Specific and marginal general deterrence are being increasingly discredited as useful sentencing objectives. One reason is that offenders discount jail time, sometimes quite substantially. As a consequence, there is a significant difference between the court's sentence and the effective penalty. The latter is the offender's perceived duration of the time in jail. Discount rates, which perhaps can be thought of as a measure of acclimatisation to the prison experience, potentially weaken considerably the likelihood of successfully attaining the objective of specific deterrence. In addition, since jail time discount rates increase as the sentence length increases, punishment burden increases less than proportionately. This means that successfully achieving marginal deterrence is even more problematical. Using New South Wales data for three different offences, mean estimates of jail time discount rates are obtained, and then used to adjust downwards court sentences and estimate their effective equivalents. Effective sentence elasticities are then computed to gauge the impact of sentence doubling. Very low values are obtained. The critical implications for sentencing suggested by this study are, first, that absolute general deterrence and specific deterrence are realistic sentencing objectives. Marginal deterrence, however, does not seem to be attainable, given the ubiquity of positive time preference. Secondly, subject to the proportionality constraint, relatively shorter sentences are likely to be more punitive than longer ones, and therefore more effective as specific deterrents.


. In an effort to increase the participation of minorities within natural resource professions, the U.S. Forest Service's Northeastern Forest Experiment Station and The Ohio State University's School of Natural Resources developed and implemented a resident outdoor experience to introduce selected minority youth to natural resource career opportunities. Two groups of high school students, one minority and one non-minority, participated in three-day resident programs. The research design consisted of a pretest-posttest comparison of results from a resource inventory, stress test and an information questionnaire administered to each group prior to and after the experience. Results indicate that a positive learning experience for both groups took place; however, when compared to the non-minority students the knowledge and attitudes of the minority students changed significantly. There was no difference in stress level factors between the two groups. At the end of the experience, the minority students indicated an increased interest in forestry and other natural resource management areas, especially wildlife.


In the concern of
the preservation of the main historic monuments of the cities of Rabat and Sale
(Morocco), a botanical study was conducted in 2009. The prospecting of these
monuments allowed raising an inventory of the flora populating their building
materials, and it has proved that this flora is rich and diversified. Indeed,
it consists of 171 adventitious species distributed in 46 botanical families.
The most represented families are Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Geraniaceae, Brassicaceae and Lamiaceae.
They supply, to them only 49.7% of the specific size. The annual therophytes and the dicotyledon are dominant with
respectively 66.7% and 84.7% of the specific size. Nevertheless, the
presence of more than 20 species of trees and perennials constitutes a serious
danger for bulwarks walls, especially by the phenomenon of fissuring by the
action of the huge roots of these vegetables. These vegetables fitting into are
placed on joints or cracks fissures have a chemical action on stones by acids
that they release, and also a mechanical action by the growth of roots inside
cracks fissures. They remain one of these are one of the important biological
factors of the degradation of historic monuments. It is to note that the
bulwarks walls of the site of Chella (Roman ruins) present more floral
diversity than the other canvassed monuments (91 species) that are 53% of the
total size.


In this paper, the problem of network connectivity is studied for an adversarial Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT) system in which an attacker aims at disrupting the connectivity of the network by choosing to compromise one of the IoBT nodes at each time epoch. To counter such attacks, an IoBT defender attempts to reestablish the IoBT connectivity by either deploying new IoBT nodes or by changing the roles of existing nodes. This problem is formulated as a dynamic multistage Stackelberg connectivity game that extends classical connectivity games and that explicitly takes into account the characteristics and requirements of the IoBT network. In particular, the defender's payoff captures the IoBT latency as well as the sum of weights of disconnected nodes at each stage of the game. Due to the dependence of the attacker's and defender's actions at each stage of the game on the network state, the feedback Stackelberg solution [feedback Stackelberg equilibrium (FSE)] is used to solve the IoBT connectivity game. Then, sufficient conditions under which the IoBT system will remain connected, when the FSE solution is used, are determined analytically. Numerical results show that the expected number of disconnected sensors, when the FSE solution is used, decreases up to 46% compared to a baseline scenario in which a Stackelberg game with no feedback is used, and up to 43% compared to a baseline equal probability policy.


This work aims to study theoretically and experimentally the hygro-mechanical properties of wood-aggregate concrete upon drying. Wood-aggregate concrete is composed of cement paste and wood shavings. The objective is to study the effect of the mixture characteristics on the hygro-mechanical behavior of this concrete. To do so, we measured experimentally the shrinkage strains and the Young's modulus upon drying of mixtures with identical contents of wood but various cement-to-wood mass ratios. To analyze these experimental results, we developed two models: the first is a micromechanical model based on the self-consistent scheme, and it allows linking the Young's modulus of the wood-aggregate concrete to the properties of mixtures (volume fractions and elastic properties of the various phases). The second model couples desorption-induced strains and water transfer to estimate the strains induced by drying shrinkage of concrete samples.


Practical Applications Summary In Using the Volatility Risk Premium to Mitigate the Next Financial Crisis, from the Winter 2019 issue of the The Journal of Wealth Management, author Wei Ge (of Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC in Minneapolis) offers a new way to protect investment portfolios. The stock market has experienced a 10-year boom, and some investors expect a major bust soon. Ge suggests such investors adopt a volatility risk premium (VRP) strategy of writing options. One aspect of such a strategy involves writing put options. Writing puts with strike prices below current market prices lets VRP investors make money up front—and also limits their potential losses, since the stock prices must drop below the strike prices before the option writer must pay for an option holder's shares. Ge demonstrates that portfolios using this strategy can perform well over the long term and would have lost far less than a pure stock portfolio during the financial crises between 1998 and 2011. Therefore, investors may wish to consider adopting such a strategy to protect themselves from losses. TOPICS: Analysis of individual factors/risk premia, financial crises and financial market history, performance measurement


We report a case of giant advanced breast cancer with skin ulceration and bleeding (T4cN3M0, Stage IIIC) in which a significant QOL improvement was achieved with epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (EC) followed by weekly paclitaxel. A 63- year-old postmenopausal woman presented in May 2008 with a giant ulcerated right breast tumor and extensive erythema of the involved skin. She had discovered the tumor the previous year, but had not sought medical advice or treatment. A core needle biopsy of the breast mass led to a diagnosis of an invasive ductal carcinoma negative for estrogen receptor, progester-one receptor, and HER2/neu protein expression. She received q3w 4 cycles of EC(E: 60 mg/m(2), C: 600 mg/m(2))and 12 cycles of weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m(2)). Upon completion of this chemotherapy, the breast tumor and skin erythema had nearly disappeared. A mastectomy was then performed with partial resection of the muscle and axillary lymph node dissection. Pathological examination showed only focal residual tumor cells and complete disappearance of cancer cells in the lymph nodes (Grade 2). EC followed by weekly paclitaxel therapy was effective for the locally advanced ulcerative breast tumor, and significantly improved QOL in this patient with Stage III C advanced breast cancer.


Arthur Greenhall was born on 6 August 1911 in New York City. From an early age he was attracted to animals and kept many of them as pets, especially snakes. After leaving high school in 1930 he entered the University of Michigan and graduated with a B.A. in 1934 and an M.S. in 1935. During this time he spent his summers in the Caribbean collecting animals and doing studies relevant to his course at the university. In 1932 while on board a vessel off the coast of Cuba, Arthur first heard about Trinidad when he met a gentleman by the name of Sullivan Dillon who was from Tobago. Sullivan's lively enthusiasm about Trinidad, its varied wildlife habitats, and profusion of flora and fauna, impressed Arthur. Hence the seeds were planted in Arthur's mind for Trinidad being a possible site for future collections and study.


Abstract : In support of future NASA asteroid sample return missions, this thesis examines strategies to reduce the number of feasible asteroid targets. Reachable sets are defined in a reduced classical orbital element space. The boundary of this reduced space is obtained by extremizing a family of convex combinations of orbital elements. The resulting group of optimization problems is solved using a direct collocation pseudospectral technique by a MATLAB application package called DIDO. The reachable sets are examined to narrow the possible valid asteroid choices in order to aid in mission design and analysis of alternative targets. A solar electric propulsion system is modeled with the stay times at each asteroid, Earth departure, and Earth arrival hyperbolic excess velocities implemented as constrained optimization parameters.


We address the problem of grasping everyday objects that are small relative to an anthropomorphic hand, such as pens, screwdrivers, cellphones, and hammers from their natural poses on a support surface, e.g., a table top. In such conditions, state of the art grasp generation techniques fail to provide robust, achievable solutions due to either ignoring or trying to avoid contact with the support surface. In contrast, we show that contact with support surfaces is critical for grasping small objects. This also conforms with our anecdotal observations of human grasping behaviors. We develop a simple closed-loop hybrid controller that mimics this interactive, contact-rich strategy by a position-force, pre-grasp and landing strategy for finger placement. The approach uses a compliant control of the hand during the grasp and release of objects in order to preserve safety. We conducted extensive grasping experiments on a variety of small objects with similar shape and size. The results demonstrate that our approach is robust to localization uncertainties and applies to many everyday objects.


