The research described in this thesis is focused on biominerals of calcium carbonate, in particular the organic matrix embedded in the mineral phase of mollusk shells and corals skeletons, which directly controls the biocalcification process in these organisms. In this scope, the organic matrix proteins are considered as key components of the biological control over mineralization. Since the first report by Miyamoto and co-workers of a protein (Nacrein) from the mollusk shell of the pearl oyster in 1996, many proteins in shells and other mineralized structures were identified by a one-per-one approach using classical molecular biology and biochemistry techniques. Until recently, the existing information was manageable and consisting of some proteins with very specific signatures: secretion signals, acidic domains, carbonic anhydrases, low complexity regions, and not much else. With the entrance in the post-'omic' era, the fields of genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics also reached the biomineralization field and have allowed the scientific community to discover a much wider range of proteins taking part in the control of biocalcification mechanisms. These large newly identified protein datasets, are often difficult to interpret in light of the current models of calcification. The main goal of this dissertation is to give a contribution in this context. Apart from identifying several new proteins by means of high-throughput technologies, we present a careful analysis of the results and further interpretation from functional and evolutionary perspectives.


PURPOSE
Many types of dosimeters are used to measure radiation, but none of them directly measures the biological effect of this dose. The purpose here is to create a dosimeter that can measure the probability of double-strand breaks (DSB) for DNA, which is directly related to the biological effect of radiation.

METHODS
The dosimeter has DNA strands, which are labeled on one end with biotin and on the other with fluorescein. The biotin attaches these strands to magnetic beads. We suspended the DNA dosimeter in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as it matches the internal environment of the body. We placed small volumes (50µL) of the DNA dosimeter into tubes and irradiated these samples in a water-equivalent plastic phantom with several doses (three samples per dose). After irradiating the samples, a magnet was placed against the tubes. The fluorescein attached to broken DNA strands was extracted (called the supernatant) and placed into a different tube. The fluorescein on the unbroken strands remained attached to the beads in the tube and was re-suspended with 50µL of PBS. A fluorescence reader was used to measure the fluorescence for both the re-suspended beads and supernatant. To prove that we are measuring DSB, we tested dosimeter response with two different lengths of attached DNA strands (1 and 4 kilo-base pair).

RESULTS
The probability of DSB at the dose levels of 5, 10, 25, and 50 Gy were 0.05, 0.08, 0.12, and 0.19, respectively, while the coefficients of variation were 0.14, 0.07, 0.02, and 0.01, respectively. The 4 kilo-base-pair dosimeter produced 5.3 times the response of the 1 kilo-base-pair dosimeter.

CONCLUSION
The DNA dosimeter yields a measurable response to dose that scales with the DNA strand length. The goal now is to refine the dosimeter fabrication to reproducibly create a low coefficient of variation for the lower doses. This work was supported in part by Yarmouk University (Irbid, Jordan) and CPRIT (RP140105).


High amplitude vibrations induce amplitude dependence of the characteristic resonance parameters i.e., resonance frequency and damping factor in materials with microscopic damage features as a result of the nonlinear constitutive relation at the damage location. This paper displays and quantifies results of the nonlinear resonance technique, both in time signal reverberation and in frequency sweep domains, as a function of sample crack density. The reverberation spectroscopy technique is applied to carbon fiber reinforced plastic CFRP composites exposed to increasing thermal loading. Considerable gain in sensitivity and consistent interpretation of the results for nonlinear signatures in comparison with the linear characteristics are obtained. The amount of induced damage is quantified by analyzing light optical microscopy images of several cross-sections of the CFRP samples using histogram equalization and grayscale thresholding. The obtained measure of crack density is compared to the global macroscopic nonlinearity of the sample and explicitly confirms that the increase in nonlinearity is linked to an increased network of cracks. A change from 1% to 3% in crack density corresponds to a tenfold increase in the signature of nonlinearity. Numerical simulations based on a uniform distribution of a hysteretic nonlinear constitutive relation within the sample support the results. © 2009 Acoustical Society of America. DOI: 10.1121/1.3184583


INTRODUCTION
The role of acetyl salicylic acid (ASA or aspirin) in preeclampsia prevention and in other complications has been subject to studies and controversies for the last 30 years. The first research results concerning the role of placenta in preeclampsia have been published by the end of seventies and they showed an increase in the platelet activity and a prostaglandin synthesis disturbance, as a consequence of a deficient placentation. In the last twenty years of the XX century important studies were published on the aspirinprophylactic role in preeclampsia risk reduction.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
To analyze published studies about Aspirin use for preeclampsia prevention and about the more adequate dosage to be administered, Medline was used for searching the most relevant prospective research papers on this subject in order to evaluate current evidence about the use of aspirin in this context. Relevant citations were extracted from Embase, PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We divided the studies in two groups; one with aspirine administration before 16 weeks and the other having a larger use, between the first and the third trimester.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The first group of studies, with a lesser number of cases but an earlier time of administration until 16 weeks, concluded that a positive role of aspirine was possible in reducing severity of preeclampsia; the second group with a larger number of cases but less restricted conditions and timing of administration, had controversial results, with reduced positive actions of the drug. Meta-analysis of these published studies concluded that favorable results were associated to stricter criteria and ideal timing for startingthe drug.

