprising results, assigning a B1 level to absolute beginner Spanish-speaking students. This paper presents the results of a longitudinal study, which led to the preparation of a consolidated test that has proved to be reliable and valid for both Germanic/Slavic and Romance linguistic areas. The presentation will illustrate the various developmental phases of the overall project and the results achieved, analyzing the data relating to the use of the service as well as its future prospects.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether intratumoral microvessel density can be used to distinguish benign from malignant mammary tumors in dogs and to predict the outcome of surgical treatment for small volume (< 3-cm diameter) tumors.

SAMPLE POPULATION
Tissue sections from 58 mammary tumors (42 malignant and 16 benign) from dogs.

PROCEDURE
Mammary tumors were stained by immunohistochemistry for factor VIII-related antigen. Computer-assisted image analysis was used to determine intratumoral vessel density in immunostained areas. Total vascular density (TVD), calculated from 3 non-overlapping fields, was analyzed for correlation with patient or tumor histomorphologic characteristics, and results obtained by surgical treatment of small volume tumors.

RESULTS
Mean TVD of malignant tumors was significantly greater than that of benign tumors. Total vascular density was not correlated with patient age, sex, reproductive status, clinical tumor stage, or histologic type. For small volume (< 3-cm diameter) malignant tumors, mean TVD was higher in tumors that recurred after surgery than in tumors that did not recur; however, TVD was not predictive of time to recurrence.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
Immunohistochemistry and computer-assisted image analysis allowed objective quantitation of intratumoral microvessel density in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Tumors with high TVD were more likely to recur after surgical treatment than tumors with low TVD suggesting that TVD measurements can be used by the clinician, in addition to histologic type and clinical stage, to predict prognosis after surgical treatment. These data also provide rationale for use of antiangiogenesis strategies for treatment of malignant mammary tumors in dogs.


Heterospecific aggregations and foraging associations have been observed between different species, from apes to birds to insects. Such associations are hypothesized to result in a mutually beneficial relationship entailing benefits that are not apparent in conspecific groupings. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to investigate 1) how 3 blowfly species, namely, Calliphora vicina, Calliphora vomitoria, and Lucilia sericata, aggregate according to species, and 2) if developmental benefits are linked to heterospecific aggregation. For objective (1), larvae of 2 species were placed between 2 conspecific aggregates, each with a different species (i.e., a binary choice test). After 20 h, the positions of all larvae were determined. On average, 98% of the maggots added later settled together on one of the 2 pre-existing aggregations, demonstrating a collective choice. The aggregation spot with C. vicina was preferred against others, indicating different attractiveness of different species. To relate this behavior to its benefits (objective ii), C. vicina and L. sericata larvae were raised from first instar to adult in con- and heterospecific conditions, and their development time, mortality rates, and morphometrics were measured. Thereby, mutual and asymmetric consequences were observed: specifically, there were significant increases in size and survival for L. sericata and faster development for C. vicina in heterospecific groups. These results indicate that the predilection for heterospecific association leads to mutual developmental benefits. This heterospecific aggregation behavior may be a resource-management strategy of blowflies to face carrion-based selection pressure.


Drug treatment of back pain is a useful adjunct to initial bedrest. A number of groups of drugs have proved effective. Analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be recommended for short term treatment of acute cases. The effectiveness of muscle relaxants is unclear and, if prescribed they should be given only over the short term. Tricyclic antidepressants should be given only to patients with chronic pain complicated by a depressive component. A number of injection techniques are available for the treatment of refractory severe pain.


We present a case of a 17 year old female with a decade long history of a blistering skin disorder. She had been extensively investigated and was empirically being managed for a possible diagnosis of bullous lupus erythematosus. On presentation she had a widespread striking bullous eruption with relative sparing of her back. She was on multiple immunosuppressive medications and opiates for pain relief. Previous histopathology specimens were re-examined. One specimen showed a subepidermal blister mainly with fibrin and a neutrophilic inflammatory cell infiltrate. Two specimens showed cell poor subepidermal blisters. The differential diagnosis included bullous lupus erythematosus, dermatitis herpetiformis, linear IgA disease, erythema multiforme and toxic epidermal necrolysis, amongst others. However, given the negative immunofluorescence studies and the clinical history, these differential diagnoses seemed unlikely. It was felt that the appearances in all the biopsies most likely represented the same process in different stages of evolution. Overall these findings were suggestive of a blister induced by a physical agent, possibly a suction blister. A diagnosis of dermatitis artefacta was made and all immunosuppressive medications were discontinued. Our case highlights the importance of careful clinicopathological correlation in order to avoid errors in diagnosis and unnecessary treatments. It also demonstrates the potential histopathological heterogeneity that can be observed when multiple biopsies are taken at different times in the course of the presentation and that this is likely to represent the same process at different stages of evolution.