Six hydraulic shearing experiments have been conducted in the framework of the In-situ Stimulation and Circulation experiment within a decameter-scale crystalline rock volume at the Grimsel Test Site, Switzerland. During each experiment fractures associated with one out of two shear zone types were hydraulically reactivated. The two shear zone types differ in terms of tectonic genesis and architecture. An extensive monitoring system of sensors recording seismicity, pressure and strain was spatially distributed in 11 boreholes around the injection locations. As a result of the stimulation, the near-wellbore transmissivity increased up to 3 orders in magnitude. With one exception, jacking pressures were unchanged by the stimulations. Transmissivity change, jacking pressure and seismic activity were different for the two shear zone types, suggesting that the shear zone architectures govern the seismo-hydromechanical response. The elevated fracture fluid pressures associated with the stimulations propagated mostly along the stimulated shear zones. The absence of high-pressure signals away from the injection point for most experiments (except two out of six experiments) is interpreted as channelized flow within the shear zones. The observed deformation field within 15–20 m from the injection point is characterized by variable extensional and compressive strain produced by fracture normal opening and/or slip dislocation, as well as stress redistribution related to these processes. At greater distance from the injection location, strain measurements indicate a volumetric compressive zone, in which strain magnitudes decrease with increasing distance. These compressive strain signals are interpreted as a poro-elastic far-field response to the emplacement of fluid volume around the injection interval. Our hydromechanical data reveal that the overall stimulation effected volume is significantly larger than implied by the seismicity cloud and can be subdivided into a primary stimulated and secondary effected zone.


Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a promising approach to improve cardiac function in children in heart failure with cardiomyopathy. Cardiac timing measures in pediatrics are typically based on age and heart rate. However, pediatric CRT studies to date have used adult based timing cutoff values. We investigated the applicability of using these adult standards in pediatric patients with normal hearts. Methods: We studied 88 outpatients referred for cardiac evaluation who had a normal cardiac evaluation. Subjects had 12 lead EKG and normal echocardiogram. Patients with known heart disease or abnormal rhythms were excluded. 2D echo and Doppler including color tissue Doppler imaging (TDI, Vivid 7 GE Ultrasound, Norway) were obtained. TDI was performed on three standard apical views (four chamber, two chamber, and long axis). Longitudinal dyssynchrony was determined from (1) Yu index – standard deviation of differences in timing of peak TDI velocity of all 12 basal and mid LV wall segments, adult cutoff >32 ms and (2) opposing wall difference (OWD) in timing of peak TDI velocity of 12 LV wall segments, adult cutoff >65 ms. Radial dyssynchrony was determined from differences in timing of peak radial strain between anterior‐septal and posterior LV segments from speckle tracking of 2D LV views, adult cutoff >130 ms. Results: Median age was 11.5 years; median heart rate was 74.5. Longitudinal dyssynchrony was present in 40% of normals based on Yu index, and in 43% based on OWD. No child had Radial dyssynchrony. Conclusions: This pilot study of children with normal hearts suggests that current adult CRT dyssynchrony cutoff values are inappropriate in the pediatric population. (Echocardiography 2011;28:468‐474)


In this paper, we present a multi-view facial expression classification system. The system utilizes local features extracted around automatically located facial landmarks using pose-dependent active appearance models. A pose-dependent ensemble of support vector machine classifiers assigns the given sample to one of the six basic expression classes. Extensive experiments have been conducted on the BU-3DFE database, comparing normalized landmark coordinates, discrete cosine transform, local binary patterns, and scale invariant feature transform based features, as well as combinations of shape and appearance features for classification. We evaluate the influence of AAM fitting errors, F-score feature selection, and expression intensity levels on classification accuracy. Features selected from a combination of normalized landmark coordinates and DCT-based features lead to a correct classification rate of 74.1%, outperforming automatic state-of-the-art multi-view expression recognition systems.


The effect of calipsol and thiopental (the most frequent drugs used for basis anesthesia), as well as their combinations with narcotic analgesics fentanyl, morphine, promedole and a neuroleptic droperidol on the level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in patients with colonic cancer has been studied. A significant effect of anesthetics on CEA level in the postoperative period has been established. The lowest CEA level was observed when calipsol, morphine, and promedole were used as components of narcotic analgesics.


A geoelectrical resistivity exploration approach within the poorly exposed basement complex terrain of Northern parts of Delta State has been carried out. The aim of the survey was to explore the ground water potential of the areas and ascertain the structures that are needed for the occurrence of ground water. Three (3) vertical electrical sounding located at Agbor, Issele-Mkpitime and Ogwashi-Uku were conducted using the Schlumberger electrode configuration while the true depths and resistivity values were also determined by curve matching and iterative processing techniques. Five geoelectrical layers charactrerized Agbor VES 2 sounding and it comprises topsoil/laterite, sand, sandy clay, sandstone coarse and sand. Similarly, five layers also characterized Issele-Mkipitime VES 3 and the probable rock formation ranges from topsoil/laterite to sand (aquiferous) while four geoelectric layers characterized the Ugwashi-Uku VES 5 sounding comprising topsoil/laterite, wet clay, shale and coarse sand with water. Journal of the Nigerian Association of Mathematical Physics , Volume 19 (November, 2011), pp 315 – 320


This paper investigates the effect of electrode positioning errors on the inverted pseudosection. Instead of random spacing errors (as usually assumed in geoelectrics) we exactly measured this effect among field conditions. In the field, in spite of the greatest possible care, the electrode positions contain some inaccuracy: either in case of dense undergrowth, or varied topography, or very rocky field. In all these cases, it is not possible to put the electrodes in their theoretical position. As a consequence, the position data will contain some error. The inaccuracies were exactly determined by using a laser distance meter. The geometrical data from real field conditions and by using Wenner-α, Wenner-β, pole-dipole and pole-pole arrays were then considered over homogeneous half space.As we have found, the positioning errors can be regarded as insignificant, even in case of relatively uncomfortable field conditions. However, in case of very rocky surface the distortions are more significant, but it is still possible to make some corrections: either by neglecting a few electrode positions with the greatest positioning error, or to minimize the inline errors, even on the price that offline deviations are high.


chemists. Commenting on the new material in the second edition (2E), which was published in 1991, Blackwood (1994) noted the predominance of citations from the chemometrics literature and commented that "references from other statistical sources are sparse." Chemometrics had certainly arrived in a big way by 1991, and there had not been much impact from the statistical community. If the methodology has not developed greatly through the 1990s, then the applications certainly have blossomed. (See the Journal of Chemometrics or Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, which have a lot of papers that would work perfectly well in the pages of Technometrics.) Blackwood (1994) noted in his review of the 2E that "The mathematical and statistical theory behind factor analysis is generally well presented, but it is in the practice and application areas that the book does best" (p. 115). In the Preface, the author notes that "the introductory chapters, 1 through 5, remain unchanged" (p. ix). Why mess with a proven product? Blackwood (1994) did comment that "the book is not an easy read," and "it requires a good deal of mathematical understanding to get through." See the review for a complete summary of the 2E. The remainder of the book has been revised considerably. Chapter 6, formerly "Spectral Methods of Factor Analysis," has been reorganized and retitled as "Evolutionary Methods." It focuses on self-modeling methods and rank-annihilation factor analysis. This chapter is followed by additional material from the former Chapter 6 that has been expanded into two new chapters, "Multimode Analysis" and "Partial Least-Squares Regression." All statisticians are quite familiar with the latter methodology, if not with some of the advanced realizations in chemistry, such as multiblock PLS, serial PLS, and multilinear PLS, that are described in this chapter. The chapter on multimode analysis carries the factor analysis tools into the arena of multiway arrays. This chapter deals with three-dimensional rank-annihilation factor analysis, simultaneous analysis, three-mode factor analysis, and PARAFAC (parallel factor analysis). The four application chapters that conclude the book continue to bear the same titles as before, but they have all been updated to incorporate the latest advances in a wide variety of disciplines where various factor analysis methodologies have been applied. Three of the chapters are focused strictly within the realm of chemistry, whereas the Ž nal chapter broadens the spectrum to incorporate examples from related sciences, speciŽ cally biomedical, fuels, environmental, and food science applications. Despite the vast computational complexity of many of the methods in the book, the author continues to make no attempt to integrate statistical software into the text. There is an appendix that discusses the Toolbox for Chemical Factor Analysis, a suite of Matlab which the author apparently wrote. However, no CD-ROM is included. These programs need to be purchased. Another appendix provides the actual Matlab code for three of the programs, which are like subroutines in FORTRAN in that they need to be strung together to create a factor analysis program. There is no reference to software packages from Umetrics or other companies whose software can carry out many of the analyses in the book.


1. Nitrogen-containing nutrients have long been considered a frequently limiting resource to the growth of herbivore populations (nitrogen limitation hypothesis). To explore this hypothesis, we examined the relationships between availability of essential amino acids and concentrations of phenolics in the diets of hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) in central Oklahoma and the intrinsic characteristics of their non-cyclic populations. We posited that lower quality proteins (i.e. essential amino acid composition) and elevated phenolic levels (protein digestion inhibitors) in diets of cotton rats from low- compared to high-density populations, especially during the breeding season, would be supportive of the nitrogen limitation hypothesis. Replicated low- and high-density populations were censused by live-trapping at 3-month intervals. Samples of stomach digesta were collected from cotton rats in similar habitats adjacent to trapping grids to determine the botanical and nutrient composition of their diets.

2. During the breeding season, concentrations of essential amino acids were as much as 43% greater in diets of cotton rats from high-density populations. Dicots, typically higher in protein than monocots, were an important component of diets and were preferred forage in all seasonal collections. Seeds and arthropods were frequently utilized by cotton rats as additional high-quality sources of essential amino acids. Concentrations of total phenolics in the diet (greater in diets from low-density populations) were consistent with the nitrogen limitation hypothesis.

3. Density was consistently higher in the high-density populations throughout the study. Other demographic and body condition parameters were similar between low- and high-density populations in the non-breeding season, but reproductive activity was greater in high-density populations during the breeding season. Total number of juveniles recruited into the trappable population over the entire study was about five times greater in high- compared to low-density populations.

4. Our data did not refute the nitrogen limitation hypothesis where levels of essential amino acids and phenolic compounds in the diet during the breeding season may determine annual peak densities of cotton rats that can be supported in their habitat. However, we could not rule out the involvement of other environmental variables such as overhead cover (as well as other unmeasured variables) as contributing factors to determining annual peak densities.