CONCLUSION
As we do not have other pharmacologic alternatives, low dosage of Aspirin between 80-150 mg a day in the first trimester and until 16 weeks, at evening time, is a possible choice in cases of risk, and is still contributing for an early preeclampsia risk reduction.


We have used a [3H] thymidine incorporation assay and microscopic observation in order to reassess recently published data dealing with the response of tobacco protoplasts to phytohormones, lipochitooligosaccharides and peptides (Harling et al., 1997; Hayashi et al., 1992; Miklashevichs et al., 1996; Miklashevichs et al., 1997; Rohrig et al., 1995; Rohrig et al., 1996; van de Sande et al., 1996; Walden et al., 1994). These proliferation assays reveal that, in contrast to published data, isolated cells of the investigated mutant plant lines axi159 (Hayashi et al., 1992; Walden et al., 1994), axi4/1 (Harling et al., 1997) and cyil (Miklashevichs et al., 1997), which were generated by activation T-DNA tagging, were unable to grow in the absence of auxin or cytokinin. Furthermore, lipochitooligosaccharides which play a key role in the induction of nodules on roots of legumes were unable to promote auxin- or cytokinin-independent cell division in tobacco protoplasts as claimed by Rohrig et al. (1995, 1996). The finding of van de Sande et al. (1996) that ENOD40 confers tolerance of high auxin concentration to wild-type tobacco protoplasts was also reinvestigated. The results of our investigations show that we were unable to reproduce the proliferation data presented in this study, which were obtained by counting tobacco protoplast-derived cells undergoing division. In total, none of the published data on phytohormone-independent division of tobacco cells could be reproduced.


Branch-and-Combine (BaC) clock distribution has recently been introduced. The most interesting aspect of the new scheme is its ability to bound skew by a constant irrespective of network size. In this paper, we introduce algorithms for systematic synthesis of BaC networks for clocking meshes, tori, and hypercubes of different dimensionalities. For meshes our approach relies on filing techniques. We start with the identification of basic proper tiles satisfying certain criteria. We define a set of valid transformations on tiles. By appropriately applying a sequence of transformations on a basic proper tile, one could synthesize a valid BaC network. We formally introduce methods and procedures for applying the above steps to systematically construct different valid BaC network designs for 2D and 3D meshes. To construct BaC networks for clocking hypercubes of any dimensionality we describe a formal methodology. In this case, we utilize an approach called replication which is based on constructing larger hypercube clocking networks from smaller ones. We combine the techniques for 2D, 3D meshes with replication techniques to formulate a methodology applicable to meshes and tori of dimensionality greater than three. We provide proofs of correctness for the algorithms we introduce. Besides, we formally define an optimality criterion based on link costs which is utilized to check the optimality of the synthesized network designs. In the case of meshes, we show that the majority of synthesized networks are optimal with respect to our defined criterion. For those suboptimal networks, we describe a procedure for identifying and removing unnecessary (redundant) links. The procedure is guaranteed to optimize the network without changing its behavioral parameters.


Different types of dysfunctional voiding are described and correlated with psychological characteristics and sexual dysfunctions. Motoric as well as sensoric urge incontinence seems to be more frequently associated with psychological problems than stress incontinence and a psychosomatic therapy often results in cure without any surgery. A multidisciplinary approach to the problem is stressed.


