Abstract The discovery of platy limestone deposits in northeastern Mexico has led to the collection of well-preserved stramentids of early Turonian age from Vallecillo, state of Nuevo León, and of early Coniacian age from El Carranza, state of Coahuila. Stramentum (Stramentum) pulchellum (Sowerby, 1843) colonized the ammonite shells during the lifetime of the animals, occasionally in two subsequent generations. Colonization of the ammonite shell by Stramentum (S.) pulchellum was hindered by strong ornamentation only. The ammonites did not interfere with their epizoans. Colonization during lifetime shows that these ammonites dwelled in well-oxygenated water levels near the surface, and most stramentids were embedded alive. The known paleobiogeographic occurrence of Stramentum (S.) pulchellum and its long stratigraphic occurrence are considerably enlarged by our findings. The pseudoplanktonic mode of life of Stramentum, and attachment to ammonite shells, may have been a response of a once benthic organism to repeated oxygen-deficient conditions on the seafloor of mid-Cretaceous oceans, i.e., to oceanic anoxic events (OAEs).


Fe-rich smectite is ubiquitous in soil environments and closely linked to the fate and mobility of hazardous trace metals and particularly to the variations in the biogeochemical redox reactions of structural Fe that determine the sorption and desorption properties of clay minerals. The biotic/abiotic redox reactions of a Fe-rich smectite, nontronite (NAu-1), were performed at various reaction times using the Fe-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 at 30°C and Na-dithionite (Na2S2O4), respectively. The extent of biotic Fe-reduction of NAu-1 after 30 days of incubation reached up to 10.7% of total Fe and the range of abiotic Fe-reduction varied from 4.9–46.6% at reaction times of 5 min, 30 min, 1 h, and 4 h. The biotically and abiotically Fe-reduced NAu-1 samples were spiked with Pb concentrations of 0.07, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg and incubated under aerobic or anaerobic conditions for 24 h.The amounts of Pb in the supernatants were analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) and Multi-collector (MC)-ICP-MS. The amounts of Pb removed from the supernatants were negatively related to the extent of Fe(III) reduction in the abiotically Fe-reduced NAu-1 samples. In contrast, less Pb (~15%) was removed from the biotically Fe-reduced NAu-1 samples with a similar extent of Fe(III) reduction. Changes in the isotopic 208/204Pb ratio indicated that the lighter 204Pb isotope was preferentially adsorbed to the NAu-1 samples with less Fe reduction and indicated that variations in the net layer charge affected isotopic fractionation. Significant differences in the 208/204Pb ratios for NAu-1 samples that were biotically Fe-reduced under anaerobic conditions were measured and indicate that the reversibility of the structural/chemical modifications that occur under redox conditions can affect Pb removal and, thus, isotope fractionation. These results collectively infer that the biogeochemical properties of clay minerals should be considered in order to understand the fate of trace metals in natural environments.


This article extends alfred Chandler's seminal ideas about organizational strategy and structure, and it predicts the next stage of organizational evolution. Chandler described the evolution of vertical integration and diversification strategies for which the functional and multidivisional structures are appropriate. He also explained how the dominant structure at any point in time is a concatenation , or accumulation, of all previous strategies and structures. I extend Chandler's ideas by describing how early "structures" became "organizations" (people, rewards, management processes, etc.) and by discussing the more recent strategies of international expansion and customer focus. International expansion leads to organizations of three dimensions: functions, business units, and countries. Customer-focused strategies lead to four-dimensional organizations currently found in global firms such as IBM, Nike, and Procter & Gamble. I argue that the next major dimension along which organizations will evolve is emerging in firms which are experimenting with the use of "Big Data."


Background EML4-ALK is a distinct molecular entity that is highly sensitive to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have not proved efficacy in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer so far. In this study, we performed a mouse clinical trial using EML4-ALK transgenic mice model to comprehensively investigate immunomodulatory effects of ALK TKI and to investigate the mechanisms of resistance to ICIs. Methods EML4-ALK transgenic mice were randomized to three treatment arms (arm A: antiprogrammed death cell protein-1 (PD-1), arm B: ceritinib, arm C: anti-PD-1 and ceritinib), and tumor response was evaluated using MRI. Progression-free survival and overall survival were measured to compare the efficacy. Flow cytometry, multispectral imaging, whole exome sequencing and RNA sequencing were performed from tumors obtained before and after drug resistance. Results Mouse clinical trial revealed that anti-PD-1 therapy was ineffective, and the efficacy of ceritinib and anti-PD-1 combination was not more effective than ceritinib alone in the first line. Dynamic changes in immune cells and cytokines were observed following each treatment, while changes in T lymphocytes were not prominent. A closer look at the tumor immune microenvironment before and after ceritinib resistance revealed increased regulatory T cells and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-expressing cells both in the tumor and the stroma. Despite the increase of PD-L1 expression, these findings were not accompanied by increased effector T cells which mediate antitumor immune responses. Conclusions ALK-positive tumors progressing on ceritinib is not immunogenic enough to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors.


The early diagnosis of a patient with chronic kidney failure presents enormous opportunities for the nephrology health care team. Current research has identified that appropriate and timely education and management during the early stages of kidney disease reduces health care risk to the patient and lowers associated cost.
This study explored the potential for extending the contribution nurses make in managing patients with chronic kidney disease as they progress to end stage kidney failure. In the context of a shortage of nephrologists and an escalating patient population suffering from kidney disease, the potential to include advanced nephrology nursing in early disease management was postulated. The literature was reviewed with regard to initiatives to reduce the progression of kidney failure and the prevention of associated complications. Local and international literature on advanced nursing practice and the nurse practitioner role was examined in relation to the management of chronic kidney disease.
The introduction of the nurse practitioner in New Zealand could provide an ideal framework for independent nephrology nursing. Well-established nursing practice in dialysis, transplantation and pre-dialysis provide distinct scopes of practice in these areas for independent nursing in the future. It seems likely that these sub-specialties in nephrology nursing will be the first to experience the value of the nurse practitioner.
The creation of early interventionalist nurse practitioners in nephrology health care would allow nurses to step outside these well-established sub-specialties, and provide new resources to help manage chronic kidney disease. A model of care was proposed that outlines how a nephrology nurse practitioner could work collaboratively with community health providers and the local nephrology health care team to manage the early stages of kidney disease.
It is evident that early intervention and ongoing management of patients with chronic kidney disease is currently suboptimal. The development of the nephrology nurse practitioner is an innovative way to reach the nephrology community and meet health needs in a cost-effective manner.


Cite this article as: Khurana S, Gupta PC, Ram J. Starry sky cataract in a teenage girl. Indian J Ophthalmol 2020;68.2527. This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‐commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.


Abstract. Precipitation over Southwest China (SWC) significantly decreased during 1979–2013. The months from July to September (JAS) contributed the most to the decrease in precipitation. By tracing moisture sources of JAS precipitation over the SWC region, it is found that most moisture originates in regions from the northern Indian Ocean to SWC and from South China Sea to SWC. The major moisture contributing area is divided into an extended west region, SWC, and an extended east region. The extended west region is mainly influenced by the South Asian summer monsoon (SASM) and the westerlies, while the extended east region is mainly influenced by the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). The extended west, SWC, and extended east regions contribute 48.2, 15.5, and 24.5 % of the moisture for the SWC precipitation, respectively. Moisture supply from the extended west region decreased at a rate of −7.9 mm month−1 decade−1, whereas that from the extended east increased at a rate of 1.4 mm month−1 decade−1, resulting in an overall decrease in moisture supply. Further analysis reveals that the decline of JAS precipitation is mainly caused by change in the seasonal-mean component rather than the transient component of the moisture transport over the SWC region. In addition, the dynamic processes (i.e., changes in wind) rather than the thermodynamic processes (i.e., changes in specific humidity) are dominant in affecting the seasonal-mean moisture transport. A prevailing easterly anomaly of moisture transport that weakened moisture supply from the Indian Ocean is to a large extent responsible for the precipitation decrease over the SWC region.


fetuses. Median values of nasal bone length between 15th and 20th weeks of gestation were 3.4, 3.8, 4.2, 4.5, 4.7 and 5.3, respectively. Median 5th percentiles of nasal bone length between 15th and 20th weeks of gestation were 2.4, 2.8, 2.9, 3.1, 3.4 and 3.4, respectively. A linear line found to be fitted with distribution of nasal bone length in midgestation. Mean MoM values of nasal bone were: 1 in women with normal fetuses and 0.93 in women with Down syndrome fetuses. No statistical significant difference was found between MoM values of two groups. Conclusion: Measurement of nasal bone in midtrimester did not contribute to the screening of Down syndrome in our study.


The main purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between oceanic latent heat flux and the summer rainfall of South Africa. Such a link would be useful for a better understanding and the prediction of monthly variability in the summer rainfall for South Africa. In order to investigate possible relationships between oceanic latent heat flux and summer rainfall in South Africa, point to point and point to field statistical correlations were made between gridded monthly COADS derived bulk oceanic heat fluxes and area averaged rainfall for the period 1950 to 1988. Correlations with the oceanic latent heat flux were not significant when the summer area averaged rainfall was divided into early and late summer seasons. This is due to the fact that different oceanic latent heat flux regions correlate with a different rainfall region each month. The results of monthly latent heat flux and summer rainfall demonstrated that there exists a statistical link between oceanic latent heat flux and summer rainfall and that this link could prove useful in the prediction of summer rainfall patterns. These results of the correlation between monthly latent heat flux and summer rainfall show that summer rainfall can be grouped into an all-area index that can be used as a proxy for the entire summer rainfall region. Results of these correlations further show that there are three major mechanisms that are at work over the six month summer rainfall period. These mechanisms show a link between the oceanic latent heat flux and summer rainfall variability. This study has shown that various oceanographic areas in the surrounding oceans correlate at different lags with South African summer rainfall. These correlations can be useful as precursors in predicting wetter or dryer rainfall events. Areas identified by correlation of oceanic latent heat flux regions as important as precursors for summer rainfall prediction are similar to those areas other researches have identified in studies using OLR, SST and upper level winds (Jury 1995). This study adds weight to the already existing knowledge of these precursors of rainfall predictability.