Employing stereo-electron microscopy on sections (ca. 0.1 micrometer thick) of the ciliated protozoa Stylonychia, Oxytricha and Euplotes, we have examined the ultrastructure of macronuclear replication bands (RB) and micronuclei. The macronuclear RB is composed of two zones: a "forward zone" showing a special chromatin organization consisting of regular 40 to 50 nm diameter fibers with an indication of nucleosomal substructure; and a "rear zone", the site of DNA replication, consisting of a mesh of 10 nm chromatin fibers. Micronuclei exhibit chromatin strands of 60 to 70 nm diameter. Employing the Bernhard staining procedure, we have observed that the chromatin fibers of the RB and of the micronuclei remain unbleached, whereas macronuclear condensed chromatin is bleached of stain, indicating that the replication band and the micronuclei contain chromatin in a configuration different from that of other forms of densely packed chromatin. The regularity of the chromatin fibers within the forward zone is of particular interest since it is comparable to the regularity of chromatin seen in the transcriptionally-inactive chromatin of other nuclei such as avain erythrocytes and sea urchin spermatozoa. It is likely that the forward zone chromatin fibers consist of highly ordered arrangements of nucleosomes, associated with additional nonhistone proteins.


Electrohydrodynamic instabilities have been investigated for an initially homogeneously aligned nematic with a positive dielectric anisotropy, employing the transverse geometry. Optical threshold corresponds to the onset of out-of-plane director deviations and is higher than the threshold derived from transient responses; the latter shows a non-linear increase with electrode separation. Along the flow lines, the degree of distortion varies continuously. These results do not seem to follow completely from the known models of the instabilities.


The commercialization of hydrogen as a clean source of energy is a vital requirement for overcoming the anticipated energy crisis. In addition, the capture of CO2 and commercialization of methane as an efficient and clean alternative to polluting gasoline are important goals. To this end, we have developed a nanoporous activated carbon material prepared from renewable resources that has a high storage capacity for various gases. Sugar beet leaves were converted to graphite flakes and decorated with polymer nanoparticles, giving rise to a highly porous activated carbon through chemical activation. The developed porous carbon has a high surface area (2800 m2 g−1) and specific pore volume (1.86 cm3 g−1), as well as high nitrogen and oxygen contents. The combination of high surface area, pore volume, and nitrogen and oxygen contents provided superior storage capacity for various gases. The total hydrogen storage capacities at 20 bar were 5.9 and 0.15 wt% at 77 and 298 K, respectively. In addition, the physical upper limit of hydrogen storage capacity was also evaluated using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller isotherms at the liquefaction temperature of hydrogen (20 K). A value of 14.1 wt% was obtained, which is the highest reported value for a porous carbon. The CO2 capture and CH4 storage capacities at room temperature and 20 bar were 19.65 and 7.6 mmol g−1, respectively, which are also among the highest values reported for porous carbon materials. Furthermore, the separation selectivity for CO2/CH4 binary mixtures was evaluated based on the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) model and found to be 4.6.


BACKGROUND
The myocardial radionuclide imaging with mental distress seems to induce ischemia through a particular physiopathology when compared to radionuclide imaging with physical or pharmacological distress.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of induced myocardial ischemia by mental distress in patients with thoracic pain and radionuclide imaging with normal conventional distress, with 99mTc-Sestamibi.

METHODS
Twenty-two patients were admitted with thoracic pain at emergency or were referred to the nuclear medicine service of our institution, where myocardial radionuclide imaging of distress or rest without ischemic alterations was carried out. The patients were, then, invited to go through an additional phase with mental distress induced by color conflict (Strop Color Test) with the objective of detecting myocardial ischemia. Two cardiologists and nuclear physicians performed the blind analysis of perfusional data and consequent quantification through Summed Difference Score (SDS), punctuating the segments that were altered after mental distress and comparing it to the rest period image. The presence of myocardial ischemia was considered if SDS > or = 3.

RESULTS
The prevalence of mental distress-induced myocardial ischemia was 40% (9 positive patients). Among the 22 studied patients, there were no statistical differences with regard to the number of risk factors, mental distress-induced hemodynamic alterations, usage of medications, presented symptoms, presence or absence of coronary disease and variations of ejection fraction and final systolic volume of Gated SPECT.