A highly modular approach to N-substituted 4-(1-fluorovinyl)triazoles is described. In situ desilylation and Cu-catalyzed ligation reaction of TMS-protected α-fluoropropargyl benzothiazole sulfone with aryl, alkyl, and metallocenyl azides furnished second-generation Julia-Kocienski reagents in good to excellent yields. Condensation reactions of these reagents with aldehydes can be tuned to yield E or Z-alkenes selectively. Under mild conditions with DBU as the base, reactions of aldehydes furnished E-alkenes as the major isomer. On the other hand, in condensation reactions with LHMDS as the base and in appropriate solvents, both aldehydes and ketones reacted to yield fluoroalkenes with Z-selectivity. Stereochemical assignment of E/Z olefins obtained in the reaction of a ketone with two Julia reagents was performed via X-ray crystallographic analysis and comparisons of NMR data. The method allows efficient and ready diversification of the N1-substituent and substituents at the double bond.


This article deals with the thought of Barbara Wilkerson that discusses the religious education in the context of the multiple culture. The writer argues that Wilkerson's theory can give contribution to develop the religious education of the multiple culture in Indonesian context. It is important to be noted that Wilkerson does not answer directly to the problems of the multiple culture in Indonesia context. The writer also discusses critically Wilkerson's theory, especially when such a theory is applied in Indonesian context.


Abstract Interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) plays a vital role in cell proliferation and cell differentiation by acting as a tumor suppressor gene and its role is linked to various types of cancers, including leukemia and pre-leukemia myelodysplasia. Mutations in the coding region of the IRF-1 are likely to influence the IRF-1 and its DNA binding affinity. The molecular mechanism of the DNA recognition with the IRF-1 protein upon mutations is still unknown. In this study, we have elucidated the structural and functional behavior of the wild-type and mutant (K75E and E222K) IRF-1 proteins and their corresponding molecular mechanisms with DNA recognition at the molecular level, using molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, we also applied the docking approach to examine the binding between the IRF-1 protein and DNA upon mutations. This study evidently explains that, due to mutations, the IRF-1 structure loses its stability and becomes more flexible than the wild-type protein. This structural loss might affect IRF-1-DNA interaction and lead to the inhibition of cancer suppression. Identifying the effects of IRF-1 at the molecular level will be beneficial for designing drugs for IRF-1 associated cancers. These drugs should be designed so that they can help reactivate the IRF-1 function, by increasing the transcriptional activity, to treat leukemia. Graphical Abstract Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma


We present a text-based framework for investigating moral sentiment change of the public via longitudinal corpora. Our framework is based on the premise that language use can inform people's moral perception toward right or wrong, and we build our methodology by exploring moral biases learned from diachronic word embeddings. We demonstrate how a parameter-free model supports inference of historical shifts in moral sentiment toward concepts such as slavery and democracy over centuries at three incremental levels: moral relevance, moral polarity, and fine-grained moral dimensions. We apply this methodology to visualizing moral time courses of individual concepts and analyzing the relations between psycholinguistic variables and rates of moral sentiment change at scale. Our work offers opportunities for applying natural language processing toward characterizing moral sentiment change in society.


The residents of Mexico City face serious problems of air pollution. Identifying the most representative scenarios for the transport and dispersion of air pollutants requires the knowledge of the main wind circulation patterns. In this paper, a simple method to recognize and characterize the wind circulation patterns in a given region is proposed and applied to the Mexico City winds (2001–2006). This method uses a lattice wind approach to model the local wind events at the meso-β scale, and hierarchical cluster analysis to recognize their agglomerations in their phase space. Data of the meteorological network of Mexico City was used as input for the lattice wind model. The Ward's clustering algorithm with Euclidean distance was applied to organize the model wind events in seasonal clusters for each year of the period. Comparison of the hourly population trends of these clusters permitted the recognition and detailed description of seven circulation patterns. These patterns resemble the qualitative descriptions of the Mexico City wind circulation modes reported by other authors. Our method, however, permitted also their quantitative characterization in terms of the wind attributes of velocity, divergence and vorticity, and an estimation of their seasonal and annual occurrence probabilities, which never before were quantified.


Abstract Diehl, TL, Yu, JN, Storer, FM, and Malek, MH. Listening to music pretask on neuromuscular fatigue during exercise: preferred vs. nonpreferred music. J Strength Cond Res 37(7): 1537–1542, 2023—Studies indicate that listening to music can elicit various physiological responses ranging from distracting the subject from the sensation of fatigue to changes in specific regions of the brain. Indeed, the use of music, as an ergogenic aid, to improve human performance has been shown to be a powerful tool. Many studies on the effect of music on human performance have had subjects listen to music in-task (i.e., during the activity). There is, however, a growing interest to determine the role of listening to music pretask (i.e., before the activity) on exercise outcomes. In addition, it is important to consider the subject's music preference as that may influence the target outcome variable(s). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether listening to preferred music pretask influences the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWCFT). We hypothesized that listening to preferred music pretask will increase the estimated PWCFT compared with the control condition, which is listening to nonpreferred music. Nine healthy college-aged men (mean ± SEM: age, 23.4 ± 0.4 years; body mass, 71.6 ± 2.5 kg; and height, 1.81 ± 0.02 m) volunteered for this study. Each subject visited the laboratory on 2 occasions separated by 7 days. In a randomized manner, subjects listened to their preferred music for 30 minutes before the exercise test for 1 visit, whereas for the other visit, subjects listened to their nonpreferred music 30 minutes before the exercise test. Exercise outcomes were recorded for both visits and analyzed using a paired-samples t test. The results indicated no significant (p > 0.05) mean differences for maximal power output (mean ± SEM: 60 ± 4 W vs. 60 ± 4 W), PWCFT (25 ± 3 W vs. 29 ± 2 W), or heart rate at end exercise (153 ± 8 b·min−1 vs. 155 ± 7 b·min−1) between listening to nonpreferred vs. preferred music 30 minutes before the exercise activity. These findings suggest that listening to music pretask does not influence neuromuscular fatigue during the exercise workbout.


Heretofore, tunable waveguide filters have consisted of cavities connected with quarter-wavelength coupling lines and tuned by means of a lumped reactance in the cavity. Such filters exhibit asymmetrical frequency response and a bandwidth proportional to the cube of frequency when tuned. A different method of tuning is to maintain constant guide wavelength as the filter is tuned. A filter so tuned will exhibit symmetrical pass-band response and essentially constant bandwidth. Various methods of varying guide wavelength are investigated, including (1) changing the guide width, (2) inserting a dielectric strip in the broad face of the guide, and (3) inserting a metal strip in the broad face of the guide. Measurements on a three-section filter tuned by a dielectric strip show that almost constant bandwidth with a straight-line frequency tuning curve can be obtained over at least a 12 per cent frequency range.


DNA barcoding has been touted as a program that will efficiently and relatively cheaply inform on biological diversity; yet many exemplars purporting to demonstrate the efficacy of the method have been undertaken by its principal proponents. Critics of DNA barcoding identify insufficient within‐taxon sampling coupled with the knowledge that levels of haplotypic paraphyly are rather high as key reasons to be sceptical of the value of an exclusively DNA‐based taxonomic. Here I applied a DNA barcoding approach using mtDNA sequences from the cytochrome oxidase I gene to examine diversity in a group of endemic New Zealand grasshoppers belonging to the genus Sigaus. The mtDNA data revealed high genetic distances among individuals of a single morpho‐species, but this diversity was geographically partitioned. Phylogenetic analysis supported at least four haplogroups within one species (Sigaus australis) but paraphyly of this species with respect to several others. In some instances two morphologically and ecologically distinct species shared identical mtDNA haplotypes. The mismatch of genealogy and taxonomy revealed in the Sigaus australis complex indicates that, if used in isolation, DNA barcoding data can be highly misleading about biodiversity. Furthermore, failure to take into account evidence from natural history and morphology when utilizing DNA barcoding will tend to conceal the underlying evolutionary processes associated with speciation.


The use of FT-IR gas-phase difference spectroscopy for the determination of isotopically labeled species in the study of catalytic reaction mechanisms is illustrated. Applications are based on the study of the mechanism of oxidative coupling of methane over oxide catalysts and include determinations of: (1) deuterated and partially deuterated ethylenes and ethanes from experiments with 2H labeling of the methane; (2) 18O contents of CO and CO2 from experiments with 18O labeling of O2, CO, and CO2; (3) 13C/12C ratios in hydrocarbons and carbon oxides from experiments with 13C labeling of C2 hydrocarbons. The major limitation of the technique is in regions of strong absorption where nonlinear effects make subtraction difficult; however, this limitation could be alleviated by judicious choice of pathlength. This technique is a powerful supplement to measurements based on mass spectrometry.


Development in Indonesia still ignores environmental sustainability, development that is expected to provide benefits turns out to have risks from its implementation. Indeed, development has a close relationship with the environment. When development cannot pay attention to environmental sustainability, the environment is not only damaged but can eventually become extinct. Efforts that can be made in the implementation of the Sustainble Development Goals and environmentally sound infrastructure development in Indonesia include the enforcement of environmental laws, examination and supervision, the role of society, and the need for a triangle of partnerships between governments, businesses and civil society in a relationship of equality without neglecting the laws of economics, ecology and civilization. By prioritizing the development of environmentally friendly forms of development from the "green construction" plan, the role of the government can reduce negative environmental impacts. A lot of infrastructure construction can cause environmental damage. Therefore, every planning, management, and supervision activity is indispensable at all these stages and the impact of infrastructure development on the environment must support the development of environmentally sound infrastructure in the perspective of Sustainble Development Goals with the aim of maintaining a good environment.