Plasmodium falciparum malaria merozoites invade human erythrocytes bearing sialic acid in a multistage process involving the sialic acid- dependent binding of a malaria molecule, the 175-kD erythrocyte binding antigen (EBA-175). We show here that after the initial interaction of EBA-175 with its sialic acid-containing erythrocyte determinant, endogenous proteases can cleave EBA-175 to 65-kD fragment(s), whose binding to erythrocytes is sialic acid independent. A 65-kD fragment was immunoprecipitated by antibodies against peptides between residues 354 and 1061 but not beyond residue 1062. Binding experiments utilizing combinations of native protein, expression-PCR-synthesized EBA-175 polypeptides, peptide synthesis, and antibodies, demonstrated that sialic acid-independent binding could be further mapped to a small (about 40-amino acid) homologous part of the dimorphic allelic region of EBA-175, residues 898-938 (Camp strain numbering). These data support a two-step binding hypothesis and are discussed in relation to the formation of a junction between the merozoite and the erythrocyte, and the finding that after the interaction of some viruses with specific cellular receptors, they undergo conformational changes or cleavage permitting membrane fusion with the host cell.


Plants belonging to the Peucedanum-genus have been used in folk medicine e. g. as diuretics and sedatives and to relieve chest pain and epilepsy. The calcium antagonistic activity of some extracts and isolated compounds of Peucedanum palustre (L.) (Apiaceae) Mönch roots was tested by two in vitro methods in order to investigate their pharmacological value. 0.9 kg of dried ground roots of Peucedanum palustre (L.) MOnch were extracted successively with n-pentane, diaethyaether, acetone and methanol. Further separations with HPLC on an RP18-column (MeOH-H20; MeOH from 40% to 100% in 90 mm., flow rate 2 ml/min.) using UV detection at 335 nm yielded compounds 1,2 and 3 from the n-pentane extract. The calcium antagonism of the crude extracts and compounds 1,2 and 3 was tested by a method based on the depolarization induced contraction of rabbit aortic rings. The contractions were evoked by 55 mM KC1 in the presence of 2.5 mM CaC12 in Krebs-Henseleit solution. The substances were added 15 mm, prior to dosing with KC1. The n-pentane extract was also tested against noradrenaline-induced contractions of aortic rings (1). Compound 3 was tested further on GH3 rat pituitary tumor cells, secreting prolactin (PRL), grown in monolayers in multiwell dishes using Ham's F-b medium supplemented with 15% horse serum and 2.5% fetal calf serum (2 x iO cells/mi). The effect of the substances on basal PRL release was studied three days after plating the cells. The cells were washed twice with PBS and incubated for 24 hours with the substances. The PRL content was measured in the Medium by RIA. In both tests 2—3 dose levels were used and Verapamil served as a standard. According to HPLC, the n-pentane and diaethyleather extracts contained similar coumarine compounds but in different proportions, whereas the composition of the other extracts was different. The identification of compounds in the extracts will be presented later elsewhere. All the isolated compounds and extracts, except for the methanol extract, showed a marked noncompetitive inhibition when tested on KCL-induced contractions of aortic rings, Verapamil (pD'26.6) being 10—100 times more active. The more lipophilic compounds and extracts seemed to be more active than the more hydrophilic ones. When tested against noradrenaline-induced contractions the most active extract (n-pentane, pD'25.0), however, showed activity only at very high concentration. Many calcium antagonists selectively block the depolarization operated calcium channels in the rabbit aorta (1). The substances tested in the present study showed similar seictivity. Verapamil and compound 3 (both at 1—10 !.tM) decreased basal PRL secretion, Verepamil being more effective. GH3 are rat pitutary tumor cells, which spontaneously synthesize and secret PRL. The synthesis of PRL is dependent on extracellular calcium, and Verapamil decreases the intracellular pools of calcium in GH3 cells (2). The decrease in basal PRL secretion observed in the presence of Verapamil and compound 3 seems to be due to diminished availability of calcium for PRL synthesis. The present study shows that the relatively lipophilic compounds isolated from Peucedanum palustre might possess calcium antagonistic properties.


This research was aimed to evaluate the effect of inoculant and crude enzyme of Trichoderma reesei on fermentation quality and rumen digestibility of napier grass silage. This research consisted of two stages. The first stage was fermentation quality using a completely randomized design with three treatments and six replications. The second stage was rumen fermentability using a randomized block design with three treatments and six replications. The treatments of both stages were: T0= control of napier grass silage (Hi-fer+), T1= control + T. reesei inoculant at the level of 2.13 x 10 7 cfu/ kg, and T2= control + crude enzyme from T. reesei at the level of 11.4 unit/kg. Napier grass silage were kept at room temperature and opened 21 d after fermentation. The result of the first stage experiment showed that T2 decreased (P<0.01) dry matter, organic matter, crude fiber, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and also increased (P<0.05) crude protein, total digestible nutrient (TDN), pH, acetic acid, and propionic acid of napier grass silage while T1 decreased (P<0.01) NDF and increased (P<0.05) propionic acid. The result of the second stage experiment showed that there were no significant differences in rumen pH, in vitro dry matter and organic matter digestibility, total VFA, proportion of VFA, ratio of acetic to propionic acids, and also NH 3 . It is concluded that the addition of crude enzyme from T. reesei could improve fermentation quality of napier grass silage with decreasing NDF and increasing TDN but did not affect rumen fermentability.


A study was conducted on exploration, collection and characterization of some endangered genotypes of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.). These genotypes/ landraces are collected from the hilly area of Suding, Muskuti and Kundeijharan village of Kalahandi district, Odisha which are the good genetic resources for future exploration. 6 endangered landraces are identified, collected and characterized with different parameters (as per IPGRI, 1995 guidelines) like conserver details, conservation needs, passport data of the cultivar, qualitative characters, quantitative characters etc. Cluster analysis was made using Ward's Minimum Variance Cluster Analysis using the SAS system for understanding the similarity and diversity among the studied genotypes with Root-Mean-Square Distance between Observations. From the analysis of the qualitative traits, it was found that clear division of the 6 landraces into three distinct clusters. In cluster 1, three genotypes CV1, CV2 and CV4 fall, in cluster 2, CV5 and CV6 and in cluster 3 comes CV3 indicating that genotype and CV3 is distinctly different from other 5 genotypes. And when studied the quantitative parameters, 6 landraces were clearly divided into three distinct clusters. In cluster 1, three genotypes CV2, CV3 and CV4 fall, in cluster 2, CV1 and CV6 and in cluster 3 comes CV5 indicating that genotype CV5 is distinctly different from other 5 genotypes. Landraces shown substantial differences in clustering pattern using both qualitative and quantitative characters giving opportunity to breeders intended to work with either of the characters. K e y w o r d s


The purpose of this article is to conduct a comparative study of peculiarities of kinship terms in the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Uzbek and Uyghur languages. The study of kinship nomenclature of the Turkic peoples makes it possible to draw a number of conclusions on the genetic kinship of languages, reveals the history of development and interrelations of these peoples, contributes to the creation of a comprehensive description of the lexical-semantic system of these Turkic languages. This article is the first experience of the comparative study of kinship terms in the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Uzbek and Uygur languages. A statistical comparison of the phonetic, nominal and semantic similarities of genetic features of kinship terms has been made. In the course of the study, it has been stated that each language has distinctive features and peculiarities, although they are included in the Turkic group. For the development of a typology of kinship systems, the authors chose to conduct the synchronous-comparative study of languages, which will apparently remain among the leading ones in the near future. Following it, the article fixes the kinship systems that currently exist in the Turkic languages (in particular, on the material of the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish and Uighur languages) and are available for direct observation. This method allowed the authors to analyze the actual material.


Abstract. The ad hoc network (or MANET, for Mobile Ad hoc NETwork) is a system containing a set of devices that organize themselves, thus forming an autonomous and dynamic network, communicating via radio interface. These devices can be fixed or mobile, no wired infrastructure is available, and so these objects have to dynamically discover their environment.The design of these applications is based on trust between the nodes constituting the network. Unfortunately, when deploying randomly in difficult hostile areas, seeing impossible to monitor, not to mention the uncertainty of the communication channel, the sensor nodes are exposed to all types of attacks and intrusions, which can hinder and prevent the diffusion of the information between the sensor nodes of the network, and influencing its performance.Many approaches have been proposed to solve security problems in wireless networks. The solutions can be mainly classified into two categories: symmetric and asymmetric key management schemes. Indeed it is clear, that the optimal solution in this case is to use symmetric shared key systems.In this paper, the idea of LEAP improved is to apply the same Mechanisms used in LEAP Enhanced to overcome a compromised node and also prevent a compromised base station node while using a multiple base station network, this will, on the one hand, minimize power consumption, and secondly, to replace a base station in the event of a compromise, to ensure the continuity and proper functioning of the network. The evaluation of the proposed solution was carried out using the TOSSIM simulation tool.


BACKGROUND
Language-based cognitive fitness describes the ability to carry out cognitive tasks with vigour and alertness, to learn, and to adapt.