The multicomponent composition of wastewater makes it challenging to assess its quality objectively, but the last one is a prerequisite for the safe re-use of wastewater. The solution to this problem should be aimed at finding criteria that make it possible to increase the objectivity of assessing the water quality of reservoirs with multicomponent pollution. This work analyzes the water quality of the Sorbulak wastewater disposal system in the summer of 2017, based on chemical variables and zooplankton structure and assess the long-term changes in the water quality of Sorbulak. According to the Kruskal–Wallis test, in 2017, the differences between the studied water bodies in the content of nutrients and heavy metals were mostly insignificant. From 2000–2002 to 2017, nitrate, nitrite nitrogen, and heavy metals in Sorbulak significantly decreased. Zooplankton communities consisted of a relatively small number of eurybiontic species resistant to environmental factors. The variability of the quantitative variables of zooplankton was associated with the nutrients. Males dominated the population of the cyclopoid copepods Acanthocyclops trajani. In 2000–2002 individuals with morphological anomalies were found in cyclopoid copepods populations, but were absent in 2017. The appearance of individuals with morphological anomalies was associated with copper or lead. The chemical data and structure of zooplankton communities indicated that the toxic pollution of Sorbulak decreased by 2017 compared to 2000–2002. Our results demonstrate that the structural variables of zooplankton communities could be successfully used to assess the water quality of water bodies with mixed pollution. We recommend using not only the traditional set of biological variables (abundance, biomass, diversity indices, and the average mass of an individual), but also data on the structure of species dominance, the sex structure of copepod populations, and the presence of individuals with morphological anomalies for monitoring of water bodies with mixed pollution.


Education regardless of the embodiment, if a high school education, college or as a training course or workshop is always followed by an evaluation of the persons who attended these courses. Evaluation is the process of determination if a person has acquired the new knowledge. Possible modes of evaluation are presented for students and graduates in the classic evaluation and via mobile devices.
Whatever the manner of the examination, the teacher should meet with students for the college or in another location. Following the examination by the teacher to assess students' theses and then meet with students and provision of results.
In this paper is presented the development of applications for mobile learning environment. The development of the application is the client-server and communication between the mobile device and the central server is through SOAP web services. This provides a great dynamism for examining how students in that the questions can be changed without having to intervention in the application but only in the central server.
Students examination is done through multiple choice questions and assessment is in place, students receive immediate result of having completed the exam, and the teacher does not have to interact with the application when the student exam. The exam may be held at any time no matter the hour of day or night, the service is available 24/7.
The examination of students save in logs all actions performed by users for a further investigation or a later analysis. This analysis is presented and advices for improving the M-Evaluation of students are provided.


OBJECTIVE To evaluate the value of CT and posture stimulation test (PST) in the differential diagnosis and lateralization of primary hyperaldosteronism(PA). METHOD Retrospective study was done based on the clinical data and pathological examinations of 22 patients with PA. RESULTS The baseline plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) of most aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) was over 250 pg.ml-1. In the diagnosis of APA, the sensitivity of CT was 75% and the specificity of CT was 100%; the sensitivity and specificity of PST were 87% and 100%, respectively. The examination results of CT and PST had no statistical significant correlativity (P > 0.05) and had bad consistency (P > 0.05), and the diagnostic efficiency of them had no significant difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The baseline PAC and the result of PST suggest as the best diagnostic index and methods of APA. Both CT and PST have high value in the differential diagnosis. Both CT and PST cannot be substituted for each other.


Ventricular myocytes are known to show increased expression of the cardiac hormones atrial and brain natriuretic peptide (ANP and BNP, respectively) in response to pathological stress on the heart, but their function during the progression of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy remains unclear. In this study, we crossed a mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden death, which we generated by cardioselectively overexpressing a dominant-negative form of the transcriptional repressor neuron-restrictive silencer factor (dnNRSF Tg mice), with mice lacking guanylyl cyclase-A (GC-A), a common receptor for ANP and BNP, to assess the effects of endogenously expressed natriuretic peptides during progression of the cardiomyopathy seen in dnNRSF Tg mice. We found that dnNRSF Tg;GC-A(-/-) mice were born normally, but then most died within 4 wk. The survival rates among dnNRSF Tg;GC-A(+/-) and dnNRSF Tg mice were comparable, but dnNRSF Tg;GC-A(+/-) mice showed greater systolic dysfunction and a more severe cardiomyopathic phenotype than dnNRSF Tg mice. Collectively, our findings suggest that endogenous ANP/BNP protects the heart against the death and progression of pathological remodeling in a mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden death.


Defense planning is a crucial part of the defense process. It identifies the capabilities required for the future defense environment, analyzes the capability shortfalls, prioritizes them, and provides the fundamental inputs for their development. Modeling and simulation may significantly contribute to the success of defense planning. However, neither the theory nor the tools are mature enough to fulfill the defense planning requirements. Various types of simulation tools, such as static, dynamic, deterministic, stochastic, closed, discrete, continuous, and symbiotic, in multiple levels of resolution and fidelity are needed to support the different stages and phases. The verification and validation of the models and the analysis of the input and output data are critical. Yet another challenge is that the uncertainties related to the contemporary defense scenarios are mostly not in aleatory but in the epistemic domain. In this paper, we briefly present a new computer-assisted defense planning process. Then, we introduce the service-oriented cloud approach for the modeling and simulation support to the process.