CONCLUSION
In a selected sample of patients with thoracic pain and normal myocardial radionuclide imaging, the research of myocardial ischemia induced by mental distress through radionuclide imaging may be positive in up to 40% of cases.


Background Alcohol abuse can result in a spectrum of liver injury that ranges from mild fatty infiltration to alcoholic hepatitis (AH), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The present study aimed to evaluate current scoring systems in predicting short-term and long-term mortality because of AH. Patients and methods Records of 170 consecutive patients with AH admitted to a tertiary center between January 2005 and October 2015 were reviewed. Clinical and biochemical parameters were retrieved for the assessment of AH scores for the day of admission (D1) and for the seventh day of hospitalization (D7). Endpoints included admission to the ICU, and 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality. Results The Maddrey discriminant function and the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) were modest predictors of the need for ICU admission. In-hospital, 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality were 15.9, 18.2, 21.8, and 30.0%, respectively. There was a numerical, albeit nonsignificant, trend for higher accuracy using D7 scores, especially the MELD, in predicting 30-day and 1-year mortality. Overall, all scores showed high negative predictive values (30 day: 91.2–98.7% and 1 year: 78.8–93.7%), but modest positive predictive values (30 day: 30.6–70.8% and 1 year: 42.1–61.2%). Survival rates were the highest among patients showing a decrease in the MELD, Glasgow Alcoholic Hepatitis Score, and Age, serum Bilirubin, International normalized ratio, and serum Creatinine score over the first week of admission. Discussion AH scores were comparable in identifying patients at low risk of mortality up to 1 year following admission. Reassessment of the MELD, Glasgow Alcoholic Hepatitis Score, and Age, serum Bilirubin, International normalized ratio, and serum Creatinine score scores after 1 week further improved mortality prediction.


When the DC motor is turned on, the start dc motor speed will experience overshoot
at the starting speed of the motor. This overshoot will affect the current rise high as if
connected to a load. The use of conventional controllers has long been used to
control the dc motor and reduce overshoot starting. Fuzzy logic controller is one
controller that can be used to control the speed of a dc motor including motor control
overshoot starting. To see the effectiveness of fuzzy logic controller in dc motor
speed control, a study done by designing a conventional two-Integrated controllers of
proportional controller (PI) and proportional-Integrated-Derivatives controller (PID)
and compared with fuzzy logic controller. The design of Fuzzy Logic Controller
(FLC) does not require an exact mathematical model. Instead, it is design based on
general knowledge of the plant. Both three controllers are connected to a dc motor as
a load to control the motor speed to the required level. The effectiveness of the
designed FLC is compared with designed conventional controllers to examine
aspects of starting overshoot, settling time and ripple factor for dc motor speed.


Divine view is to production and industrialization a part of the process of economic development. The divine rules of governance become Ibadah (form of worship), hence industrialization within the divine ambit is also an Ibadah. Divine messages, therefore, stresses both the moral quality and skills in the production of goods. People are getting benefits from industry from different ways, sometimes their ritual prayers have been done comfortably through the well supports from industrial goods and services. As per common observation devotee don't find any relationship of industrialization with divine messages. In this paper an effort has been taken to present the divine messages with regard to production management and industrialization.


Approximating and nonlinear locally adaptive filters with dynamically variable size of scanning window that have simple implementation for processing ECGs registered with sampling frequency 400 Hz are considered. Statistical estimates of filter quality according to MSE and SNR criteria are obtained. Adaptation parameters that depend on signal and noise level are analyzed as well as the corresponding plots of window variation for processing input signal. Adaptive filter output signals are presented for ECG with different noise levels. Recommendations on their application are given. Advantages of applied adaptation parameters are marked.


The successful eradication of poliomyelitis in the United States has primarily been due to the use of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). However, because of the risk of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis with OPV, the use of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) has become the accepted option. We performed a cross-sectional survey of parents of children less than 18 months of age to determine parental preference regarding poliomyelitis vaccine options. Parents were asked questions about their knowledge regarding poliomyelitis and available vaccines. Parents were also given information about the risks and benefits of the 3 immunization options (all OPV, all IPV, and sequential IPV/OPV) and then asked to choose among the 3 schedules. We distributed 146 questionnaires, with an 88% response rate. Parents were, on average, 22 years old and had 12 years of education. Fifty-eight percent of parents thought that decisions regarding vaccine choices should be made by the physician and caregiver together. However, when given the choice, 41% could not decide among the different vaccine options. One quarter (25%) chose the all OPV, 13% the all IPV, and 21% the sequential IPV/OPV schedule. Older parents were more likely to choose the all IPV schedule (p=0.042). There was no correlation with the parental level of education. More studies are required to determine if further education will empower urban parents to be more active participants in the medical decision process.