AIMS
The purpose of this research was to test the efficacy of a brain fitness training programme to better understand the role played by three precursor abilities for language-based cognitive development-verbal reasoning, visual synthesis, and active analysis-and their impact on academic achievement.

SAMPLE
The sample included 92 children from a private school designed to deliver a prescriptive educational model for the spectrum of challenged, average, and gifted students.

METHOD
Students completed cognitive tests at entry to the program and at the end of each academic year. Students completed daily brain-based exercises. Associative latent variable growth curve modelling using Mplus was used to test growth in all variables. Bayesian estimation analysis was used for missing data imputation. Age and baseline cognitive ability were included as covariates.

RESULTS
Model fit was excellent, χ2 (104) = 115.98, p = .20, (χ2 /df) = 1.11, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.04, SRMR = 0.05. Students who started with the lowest ability levels initially grew faster than those students with higher initial two-wave performance levels consistent with a closing of an ability gap. This had a lagged effect on achievement that accelerated in growth after the first 2 years.

CONCLUSIONS
Results provide evidence for the importance of interventions that focus on strengthening precursor cognitive abilities directly involved with language and mathematics achievement.


The internal relative humidity (RH) and humidity gradients in concrete at early ages have a significant influence upon the properties of concrete, where exists a great discrepancy among the test results under different methods. By comparing and analyzing the traditional measuring methods of the RH in concrete, a new measuring method will be developed in this study, which could measure the internal RH in cement-based materials accurately, conveniently and digitally. The changing laws of the internal RH in concrete at early ages were discussed. The results indicate that the measuring results under the new developed system was more accurate than that by the predrilled hole method, while the external environment does not have any effect on the measured results obtained by using the new measurement system. What's more, the results achieved by the new developed system approached the real RH in concrete very quickly; the RH near the surface of the specimen decreased quickly, while the RH in the center of the specimen decreased slowly, the moisture contents unevenly distributed through the various height of the specimen. Hence, there exists an obvious humidity gradient in concrete.


Background: There is a need for population-based smoking cessation interventions targeting female smokers in Hong Kong. This study describes the development of a community-based network to promote smoking cessation among female smokers in Hong Kong. Methods: Local women's organizations collaborated to launch a project to provide gender-specific smoking cessation services. In the first phase of the project, the Women Against Tobacco Taskforce (WATT) was created. In the second phase, a smoking cessation training curriculum was developed and female volunteers were trained. The third and final phase included the provision of gender-specific smoking cessation counseling services in Hong Kong. Results: A need assessment survey with 623 workers and volunteers of WATT members was carried out to develop a gender-specific smoking cessation training curriculum. A 1-day training workshop to 28 WATT affiliates who provided brief cessation counseling in the community was organized. Fourteen organizations (69 service units) agreed to form a network by joining WATT to promote smoking cessation and increase awareness of the specific health risks among female smokers. Conclusions: The community-based network to promote smoking cessation was effective in helping female smokers to quit smoking or reduce their cigarette consumption. The results also suggest that this community model of promoting gender-specific smoking cessation services is feasible. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov ID NCT02968199 (Retrospectively registered on November 16, 2016).


Organizations are frequently faced with high levels of complexity. While the importance of search for dealing with complex systems is widely acknowledged, how organizations should structure their search processes remains largely unexplored. This paper starts to address basic questions: How much of the entire system, and thus complexity, should be taken into consideration at any given time during a search process? Should a problem solver pursue an integrated search and be concerned with the whole system right from the start, or should a problem solver incrementally expand the "search domain," i.e., the subset of system elements and interdependencies that are included in the search efforts? If the latter, how "chunky" should these steps be? Our analysis of a simulation model yields four insights: 1 expanding the search domain in smaller steps can yield a distinct advantage in final system performance, 2 following a completely incremental expansion pattern is not necessary as long as larger chunks are added early on in the process, 3 the value of chunky search is particularly high if highly influential system elements are considered first and highly dependent elements are added later, and 4 under time pressure, chunky search can lose its performance advantage over more integrated search processes. We discuss the implications of our findings for managing organizational search and complex systems more broadly.


Abstract. H. S. Irwin and R. C. Barneby made a significant contribution to the knowledge of Leguminosae, especially in the tribe Cassieae (Caesalpinioideae). Nevertheless, their work included use of some unconventional terms for type designations, i.e., lectoholotypus and neoholotypus, which do not appear in the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Some authors have recognized them as lectotypes, and we interpret them as such. Analyzing the 53 names for which a "neoholotypus" was designated, we identified several other errors by Irwin and Barneby. These include citation of incorrect type collection numbers for Cassia atroglandulosa Taub. ex Harms and C. laxiracemosa Harms and of an incorrect herbarium acronym for C. catingae Harms and C. sincorana Harms. Here, we provide brief explanations to clarify these situations. A second-step lectotype is designated for C. repens Vogel. Finally, it is noted that the type designation of C. bradei Ekman ex Harms requires, at least, second-step lectotypification, which cannot be done until the herbarium at S becomes accessible.


Controlled chemical release has many applications, including treatment for diabetes and stimulation of neurons. In this paper we present a discrete chemical release method capable of delivering picoliter volumes of chemical solutions with 100 µ m spatial and 20 µ s temporal resolution. The releasing mechanism is based on the transfer of discrete picoliter sized liquid droplets from an ejecting nozzle to a receiving aperture, through an air-trapped hydrophobic chamber. This new method could be a key enabling technology for the precisely controlled release of biochemicals, like potent drugs and neurotransmitters, for modern clinical therapeutics and biological research.


Boron-dipyrrin dyes, through rational design, yield promising new materials. With strong electron-donor functionalities and anchoring groups for attachment to nanocrystalline TiO(2), these dyes proved useful as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells. Their applicability in a solid-state electrolyte regime offers additional opportunities for practical applications.


This Guide provides basic resources and tips for faculty teaching non-native English speaking students. This Guide gives broad resources but also points to Eastern European native speakers.


BACKGROUND
Few published studies have considered both the short- and long-term virologic or immunologic response to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and the impact of different cART strategies.

PURPOSE
To compare time to initial virologic (<500 copies/mL) or immunologic (>200/mm3 cell increase) response in antiretroviral-naïve patients starting either a single protease inhibitor (PI; n = 183), a ritonavir-boosted PI regimen (n = 197), or a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based cART regimen (n = 447) after January 1, 2000, and the odds of lack of virologic or immunologic response at 3 years after starting cART.

METHOD
Cox proportional hazards models and logistic regression.

RESULTS
After adjustment, compared to patients taking an NNRTI-regimen, patients taking a single-PI regimen were significantly less likely to achieve a viral load (VL) <500 copies/mL (relative hazard [RH] 0.74, 95% CI 0.54-0.84, p = .0005); there was no difference between the boosted-PI regimen and the NNRTI regimen (p = .72). There were no differences between regimens in the risk of >200/mm3 CD4 cell increase after starting cART (p > .3). At 3 years after starting cART, patients taking a single-PI-based regimen were more likely to not have virologic suppression (<500 copies/mL; odds ratio [OR] 1.60, 95% CI 1.06-2.40, p = .024), while there were no differences in the odds of having an immunologic response (>200/mm3 increase; p > .15). This model was adjusted for CD4 and VL at starting cART, age, prior AIDS diagnosis, year of starting cART, and region of Europe.

CONCLUSION
Compared to patients starting an NNRTI-based regimen, patients starting a single-PI regimen were less likely to be virologically suppressed at 3 years after starting cART. These results should be interpreted with caution, because of the potential biases associated with observational studies. Ultimately, clinical outcomes, such as new AIDS diagnoses or deaths, will be the measure of efficacy of cART regimens, which requires the follow-up of a very large number of patients over many years.


BACKGROUND
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of cases with olfactory loss, other respiratory viruses can also cause this condition. We aimed to compare the prevalence of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and other respiratory viruses in patients with sudden smell loss, and to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 viral load and co-infection on olfactory symptoms.

METHODS
Patients with sudden smell loss were recruited in a multicenter prospective cohort study in 15 hospitals in Brazil. Clinical questionnaire, Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) olfactory test and nasopharyngeal swab to perform a PCR-based respiratory viral panel were collected at first visit (day 0) and 30 and 60 days after recruitment.

RESULTS
188 of 213 patients presented positive test result for SARS-CoV-2, among which 65 were co-infected with other respiratory viruses (e.g., rhinovirus, enterovirus, and parainfluenza). 25 had negative test results for SARS-CoV-2. Patients in both SARSCoV-2 and non-SARS-CoV-2 groups had objective anosmia (less than 2 points according to the psychophysical olfactory CCCRC) at day 0, with no significant difference between them. Both groups had significant smell scores improvement after 30 and 60 days, with no difference between them. Co-infection with other respiratory viruses, and SARS-CoV-2 viral load did not impact olfactory scores.

CONCLUSION
Patients with sudden smell loss associated with SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses had similar presentation, with most participants initiating with anosmia, and total or near total recovery after 60 days. SARS-CoV-2 viral load and co-infections with other respiratory viruses were not associated with poorer olfactory outcomes.