The association between small intestinal epithelium and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EEC) was studied in ligated intestinal loops of pigs and rabbits. The association indexes (degree of association) for each of two porcine EEC strains varied widely among pigs and independently of each other. Significant litter-to-litter variations in association indexes among colostrum-deprived newborn pigs were interpreted to be the result of congenital resistance to association with specific EEC in some pigs. Since enterosorption occurred in loops with low association indexes, it was not necessary for EEC to establish a high association index for them to cause enterosorption in ligated intestinal loops. Two strains of EEC which are enteropathogenic for humans caused enterosorption in ligated loops in pigs 3 weeks old or less but not in 6-week-old pigs.


The aim of the present study was to evaluate the oncologic safety and reproductive outcome in patients with stage I epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) treated with fertility-sparing surgery (FSS). Women aged ≤40 years with stage I EOC who had undergone FSS between 2000 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Survival was examined using the Kaplan-Meier method and statistical significance was analyzed using the log-rank test. A total of 29 EOC patients (stage IA, n=14; stage IC1 n=6; stage IC3, n=9) from seven participating institutions belonging to the Tohoku Gynecologic Cancer Unit were enrolled. After a median follow-up duration of 60.6 months (range, 6–135 months), five patients (17.2%) experienced tumor recurrence. The respective five-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 90.9 and 100% for stage IA/IC1, and 43.8 and 87.5% for stage IC3. Significant differences in RFS were observed between stage IA/IC1 and IC3 patients (P=0.026). However, there was no significant difference in OS between patients with 1A/1C1 and those with 1C3 (P=0.712). After FSS, seven pregnancies occurred in five patients, which resulted in the birth of six healthy children. The results of the present study confirmed that FSS may be an acceptable treatment method for stage IA and IC1 EOC, exhibiting a favorable reproductive outcome. However, the safety of FSS for treating stage IC3 EOC is uncertain and warrants further investigation.


Introduction : Around 30% of Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) patients are refractory or relapse (RR) after first line therapy. Salvage chemotherapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy and with Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation (APBSCT) can cure many patients, but those who are transplanted with active disease detectable by PET-CT have a very poor prognosis. Therefore, the current challenge in HL is to improve the results of the pre-transplant chemotherapy. Phase 2 single agent trials with Brentuximab Vedotin (BV) in highly RRHL patients have demonstrated overall and complete response rates of 75% and 34%, respectively (Younes, JCO 2012; 30:2183); as 2nd line, BV has provided very promising results in combination with chemotherapy (LaCasce, Blood 2014; 124(21):3099)

Objectives : We conducted a phase I/II trial to determine the dose limiting toxicity (DLT), maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and response rate with combined Brentuximab vedotin with ESHAP chemotherapy [BRESHAP] as 2nd line therapy for RRHL prior to APBSCT (ClinicalTrials.gov #[NCT02243436][1]).

Methods: The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of complete responses (CR) pre-APBSCT. It is a phase I-II trial with dose escalation followed by expansion. Treatment consisted of Etoposide (40 mg/m2/day IV, D1-4), Solumedrol (250 mg/day IV, D1-4), High dose AraC (2 g/m2 IV, D5) and cisPlatin (25 mg/m2/day IV, D1-4). BV was administered at three dose levels: 0.9, 1.2 or 1.8 mg/kg IV on day 1 to each cohort of patients, following the scheme of cohorts of 3 patients each, to assess the maximum tolerable dose (MTD). The dose limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as Grade 4 hematologic toxicity extended over 3 weeks or non-hematologic toxicity grade ≥3 during the first treatment cycle. Patients were evaluated weekly.

Results: Patients with relapsed or refractory classical HL (cHL) after one prior line of therapy were eligible. To date, 27 patients have been included in the trial. The first 9 have completed the three courses as scheduled, without TLD doses. Fifteen patients have received the first full cycle, presenting 4 episodes of severe adverse reactions: non-neutropenic fever due to IV AraC and to complicated catheter insertion; one pneumothorax after catheter insertion; and one febrile neutropenia recovered with antibiotic treatment. Grade 4 hematologic toxicity presented in three of these nine patients: 2 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia 1. All nine patients underwent stem cell mobilization after the 1st or the 2nd treatment cycle with subcutaneous G-CSF 5 mcg/Kg days +7 to +14, collecting >2·10e6/Kg peripheral blood CD34+ cells in all cases, with no grade 3-4 toxicity. The number of harvesting procedures was one & two in seven & two patients, respectively. The transplant has been done in 6 patients, with a median of 9 days and 10 days for neutrophil and platelet recovery, respectively. All nine patients had no evidence of disease before the transplant by PET-CT, although one patient had residual FGD uptaking areas without underlying anatomical lesions on CT (metabolic complete response: 89%). Six patients have been evaluated after the APBSCT and they are all in metabolic CR. The phase II of the trial was open on April the 12th 2015, with BV at the recommended dose of 1.8 mg/kg per course. At the submission of this report, there were 28 patients recruited, and 17 evaluated pre-transplant, achieving 16 CR. The complete results will be presented during the meeting; the projected recruitment by the meeting is 45 (65% of the total planned recruitment).