In a recent review on the concept of fish welfare, I argue that concern on fish welfare is definitively a genuine matter, and the main challenge is to find valid methodologies to evaluate this internal state in these animals. I also argue in that review that studies on fish preference should be emphasized, instead of frustrated attempts to empirically demonstrate sentience in the non-human animals. From this theoretical background, in the present text I examine more detailed the preference tests, indicating important conditions and restrictions to minimize misunderstanding that could affect interpretation about the state of fish welfare. First, I indicate fish conditions that should be considered to analyze results of preference tests. They are: phylogeny, biological rhythms, ecological conditions, ontogeny, social condition, and individual experience. Then, I discuss methodological conditions and approaches to perform and interpret preference tests, an attempt to improve understanding on what the fish has to tell us about their internal states of welfare.


Dating of lake sediments together with the determination of the distribution of trace elements throughout the depth of sediments, gives us valuable information in the study of the impact of natural and cultural events on the environment. Using 210Pb(t1 / 2=22.3y) a member of the natural radioactive 238U series, it is possible to date sediments within the last 200 years. The fallout nuclide 137Cs(t1 / 2= 30.1y) with its known deposition pattern resulting from extensive testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere between 1954-1963 and from the nuclear accident in Chernobyl in 1986 provides a complimentary method of sediment dating. The maxima in fall-out corresponding to the 1963 and 1986 are usually well preserved in sediment horizons and they can be used as time markers. 7Be(t1 / 2=53.3d), a cosmic ray produced nuclide is expected to be present only in the uppermost sediment layers. The presence of 7Be in the sediments ensures complete core recovery. Sediment cores from Lakes Zurich and Constance from the Sea of Marmara, southern Turkey and northen Cyprus were dated using natural 210Pb, fallout 137Cs and cosmic-ray produced 7Be radionuclides.


A community is the totality of human relationships, in which individuals live with and for others. This article discusses promoting dementia‐friendly community from the perspective of human relationships within a community. Improving the social well‐being of aging people is important; it is especially important for people with dementia, as dementia is a life‐changing syndrome that affects all aspects of one's life, including human relationships. Dementia‐friendly community requires support from the community in improving the social adaptation of people with dementia, as they experience greater difficulties in social interaction as a result of cognitive decline, especially deterioration of social cognition. They need to be empowered to stay motivated for the opportunity to maintain an active and meaningful life, despite dementia. Flexible provisions of such tailored support can be effective to improve the support network in the community to meet the individual's needs. As social and human resources are limited, it is also necessary to discuss how to share socioeconomic burdens to meet both social sustainability demands and the welfare of aging adults. More discussions that include people with dementia and their family members are required to achieve the purpose of dementia‐friendly community. This is important to enhance the well‐being of individuals with and without dementia, as well as the society as a whole, through dementia support and dementia prevention activities. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; ••: ••–••.


INTRODUCTION: Children with severe hearing loss have a delay in the vocabulary repertoire compared to the normal-hearing children of the same chronological age. One of the factors considered to be basic during the process of language development is the family intervention. OBJECTIVE: To propose a program controlled for guiding of parents of children using cochlear implant (CIC) and verify the effectiveness of the program through the variation of the children's lexical performance. METHOD: Prospective study. Eight CIC and their respective families took part in the research and were divided into two groups: GI (with guiding program) and GII (without guiding program). The lexical performance of the children was measured through the List of Evaluation of Expressive Vocabulary (LAVE) with prior and posterior guiding program. The guiding program Participative Family for CIC was composed by four sessions, of weekly application, with duration of 60 minutes each. The topics approached were development of auditory and linguistic skills. RESULTS: The intra-groups ANOVAs didn't present a different significant performance in LAVE for the prior and posterior guiding comparison of both groups. The ANOVAs between groups didn't reveal a statistically significant difference between the groups for lexical performance. CONCLUSION: The groups didn't differ in the effectiveness of the program as measured by LAVE. Such results must be an important indicator of lexical evolution measures based only on the family perception. In future studies the program temporal extension, sample expansion and objective measures of the lexical development must be taken into account.