In this paper we study approximation algorithms for solving a general covering integer program. An n-vector x of nonnegative integers is sought, which minimizes c/sup T//spl middot/x, subject to Ax/spl ges/b, x/spl les/d. The entries of A, b, c are nonnegative. Let m be the number of rows of A. Covering problems have been heavily studied in combinatorial optimization. We focus on the effect of the multiplicity constraints, x/spl les/d, on approximately. Two longstanding open questions remain for this general formulation with upper bounds on the variables. (i) The integrality gap of the standard LP relaxation is arbitrarily large. Existing approximation algorithms that achieve the well-known O(log m)-approximation with respect to the LP value do so at the expense of violating the upper bounds on the variables by the same O(log m) multiplicative factor. What is the smallest possible violation of the upper bounds that still achieves cost within O(log m) of the standard LP optimum? (ii) The best known approximation ratio for the problem has been O(log(max/sub j//spl Sigma//sub i/A/sub ij/)) since 1982. This bound can be as bad as polynomial in the input size. Is an O(log m)-approximation, like the one known for the special case of Set Cover, possible? We settle these two open questions. To answer the first question we give an algorithm based on the relatively simple new idea of randomly rounding variables to smaller-than-integer units. To settle the second question we give a reduction from approximating the problem while respecting multiplicity constraints to approximating the problem with a bounded violation of the multiplicity constraints.


Recently, we have demonstrated large mode-hop free tuning of an external-cavity diode laser with an off-the-shelf laser diode. This novel approach employs a closed-loop control based on polarization spectroscopy. In this paper, we derive a model capable of describing multicavity laser systems with polarization-dependent elements. We successfully apply it to explain the peculiar form of our error signal.


Problem. The reading of Eph 5:25-27 shows that Christ will marry the church in a state of holiness and blamelessness. Family life on earth must follow the model of the love of Jesus for the church. But there are no guides, seminars, or studies that combine marital life and preparation for Christ's second coming. Method. This dissertation developed a seminar that emphasized the belief in the soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as accepted by the Apostolic Church. Such belief affects all aspects of the Christian life and particularly the family lifestyle. The seminar tied together eschatology and family life in a way that shows that Christ can return at any time to marry the church, His bride, in a state of holiness and blamelessness. Each church and family member must be in that perfect state in order to go to heaven with Christ in that day. A questionnaire was also developed to test the effect of the seminar. The Philadelphia Haitian Seventh-day Adventist Church of Boston formed one group to which were applied a pretest and a posttest. Results. On the basis of fifty-three respondents who filled out the questionnaires and the final evaluation form, it was found that the idea of an eschatological family was well appreciated. In the beginning it seemed awkward to want to tie eschatology and family life together, but at the end of the seminar it made sense to participants. The love of Jesus and the need to prepare for His second coming or for the eschatological wedding served as the basic motivation for the Adventist family member. The respondents appreciated the brotherly love of the church although it needs to be developed even more. The felt need of the church is prayer and fasting to consolidate family ties and prepare for Christ's second coming. Conclusion. The respondents recognized that seminars like this one are needed not only for the Philadelphia Church but also for all churches and on a regular basis, probably once a quarter. This seminar can be repeated in different countries and among different ethnic groups to establish its generalizability. It can also be enhanced by using slides or other visual aids in addition to the transparencies.


DNA and histone methylation are epigenetic modifications functioning in transcriptional control and have been implicated in the deregulation of gene expression in cancer. As a first step to determine if histone methylation could be involved in testis cancer pathogenesis, we performed immunofluorescent localization of histone H3 methylation at lysine 4 (H3-K4; gene activating) and lysine 9 (H3-K9; gene silencing) in healthy testis tissue and in samples of non-seminoma germ-cell tumours. In healthy testis, the distribution of histone H3 methylation was dependent on the developmental stage of spermatogenic cells and in non-seminoma, histone H3-K4 and K9 methylation was detected in all histological subtypes. This suggested that histone H3-K4 and K9 methylation could be associated with abnormal gene expression in non-seminoma. To determine the gene-specific function of histone H3 methylation, we proceeded to define the epigenetic status of key genes implicated in the pathogenesis of non-seminoma, namely the proto-oncogene POU5F1, which is overexpressed in testis cancer, and the tumour suppressor RASSF1A, which is aberrantly silenced. Cell lines representative of non-seminoma were treated with the chromatin-modifying drug, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC). Chromatin immunoprecipitation and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed that treatment with 5-aza-dC restored RASSF1A expression through a loss of gene silencing H3-K9 methylation and by retention of gene activating H3-K4 tri-methylation in the promoter region. In contrast, the expression of POU5F1 was reduced by 5-aza-dC and was associated with a loss of gene activating H3-K4 di-methylation in the promoter region. Analysis of DNA methylation revealed a slight reduction in DNA hypermethylation at the RASSF1A promoter, whereas the POU5F1 promoter remained mostly unmethylated and unaffected. Our results indicate that the effects of 5-aza-dC on histone methylation profiles are gene-specific and that aberrant histone modifications may serve as a principal means of misregulation of RASSF1A and POU5F1 expression in testis cancer.


Abstract In this paper a continuum mechanical formulation of snow pressure is given. The snow pressure against retaining structures on slopes is considered in two separate parts: (1) the static component due to the regression of transverse expansion as discussed by Haefeli, and (2) the dynamic component due to the interruption of the creep (internal deformation) and glide (slip of the entire snow cover over the ground). Snow-pressure calculations made using the non-linear viscous constitutive equations given by McClung (in press) are given for the plane strain-rate problem of a rigid barrier on a snow-covered slope. These calculations are compared with the previous formulation of snow pressure given by Haefeli for the expected range of boundary conditions for the structure and for the snow-earth interface. The results show that the original formulation by Haefeli gives a dynamic component of similar magnitude to the present calculations. Substantial differences are apparent when the up-slope distances for interruption of the creep and glide processes are compared.


Probabilistic graphical models have been applied successfully to a number of Prognostic and Health Management (PHM) applications. Continuous time Bayesian networks (CTBNs) are one such model, and they are capable of representing discrete systems that evolve in continuous time. In this work, we propose a method for constructing a CTBN from a fault tree, a model often used for evaluating system reliability. Additionally, we provide a method for reducing the number of required CTBN parameters by pruning unnecessary portions of the fault tree. Furthermore, we take advantage of the information encoded in the remaining gates of the tree and make use of the Noisy-OR model, offering additional reductions in the number of parameters needed to specify the CTBN model. We show how a CTBN derived from a fault tree can be combined with a CTBN derived from a D-matrix to form a unified model. This allows for a description of faults and effects that evolve in continuous time based on test outcomes. We demonstrate the derivation and parameterization processes using a running example, and show how the resulting model can be queried to obtain information about the state of the system over time.


3D volumetric medical images, such as MRIs, are commonly explored and interacted with by medical imaging experts using systems that require keyboard and mouse-based techniques. These techniques have presented challenges for medical imaging specialists: 3D spatial navigation is difficult, in addition to the detailed selection and analysis of 3D medical images being difficult due to depth perception and occlusion issues. In this work, we explore a potential solution to these challenges by using tangible interaction techniques with a mobile device to simplify 3D interactions for medical imaging specialists. We discuss preliminary observations from our design sessions with medical imaging specialists and argue that tangible 3D interactions using mobile devices are viable solution for the medical imaging domain, as well as highlight that domain plays an important role in 3D interaction techniques.


A little more than a decade ago, the molecular basis of the lipostat was largely unknown. At that time, many laboratories were at work attempting to clone the genes encoding the obesity, diabetes, fatty, tubby and agouti loci, with the hope that identification of these obesity genes would help shed light on the process of energy homeostasis, appetite and energy expenditure. Characterization of obesity and diabetes elucidated the nature of the adipostatic hormone leptin and its receptor, respectively, while cloning of the agouti gene eventually led to the identification and characterization of one of the key neural systems upon which leptin acts to regulate intake and expenditure. In this review, we describe the neural circuitry known as the central melanocortin system and discuss the current understanding of its role in feeding and other processes involved in energy homeostasis.


The present study examined whether the antidepressant paroxetine promotes the survival of nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson's disease. MPTP induced degeneration of nigrostriatal DA neurons and glial activation as visualized by tyrosine hydroxylase, macrophage Ag complex-1, and/or glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity. Real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry showed upregula-tion of proinflammatory cytokines, activation of microglial NADPH oxidase and astroglial myeloperoxidase, and subsequent reactive oxygen species production and oxidative DNA damage in the MPTP-treated substantia nigra. Treatment with paroxetine prevented degeneration of nigrostriatal DA neurons, increased striatal dopamine levels, and improved motor function. This neuroprotection afforded by paroxetine was associated with the suppression of astroglial myeloperoxidase expression and/or NADPH oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species production and reduced expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1 b , TNF- a , and inducible NO synthase, by activated microglia. The present findings show that paroxetine may possess anti-inflammatory properties and inhibit glial activation-mediated oxidative stress, suggesting that paroxetine and its analogues may have therapeutic value in the treatment of aspects of Parkinson's disease related to neuroinflammation. The Journal of Immunology , 2010, 185: 000–000.


The objective of the present study is to investigate the antidiarrheal activity of the methanolic extract of Lepidium sativum (MELS). The preliminary phytochemical investigation was carried out to identify the various chemical constituents present in the extract. It was found that the MELS contain alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, proteins, steroids, flavonoids, tannins and phenolic compounds. Acute toxicity studies revealed that the MELS was safe upto 2000mg/kg. The antidiarrheal activity was observed in three experimentally induced diarrhea models i.e. Castor oil induced diarrhea; Prostaglandin E2 (PG-E2) induced enteropooling in rats and charcoal meal test in mice. In castor oil induced model MELS (50, 100 and 200mg/kg.p.o.) showed significant dose dependent reduction of cumulative wet faecal mass. In PG-E2 induced enteropooling model, MELS (50, 100 and 200mg/ kg.p.o.) inhibited PG-E2 induced secretions. Similarly in charcoal meal test MELS (50, 100 and 200mg/kg.p.o.) decreased the movement of charcoal indicating its antimotility activity. It was observed that MELS possess significant anti-diarrheal activity.