With the onset of solar maximum and the expected increased prevalence of interplanetary shock waves, Parker Solar Probe is likely to observe numerous shocks in the next few years. An outstanding question that has received surprisingly little attention has been how turbulence interacts with collisionless shock waves. Turbulence in the supersonic solar wind is described frequently as a superposition of a majority 2D and a minority slab component. We formulate a collisional perpendicular shock-turbulence transmission problem in a way that enables investigation of the interaction and transmission of quasi-perpendicular fluctuations such as magnetic flux ropes/islands and vortices as well as entropy and acoustic modes in the large plasma beta regime. We focus on the transmission of an upstream spectrum of these modes, finding that the downstream spectral amplitude is typically increased significantly (a factor of 10 or more), and that the upstream spectral index of the inertial range, and indeed the general spectral shape, is unchanged for the downstream magnetic variance, kinetic energy, and density variance. A comparison of the theoretically predicted downstream magnetic variance, kinetic energy, and density variance spectra with those observed at 1, 5, and 84 au by Wind, Ulysses, and Voyager 2 shows excellent agreement. The overall theoretically predicted characteristics of the transmission of turbulence across shocks observed in the solar wind appear to be largely consistent with recent observational studies by Pitňa et al. and Borovsky.


The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU structures creates a new chapter in the history of the European integration. For the first time, after several decades of steady and secure functioning of the EU, a split occurs. Lofty ideas about creation of strong, coherent, wealthier and safer Europe lose in the competition with economic indicators and the national interest of the United Kingdom.
Brexit is an expression of the negative evaluation of the EU functioning by the British society. This opinion is grounded in difficulties of the EU with solving current economic, social and political problems of contemporary Europe, as well as in decreased cooperation among member states. The following most important reasons for Brexit should be mentioned: the uncontrolled inflow of immigrants, increased terror threat, loss of economic independence and national identity. It is also worth noticing the successful actions of right-wing politicians who used the situation to build their own vision of the state.
Consequences of Brexit shall affect both the United Kingdom and the EU member states but also non-EU countries. They shall have political, economic and social dimensions. However, at the current stage of the negotiations, it is difficult to predict all effects of the decisions taken. According to analysts, the UK shall incur financial losses, competitiveness of economy will decline, GDP will go down, political relations with neighbour states will deteriorate.
Brexit shall affect particularly these states which are close trade partners of the United Kingdom. Loss of the UK as one of the economic pillars of the EU shall influence the economic situation of the entire European Union. Brexit is also a crack in the EU image as an organization cherishing the values of solidarity and humanism. Individual interests of particular member states can be a contagious example.


ABSTRACT While the social cost of problematic alcohol use has been examined, limited information exists on the private cost incurred by consumers. Using Icelandic panel data and the compensating income variation (CIV) method we estimate this individual private cost. We examine results using different measures of problematic alcohol use, two non-linear functional forms for income, and two utility proxies. We estimate the yearly individual cost, or CIV, to be 4–62 thousand USD. These estimates are considerably higher if not adjusted for income endogeneity. Results suggest that the CIV method is highly sensitive to model specifications in two areas: (i) The modelling of income; log-transformation contrasted with a piecewise-linear form shows that high-income groups affect full sample CIVs substantially, highlighting differences between mean and median value-estimates. This raises ethical questions on the trade-off between utilitarian policies based on means and largely driven by high-income groups, versus policies guided by median values that benefit most individuals. (ii) The choice of utility proxy; the CIV using happiness is substantially higher than that obtained using life satisfaction. This highlights the need for policy makers to consider whether their objectives should focus on cognitive measures of subjective well-being or affective measures.


In recent years, there has been a worldwide interest in improvement of mobility of people with lower limb amputation. In spite of significant development of new technologies during the last decade, commercial below-knee and above-knee prostheses are still energetically passive devices. However, many locomotive functions, like walking up stairs and slopes, need significant power in knee and ankle joints. The additional power for doing previously mentioned activities needs to be achieved by means of external energy sources, which should be integral prosthetic components. This paper presents preliminary investigations towards an active robotic prosthesis that could potentially enable people with an above- or below-knee amputation to perform different types of motions that require power in lower limb joints. Our initial prototype, SmartLeg, integrates advanced prosthetic and robotic technology with the state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms capable of adapting the working of the prosthesis to the optimal gait and power consumption patterns, and which therefore provide means to customize the device to a particular user.


We choose prosthetic or bioprosthetic valves according to AHA/ACC guidelines in valve replacement. It is important to remove only the calcification and avoid over-resection to preserve the valve annulus during aortic valve replacement. We leave posterior leaflet as well as basal chordae in mitral valve replacement in case of large mitral annulus. Sutures should be tied-down after those on both adjacent sides are pulled up and the sawing cuff and annulus are firmly attached. Intra-operative transesophageal echocardiography is useful for detecting a stack valve, perivalvular leakage and remnant air in the cardiac chambers. We performed 53 cases of valve replacement in 2009. One patient (1.9%) died because of ventricular arrhythmia during hospital stay. Re-operation was required in 2 cases (3.8%) of infective endocarditis due to prosthetic valve endocarditis. No other major complication was observed.


The YBa2Cu3O7−y superconducting system at variable O deficiency (0.05 < y < 0.85), prepared by means of the gettered annealing technique, has been investigated by IR absorption in the 3000–400-cm−1 spectral range. The phase transition between the tetragonal and the orthorhombic structures that occurs in the narrow range of O deficiency between y = 0.69 and y = 0.80 is accompanied by a dramatic change of the IR phonon spectra. Because the formation of the 60-K superconducting plateau occurs at y = 0.5, the phase transition does not have any correlation with the onset of superconductivity. A strong band at 591 cm−1 in the tetragonal phase, which vanishes after the occurrence of the phase transition, is assigned to a defect-induced transition at k ≠ 0, marking the phonon density-of-states profile of the Cu(1)–O(1) and Cu(1)–O(5) stretching modes. The nature of the defects is related to the disordered arrangement of the O(1) and O(5) atoms situated between the Ba planes. The 640-cm−1 band of the orthorhombic phase is assigned to the k = 0 Cu(1)–O(1) IR stretching mode. A new IR phonon mode at 573 cm−1 (for y ≤ 0.38) is tentatively assigned to the Cu–O axial antisymmetric stretching mode.


This paper will discuss how plasma science issues are addressed by the diagnostics for the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), the newest large-scale machine in the magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) program. The development of new schemes for plasma confinement involves the interplay of experimental results and theoretical interpretations. A fundamental requirement, for example, is a determination of the equilibria for these configurations. For MCF, this is well established in the solutions of the Grad-Shafranov equation. While it is simple to state its basis in the balance between the kinetic and magnetic pressures, what they are as functions of space and time are often not easy to obtain. Quantities like the plasma pressure and current density are not directly measurable. They are derived from data that are themselves complex products of more basic parameters. The same difficulties apply to the understanding of plasma instabilities. Not only are the needs for spatial and temporal resolution more stringent, but the wave parameters which characterize the instabilities are difficult to resolve. We will show how solutions to the problems of diagnostic design on NSTX, and the physics insight the data analysis provides, benefits both NSTX and the broader scientific community.


This paper explores the controversial concept of participation in the ecology of contemporary commercial social networking media. It begins by investigating a number of contemporary theories related to social networking media in order to bring forth the assumptions that underline current research. The concept of participation, regardless of the epistemological and the ontological assumptions of the research surveyed, is generally accepted as the necessary pre-condition for the sustainability of social networking media. Specifically, studies from economic, social, cultural, and political perspectives make use of the concept of participation to make sense of the current usage of social networks. However, there is no agreed upon definition of participation across such studies, and in some among the most notable cases, the definitions are either unsubstantiated, reductionist, and/or deterministic. This presents an impediment in furthering the understanding of the role of social networking media in contemporary societies and further fragments the understanding and analysis of the phenomenon. This paper argues that participation is a concept that cannot be understood without a multi-disciplinary approach that takes into consideration and embraces the inherent controversies of participation. By critically analysing a multitude of perspectives on participation, and drawing upon secondary empirical evidence regarding political cases, grassroots campaigns, and business-related issues, this critical survey attempts to develop a balanced definition of participation that can be used as a sensitizing device across different disciplines.


For the realistic simulation of condensation induced water hammer (CIWH) in horizontal pipes resulting from the contact of steam at sub-cooled water, an appropriate model for the mass and energy transfer due to phase change is needed. For this purpose the tripartite mass transfer (TMT) model has been developed that is introduced in the present paper. The TMT model is based on the assumption of isentropic processes and accounts for vaporization due to flashing, condensation due to isentropic decompression (homogenous condensation) and direct contact condensation at the phase interface. The TMT model shall be considered as a frame for sub-models which may be arranged for the three above-mentioned phase change phenomena. The TMT model has been implemented in the one-dimensional two-phase pressure surge code DYVRO mod 3. A verification and validation procedure was performed based on experiments at test facilities in Oberhausen (PPP), Rossendorf (CWHTF) and Budapest (PMK-2).


benefits of minimally invasive endoscopic thyroidectomy? World J Surg. 2004;28:1075–1078. 16. Fan Y, Guo B, Guo S, et al. Minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy: experience of 300 cases. Surg Endosc. 2010; 24:2393–2400. 17. Park YL, Han WK, Bae WG. 100 cases of endoscopic thyroidectomy: breast approach. Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2003;13:20–25. 18. Harold KL, Pollinger H, Matthews BD, et al. Comparison of ultrasonic energy, bipolar thermal energy, and vascular clips for the hemostasis of small-, medium-, and large-sized arteries. Surg Endosc. 2003;17:1228–1230. 19. Owaki T, Nakano S, ArimuraK, et al. The ultrasonic coagulating and cutting system injures nerve function. Endoscopy. 2002;34:575–579. 20. Shan CX, Zhang W, Jiang DZ, et al. Prevalence, risk factors, and management of seroma formation after breast approach endoscopic thyroidectomy. World J Surg. 2010;34:1817–1822.