Because of the substantial difference in stiffness between matrix and nanotube in CNT composite, the stress transfer between them controls their mechanical properties. This paper investigates the said issue, analytically and numerically, in axial load using representative volume element (RVE). The analytical model was established based on the modified Cox's shear lag model with the use of some simplified assumptions. Some, in the developed shear lag model, the CNT assumes hollow fiber. Solving the governing differential equation, led the high shear stress in interface especially in the CNT cap. In addition, some finite element models were performed with different aspect ratios and the shear stress pattern especially in interface was calculated numerically. Despite some simplified assumptions that were performed with these two models such as elastic behavior and full connectivity, and the comparison of their results with other numerical models show adequate agreement.


Low energy availability (LEA) and nutrient intake have been well studied in able-bodied athletes, but there is a lack of research examining these issues amongst athletes with spinal cord injury (SCI). To date, there have been no studies that have examined energy availability (EA) amongst this population. Furthermore, athletes with SCI may experience unique challenges around nutrition that may increase their risk of LEA. This review will evaluate the literature and assess whether this population is at risk for LEA. Due to the limited research on this topic, sedentary individuals with SCI and para athletes were also included in this review. Review of the current literature suggests that athletes with SCI may be at an increased risk for LEA. While research examining EA and risk of LEA in athletes with SCI is lacking, the number of athletes with SCI continues to increase; therefore, further research is warranted to assess nutrient and energy needs and their risk to this population.


Nowadays most required products and services of companies are provided through other organisations. Outsourcing as a new approach has a significant role in management literature. Supplier should be selected by executives, when the organization decides to acquire a product or service from other organizations. Concerning supplier selection, the managers should consider more than one factor or criterion, which may be inconsistent and contradictory. Therefore, supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision-making issue. Analytic network process (ANP) is a technique to solve multi-criteria decision-making problems in which the criteria affect each other and have nonlinear correlation. In this study, the goal is to use ANP to select the supplier in a group decision-making.


The effectiveness of the federal governmentÂ''s export promotion programs (the Foreign Market Development Program and the Market Promotion Program) for high value agricultural products is evaluated using U.S. almond exports in the Pacific Rim as a case study. Cross-sectional time-series data are pooled for five Pacific Rim countries. While promotions were ineffective in South Korea and Singapore, some estimations of the import demand model indicate promotions in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong may have been effective.


Background Tuberculosis (TB) and under-nutrition are widespread in many low and middle-income countries. Momentum to prioritize under-nutrition has been growing at an international level, as demonstrated by the "Scaling Up Nutrition" movement. Low body mass index is an important risk factor for developing TB disease. The objective of this study was to project future trends in TB related outcomes under different scenarios for reducing under-nutrition in the adult population in the Central Eastern states of India. Methods A compartmental TB transmission model stratified by body mass index was parameterized using national and regional data from India. We compared TB related mortality and incidence under several scenarios that represented a range of policies and programs designed to reduce the prevalence of under-nutrition, based on the experience and observed trends in similar countries. Results The modeled nutrition intervention scenarios brought about reductions in TB incidence and TB related mortality in the Central Eastern Indian states ranging from 43% to 71% and 40% to 68% respectively, relative to the scenario of no nutritional intervention. Modest reductions in under-nutrition averted 4.8 (95% UR 0.5, 17.1) million TB cases and 1.6 (95% UR 0.5, 5.2) million TB related deaths over a period of 20 years of intervention, relative to the scenario of no nutritional intervention. Complete elimination of under-nutrition in the Central Eastern states averted 9.4 (95% UR 1.5, 30.6) million TB cases and 3.2 (95% UR 0.7-, 10.1) million TB related deaths, relative to the scenario of no nutritional intervention. Conclusion Our study suggests that intervening on under-nutrition could have a substantial impact on TB incidence and mortality in areas with high prevalence of under-nutrition, even if only small gains in under-nutrition can be achieved. Focusing on under-nutrition may be an effective way to reduce both rates of TB and other diseases associated with under-nutrition.


BACKGROUND
to determine the quality of a prompt cervical cancer detection program (TDC CC) according to the indicators for prevention and diagnosis.

METHODS
cross-sectional and comparative study conducted in four primary care units. We selected 400 patients who attended preventive services to participate in the study of cervical cytology (Pap). The evaluation of the Program of TDC CC was obtained by the degree of fulfillment of quality and productivity outlined by an institutional program. The seven indicators were measured by the same scale. A descriptive statistics, adjusted kappa, and chi square with a level of significance of 95 % confidence interval was used.