Conclusions: BRESHAP is a tolerable treatment scheme as remission induction prior to transplant in patients with refractory or relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma, and it offers very promising results.

Disclosures Off Label Use: Brentuximab Vedotin in Resistant or Relapsed Hodgkin Lymphoma patients who are candidates to Autologous Stem Cell Transplant. Sureda: Seattle Genetics Inc.: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Caballero: Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding.

 [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT02243436&atom=%2Fbloodjournal%2F126%2F23%2F582.atom


This article discusses the many tacks CDA has taken with its marketing campaigns over the years. The keys to success have been reasonable goals and sufficient funds to make an impact. The current campaign, while underfunded due to budget constraints, carries on the successful theme of positioning CDA and its member dentists as the trusted sources of dental information for consumers, legislators, and health care decision-makers. An accompanying article discusses the proposed ADA national marketing campaign.


We discuss the large set of observables available from the angular distributions of the decay anti-B --> anti-K*0 l+ l-. We present a NLO analysis of all observables based on the QCD factorization approach in the low-dilepton mass region and an estimate of \Lambda/m_b corrections. Moreover, we discuss their sensitivity to new physics. We explore the experimental sensitivities at LHCb (10 fb^-1) and Super-LHCb (100 fb^-1) based on a full-angular fit method and explore the sensitivity to right handed currents. We also show that the previously discussed transversity amplitude A_T^(1) cannot be measured at the LHCb experiment or at future B factory experiments as it requires a measurement of the spin of the final state particles.


We prove that for almost all real primitive characters χd of modulus |d|, the least positive integer nχd at which χd takes a value not equal to 0 and 1 satisfies nχd log |d|, and give a quite precise estimate on the size of the exceptional set. Also, we generalize Burgess' bound for nχp′ (with p ′ being a prime up to ± sign) to composite modulus |d| and improve Garaev's upper bound for the least quadratic non-residue in Pajtechĭı-S̆apiro's sequence. §


Glandular odontogenic cyst (GOC) is an uncommon developmental odontogenic cyst of the jaw with a relative frequency between 0.012-1.3%. GOC is very rare and has an unpredictable and potentially aggressive behaviour. Generally this cyst is encountered in the anterior areas of the mandible and is more common with a wide age range, the mean age being 49.5 years, and has a tendency to recur. GOC is often misdiagnosed because of its overlapping clinical and histopathological features with that of other odontogenic cysts such as lateral periodontal cyst (LPC) and central low-grade Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma. Here, we present a case of GOC in a 43 yr old male patient in the right mandibular posterior region treated by enucleation and chemical curettage with Carnoy's solution.

Keywords: Glandular odontogenic cyst, Developmental cyst, Lateral periodontal cyst, Mucoepidermoid carcinoma, Carnoy's solution


I. Young male rats were used in five experiments to study the utilization for growth of methionine sulphoxide, and the relationship between the sulphoxide content in the diet and the level of microbiologically determined methionine activity in blood or blood plasma. In one nitrogen-balance experiment methionine and methionine sulphoxide were compared as supplements to a casein diet and a fish-meal diet. 2. Methionine sulphoxide was poorly utilized for growth when tested as the sole sulphur amino acid in an amino acid diet. Substitution of one-third of the sulphoxide with cystine improved utilization so that it approached that of methionine. 3. Methionine alone and in combination with methionine sulphoxide were added to a soya-bean-meal diet. The sulphoxide showed no adverse effect on growth. 4. Fish meal in which methionine had been oxidized to methionine sulphoxide was tested alone and in combinations with unoxidized fish meal. Only when the oxidized meal was given alone was there an appreciable effect on growth. The fish meals used were low in cystine. 5 . Whereas both methionine and methionine sulphoxide improved the N balance when a casein diet was given, there was no effect when a fish-meal diet was given. 6. There was a linear relationship between methionine sulphoxide content in the amino acid diets and the methionine activity in the blood plasma. Methionine sulphoxide added to a soya-bean-meal diet or present in oxidized fish meal gave a curvilinear relationship, and the observed activities were lower than with the amino acid diets. Methionine activity in blood could not be used as an indicator of moderate amounts of methionine sulphoxide in protein-containing diets.