Patient falls are common adverse events that occur in all healthcare environments. Patient falls are a common cause of morbidity ("disability caused by accident") and the leading cause of nonfatal injuries producing trauma-related hospitalizations in the United States. Patient falls result in longer hospital stays, attendant increases in medical costs and reduced quality of life for the patients who experience these events. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the patient fall data collected by a community based acute teaching hospital. These data were then analyzed by a variety of analytical methods to determine if there are correlations related to location and timing of the falls, as well as the characteristics of the patients who fell. Conclusions were then made as to possible improvements in methods to monitor patients to reduce patient fall rate. The major results of this analysis were: (1) statistical methods were found to be useful in providing an improved understanding of the characteristics of the patient fall data and thus allow hospital staff to rely on quantitative metrics to make decisions of how to try and reduce patient fall rates, (2) the time intervals between consecutive fall events were found to be distributed exponentially, (3) the hospital-wide hospital monthly fall rate goals, as well as the individual hospital unit patient fall rate goals were shown to be regularly exceeded by the measured data, and (5) review of the fall score screen values used to assess the risk for patient falls, while overall a predictor of patient who did and did not fall, was not a good predictor for determining if individual patients would fall. As a result of this study, a number of specific recommendations will proposed to the hospital as a means to potentially improve the methods for addressing patient falls. A hospital-wide cultural change had been commenced in June 2007 to attempt to reduce the rate of patient falls. The effect of implementing this program will be followed by observing whether the over-all hospital and unit monthly fall rates are reduced.


agreement with Mr. Baines in dismissing as causative factors Trichomonas vaginalis infection with that of gonorrhoea and dysentery. I find, however, his conclusion that Reiter's disease and abacterial pyuria are variations on the same aetiological theme and that they are always "venereal" in nature much more difficult to accept. May I give as briefly as possible the main results from a fairly considerable experience with cases of this nature which passed through my department during service in the Middle East ?


The activation of viral glycoproteins by the host protease furin is an essential step in the replication of numerous pathogenic viruses. Thus, effective inhibitors of furin could serve as broad‐spectrum antiviral drugs. A crystal structure of an inhibitory hexapeptide derivative in complex with furin served as template for the rational design of various types of new cyclic inhibitors. Most of the prepared derivatives are relatively potent furin inhibitors with inhibition constants in the low nanomolar or even sub‐nanomolar range. For seven derivatives the crystal structures in complex with furin could be determined. In three complexes, electron density was found for the entire inhibitor. In the other cases the structures could be determined only for the P6/P5‐P1 segments, which directly interact with furin. The cyclic derivatives together with two non‐cyclic reference compounds were tested as inhibitors of the proteolytic activation and replication of respiratory syncytial virus in cells. Significant antiviral activity was found for both linear reference inhibitors, whereas a negligible efficacy was determined for the cyclic derivatives.


Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic multisystem disease related to abnormal insulin production, impaired insulin utilization, or both. Despite of the progress in synthetic chemistry and biotechnology, plants are still an indispensable source of medicinal preparations both preventive and curative. In the Philippines, over 1,020 medicinal plants were documented and ten among those were recommended by the DOH, unfortunately, Sesbaniagrandiflora (L.) Pers (Katuray) is not included among the ten medicinal plants recommended. Further, there is no specific basis that will justify the medicinal use of Sesbaniagrandiflora (L.) Persflowers in the treatment of diabetes. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the hypoglycemic activity of the Aqueous Extract of Sesbaniagrandiflora(L.) Pers(Katuray) flowers among nonhuman primates (Philippine Macaque/MacacafascicularisPhilippinensis) which is said to have a close genetic relationship to human. Methods The researchers utilized the true experimental research. Four MacacafascicularisPhilippinensis served as the subjects of the study. The test animals were induced with Alloxan Monohydrate that causes hyperglycemia. Baseline data of RBS, FBS and HbA1c was taken prior to the induction of Alloxan Monohydrate. Blood glucose monitoring was done for the period of 1 week.Administration of Insulin and tea fractionate (Aqueous Extract) of SesbaniaGrandiflora(L.) Pers(Katuray) flowers were done on the 4th day where the highest RBS was noted. Blood samples were obtained from the saphenous and cephalic veins of the non-anesthetized subjects. The blood samples were sent to the laboratory for analysis and interpretation. The data were clinically interpreted based on the normal values of the laboratory tests conducted. Result The study revealed that the first and second phase of the toxicity test of the tea fractionate (Aqueous extract) of SesbaniaGrandiflora (L.) Pers(Katuray) flowers was found to be non-toxic for the test animals (albino mice) as evidenced by zero mortality rate, however, hyperactivity among the test animals were noted during the second day of observation. The tea fractionate (Aqueous extract) of SesbaniaGrandiflora (L.) Pers (Katuray) flowers and Insulin have similar effects on the blood glucose of the test animals which can reduce almost 90–95% of the blood glucose levels of diabetic -induced monkeys. Conclusion The results of this study served as the basis for formulating a potent hypoglycemic drug that can cure Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and can compete to those synthetic drugsavailable in the market.


Twitter has emerged as a major social media platform and generated great interest from sentiment analysis researchers. Despite this attention, state-of-the-art Twitter sentiment analysis approaches perform relatively poorly with reported classification accuracies often below 70%, adversely impacting applications of the derived sentiment information. In this research, we investigate the unique challenges presented by Twitter sentiment analysis and review the literature to determine how the devised approaches have addressed these challenges. To assess the state-of-the-art in Twitter sentiment analysis, we conduct a benchmark evaluation of 28 top academic and commercial systems in tweet sentiment classification across five distinctive data sets. We perform an error analysis to uncover the causes of commonly occurring classification errors. To further the evaluation, we apply select systems in an event detection case study. Finally, we summarize the key trends and takeaways from the review and benchmark evaluation and provide suggestions to guide the design of the next generation of approaches.


Urgent necessity to understand the effect of climatic change on scleractinian cold-water coral (CWC) ecosystems arises from increasing ocean warming and acidification over the last decades. Here, presence-absence records of 12 scleractinian CWC species from research expeditions and literature were compiled and merged with model-generated pseudo-absence data and 14 environmental variables. The best results of nine species distribution models (SDM) were combined to an ensemble habitat suitability model for CWCs in the northern Southern Ocean (Weddell Sea and Antarctic Peninsula) by means of the open source R package 'biomod2'. Furthermore, two future scenarios of increasing bottom sea temperature were used to investigate the spatial response of scleractinians to temperature change. The resulting (current scenario) potential ecological niches were evaluated with good to excellent statistical measures. The results predict that present areas of highest probability of CWC occurrence are around the Antarctic Peninsula, South Orkney Islands and Queen Maud Land with preference to geomorphic features such as seamounts. The distribution of CWC habitats is mainly driven by distance to coast and ice shelves, bathymetry, benthic calcium carbonate, as well as temperature. Under warming conditions, CWCs are predicted to expand their distribution range by 6 and 10% in 2037 and 2150, respectively, compared to present distribution. The future models using increased bottom temperature revealed a stable CWC distribution for most parts of the study area. However, habitat shifts are expected to the Filchner Trough region, the adjacent continental shelves, as well as to the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula.


In many sectors, freedom in capital flow has allowed optimization of investment returns through choosing sites that provide the best value for money. These returns, however, can be compromised in countries where corruption is prevalent. We assessed where the best value for money might be obtained for investment in threatened species that occur at a single site, when taking into account corruption. We found that the influence of corruption on potential investment decisions was outweighed by the likely value for money in terms of pricing parity. Nevertheless global conservation is likely to get best returns in terms of threatened species security by investing in "honest" countries than in corrupt ones, particularly those with a high cost of living.


Using digital instruments to support artistic expression and creativity is a hot topic. In this work, we focused on the design of a suitable interface for Augmented Reality-based constructive art on handheld devices. Issues to be faced encompassed how to give artists sense of spatial dimensions, how to provide them with different tools for realizing artworks, and how much moving away from "the real" and going towards "the virtual". Through a touch-capable device, such as a smartphone or a tablet, we offer artists a clean workspace, where they can decide when to introduce artworks and tools. In fact, besides exploiting the multi-touch functionality and the gyroscopes/accelerometers to manipulate artworks in six degrees of freedom (6DOF), the proposed solution exploits a set of printed markers that can be brought into the camera's field of view to make specific virtual tools appear in the augmented scene. With such tools, artists can decide to control, e.g., manipulation speed, scale factor, scene parameters, etc., thus complementing functionalities that can be accessed via the device's screen.


Fault tolerant control (FTC) is essential nowadays in the automation industry. It provides a means for higher equipment availability. Fault in dynamical systems can occur due to the deviation of the system parameters from the normal operating range. Alternatively, it can be a structural change from the normal situation of continuous operation such as the blocking of an actuator due to the mechanical stiction. In this research project, a fault tolerant controller is designed with Matlab Simulink for a feedwater system.

The feedwater system components are modified to work under embedded controller design with FTC attached to it. Feedwater systems usually consist of a de-aerator or simply a water storage tank, feedwater pumps, control valves, piping and support fitting elements such as chock valves, anges, hoses and relief valves, beside instrumentation devices like level transmitters, flow transmitters, pressure regulators. The faults are injected separately for each device. Fault diagnostic is used to detect and identify the faults by Limit-checking method. Then a controller is reconfigured to take the action of correcting the hardware failures in the control valve, level sensor, and feedwater pump.

The simulation results revealed that the redundant components can take over and handle the process operation when the fault occurs at the duty components. Level sensors are set to work in on-line mode, while the control valves are set to work in off-line mode, due to the mechanical parts movement. Setting the control valves in on-line mode reduces the probability of valve stiction and elongates the component availability.