RESULTS
the average age was 40 ± 12.6 years. Most women (92.5 %) had information about the Pap screening method in CC, even thought only 25.3 % had this test done in the last three years. The inter-observer agreement was scored low by three cytotechnologists. The degree of compliance according to indicators of the 4 units was 35.7 %, and was rated as moderate. The best indicators were great productivity among cytotechnologists, the number and proportion of re-examined cytologies.

CONCLUSIONS
most indicators were below the expected values.


BACKGROUND
A small number of patients develop intractable peripheral nerve pain following injury or surgery to the upper limb that is refractory to pharmacological treatment. This study reports our results of using transcutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (TPNS), a non-invasive form of neuromodulation, to treat this difficult problem.

METHODS
Seventy-two patients were treated for intractable pain in the upper limb using this technique. Electrical current was delivered transcutaneously through a handheld probe, placed on the skin overlying the affected peripheral nerve proximal to the site of pain. Pain severity was determined before and immediately after treatment by subjective patient self-assessment using a visual analogue pain scale. Pre-post treatment changes in pain severity were analysed by Student's test for paired data. Outcome in respect of overall effectiveness of this treatment, was graded according to the maximum duration of pain relief achieved.

RESULTS
Overall, TPNS reduced pain intensity from 8.4 (SD 1.6) before treatment to 4.2 (SD 3.5) immediately after treatment, a highly significant effect ([Formula: see text]). The treatment achieved cure in 8/72 (11%) of our patients and a useful therapeutic outcome (pain relief ≥ 1 day) in 27/72 (38%). The treatment failed in 37/72 (51%).

CONCLUSIONS
TPNS warrants consideration as a therapy for neuropathic pain in the upper limb after drug treatment has failed and before offering surgery or spinal root stimulation.


While the community development activities of Thai monks have received a good deal of attention, little consideration has been given to women, who are traditionally excluded from full membership of the sangha. These are, however, women lay practitioners of Buddhism known as mae chii, who are increasingly undertaking social roles which are similar and, in some cases, complementary to those of the monks. Such roles on the part of both monks and mae chii need to be set within the context of Tambiah's work on the worldly aspects of Thai Buddhism and his emphasis on the need to explore the continuities and the transformations between the anthropology and the history of religion.


Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are being considered as a promising alternative channel material in ultra-thin and low power nanoelectronics, due to the significant tunability of their electronic properties via mechanisms such as mechanical strain, control of the material thickness, application of an external field, impurities, doping, alloying, or altering the substrate nature. Initially, monolayer TMDs as counterparts to graphene captured the attention of the scientific community owing to their semiconductor nature with sizable band gaps. However, certain physical and chemical properties of TMDs, such as their oxygen reactivity and stability in air need to be more completely understood in order to crystallize the promising superior performance of TMD-based electronic devices. Here, a comparative analysis of the stability of various TMDs (MX2: M=Mo, W; X=S, Se) in air is performed using density-functional theory (DFT) as well as x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We find that the surface chemistry of the basal plane of sulfides and selenides is relatively stable in air although for completely different reasons, which can be explained by investigating oxygen dissociative adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics. On the contrary, the edge of MX2 nanoribbons shows strong driving forces towards O2 dissociation and chemisorption. Our combined theoretical and experimental investigation reveals that the air stability of TMDs should not be placed in the same footing that other 2D materials, like graphene. Thus, this work highlights the importance of having controlled oxygen environment during crystal exfoliation/growth and defect passivation in order to provide high quality uniform materials for TMD-based device fabrication.


The communication reports characterization of fluid involved in the process of serpentinization of the ultramafic rocks from the Rakhabdev–Kherwara sector constrained along the Rakhabdev Lineament, in southern Rajasthan, northwest India, at a temperature of around 350°C. The relatively low water/rock ratio in the rocks suggests the possibility of extensive isotopic exchange over a long period of time in a completely fluid buffered system. The isotopic data suggest possible involvement of at least two different fluid systems, either involving highly evolved meteoric water or a mixture of hydrothermal fluids with the meteoric water. The presence of extensive chloritization in the metamorphic country rocks suggests involvement of low degree of metamorphism during the alteration. Additional isotopic studies are required to understand the role of different fluid sources in altering the ultramafic rocks of the studied region.