Abstract. The summer of 2019 was marked by an extensive early onset of surface melt and record volume losses of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), which is part of a larger trend of increasing melt over time. Given the growing spatial extent of melt, the flux of water vapor from the ice to the atmosphere is becoming an increasingly important component of the GrIS mass balance that merits investigation and quantification. We examine the isotopic composition of water vapor from Thule Air Base, NW Greenland, particularly the deuterium excess (d-excess), to quantify the magnitude of GrIS vapor fluxes. To do this, we observe only water vapor transported off the ice sheet (i.e., when easterly winds occur) and during the active melt season. We find that the GrIS-derived water vapor d-excess values are controlled by two main factors: 1) the d-excess of the sublimating vapor, which is determined, in part, by the relative humidity and wind speed above the ice sheet, and 2) the proportion of sublimation- vs. marine-sourced moisture. Here, the GrIS melt extent serves as a proxy for the sublimation source and the North Atlantic Oscillation provides a measure of the meridional transport of marine moisture. We demonstrate that sublimation contributes ~20 % of the water vapor transported from the GrIS during the melt season. Sublimation is thus an important component of GrIS mass balance and the regional hydrologic cycle, and this flux will become more important in the coming years as further warming continues GrIS negative mass balance trends.


The substrate specificities of the enzymatic system, which transforms chlorophyllide into chlorophyll in etioplasts of whole leaves and of the chlorophyllase enzyme, which performs the inverse reaction, i. e. chlorophyll hydrolysis, were compared. Infiltration of chlorophyllide a of b into the excised etiolated leaves of rye results in a formation of chlorophylls a and b in the dark, whereas pheophorbide a or b does not cause pheophytin to appear under the same conditions. Consequently, for the in vivo esterification reaction to occur, substitution of the methyl group by the formyl one in position 3 of the tetrapyrrole ring is not essential, but the presence of the central magnesium atom in the molecule is necessary. On the other hand, chlorophyllase from the same etiolated leaves equally hydrolyzes both chlorophylls and pheophytins. It is concluded that the enzymes present in etioplasts which catalyze chlorophyllide esterification and chlorophyll hydrolysis are not identical. The optimal temperature of the in vivo esterification of exogenous chlorophyllide to chlorophyll (37 degrees) was determined and the ability of this chlorophyll to be hydrolyzed by chlorophyllase was established.


Abstract Muslim women are generally viewed as victims of prevailing religious and patriarchal discourses. Their subjectivity and subordinate position is discussed as imposed, through textual representations by orthodox and radical Muslims. Radical Islamic movements are examined as militarized masculinities, oppressing women as well as terrorizing the non-Muslims. This paper argues that women are active partners of their subordination within traditionalist and radical religious movements. They are agents of orthodoxy and have carved a new role for themselves within the religious paradigms. They not only conform to the radical world view but are instrumental in dissemination of radicalism amongst fellow women and create an environment that fosters the extremists' agendas.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The minimally invasive nature and effectiveness of shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) has made it one of the primary treatment modalities for urinary tract calculi. Several factors determining the success of SWL treatment have been studied, including stone factors (ie, location, size, and composition) and patient factors (ie, patient habitus and skin-to-stone distance). Our objective was to determine if either the assisting radiologic technologist or the amount of fluoroscopy time used has an impact on SWL success.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We compared the outcome of 536 SWL treatments across three radiologic technologists. We also evaluated the average amount of fluoroscopy time used in treatment success vs failures in this same cohort. The outcomes measured were stone-free and successful fragmentation rate at 2 weeks and 3 months. Successful fragmentation was defined as being either stone free, having residual sand, or with an asymptomatic fragment ≤ 4 mm on radiography of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder.

RESULTS
The patients treated by the three different radiologic technologists were comparable with respect to body mass index, stone side and location, presence of ureteral stent, and mean stone area (mm(2)). The stone-free and successful fragmentation rates at 2 weeks and 3 months between the three radiologic technologists were not significantly different. When examining fluoroscopy time, we found a significantly greater mean fluoroscopy time was used in treatments with successful fragmentation at 2 weeks (3.16 min vs 2.72 min, P=0.0001) and 3 months (3.12 min vs 2.75 min, P=0.0015) compared with treatment failures.

CONCLUSION
The radiologic technologist did not have a significant impact on SWL treatment outcome at 2 weeks and 3 months. Successful SWL fragmentation at 2 weeks and 3 months, however, was associated with a greater amount of fluoroscopy time, suggesting that using fluoroscopy to ensure accurate targeting during SWL is important for successful fragmentation.