The results reveal the operation of feedwater system is not stopped when a hardware failure takes place in all feedwater system major components. Moreover, the disturbances are not considered in this research as there are many control techniques that can be used to handle the disturbance in a robust way.


The strengthening effect of phosphorus slag powder (PSP) in cement-based materials was researched by model of strengthening effect of mineral admixes, and the mechanism of strengthening effect of PSP was also studied by SEM. The results indicate that, in early hydration period, the strengthening effect of PSP on strength of cement mortars is zero. At 90 days, strengthening effect has been exerted, and increases with the amount of PSP when that is no more than 40%, but decreases with larger content of PSP. At 180 days, the strengthening effect was further enhanced, the greater the amount of PSP, the greater its effect. For compressive strength of cement mortars, the strengthening effect of PSP is more than that of PSP on flexural strength. The results analyses of SEM show that, strengthening effect of PSP mainly come from its pozzolana reaction. With double excitation of cement hydration product hydroxide and gypsum, the low alkalinity C-S-H was produced.


White flagging of alfalfa, Medicago sativa 'Ranger, found associated with Ditylenchus dipsaci in the Columbia River Basin was observed in northern Utah during 1971. This is a report on chloroplast changes, induced by D. dipsaci in alfalfa leaves, as observed with an electron microscope. Leaves from alfalfa plants infected with D. dipsaci were either devoid of normal pigmentation or displayed various shades of yellow-green. Cells of leaf tissue from noninfected plants exhibited normal chloroplast structure. By contrast, the chloroplast structure in cells of leaf tissue from infected plants showed progressive degradation as normal pigmentation decreased.


This study examined the possibility that the relationship between the number of ideas an employee generated and the number of those ideas that were adopted by the organization was moderated by the general radicalness of the employee's ideas (i.e., the extent to which the ideas were breakthrough or groundbreaking), the employee's intention to stay, psychological safety, and coworker support. Ninety-three employees generated one or more ideas and raters evaluated the radicalness and implementation of these ideas. Results showed a positive relationship between the number of ideas generated by an employee and the number adopted when the employee's ideas were generally low in radicalness. However, when an employee's ideas were generally high in radicalness, there was a positive relationship between the numbers generated and implemented only when the employee intended to remain a member of the organization or felt psychologically safe at work. The implications of these results for future research and practice are discussed.


This case describes for the first time a de novo chromosomal abnormality (46, XX, inv dup del(12)(qterp13.3:: p13.3-p12.3:)dn.ish inv dup del(12)(TEL-ETV6++) which produced the phenotype of a female with primary ovarian failure and subsequent osteopenia in early adult life. This warranted treatment with oestrogen replacement therapy and close supportive monitoring.


In this paper, we studied the optics of transmissive bistable nematic liquid crystal displays by using the Poincare sphere approach. We derived analytical solutions of the polarization state of the outcoming light for the two bistable states. We have found the optimum modes of film compensated bistable twisted nematic liquid crystal displays. Our results show that the number of optimized modes at a fixed wavelength of film-compensated bistable twisted nematic (BTN) is infinite. We identified the optimized modes for displays operated in the whole visible light wavelength region. We calculated the transmission spectra of the two bistable states of the optimized modes.


Biodiesel has received great interest as a promising substitute for petrodiesel. Biodiesel purification which follows the transesterification process is typically carried out using a wet washing process that generates large amounts of wastewater. Consequently, alternative methods are emerging as sustainable options for biodiesel purification. One of such methods is a dry washing process. In this paper, the performance of three dry washing media (commercially available BD-Zorb, sawdust and wood shavings) were evaluated as potentially suitable options for the purification of biodiesel derived from Camelina sativa . The results indicate that for the crude camelina biodiesel with an initial soap content of 9007 ppm, BD-Zorb exhibited the best purification performance. The soap removal capacity of BD-Zorb, sawdust, and wood shavings was 51.1 mL/g, 24.4 mL/g, and 9.4 mL/g respectively. The primary mechanism of soap removal using sawdust and wood shavings media was physical filtration and adsorption. While for adsorbent BD-Zorb, soap removal mechanism included adsorption and ion exchange due to the existence of a small amount of resins. The ion exchange led to a high acid number (1 mg KOH/g) of the purified biodiesel, and failed to meet the ASTM D6751 specifications (<0.5 mg KOH/g).


Is the bourgeois a serious character? According to Auerbach's theory upon Realism, the comic portrait of middle class, as the one Moliere made, should have been disappeared in the 19 th century; however, the bourgeois is still ridiculous, in the theatre as well as in the caricature and even in the novel. The middle class nature itself allows the application of comical mechanisms: the middle class is 'in the middle', between lower and upper classes, marked by its 'halfness'. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that «the essence of all jokes, of all comedy, seems to be an honest or well-intended halfness». This paper aims to show the double feature – comic and tragic – of the bourgeoisie , underlining its representation and contradictions throughout the 'serious century'.


Coastal sandy environments are extremely dynamic and require regular monitoring that can easily be achieved by using an unmanned aerial system (UAS) including a drone and a photo camera. The acquired images have low contrast and homogeneous texture. Using these images and with very few, if any, ground control points (GCPs), it is difficult to obtain a digital surface model (DSM) by classical correlation and automatic interest points determination approach. A possible response to this problem is to work with enhanced, contrast filtered images. To achieve this, we use and tune the free open-source software MicMac.


In 2012 August 11 (12:23 UTC) a moderate earthquake with MW=6.4 (USGS) occurred between Ahar and Varzaghan towns in Azarbayjan Province at northwest of Iran. After eleven minutes another earthquake shook the area with MW=6.2 (USGS). These consecutive earthquakes followed by intensive sequences of aftershocks whereas the strongest one had MW=5.3 (USGS). In data processing including depth modification and focal mechanism solution, we used regional (Institute of Geophysics, University of Tehran (IGUT) and International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and seismology (IIEES) of Iran) and worldwide (ISC) seismological data. After processing westward fault propagation estimated using Building and House Research Center (BHRC) of Iran strongmotion records. Also depth of the mainshocks and some important aftershocks modified using pP phase travel times recorded with ISC stations (10-14 km) which are nicely situated in seismogenic part of crustal structure of the area. The focal mechanisms processed using first P motion method for the two mainshocks and dominant mechanisms calculated for the intense aftershocks (MN>4.0, IGUT) manifestly displayed a strike-slip movement on a steep south dipping nodal plane with near E-W strike without any interpretation using earthquakes location. These are associated with the Geological Survey of Iran (GSI) field observations.


Though there are measures of forgiveness published in the behavioural science literature, very few scales are available to measure forgiveness in workplace relationships. The Workplace Forgiveness Scale aimed to measure forgiveness of a specific offense. Data from 348 professional nurses in Thailand were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the psychometric properties of the scale were examined. Results from EFA suggested retaining four underlying factors of the forgiveness construct: Overcoming Negative Thought and Feeling toward the Offender, Seeking to Understand the Offender's Reasons, Fostering Positive Approaches towards the Offender, and Belief in the Benefits of Forgiveness. Reliability coefficients for the total scale and subscales were adequate. Evidence of construct validity is presented. Scores on the forgiveness scale were positively associated with other related forgiveness constructs. Nomological validity analysis supported the theoretical networks of the forgiveness construct. Forgiveness played the complete mediating role in the relationship between dispositional forgiveness and willingness to reconcile, and played a partial mediating role in the relationship between rumination and seeking to revenge the offender. Bootstrap analysis on the parameter estimates of the sample results revealed satisfactory level of internal replicability and stability of the results across the samples. Implications for future research are discussed.


During the construction processes, many problems might arise, at present the symptomatic treatment is the common practice. Besides, the literature offers a wide choice of business process description languages. This paper presents the modern principles and the description languages are used in the construction's logistics processes. The most commonly used process description methods in the construction industry are the simple flow charts and Gantt diagrams. In our days, the Last Planner System (LPS) has a wide application range in the construction processes. The mostly used standardized process description language in the construction processes is the IDEF0 (Integrated DEFinition for function modelling, version 0). The hybrid model is also promising, which combines the scheduling, the BPMN (Business Process Model Notation) charts and IDEF0 method. Finally, by a comparison, a proposal has been developed, which gives a good basis to describe the logistics processes of construction.


Speech understanding through concept classification offers a possible way of machine translation in speech-to-speech translation systems and can be used in conjunction with conventional statistical machine translation. While correct concept classification offers the promise of obtaining well-formed target language speech output, the approach does not scale well to large number of concepts. Importantly, it is also critical to know when to accept or reject the classifier. We formulate the speech classification as a MAP estimation problem to derive the understanding model and improve its performance by incorporating dialog context information. Specifically, for a twoway speech translation system, a classification scheme is derived here that utilizes context information from both sides of the conversation through an n-gram dialog model. The method was evaluated using data from an English-Farsi trans-lingual doctorpatient dialog system and its classification and rejection accuracies were compared to those of a baseline system with an understanding model only. The benefit of incorporating context with the proposed dialog model provided a modest improvement in classification accuracy (about 5% relative error reduction) and a significant improvement in the rejection accuracy (up to 31.4% relative reduction in error).