SS316 is a commercial stainless steel. MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) of SS 316 wear prone areas can be effectively increased by ceramic coating. The coating thickness, surface roughness, coating microhardness, abrasion rate, and coating porosity decides the quality and durability in ceramic coating. The current research work explains an experimental investigation to optimize the Atmosphere Plasma Spray process input parameters of Al2O3-40%TiO2 ceramic coatings. Threelevel L18 Orthogonal Array (OA) design of Experiments (DoE) is used to conduct the current work. The main input parameters considered in the current study are nozzle distance, substrate speed, arc current, carrier gas flow, and coating powder flow rate. The output parameters considered are coating thickness, surface roughness, coating microhardness, abrasion rate, and percentage of porosity. Mathematical models are generated for individual output parameters. AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) is effectively used to find out weights for individual output parameters treating them as objective functions, and a combined objective function is generated.


One of the main areas of research in logic programming is the design and implementation of sequential and parallel (constraint) logic programming systems. This research goes broadly from the design and specification of novel implementation technology to its actual evaluation in real life situations. This book includes topics such as the analysis and description of implemented systems (or currently under implementation) and their associated techniques, problems found in their development or design, and steps taken towards the solution of these problems.


Early severe stresses are known to affect the biological and psychological development in childhood. Good and adaptable stress during prenatal and early postnatal period can switch to traumatic during these highly susceptible developmental stages. These different stresses modulate genetic/epigenetic processes and the setting up of connectome during these highly plastic and adaptable time periods. The polyvagal processes control the base of the security/well-being perception of the newborn by the onset of synchronized interactions between the mother/parent/nurse and the baby. These positive adjustments in mirror lead to attachment and social links and to implicit learning processes leading to a balanced emotional and cognitive development.


Background: Intravenous anesthesia with propofol was reported to improve cancer surgical outcomes when compared with inhalational anesthesia. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms largely remain unknown. The current study aims to investigate whether propofol affects cancer cell biology including tumor metastasis-related gene expression, cellular signaling and metabolic changes in lung and brain cancer cells.Methods: Lung cancer (A549) or neuroglioma (H4) cells were treated with propofol at a clinically relevant concentration (4 μg/mL) for 2 hours, followed by 24 hours recovery. Tumor metastasis-related gene expressions were assessed using a PCR array and validated with qRT-PCR. Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), brain protein 44-like (BRP44L), pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), Akt, phospho-Akt (p-Akt), extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2), phospho-Erk1/2 (p-Erk1/2), and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) expressions were determined using immunofluorescent staining and/or western blotting. The metabolites in cell extract and media following propofol treatment were characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) spectroscopy. The malignant hallmarks including cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion were evaluated using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, Ki-67 staining, wound healing and transwell assay, respectively.Results: Propofol reduced cell viability and inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion of lung cancer cells, but not neuroglioma cells. In lung cancer cells, gene expressions of VEGFA, CTBP1, CST7, CTSK, CXCL12, and CXCR4 were downregulated, while NR4A3, RB1, NME1, MTSS1, NME4, SYK, APC, and FAT1 were upregulated following the propofol treatment. Furthermore, propofol downregulated GLUT1, BRP44L, p-Akt, p-Erk, and HIF-1α expressions in lung cancer cells and upregulated PEDF expression. Propofol increased glutamate and glycine but decreased acetate and formate in lung cancer cells whilst increased lactate, valine, isoleucine, and leucine and glycerol, and decreased pyruvate and isopropanol in the culture media. Consistent with the phenotypical changes, these molecular and metabolic changes were not observed in the neuroglioma cells.Conclusions: Our findings indicated "anti-tumor" effects of propofol on the lung cancer but not neuroglioma, through the regulation of tumor metastasis-related genes, multi-cellular signaling and cellular metabolism.


Computational studies on the hydrodynamic behavior of the forward-sweep inducers for the rocket-engine turbopump are presented in comparison with the conventional backward- sweep inducers. In the present study, two kinds of forward-sweep inducers are designed and numerically investigated. Forward-sweep inducers have bigger tip solidity compared to backward-sweep inducers even with shorter axial length due to their forward-sweep leading edge profiles. It is shown that back flows at the inlet decreases dramatically for forward- sweep inducers. And the low pressure region at the back flow are also decreased, which is assumed to promote the suction performance of the inducers. It seems that the hub located upstream of the tip at the leading edge induces pre whirl at the inlet blade tip for the backward sweep inducer. And this pre whirl leads to the big back flow.