Photonic packet switches offer the high speed, data rate and format transparency, and flexibility required by future computer communications and cell-based telecommunications networks. We review the experimental progress in multiwavelength photonic packet switches with an emphasis on all-optical guided wave systems. The term all-optical implies that the data portion of a packet remains in an optical format from the source to the destination. While the data remains all-optical, both optical and optoelectronic techniques have been used to process packet routing functions based on extremely simple routing protocols. An overview of the design issues for all-optical photonic packet switching is given and contrasted to electronic packet switch implementations. Low level functions that have been experimentally implemented include routing, contention resolution, synchronization, and header regeneration. System level demonstrations, including centralized photonic switching and distributed all-optical multihop networks, are reviewed.


There has been significant interest toward highly tunable resonators for on-demand frequency selection in modern communication systems. Here, we report highly tunable electrostatically actuated silicon-based nanomechanical resonators. In-plane doubly clamped bridges, slightly curved as shallow arches due to residual stresses are fabricated using standard electron beam lithography and surface nanomachining. The resonators are designed such that the effect of midplane stretching dominates the softening effect of the electrostatic force. This is achieved by controlling the gap-to-thickness ratio and by exploiting the initial curvature of the structure from fabrication. We demonstrate considerable increase in the resonance frequency of nanoresonators with the dc bias voltages up to 108% for 180 nm thick structures with a transduction gap of 1 μm separating them from the driving/sensing electrodes. The experimental results are found in good agreement with those of a nonlinear analytical model based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. As a potential application, we demonstrate a tunable narrow bandpass filter using two electrically coupled nanomechanical arch resonators with varied dc bias voltages.


A 47-year-old man with recurring vertebral hydatidosis was scheduled for surgical removal of cysts by an anterior approach. Anesthetic management included multimodal monitoring and prophylaxis for the most common neurological, hemodynamic, and respiratory complications, as well as for appropriate control of pain during and after surgery. The spine is a rare location for hydatid cysts. Treatment is surgical, although imidazoles are useful for prevention and protection against recurrence. The prognosis is good.


Previous research has yet to explore in detail what kind of emotions, gratitude or indebtedness, the beneficiary feels after receiving help. The differences between the two emotions need to be clarified. Based on literature reviews and our arguments, the present research indicated that gratitude and indebtedness are indeed two different concepts. Though both gratitude and indebtedness are emotions generated from helping others, the beneficiary's gratitude feelings can be easily produced when the benefactor has no purposes, has low expectations of returns, is selfless, sincere, and voluntary. Conversely, indebtedness may be produced. This kind of indebtedness influenced by external factors (benefactor factor) we termed external indebtedness. Those with gratitude tend to feel more positive emotions. On the contrary, those with external indebtedness tend to feel more negative emotions. Furthermore, we also found the other kind of indebtedness we termed internal indebtedness. Internal indebtedness occurs when the beneficiary wants to return the favor but is unable to return it. So, internal indebtedness may follow gratitude.


The Antitrust damages directive was transposed into Luxembourgish law by the Loi du 5 decembre 2016 relative a certaines regles regissant les actions en dommages et interets pour les violations du droit de la concurrence et modifiant la loi modifiee du 23 octobre 2011 relative a la concurrence. The new rules apply to actions for damages introduced after its entry into force on 10 December 2016.
The Luxembourgish Transposition Act is limited to those provisions that are necessary to satisfy the requirements of the Directive. Rules that are (considered to be) included in the general law of obligations or civil procedure are not specifically transposed. In this regard it is noteworthy that the rules of the Directive concerning the power of the Court to order the disclosure of specified items of evidence or relevant categories of evidence circumscribed as precisely and as narrowly as possible on the basis of reasonably available facts in the reasoned justification have not been transposed specifically since the general rules of civil procedure are more lenient. The Directive does therefore not improve the position of the claimant in this respect. The rules of the Directive limiting the court's power to the disclosure of evidence to what is proportionate and those concerning the protection of confidential information have been transposed. It is uncertain whether this leads to a more restrictive disclosure than that which had been available in the absence of the transposition of these provisions. The claimant's position improves, however, regarding access to documents in the file of competition authority while the information on the Directive's grey and black list Art. 6(5) and (6) is protected as required. Before the transposition of the Directive any use of documents obtained as a result of a public enforcement procedure for any other purpose was prohibited.
Legal disputes are expected regarding the application of the Transposition act to damages actions that are exclusively based on infringements of national competition law, the probative value of final infringement decisions by a competition authority or review court of another Member State, the notion of undertaking and its impact on parent company liability, the duration of the limitation period, the quantification of harm, the fact that the presumption of harm is passed on can only be invoked by direct purchasers and not by the infringer as a defence and the secondary consequences of solidarity/liability in solidum.