In recent years, the use of technology in educational contexts including e-learning has become increasing ubiquitous. While it is commonly believed that technology use can facilitate the process of teaching and learning, it is of paramount importance to adopt a Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) to address the needs of students who might experience difficulty because of cultural, linguistic and technological obstacles that might be inherent in the use of educational technology. With this consideration in mind, the present paper reports on the findings of a qualitative research involving three case studies based on structured interviews with three university professors who are experts in developing digital tools and applications for educational purposes. The participants recorded their responses to interview questions on Google Docs over a period of one month, and the data was analysed for significant themes. The data revealed that all participants believe that cultural, methodological and pedagogical barriers can significantly affect the use of educational technology in face-to-face and online classes and can consequently impact student learning. The emergent themes in the data indicate that a solid understanding of the local context in which the process of teaching and learning takes place, flexibility in terms of one's methodological approaches to teaching and embracing differences in students' knowledge and abilities can help ensure students succeed in their academic endeavours, they are uncritically accepted and treated in an equitable manner regardless of their competency level. All three participants in the study believe that while there are some cultural and linguistic barriers in e-learning contexts and in developing and using technological applications for students, through adopting the core principles of a culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), they have been successful in achieving the course learning outcomes for their students. They argue that by adapting the language used in applications to the linguistic level of students, using familiar and culturally relevant themes, and adopting a blended approach in which technology complements face-to-face instruction, a better dialogue is established between the teacher and the students, and learning is thus facilitated. The findings of this study reveal that becoming familiar with the local culture, the relevant prescriptions and proscriptions can furnish the education technology developers with the requisite knowledge for creating applications that are relevant to students' lives and are thus more effectual. Similarly, the results show that educational applications should provide a suitable platform to create and maintain an ongoing intrapersonal and interpersonal dialogue for the students to help them engage in the process of learning in a regular and consistent manner. Implications for pedagogy and research will be discussed.


The purpose of this study was to present a comprehensive analysis of investment credit. The study covers investment credit from the time when it was recommended to Congress by President John F. Kennedy to the present time. Investment Credit came into existence under the Revenue Act of 1962 and was amended by the Revenue Act of 1964. Ever since it came into existence there has been a controversy among accountants as to which method of accounting should be used. Under the Revenue Act of 1962, three methods of accounting were used. After the Revenue Act of 1964 this was narrowed to two methods of accounting. Most of this thesis was devoted to explaining the various investment credit laws and to presenting the accounting methods used for recording the investment credit on the books of the company. Opinions of the Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants were also presented as well as the methods of accounting required by several of the Federal regulatory agencies. After completing this study, the author has reached the conclusion that one of these methods of accounting is better than the others. This method is the normalization or full deferral method which spreads the effects of investment credit over the life of the asset. This is in contrast to the other methods which recognize a large portion or all of the investment credit as income in the year that it is taken as a credit on the tax return.


Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most frequently diagnosed endocrine neoplasia, representing 70 to 80% of all diagnosed thyroid cancers. Furthermore, Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a frequent inflammatory thyroid disease and the main cause of hypothyroidism. The relationship between Hashimoto's thyroiditis and PTC remains controversial. Methods: Surgery for PTC was performed at our institution on 157 consecutive patients. They were classified by the degree of lymphocyte infiltration (LI). LI was classified as diffuse LI or peritumoral LI (only in or around the tumor), or absent. In addition, age, gender, tumor size, histopathological findings, lymph-node metastasis, extra-thyroidal extension, multifocal tumor, coexistence of LI and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Results: Out of the 141 patients included in the study, 83 (59%) had diffuse LI and 22 (16%) had peritumoral LI. In 36 patients (25%) LI was absent. A comparison of patients in the 3 groups revealed no significant difference in their genders, ages, smoking status, thyroid function, or nodule size at the time of surgery. The characteristics of PTC showed no differences in lymph-node metastasis, tumor invasion into contiguous neck structures, angioinvasion, or PTC subtypes. Tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification and classes did not differ among the 3 groups. During the follow-up, 64 out of 141 patients with PTC (55%) had recurrences from 6 to 130 months after the initial treatment. After a mean follow-up period of 8 yr we observed a significantly (p=0.01) high recurrence (66.6%) in the LI absent group with 24 of 36 patients when compared to patients from the diffuse LI group (32 out of 83 patients; 38.5%) and peritumoral LI group (8 out of 22 patients; 25%). Conclusions: Although the role of the inflammatory-immune cells is complex and little understood, we found a more favorable course of PTC in the presence of LI (diffuse or peritumoral); this supports the hypothesis that LI represents a form of immune reaction to control tumor growth and proliferation.


LHCb is one of the 4 experiments at the LHC accelerator at CERN. During the upgrade phase of the experiment, several new electronic boards and Front End chips that perform the data acquisition for the experiment will be added by the different sub-detectors. These new devices will be controlled and monitored via a system composed of GigaBit Transceiver (GBT) chips that manage the bi-directional slow control traffic to the Slow Control Adapter(s) (SCA) chips. The SCA chips provide several user buses to interface the new electronics devices. These devices will need to be integrated in the Experiment Control System (ECS) that drives LHCb. A set of tools was developed that provide an easy integration of the control and monitoring of the devices in the ECS. A server (GbtServ) provides the low level communication layer with the devices via the several user buses in the SCA chip and exposes an interface for control to the experiment SCADA (WinCC OA), the fwGbt component provides the interface between the SCADA and the GbtServ and the fwHw component, a tool that allows the abstraction of the devices models into the ECS. Using a Graphical User Interfaces or XML files describing the structure and registers of the devices, it creates the necessary model of the hardware as a data structure in the SCADA. It allows then the control and monitoring of the defined registers using their name, without the need to know the details of the hardware behind. The fwHw tool also provides the facility of defining and applying recipes - named sets of configurations which can be used to easily configure the hardware according to specific needs.


The temperature and strain distributions of the mockup composed of Be, Cu-alloy with distinct structural material (SS316L and China Low Activation martensitic steel (CLAM)) were calculated and analyzed during thermal cycling, based on a high heat flux (HHF) test recently reported with heat flux of 1.5MW/m2. The calculated temperature and strain results, in which SS316L is as the structural material, showed a good agreement with HHF test. By substituting CLAM steel for SS316L the contrast analysis indicates that the thermo-mechanical property for CLAM steel is better than that of SS316 at the same condition. Furthermore, the temperature and strain distributions of the FW were calculated under the condition of normal ITER operation: the surface heat flux is about 0.5MW/m2 and volumetric heating due to neutron radiation is on the order of 15~20 MW/m2.


The brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens is one of the most destructive insect pests on rice (Oryza sativa) in Asia. After landing on plants, BPH rapidly accesses plant phloem and sucks the phloem sap through unknown mechanisms. We discovered a salivary endo-b-1,4-glucanase (NlEG1) that has endoglucanase activity with a maximal activity at pH 6 at 37°C and is secreted into rice plants by BPH. NlEG1 is highly expressed in the salivary glands and midgut. Silencing NlEG1 decreases the capacity of BPH to reach the phloem and reduces its food intake, mass, survival, and fecundity on rice plants. By contrast, NlEG1 silencing had only a small effect on the survival rate of BPH raised on artificial diet. Moreover, NlEG1 secreted by BPH did not elicit the production of the defense-related signal molecules salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and jasmonoyl-isoleucine in rice, although wounding plus the application of the recombination protein NlEG1 did slightly enhance the levels of jasmonic acid and jasmonoyl-isoleucine in plants compared with the corresponding controls. These data suggest that NlEG1 enables the BPH's stylet to reach the phloem by degrading celluloses in plant cell walls, thereby functioning as an effector that overcomes the plant cell wall defense in rice.


Alpine musk deer (Moschus sifanicus) have evolved behavioural characteristics which have contributed to their survival and proliferation in a unique environmental niche. Understanding these characteristics, specifically those relating to gender is vital in developing appropriate social and economic management systems for captive farming. This study compared the behavioural patterns of female and male captive musk deer to explore differences in gender. Thirty two adult captive musk deer, 19 males and 13 females, were observed from August 2002 to January 2003, at Xinglongshan Musk Deer Farm (XMDF) Gansu Province, China. The frequencies of 12 behavioural categories were recorded and compared between the two sexes. The results showed (1) that behavioural patterns were similar between female and male deer, (2) that female alpine musk deer can express male specific behaviour, such as tail-pasting and, (3) that gender differences in feeding and ruminating behaviour may be related to energy requirement and resource allocation patterns.


The extensive analysis of remote-sensed data (among which ALS-derived images) and fieldwork carried out in the Trieste Karst (Northeastern Italy) have shed light on archaeological landscapes largely unknown until recent years. The chronological definition of this complex palimpsest was based on the collection of findings associated to the archeological evidence, shape and orientation of detected structures and stratigraphic relations among features. This allowed to evaluate the interplay between archaeological and geo-morphological landforms through time and to reconstruct some long-term economic strategies pursued by past communities. As a result, we present a map of the easternmost sector of the Trieste area, next to the border between Italy and Slovenia, approximately corresponding to the area of the map Carta Tecnica Regionale "Grozzana". The map aims at providing a tool for the protection of the cultural and environmental heritage, land use planning and touristic valorisation of the area.


Badillo-Saldaña LM, García-Rosales A, Lara-Tufiño JD, Ramírez-Bautista A. 2019. Morphological evidence of sexual dimorphism in a Continental anole species of southeastern Mexico. Biodiversitas 20: 3347-3351. Intersexual differences (sexual dimorphism; SD) have been observed in many traits of vertebrate and invertebrate species. These differences evolved as a response to ecological factors, such as the display of morphological and behavioral attributes during reproduction, territorial defense, or differential use of resources. However, some species of lizards do not show high SD, as is the case of some slender small body-sized anoles of the Caribbean Islands. Despite extensive knowledge about SD in island anoles, SD has not been evaluated for most mainland species. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the SD of a small body-sized species (Anolis unilobatus) throughout its distribution in Mexico, making use of eight morphological characteristics and multivariate analyses. The results showed that snout-vent (SVL) and forearm (FAL) lengths of males are larger than those of females. This could be explained by males being more territorial, so larger si ze will make them more successful in defending their territory from other males. Therefore, the difference in SVL and FAL between males and females of this species could be related to defense of their territory. The differences observed in morphological structures between males and females could thus support the hypothesis of sexual selection.