Summary Lemur social systems have the striking social feature, that adult females consistently evoke submissive behaviour of adult males. In the Alaotran gentle lemur, Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis , however, female dominance has not been studied yet. Here we cone rm female dominance over males on the basis of a 5-month e eld study of the social behaviour of four groups, in the Lake Alaotra marshland of eastern Madagascar. Further, we found that dominant individuals initiated aggressive interactions signie cantly more often than lowerranking ones, they initiatedgroup movements more often and higher-ranking individuals were groomed more often. The spatial cone guration was remarkable, since individuals were closer in space to those more distant in rank.


A new high performance sensorless speed vector controller that implements the maximum torque per ampere control strategy for the inverter driven synchronous reluctance machine is presented in this paper. It is based on a parameter dependent technique for on-line estimation of rotor position and angular velocity at the control rate. The current ripple principle is used to estimate position. The estimates are fed to a conventional closed-loop observer to predict the new position and angular velocity. The very high accuracy of the sensorless control algorithm at both low and high speeds is confirmed by experimental results.


ProRoot Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) has been indicated as a pulp capping material. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of tooth-colored (white) MTA on pulp cell apoptosis and cell cycle. Mouse odontoblast-like cells (MDPC-23) and undifferentiated pulp cells (OD-21) were exposed to 0 to 100 mg MTA for 24 h. Propidium iodide staining followed by flow cytometry demonstrated that MTA did not induce apoptosis of MDPC-23 or OD-21 (p > 0.05). Cell cycle analysis showed that MTA induced a modest (but significant) increase in the percentage of MDPC-23 in the S and G2 phases, and OD-21 in the S phase of cell cycle, as compared to untreated controls (p </= 0.05). In conclusion, MTA induced proliferation, and not apoptosis, of pulp cells in vitro. These findings suggest a potential mechanism to explain the regenerative effect observed in the dentin-pulp complex when MTA was used for direct pulp capping.


Multiple new subtypes of breast cancer (BRCA) are identified in women each year, rendering BRCA the most common and rapidly expanding form of cancer in females globally. NUF2 has been identified as a prognostic factor in various human cancers, regulating cell apoptosis and proliferation. However, its role in BRCA prognosis has not been clarified. This study explored the role of NUF2 in breast cancer development and prognosis using informatic analysis combined with in vivo intracellular studies. Through the online website TIMER, we evaluated the transcription profile of NUF2 across a variety of different cancer types and found that NUF2 mRNA was highly expressed in BRCA patients. Its transcription level was found to be related to the subtype, pathological stage, and prognosis of BRCA. The R program analysis showed a correlation of NUF2 with cell proliferation and tumor stemness in the BRCA patient samples. Subsequently, the association between the NUF2 expression level and immune cell infiltration was analyzed using the XIANTAO and TIMER tools. The results revealed that NUF2 expression was correlated with the responses of multiple immune cells. Furthermore, we observed the effect of NUF2 expression on tumor stemness in BRCA cell lines in vivo. The experimental results illuminated that the overexpression of NUF2 statistically upregulated the proliferation and tumor stemness ability of the BRCA cell lines MCF-7 and Hs-578T. Meanwhile, the knockdown of NUF2 inhibited the abilities of both cell lines, a finding which was verified by analyzing the subcutaneous tumorigenic ability in nude mice. In summary, this study suggests that NUF2 may play a key role in the development and progression of BRCA by affecting tumor stemness. As a stemness indicator, it has the potential to be one of the markers for the diagnosis of BRCA.


Stochastic behavior of an instrument is often analyzed by constructing the Allan (or wavelet) variance signatures from an error signal. For inertial sensors, such a signature is conveniently obtained by recording data at rest. The analysis of this signal will result in noise-parameters adequate to such situation. Nonetheless, the value of the noise parameters may change under dynamics or other kind of external influences like for instance the temperature. In this research we study first the influence of the rotational dynamics on the signal of MEMS gyroscopes and then we show how to link this property to the noise-parameter estimation in a rigorous way by a modified version of the Generalized Method of Wavelet Moments (GMWM) estimator. The results of such analysis can then for instance be used in a Kalman filter, where the noise parameters are adapted according to such predetermined functional relationship between sensor noise and the encountered dynamics of the platform/sensor.


We have studied the low-frequency noise characterizations in 28-nm high-k (HK) pMOSFET with embedded SiGe source/drain (S/D) through noise and random telegraph noise measurements simultaneously. It is found that uniaxial compressive strain really existed in HK pMOSFET with embedded SiGe S/D. The compressive strain induced the decrease in the tunneling attenuation length reflecting in the oxide trap depth from Si/SiO2 interface to the HK layer, so that the oxide traps at a distance from insulator/semiconductor interface cannot capture carrier in the channel. Consequently, lower noise level in HK pMOSFET with embedded SiGe S/D is observed, thanks to the less carrier fluctuations from trapping/detrapping behaviors. This result represents an intrinsic benefit of HK pMOSFET using embedded SiGe S/D in low-frequency noise characteristics.


The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) helicase, composed of subunits Mcm2–7, is essential for the initiation and elongation phases of DNA replication. Even when DNA synthesis is blocked, MCM continues DNA unwinding to some extent for activation of the replication checkpoint and then stops. However, the mechanism of regulation of MCM-helicase activity remains unknown. Here, we show that truncation of the Mcm4 C-terminal domain (CTD) in fission yeast results in hypersensitivity to replication block caused by dNTP depletion. The truncation mcm4-c84 does not affect the activation of the replication checkpoint pathway but delays its attenuation during recovery from replication block. Two dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that mcm4-c84 delays the disappearance of replication intermediates, indicating that the Mcm4 CTD is required for efficient recovery of stalled replication forks. Remarkably, chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that mcm4-c84 brings about an increase rather than a decrease in the association of the single-stranded DNA-binding protein RPA to stalled forks, and MCM and the accessory complex GINS are unaffected. These results suggest that the Mcm4 CTD is required to suspend MCM-helicase activity after the formation of single-stranded DNA sufficient for checkpoint activation.


The point-source traveltime field has an upwind singularity at the source point. Consequently, all formally high-order, finite-difference eikonal solvers exhibit first-order convergence and relatively large errors. Adaptive upwind finite-difference methods based on high-order Weighted Essentially NonOscillatory (WENO) Runge-Kutta difference schemes for the paraxial eikonal equation overcome this difficulty. The method controls error by automatic grid refinement and coarsening based on a posteriori error estimation. It achieves prescribed accuracy at a far lower cost than does the fixed-grid method. Moreover, the achieved high accuracy of traveltimes yields reliable estimates of auxiliary quantities such as take-off angles and geometric spreading factors.


In this study, an attempt was made to estimate the ground types for Torul, Kürtün, Kelkit, Şiran and Köse districts of Gümüşhane, Turkey, by analyzing the predominant frequency and H/V ratio from microtremor data through the single station microtremor H/V ratio of Nakamura technique. For all districts, predominant frequencies show a general distribution between 1.36 and 9.84 Hz, H/V ratios between 1.01 and 9.58. According to these variations, three transient zones can be suggested as i) Z1, stiff rock composed of gravel, sand and other soils mainly consisting of tertiary or older layers with period of 0.1 to 0.2s, ii) Z2, sandy gravel, stiff sandy clay, loam or sandy alluvial deposits whose depths are 5m or greater with period of 0.2 to 0.4s, and iii) Z3, standard grounds other than type Z1, Z2 or Z4 (alluvial deposits whose depths are 5m or greater) with period of 0.4 to 0.8s. These results s uggest that predominant period obtained from predominant frequency shows significant changes based on the soil formation, and H/V ratio highly corresponds to these subsurface properties. Soil-structure interaction can also be evaluated by considering these results and possible resonance risk can be investigated for building resonant frequency in these residential districts in the next. Thus, this type of application and evaluation of microtremor data may provide primary and useful information for other geophysical, geological and geotechnical studies such as planning the seismic resistant infrastructure, detecting the small-scale seismic risks and making a suitable and reliable seismic hazard microzonation in Gümüşhane. Cite this article as: Öztürk S, Beker Y, Sarı M, Pehlivan L. Estimation of ground types in different districts of Gümüşhane province based on the ambient vibrations H/V measurements. Sigma J Eng Nat Sci 2021;39( 4):371-394. Sigma Journal of Engineering and Natural Sciences Web page info: https://sigma.yildiz.edu.tr DOİ: 10.14744/sigma.2021.00026


In the course of a long-term L-DOPA administration (14 days) and 2 weeks after its cessation the activities of some protein enzymes (aminopeptidase, acid phosphatase), neuromediator (MAO, ACE) and oxidative (glutamate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) metabolism were studied by quantitative cytochemical methods in brain motor structures (sensorimotor cortex, caudate nucleus) and in structures not directly related to motor functions (hippocampus) of rats with high and low motor activity. After L-DOPA (madapar) cessation significant changes were revealed in the formation of motor system of the brain, primarily in the group of rats with low motor activity. It is suggested that a decrease in MAO activity after madapar cessation may be responsible for dyskinesia arising after cessation of L-DOPA preparations treatment.