An expression is found for the stationary density of the allele frequencies, in the infinitely-many alleles model. It is assumed that all alleles are neutral, that there is a constant mutation rate, and that the population is sufficiently large for the diffusion model to apply. Bounds on some moments are calculated from the density, and some applications are made to the problem of which allele is oldest in a population. A postulate made by Ewens (1972), concerning the distribution of allele numbers in a finite random sample from the neutral diffusion population, is shown to be correct.


The present invention pertains to a method for the mass cultivation of cells, and a cell cultivation device and kit. The present invention further pertains to a continuous cell cultivation method and a continuous cell cultivation device in which a carrier is used.


Development Credit Agreement-Private Financial Development Project (with schedules and General Conditions Applicable to Development Credit Agreements dated 1 January 1985). Signed at Washington on 7 May 1993


In this paper, we deal with the issues of standardization for smart cities. We are discussing the history of telecommunications development and the use for Smart Cities such technologies as Software-Defined Networking and Network Functions Virtualization. Further, the paper discusses the European projects for Smart Cities and urban platforms such as FIWARE and European Innovation Partnership on "Smart Cities and Communities". As a basic prototype, we consider the results and deliverables from oneM2M consortium. At the end of the paper, we provide our considerations for standardization of platforms for Smart Cities in Russia.


This article answers some of the criticisms of the ECtHR which have been made by the Chair of the Russian Constitutional Court, Valeriy Zorkin, with particular reference to the cases of Konstantin Markin v Russia and Alekseyev v Russia.

In the latter half of 2010 several publications appeared in the Russian print media discussing the need for Russia to develop a mechanism to protect its national sovereignty from unfavourable ECtHR decisions. Such views appear regularly in Russia and these publications would not be taken seriously by the Russian intellectual elite if the initiator of the discussions were someone other than Professor of Law and Chair of the Russian Constitutional Court (CC), Valeriy Zorkin. Zorkin's publication in Rossiyskaya Gazeta appears to be a sudden explosion in the long-brewing conflict between Russia and Western democracies.

The trigger for Zorkin's strongly-titled article, The Limit of Flexibility, was the ECtHR judgment in the case of Konstantin Markin v Russia (No. 30078/06) 7.10.10 (see pg. 14) in which the ECtHR found that Russia had breached the prohibition on discrimination on grounds of sex (Art. 14 in conjunction with Art. 8). Zorkin complained that the ECtHR had criticised the CC's position in this case in a rude and unjust manner. The case was about discrimination against fathers in the military.


To evaluate the role of V beta 8+ T cells in the development of lupus-like autoimmune syndrome in MRL-lpr/lpr mice, we treated them with the F23.1 anti-V beta 8 monoclonal antibody (mAb) from birth to 4 months of age. Here we report that almost complete depletion of V beta 8+ T cells by the F23.1 mAb treatment neither inhibited nor delayed the development of hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibody production and autoimmune glomerulonephritis in MRL-lpr/lpr mice. In addition, the F23.1 mAb treatment did not prevent the development of lymphadenopathy and the generation of a CD4-CD8- double-negative T cell subset, characteristically accumulating in lpr lymph nodes. Our results strongly argue against the idea that the V beta 8+ T cells play a critical role in the development of lupus-like autoimmune syndrome in MRL-lpr/lpr mice.


Abstract The credibility of reduced pressure test (RPT) as a substitute for Weibull analysis for benchmarking bifilm defects in Al alloys was confirmed by comparing the RPT parameters (2D and 3D porosity, and Bifilm Index) with the Weibull moduli for UTS values for pure Al and Al-0.05Sr alloys. The porosity of RPT samples was found to have an exponential decay relationship with Weibull modulus. A reasonable trend for Bifilm Index could not be found. 3D porosity of RPT samples was found to be more favourable than 2D porosity or Bifilm Index. Some evidence was also found of connections occurring between the sides of bifilm defects at the surfaces of the fractured tensile test bars of Al-0.05Sr alloy which had a relatively high UTS.


This paper studies goodness of fit tests and specification tests for an extension of the log-GARCH model which is stable by scaling. A Lagrange-Multiplier test is derived for testing the null assumption of extended log-GARCH against more general formulations including the Exponential GARCH (EGARCH). The null assumption of an EGARCH is also tested. Portmanteau goodness-of-fit tests are developed for the extended log-GARCH. Simulations illustrating the theoretical results and an application to real financial data are proposed.