Thin films of iron pnictides open the way for fundamental experiments on superconductivity in this material. Thus we started to develop tunneling and Josephson junctions with pnictide film electrodes. Different preparation methods for Josephson junctions were investigated and the first results are presented. Resistive measurements show a high superconductive transition temperature of about 20 K even for the La-1111 electrode after patterning and preparation of the tunneling window. The hybrid junctions were completed with a PbIn counter electrode and normal conducting gold layers as barriers.


As a result of limited counseling resources available to community members in developing nations, it is critical that researchers begin to address the recruitment and training needs of paraprofessionals that will serve as resources for community members. Recruiting and training of paraprofessional counselors in developing nations will help alleviate the dearth of professional counselors and counseling services. A review of the paraprofessional literature led to recommendations for recruiting and training paraprofessionals in developing nations. The West Indies serves as a model for implementing the recommendations. A possible training program is offered, and implications and limitations are discussed.


ABSTRACTThe transport pathways and source areas of PM10 in Beijing were examined on the basis of a model-assisted analysis. Computed back trajectories were used to trace the air history. The aim of this work was to study the main source areas of PM10, the variability of transport pathways, and potential source areas in Beijing. The results reveal that the major potential source areas of PM10 in Beijing were Hebei, Shandong, Tianjin, northwest of Inner Mongolia, and Outer Mongolia. The main source areas of PM10 have changed from the northwest to the south and southeast of Beijing during 2009–2012. During the study period, the regional contributions of PM10 from Shandong, Tianjin and Henan increased, whereas those from Inner Mongolia and Mongolia decreased compared with 2003–2009. The northwest airflow is a key factor in extreme pollution episodes. Sand storm partly contributed to the PM10 concentration in fast northwesterly transport paths. PM10 concentrations in winter and spring were higher than autumn and summer. In spring and summer, Beijing was strongly affected by long-range transport. Long-range transport had a weaker effect on PM10 concentrations during autumn and winter. The clustering of back-trajectories and PSCF results indicate the need to reduce PM10 transport from areas surrounding Beijing, particularly from the south of Beijing.


Objective: Bacteriocins are proteinaceus compounds produced by bacteria and have an inhibitory effect on the development of closely related species. In recent years, bacteriocins produced by thermophilic bacteria have attracted much attention because of their thermostability which is important for protection of heat-processed food. In this study, a bacteriocin, which is tentatively named as toebicin 218 produced by Geobacillus toebii strain HBB-218 was used against the growth of Bacillus coagulans DSM 1 and Geobacillus stearothermophilus DSM 22 in canned food. Methods: As bacteriocin producer Geobacillus toebii HBB-218 was incubated in liquid medium. After incubation cell-free culture supernatants were lyophilized to estimate activity of bacteriocin in supernatants. Toebicin 218 was tested on vegetative cells and endospores of indicator bacteria inoculated into canned corn, canned pea and tomato paste. B. coagulans DSM 1 and Geobacillus stearothermophilus DSM 22 were used as indicator bacteria. Viable bacterial cells of food samples were counted at different time intervals and compared with control plates. Results: In the experimentl performed using vegetative cells of B. coagulans DSM 1 and Geobacillus stearothermophilus DSM 22, lyophilised bacteriocin induced a gradual decrease in bacterial cell counts. After 24 hours, any viable cell was not observed. The same procedure was also tested with endospores of the bacteria in question. In the experimental set ups established with endospores, when the bacterial counts were examined it was seen bacterial growth was terminated within 2-7 or 7-15 days. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, Toebicin 218 has a potential to be used as a biopreservative in canned food against G. stearothermophilus and B. coagulans.


This study examined the perception of drug abuse amongst Nigerian undergraduates living off-campus. Students were surveyed at the Lagos State University, Ojo, allowing for a diverse sample that included a large percentage of the students from different faculties and departments. The undergraduate students were surveyed with a structured self-reporting anonymous questionnaire modified and adapted from the WHO student drug survey proforma. Of the 1000 students surveyed, a total of 807 responded to the questionnaire resulting in 80.7% response rate. Majority (77.9%) of the students were aged 19-30 years and unmarried. Six hundred and ninety eight (86.5%) claimed they were aware of drug abuse, but contrarily they demonstrated poor knowledge and awareness. Marijuana, 298 (45.7%) was the most common drug of abuse seen by most of the students. They were unable to identify very well the predisposing factors to drug use and the attending risks. Two hundred and sixty six (33.0%) students were currently taking one or more drugs of abuse. Coffee (43.1%) was the most commonly used drug, followed by alcohol (25.8%) and marijuana (7.4%). Despite chronic use of these drugs (5 years and above), addiction is not a common finding. The study also revealed the poor attitudes of the undergraduates to drug addicts even after rehabilitation. It was therefore concluded that the awareness, knowledge, practices and attitudes of Nigerian undergraduates towards drug abuse is very poor. Considerably more research is needed to develop effective prevention strategy that combines school-based interventions with those affecting the family, social institutions and the larger community.


Hierarchy control strategy and ant colony optimization are proposed for coordinated ramp control. The macroscopic model to describe the evolution of freeway traffic flow is firstly established. Then the coordinated ramp control system is designed. There are two layers in this coordinated control system: the coordination control layer to select traffic models, to adjust the model parameters, and to determine the desired traffic density in each freeway section according to the current traffic status; and the direct control layer to keep the actual values of state variables in the vicinity of the desired state points via PI controllers. Ant colony algorithm is used to find the optimal PI control parameters. Simulation results show that the control system is of good performance. It can eliminate traffic jams, maintain traffic flow stability, and make vehicles travel more efficiently and safely.


This is part of an ongoing research project on how well current methodology can distinguish the stereochemistry of RDC's of the stereoisomers of steroid compounds. Different stereoisomers have different pharmacological properties, thus having the correct assignment is vital for the development of new drugs. Determining the stereochemistry of candidate pharmaceutical molecules is no easy task. Many spectra are taken per molecule to determine its configuration correctly. The goal of this research is to develop a measure of merit to evaluate our structures for the correct assignment of their stereochemistry. This work focus on achieving this empirically through blind comparisons to control molecules. The work presented here develops the assignments and spectral characterizations of our control molecules.


The effects of lowering the temperature from 25 degrees C to 2-8 degrees C on carbohydrate metabolism by plant cells are considered. Particular emphasis is placed on the mechanism of cold-induced sweetening in tubers of potato (Solanum tuberosum). Temperatures between 0 and 10 degrees C were shown to cause a marked reduction in the rate of respiration of a wide range of plant tissues. At these temperatures the ability of suspension cultures of soybean (Glycine max), and callus cultures and tubers of potato to metabolize [14C]glucose was appreciably diminished. The detailed distribution of 14C showed that lowering the temperature decreased the proportion of the metabolized [14C]glucose that entered the respiratory pathways and increased the proportion converted to sucrose. Pulse and chase experiments, in which [14C]glucose was supplied to potato tubers at 2 and 25 degrees C, showed that lowering the temperature led to accumulation of label in hexose 6-phosphates, which were subsequently converted to sucrose. The patterns of 14CO2 production from specifically labelled [14C]glucose supplied to soybean suspension cultures and disks of potato tuber suggested that lowering the temperature reduced the activity of glycolysis more than that of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway. It is argued that the above experiments demonstrate that lowering the temperature not only reduces the rate of carbohydrate metabolism but also alters the relative activities of the different pathways involved. A disproportionate reduction in glycolysis at the lower temperatures is suggested. Mature tubers of many varieties of potato accumulate sucrose and hexose when stored between 2 and 10 degrees C. Starch is the source of carbon for this synthesis of sugar. We could not detect cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase in potato tubers and suggest that carbon for sugar synthesis in the cold leaves the amyloplast, not as triose phosphate, but probably as a six-carbon compound. Evidence is presented that phosphofructokinase (EC 188.8.131.52) plays a major role in regulating the entry of hexose 6-phosphates into glycolysis in potato tubers. Phosphofructokinase was purified from potato tubers and shown to consist of four forms. Three of these forms were shown to have higher Q10 values over the range 2-6 degrees C than over the range 12-16 degrees C and are regarded as being cold-labile. No such cold-lability was detected for the key enzymes involved in sucrose synthesis and the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In this work we focus on confidence modeling for neural semantic parsers which are built upon sequence-to-sequence models. We outline three major causes of uncertainty, and design various metrics to quantify these factors. These metrics are then used to estimate confidence scores that indicate whether model predictions are likely to be correct. Beyond confidence estimation, we identify which parts of the input contribute to uncertain predictions allowing users to interpret their model, and verify or refine its input. Experimental results show that our confidence model significantly outperforms a widely used method that relies on posterior probability, and improves the quality of interpretation compared to simply relying on attention scores.


—Sikka Regency Coastal Area has high marine and fishery potential and has been chosen as minapolitan area in Maumere urban coastal area, exactly in West Alok Sub district, however there is still no means of development. It is noted that factors affecting the development of West Alok Sub district coastal area as minapolitan area should be used as basis in minapolitan area development in Sikka Regency. This study used descriptive analysis method to identify area characteristics and Delphi technique analysis to determine the development factors. The result of this study is that there are twelve factors affecting the development of maumere urban coastal area as minapolitan area categorized in three zones, namely main zone related to production activity, supporting zone related to fish processing activity and related zone dealing with production marketing.