The need to protect the physical and cultural environment in which we operate is the logical consequence of the dramatic transformations witnessed in recent years due to rapid urban development. This book seeks new ways to understand the natural and historic patrimony, increasing the evidences that we use to define our cultural heritage. The importance of this has been increasing in recent years leading to the creation of legal categories by the European Landscape Convention . In Toledo, as a result of a peculiar historical evolution that has prevented the existence of large urban change until very recently, a number of outstanding cultural landscapes remain to be studied. However, and despite having all kinds of statements of local, national and international protection, an end seems closer than ever due to the approval of a new Municipal Management Plan proposing the construction of new neighbourhoods in places that most assumed were exempt from such Urban development. The opportunity remains to at least document the evolution of Toledo s cultural landscapes that have reached the early twenty-first century and these are studied here using different techniques and approaches, an ambitious research project starting with the Cigarrales, the area currently under greatest threat. This book summarizes archaeological activities carried out within the framework of the project Cultural landscapes of Toledo: The Cigarrales developed between 2010 and 2012 . This monograph is intended as a summary of the work, which provides important research, not only for understanding the Cigarralera area, but all urban landscapes."


Many applications require not only representing variability in software and data, but also computing with it. To do so efficiently requires variational data structures that make the variability explicit in the underlying data and the operations used to manipulate it. Variational data structures have been developed ad hoc for many applications, but there is little general understanding of how to design them or what tradeoffs exist among them. In this paper, we strive for a more systematic exploration and analysis of a variational data structure. We want to know how different design decisions affect the performance and scalability of a variational data structure, and what properties of the underlying data and operation sequences need to be considered. Specifically, we study several alternative designs of a variational stack, a data structure that supports efficiently representing and computing with multiple variants of a plain stack, and that is a common building block in many algorithms. The different variational stacks are presented as a small product line organized by three design decisions. We analyze how these design decisions affect the performance of a variational stack with different usage profiles. Finally, we evaluate how these design decisions affect the performance of the variational stack in a real-world scenario: in the interpreter VarexJ when executing real software containing variability.


The present paper describes a model representation of multi-cyclic phenomena for a multi-cylinder engine system. The model is simplified for implementation as a practical engine controller. The simplified model with physically meaningful variables can be used in design considering practical objectives and constraints more effectively. The proposed approach consists of two steps. First, an approximate analytical discrete crank angle model (i.e., a periodically time-varying state space model) is derived from the conservation laws. Second, the concept of role state variables is proposed to transform the periodically time-varying state space model into a time-invariant state space model. The stabilizability and optimality of the time-invariant state space model imply those of the periodically time-varying state space model. The time-invariant state space model is used to design cold start feedforward and feedback controllers.


Strategies for measuring occupational exposure to aerosols composed of nanoparticles and/or ultrafine particles highlight the use of techniques for determining airborne-particle number concentration as well as number size distribution. The objective of the present work was to set up a system for conducting laboratory verification campaigns of condensation particle counters (CPCs). Providing intercomparison data as well as calibrating and checking CPCs are among the key elements in ensuring reliable laboratory or field measurement campaigns. For this purpose, the reproducible aerosol source "Calibration Tool", initially developed by the Fraunhofer ITEM, was acquired by the Laboratory of Aerosol Metrology at INRS. As a first part of this study, a detailed characterization of the Calibration Tool developed at the laboratory is the subject of the parametric study presented here. The complete installation is named the "DCC" for "Device for Counter Check". Used in combination with a reference counter, the DCC can now be used for routine laboratory measurements. Unlike that used for primary calibration of a CPC, the proposed protocol allows a wide range of number concentrations and particle sizes to be investigated and reproduced. The second part of this work involves comparison of the number concentrations measured by several models of CPC in parallel at the exit of a flow splitter, with respect to a reference.


Genetic and genomic analysis in Drosophila suggests that hematopoietic progenitors likely transition into terminal fates via intermediate progenitors (IPs) with some characteristics of either, but perhaps maintaining IP-specific markers. In the past, IPs have not been directly visualized and investigated due to lack of appropriate genetic tools. Here we report a split-GAL4 construct, CHIZ-GAL4, that identifies IPs as cells physically juxtaposed between true progenitors and differentiating hemocytes. IPs comprise a distinct cell type with a unique cell-cycle profile and they remain multipotent for all blood cell fates. Additionally, through their dynamic control of the Notch ligand, Serrate, IPs specify the fate of direct neighbors. The Ras pathway controls the number of IP cells and promotes their transition into differentiating cells. The split-GAL4 strategy is amenable for adoption in mammalian systems and would be invaluable in assigning trajectories that stem and progenitor populations follow as they develop into mature blood cells.


Data on the ways in which alternative forms of managed care affect the costs, quality, and outcomes of mental health are needed to inform health policy and clinical care decisions. Such evaluations, however, are difficult to implement for conceptual and practical reasons. The definition of managed mental health care is reviewed, alternative forms are described, and the activities and procedures that constitute managed care are identified. Examples from existing studies are used to describe the common roadblocks to implementing evaluations and to suggest methods for dealing with these barriers.


BACKGROUND
Concerns of nonlasting results and potential nasal growth damage precluded cleft nasal correction at the time of initial cleft lip repair. Our goal was to evaluate the outcome of primary cleft nasal correction in our patients with unilateral cleft lip.

METHODS
A retrospective review of patients with complete and incomplete unilateral cleft lip who underwent primary cleft nasal correction from 2010 to 2017 by the same surgeon was performed. The cleft-to-noncleft nostril height, width, one-fourth medial part of nostril height, nasal sill height, and nostril area ratios, as well as inner nostril height-to-width ratios were determined from standard basilar view photographs taken in different time points (T1, <3 months; T2, 3-12 months; T3, 12-36 months; and T4, >36 months after surgery). A 5-point visual analog scale (1 = worst, 5 = best) was used to assess each patient's nose appearance.

RESULTS
Seventy-two patients were identified (66.7% male, 51.3% with a complete cleft lip). Average visual analog scale scores T1-T4 were 3.88 ± 0.85, 3.72 ± 0.93, 3.54 ± 0.99, and 3.40 ± 0.71, respectively. Intraclass correlation ranged from 0.61 to 0.94. A significant decrease [mean difference (SD)] was found for cleft-to-noncleft nostril width ratio [0.15 (0.18)] from T1 to T2, and an increase for one-fourth medial height ratio [-0.09 (0.07)] and for inner nostril height-to-width ratio in the noncleft side [-0.23 (0.25)] from T1 to T3. Thirteen patients required secondary surgical revision.

CONCLUSION
Based on photogrammetry, primary cleft nasal correction in our patients with unilateral cleft lip achieved acceptable and stable outcomes during early childhood.


Understanding the behavior of polymeric materials, particularly their biodegradation, is fundamental for solving problems in the management of environmental residues. In this work, we used a monitoring system based on an aerobic biodegradation technique known as the Sturm test to investigate the biodegradation of poly-b-(hydroxybutyrate), polyb-(hydroxybutyrate-co-b-valerate) and poly(e-caprolactone), in compost derived from municipal solid waste. The thermal analysis of these polymers was done using differential scanning calorimeter. The melting temperature and crystallinity were also determined. The results showed that poly-b-(hydroxybutyrate) degraded faster than the other two polymers, probably because the chemical structure of this polymer made attack by microorganisms easier. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.


In order to correlate the gonadal production of male sex hormones with overall steroidogenic activity of the fetus, unconjugated dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone were measured in amniotic fluids from mid-pregnancies with male and female fetuses by highly specific radioimmunoassay. The antiserum was raised in rabbits with 3 beta-hydroxy-17-oxo-5-androsten- 19-al 19-carboxymethyloxime BSA as immunogen and its cross-reactions with several steroids were checked. Significantly higher testosterone level was found in amniotic fluid from male fetuses (average concentration 249 +/- 109 pg ml-1 from males as compared with 70 +/- pg ml-1 from females), whereas the difference in DHEA concentration was significant (184 +/- 96 pg mol-1 for males vs. 177 +/- 92 pg ml-1 for females). The positive correlation between testosterone and DHEA concentrations (r = 0.53) was found only in amniotic fluids from pregnancies bearing male fetuses indicating that in males more DHEA may originate from fetal gonads.


The larval occurrence of the red snow crab Chionoecetes japonicus was investigated near Dokdo in the East Sea of Korea, and the larval timing of the genus Chionoecetes in world oceans was reviewed. C. japonicus larvae were collected seasonally at 12 stations in February, May, August, and November in 2011. A Bongo net with a 303 mesh was deployed with a double oblique tow. Larvae appeared from February to August, but no larvae were found in November. Zoea I occurred at nine stations with a few zoea II in February, and were found until August. The larval densities in February were high near the northern. In May, megalopa were found at eight stations with a few zoea II. No larvae were caught in November. The larval abundance in the research area peaked in February. Overall, the larval duration of the genus Chionoecetes in the world`s oceans persisted for a long time, and Chionoecetes larvae occurred during the warm season in each area. The cold temperature at the sea bottom, where gravid females are found, may prolong larval production along the distribution range of the genus Chionoecetes.


In alternative treatments in the world, botanical extracts are used for treatment in many diseases. The fact that our country has different climatic and ecological conditions, Flora contains many plant species and diversity and therefore there are many plant species consumed for medical purposes in our country. Most of these plants have antimicrobial effects and have been reported both in Turkey and abroad. Studies have shown that some plant extracts and essential oils that naturally grow in the soil show antifungal activity against fungi as well as bacterial activity. Antimicrobial effects of these extracts against Stenotrophomonas maltophilia bacteria and DNA protective activity were studied. The antimicrobial activity was tested Disk Diffusion method. DNA protecting activity was studied using H2O2 and UV-C using pBR322 plasmid DNA. Water and Methanol extracts did show antimicrobial activity on bacteria. On the other hand They showed a high activity in terms of DNA protective activity.


Five benzoferrocenyl phosphine ligands with the phosphorus atom attached to the 5-position of the benzofer- rocene and some ligand-Mo(CO)5 complexes were prepared and fully characterized; the structure of one ligand was con- firmed by X-ray crystallography. These ligands were applied in palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation and Suzuki cou- pling of chlorobenzene with phenylboronic acid. Results were compared with those reported previously using ligands hav- ing the phosphorus atom attached to the 4-position of benzoferrocene. This structural modification resulted in an increase of activity of the ligands in allylic alkylation reaction but a decrease of activity in Suzuki coupling reactions. The underly- ing reasons are analyzed with the help of X-ray single crystal determined structures and CO stretching frequencies in the IR spectra of complexes between the ligands and Mo(CO)5.


Estimates that an aircraft will be involved in an accident over a 20 year life range are as high as 60-70%. Recognition of this probability has led to crashworthiness and occupant survivability "packaging" design concepts as offering the most realistic approach to reduction of serious and fatal injuries when an accident occurs. This paper reviews and illustrates current general aviation aircraft accident experience relative to occupant impact injury and damage indexes, and provides new data relative to current-generation aircraft. Results clearly indicate that when the cabin structure remains relatively intact, the occupant is adequately restrained in an energy-absorbing seat system, the interior structures are designed to distribute loads and absorb energy, and the impact forces imposed on the occupant are within human tolerances, the occupant can survive without serious injury even when the aircraft is destroyed.


Rotifers became an important live food for fish larvae, especially for marine fishes, and Chlorella has been used as a very useful food for the mass culture of rotifer. However, not many tests for suitable Chorella species for the mass culture of rotifer were done and many of Chlorella sp. have been used without consideration of species for this purpose. There-fore, two species of marine Chlorella and four species of freshwater Chlorella were tested to select suitable species for the mass culture of a rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis. These Chlorella species were cultured in five different culture media; f/2, Erdschreiber, Complesal for marine species and SK, Wai and Complesal for freshwater species. Proximate analyses were done to see the protein, lipid and ash contents of a marine species, C. ellipsoidea and a freshwater species, C. vulgaris. Amino acids content of these species were also tested. C. ellipsoidea and C. vulgaris showed better growth than the other species. For marine Chlorella sp., f/2 media was better than Erdschreiber and Complesal. But for the freshwater species, Complesal showed the best result in growth. By the proximate analyses, C. ellipsoidea has higher lipid contents whereas C. vulgaris has higher protein and ash. In the analysis of amino acid of Chlorella, it was remarkable that freshwater Chlorella, C. vulgaris, has high content of comparing with marine Chlorella, C, ellipsoidea. According to the above results, C. vulgaris seems have higher possibilities for mass culture of rotifer but further studies are needed.


There is a need to reduce fuel consumption, and thereby reduce CO2-emissions in all parts of the transport sector. It is also well known that aerodynamic resistance affects the fuel consumption in a major way. By improving the aerodynamics of the vehicles, the fuel consumption will also decrease. A special type of transportation is that of timber, which is performed by specialized trucks with few alternative uses. This paper follows up on earlier papers concerning Swedish timber trucks where aerodynamic improvements for timber trucks were tested. By mapping the entire fleet of timber trucks in Sweden and investigating reduced fuel consumption of 2–10%, financial calculations were performed on how these improvements would affect the transport costs. Certain parameters are investigated, such as investment cost, extra changeover time and weight of installments. By combining these results with the mapping of the fleet, it can be seen under which circumstances these improvements would be sustainable. The results show that it is possible through aerodynamics to lower the transportation costs and make an investment plausible, with changeover time being the most important parameter. They also show that certain criteria for a reduced transportation cost already exist within the vehicle fleet today.


As the rates of imprisonment and criminal justice supervision have grown in America, another form of criminal sanction, the network of laws that limit the rights and privileges of ex-offenders, has also increased. These sanctions, called invisible punishment, range from barriers to public housing for drug offenders to lifetime registration requirements for sex offenders. This book chapter describes the varieties of invisible punishment in modern America and the recent growth in these laws. The chapter argues that these sanctions reduce the chances of successful reintegration for ex-offenders and proposes a reform strategy.


The purpose of this work has been to investigate one method by which some of the outside reality of the world of engineering can be presented in single-answer problems. The technique involves a tool readily available to all engineering educators: the current technical literature. Single-answer problems are particularly important in the earlier phases of engineering education, when they serve to develop the student's capacity to use fundamental intellectual abilities such as recall and manipulation. Textbook problems are typical. They are generally considered to have little direct relation to the real world of engineering. However, if some of this outside reality can be presented in such problems, the student will perceive them as relevant and will be motivated to higher levels of achievement.


The aim of this work was to define the optimal dosage (OD) of ciprofloxacin in order to prevent the emergence of bacterial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a geriatric population with a bloodstream infection. A thousand pharmacokinetic profiles were simulated with a ciprofloxacin pharmacokinetic model from the literature. Three dosing regimens were tested for five days: once daily (QD), twice daily (BID), and thrice daily (TID). First of all, effective dosages (ED) of ciprofloxacin were defined as those achieving a target AUC24/MIC ≥ 125. Then, these ED were simulated in order to calculate the percentage of time spent within the mutant selection window (TMSW) and to select optimal dosage (OD) defined as those achieving TMSW ≤ 20%. Based on the AUC24/MIC, for low MICs (0.125 μg/mL), all dosing regimens recommended by French guidelines were effective. For intermediate MICs (0.25 and 0.5 μg/mL), simulated doses higher than those recommended were needed to achieve the efficacy target. About prevention of resistance for low MICs, dosages recommended were only effective in patients with creatinine clearance (CLCR) ≥ 60 mL/min. For intermediate MICs, dosages higher than recommended were needed to achieve the optimality target. This study shows that current ciprofloxacin dosing guidelines have not been optimized to prevent the emergence of bacterial resistance, especially in geriatric patients with mild to severe renal impairment. To achieve both efficacy and prevention of resistance, ciprofloxacin dosages greater than those recommended would be needed. Tolerance of such higher doses needs to be evaluated in clinical studies.


Muscle biopsy is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of many neuromuscular disorders. It is an invasive investigation that will be considered after careful clinical examination, supplemented by biological and electrophysiological studies. The biopsy procedure and the subsequent processing of specimen in the laboratory significantly influence the information provided by the microscopic examination of muscle tissue. They are reviewed in details in this article. Close collaboration between clinicians and neuropathologists in the setting of an optimized procedure will further increase the diagnostic yield of muscle biopsy.


Aims: The need for an indwelling transurethral catheter in patients with postoperative thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) is a matter of controversy. Subjective observations are ambivalent and the literature addressing this issue is scarce. As segmental blockade can be achieved with epidural analgesia, we hypothesized that analgesia within segments T4–T11 has no or minimal influence on lower urinary tract function. Thus, we evaluated the effect of TEA on lower urinary tract function by urodynamic studies. Methods: In 13 women with no preoperative lower urinary tract symptoms undergoing open kidney surgery by lumbotomy under TEA, we prospectively assessed changes in urodynamic parameters the day before and 2–3 days after surgery with the patients under TEA. Results: Before versus during TEA, there was a significant increase in postvoid residual (median, 5 ml vs. 220 ml, P < 0.001) and a significant decrease in maximum detrusor pressure (median, 23 cmH2O vs. 5 cmH2O, P = 0.001), detrusor pressure at maximum flow rate (median, 18 cmH2O vs. 5 cmH2O, P = 0.001), maximum flow rate (median, 12 ml/sec vs. 3 ml/sec, P < 0.001), and voided volume (median, 250 ml vs. 40 ml, P < 0.001). In addition, maximum urethral closure pressure at rest decreased significantly under TEA from median 75 cmH2O to 56 cmH2O (P = 0.002). Bladder sensation, maximum cystometric capacity, compliance, and functional profile length at rest were not influenced by TEA. Conclusions: TEA has a significant effect on bladder emptying with clinically relevant postvoid residual (PVR) necessitating (indwelling or intermittent) catheterization or monitoring of PVR. Neurourol. Urodyn. 30:121–125, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The level of energetic metabolism of the growing axolotls was studied by the methods of direct and indirect calorimetry. Just after the hatching the heat production of the larvae calculated by the gas exchange exceeds markedly the level of heat production measured by the calorimeter. During the subsequent growth the level of heat production changes as a transitional process, so that therafter indirect calorimetry gives constantly higher values of energetic metabolism than direct one.


Decreased blood and cerebrospinal fluid levels of thiamine have been reported in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia disorders. To determine whether a thiamine deficiency is present in the brain, we measured levels of thiamine and its phosphate esters thiamine monophosphate (TMP) and thiamine diphosphate (TDP), in postmortem cerebellar and cerebral cortices of patients with Friedreich's ataxia (FA) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). Brain levels of free (nonphosphorylated) thiamine, TMP, TDP, and total thiamine in FA and SCAI were, on average, not significantly different from control values. However, a nonsignificant trend was observed for slightly reduced levels of TDP and total thiamine in cerebellar cortex of the SCA1 patients, a finding that might be related to the severe neuronal damage in this brain area. We conclude that in FA, brain thiamine concentrations are normal, whereas in SCA1 the levels are, at most, only slightly reduced.


UNLABELLED
This study was conducted to investigate the sensory characteristics and consumer acceptability of beef stock samples containing GSH-xylose Maillard reaction product (GX) and/or monosodium glutamate (MSG) with varying levels of salt (NaCl). The sensory characteristics of the beef stock samples were examined using a descriptive analysis. Total of 50 consumers evaluated overall acceptability and flavor intensities of beef odor, salty taste, beef flavor, and seasoning flavor in the samples. Samples containing both GX and MSG (GX-MSG), GX only (GX), and GX with higher salt level (GX-NaCl) had stronger "beef odor/flavor,""sulfur odor/flavor," and "chestnut odor/flavor" than those of the other samples, whereas beef stocks containing MSG, salt only (CON), and CON with higher salt level (CON-NaCl) had stronger "potato odor/flavor" and "soy sauce odor/flavor" than those of the other samples. The consumers liked GX-MSG and MSG the most. Overall liking scores of GX-NaCl and CON-NaCl were significantly higher than that of CON. GX was not significantly preferred to CON. Partial least square regression results showed that salty, MSG, and sweet tastes had more significant impact on consumer perception of the beef and spice flavors and the liking score than strong beef odor/flavor of GX. However, high hedonic ratings of GX-MSG, which contained half the doses of GX and MSG used for the GX and MSG samples, suggest that the combination of GX and MSG had a synergistic effect on flavor enhancement of beef stock.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Due to increasing needs for food products that provide more health benefits but maintain palatability, the food industry is looking for a new type of flavor enhancer. The Maillard reaction product of xylose and glutathione (GX), a tripeptide known to increase complexity and mouthfulness, was examined for its potential as a flavor enhancer. GX enhanced beef flavor significantly and salty taste somewhat at a weak suprathreshold level. With adjusting salty taste intensity by adding MSG at a weak suprathreshold level and/or increasing NaCl by 0.05% to 0.1%, GX significantly increased consumer acceptability.


The characterization and modeling of synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) image statistics is of importance for developing target-on-background detection and classification algorithms and for developing specialized filters for speckle noise reduction. In this paper, we present a model to predict the impact of amplitude scaling caused by seafloor ripples on SAS image speckle statistics. The continuous variation in scattering strength produced by ripples (i.e., ripple-induced changes in seafloor slope) is treated as deterministic amplitude scaling on image speckle produced by the SAS imaging process. Changes in image statistics caused by ripples are quantified in terms of an effective -distribution shape parameter. Agreement between shape parameter estimated from the scaling model and from SAS data collected in experiments off Panama City, FL and off the Ligurian coast near La Spezia, Italy illustrate the efficacy of the model.


Illegal use of electric energy is a widespread practice in many parts of the world. Smart metering enables the improvement of customer load model, theft and stressed asset detections. In this paper, a state estimation based approach for distribution transformer load estimation is exploited to detect meter malfunction/tampering and provide quantitative evidences of non-technical loss (NTL). A measure of overall fit of the estimated values to the pseudo feeder bus injection measurements based on customer metering data aggregated at the distribution transformers is used to localize the electricity usage irregularity. Following the state estimation results, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to create a suspect list of customers with metering problems and estimate the actual usage. Typical Taiwan Power Company (TPC) distribution feeder data are used in the tests. Results of NTL detection under meter defect and energy theft scenarios are presented. Experiences indicate that the proposed scheme can give a good trace of the actual usage at feeder buses and supplement the current meter data validation estimation and editing (VEE) process to improve meter data quality.


Abstract Analyzing the gene sequences of terpene synthase (TPS) may contribute to a better understanding of terpenes biosynthesis and evolution of phylogenetic taxonomy. Chamaecyparis formosensis is an endemic and precious conifer of Taiwan. To understand the biosynthesis mechanism of terpenes in this tree, a full length of putative mono-TPS, named as Cf-Pin (GeneBank accession no. EU099434), was obtained by PCR method and RACE extension. The Cf-Pin has an 1887-bp open reading frame and encodes 628 amino acids. To identify the function of Cf-Pin, the recombinant protein from Escherichia coli was incubated with geranyl diphosphate, produced one major product, the structure of which was elucidated. GC/MS analysis and matching of retention time and mass spectrum with authentic standards revealed that this product is α-pinene. This is the first report of cloning of a mono-TPS and functionally expressed in E. coli and which could be identified as α-pinene synthase from a Cupressaceae conifer.


A patient with high output cardiac failure secondary to a Brescia-Cimino fistula is presented. The heart failure responded to a reduction in the fistula size. The literature on this complication is reviewed.


Al alloys with suitable mechanical properties and castability are widely used for thin-wall structural HPDC components with complex shapes. Al alloy A365 (9-11.5% Si, 0.4-0.8%Mn, 0.1-0.6% Mg, 0.25% Fe max.) is typically produced using primary Al (raw material) to control/minimize the impurity Fe content. Secondary A365, made using recycled end-of-life material, with equivalent mechanical properties as the primary alloy, provides an opportunity to reduce life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from light-duty vehicles through improved end-of-life material recovery. The primary alloy is susceptible to micro-galvanic corrosion, where the eutectic a-Al phase serves as the anode and the eutectic Si phase, and incorporated secondary intermetallic phases serves as the cathode. The purpose of this work is to determine the extent to which utilization of end-of-life materials alters the microstructure and, in turn, corrosion (anode and cathode kinetics) of secondary A365, as revealed by electrochemical measurements.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Physical activity might reduce postpartum depressive symptoms and improve temperament. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum mood in primiparous women. METHODS: This cohort study was conducted in 165 primiparous women aged 18-35 years referring to the healthcare centers in Tehran, Iran, during 2013-2014. The participants were chosen through stratified random sampling and divided into two groups of low physical activity (n=68) and moderate or high physical activity (n=97). Both groups completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) during weeks 28 and 34 and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) at the end of the sixth postpartum week. For each sub-scale, the minimum and maximum possible scores of this scale are 0 and 21, respectively. FINDINGS: Mean total scores of stress, anxiety, and depression of the low physical activity group were 9.85±5.74, 5.61±5.11, and 6.23±5.77, respectively, while for the moderate or high physical activity group they were 9.88±5.84, 5.72±5.03, and 6.51±5.70, respectively. In addition, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of mean total score of stress (p=0.969), anxiety (p=0.585), and depression (p=0.396) at the end of the sixth postpartum week. Moreover, no statistically significant relationship was observed between the level of physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum mood. CONCLUSION: According to our results, physical activity during pregnancy is not associated with postpartum stress, anxiety, and depression.


We assessed the use of ultrasound (US)-guided photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and anti-EGFR antibody-conjugated gold nanorods (anti-EGFR-GNs) to non-invasively detect EGFR-expressing primary tumor masses and regional lymph node (LN) metastases in breast tumor mice generated by injecting MCF-7 (EGFR-negative) or MDA-MB-231 (EGFR-positive) human breast cells using a preclinical Vevo 2100 LAZR Imaging system. Anti-EGFR-GNs provided a significant enhancement in the PA signal in MDA-MB-231 tumor and the axillary LN metastases relative to MCF-7 tumor and non-LN metastases. We demonstrated that US-guided PAI using anti-EGFR-GNs is highly sensitive for the selective visualization of EGFR-expressing breast primary tumors as well as LN micrometastases.


The structural determinants of the binding affinity of linear dicationic molecules toward lipid A have been examined with respect to the distance between the terminal cationic functions, the basicity, and the type of cationic moieties using a series of spermidine derivatives and pentamidine analogs by fluorescence spectroscopic methods. The presence of two terminal cationic groups corresponds to enhanced affinity. A distinct sigmoidal relationship between the intercationic distance and affinity was observed with a sharp increase at 11 Å, levelling off at about 13 Å. The basicity (pK) and nature of the cationic functions are poor correlates of binding potency, since molecules bearing primary amino, imidazolino, or guanido termini are equipotent. The interaction of pentamidine, a bisamidine drug, with lipid A, characterized in considerable detail employing the putative intermolecular excimerization of the drug, suggests a stoichiometry of 1:1 in the resultant complex. The binding is driven almost exclusively by electrostatic forces, and is dependent on the ionization states of both lipid A and the drug. Under conditions when lipid A is highly disaggregated, pentamidine binds specifically to bis-phosphoryl- but not to monophosphoryl-lipid A indicating that both phosphate groups of lipid A are necessary for electrostatic interactions by the terminal amidininium groups of the drug. Based on these data, a structural model is proposed for the pentamidine-lipid A complex, which may be of value in designing endotoxin antagonists from first principles.


The part which entrepreneurs play in the economic growth of any country needs no elucidation. Having started new businesses- by utilizing their skills and knowledge- they give proliferation to new ideas in the market and reach the right decisions that serve as vehicles of prosperity and enhancement of the business. The global quest for achieving permanence in economic development and acceleration of social progress has found a new light in entrepreneurial activities. A lot of proponents such as burgeoning urbanization and industrialization, coupled with the prevalence of social legislation as well as general awareness and entrepreneurial education on formal grounds have set the stage for the ever-increasing omnipresence of novel entrepreneurial ventures in various economies across the globe. This study emphasizes the need for adequate infrastructure for an entrepreneurial business, which is a key factor for the success of an entrepreneurial business. Employing a well-developed and verified scale, data collection from 100 respondents was done on a convenience basis. All of the respondents amongst whom the questionnaires were distributed to different Kariyana and general stores located in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi and descriptive statistics were applied on the relevant variables such as the importance of infrastructure, location of a business, positioning of products in a general store, similarly, use of other business techniques such as educated and trained salespersons, following to proper timing for the business, nice dealing with customers, etc. This research article aims at contributing to the existing academic literature present on the importance of infrastructure required for the better results of an entrepreneurial business. This study shall assist government regulators in making informed decisions while addressing the need and importance of adequate infrastructure for Pakistani entrepreneurs, which shall lead to more effective and well-planned initiatives, which can help not only to improve the performance of entrepreneurial ventures but also to curb and eventually eradicate poverty from Pakistan.


A Fourier method is introduced to analyze the stability of a FDTD scheme before its numerical solution is attempted. The FDTD numerical model considered is constructed by applying Yee's model to the interior points, Mur's second-order radiation boundary condition to the boundary points (except for the corner points), and the first-order radiation boundary conditions to the corner points. The analysis is applicable to any scheme.<<ETX>>