Background: Activation of yeast trehalase has been a convenient read-out for nutrient signaling to PKA, but demonstration of phosphorylation in vivo is lacking. Results: Nutrient activation is associated with phosphorylation, but phosphorylation is not enough for activation. Conclusion: Nutrient activation of trehalase is a reliable read-out for nutrient activation of PKA in vivo. Significance: Nutrient-sensing mechanisms can be identified using trehalase activation as a read-out. The readdition of an essential nutrient to starved, fermenting cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae triggers rapid activation of the protein kinase A (PKA) pathway. Trehalase is activated 5–10-fold within minutes and has been used as a convenient reporter for rapid activation of PKA in vivo. Although trehalase can be phosphorylated and activated by PKA in vitro, demonstration of phosphorylation during nutrient activation in vivo has been lacking. We now show, using phosphospecific antibodies, that glucose and nitrogen activation of trehalase in vivo is associated with phosphorylation of Ser21 and Ser83. Unexpectedly, mutants with reduced PKA activity show constitutive phosphorylation despite reduced trehalase activation. The same phenotype was observed upon deletion of the catalytic subunits of yeast protein phosphatase 2A, suggesting that lower PKA activity causes reduced trehalase dephosphorylation. Hence, phosphorylation of trehalase in vivo is not sufficient for activation. Deletion of the inhibitor Dcs1 causes constitutive trehalase activation and phosphorylation. It also enhances binding of trehalase to the 14-3-3 proteins Bmh1 and Bmh2, suggesting that Dcs1 inhibits by preventing 14-3-3 binding. Deletion of Bmh1 and Bmh2 eliminates both trehalase activation and phosphorylation. Our results reveal that trehalase activation in vivo is associated with phosphorylation of typical PKA sites and thus establish the enzyme as a reliable read-out for nutrient activation of PKA in vivo.


Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing major changes in farm land ownership and use, which are both cause and consequence of the economic transformations that the region is now experiencing. The rapid rise of emergent investor farms in the 5 to 100 hectare category represents a revolutionary change in Africa's farm structure since 2000. The rise of investor farmers is affecting the region in diverse ways that are difficult to generalize. In some areas, investor farms are a source of dynamism, technical change and commercialization of African agriculture. In densely populated areas, however, investor farms may be displacing the potential for agricultural land expansion of small-scale farming communities.


Recently, Gordeev et al. (2015) suggested a method to test global MHD models against statistical empirical data. They showed that four community‐available global MHD models supported by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) produce a reasonable agreement with reality for those key parameters (the magnetospheric size, magnetic field, and pressure) that are directly related to the large‐scale equilibria in the outer magnetosphere. Based on the same set of simulation runs, here we investigate how the models reproduce the global loading‐unloading cycle. We found that in terms of global magnetic flux transport, three examined CCMC models display systematically different response to idealized 2 h north then 2 h south interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz variation. The LFM model shows a depressed return convection and high loading rate during the growth phase as well as enhanced return convection and high unloading rate during the expansion phase, with the amount of loaded/unloaded magnetotail flux and the growth phase duration being the closest to their observed empirical values during isolated substorms. Two other models exhibit drastically different behavior. In the BATS‐R‐US model the plasma sheet convection shows a smooth transition to the steady convection regime after the IMF southward turning. In the Open GGCM a weak plasma sheet convection has comparable intensities during both the growth phase and the following slow unloading phase. We also demonstrate potential technical problem in the publicly available simulations which is related to postprocessing interpolation and could affect the accuracy of magnetic field tracing and of other related procedures.


Article history: Received 2 December 2017 Received in revised form 12 December 2017 Accepted 20 December 2017 Published 30 December 2017 The Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been introduced in Malaysia to replace the Sales and Services Tax (SST) to improve the efficiency of indirect tax collection. However, its implementation has not been fully understood by business people. This research aims to examine the key factors that have contributed to the level of acceptance towards GST among business communities in a local city, Johor Bharu. In this study, three variables were selected namely awareness, understanding and attitude. Using questionnaire as a research instrument, 100 sets of questionnaires were distributed. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the relationship among awareness, understanding and attitude with the level of acceptance among business communities towards GST. The results revealed that the mean score for all independent variables is moderate. Awareness and attitude were found to have significant impact on the level of acceptance among business community towards GST, while understanding is not significant. The business community in Johor Bahru shows a moderate or positive level of acceptance and attitude towards GST.


This study investigates whether thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), ·-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (·MSH) and N-acetyl ß-endorphin (NAc ß-END), or the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and 3,5,3)-triiodothyronine (T3) are involved in the physiological response to temperature changes in the poikilotherm common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Carps were either subjected to a rapid cold exposure or acclimated over time to three different temperatures. Acute cold exposure did not influence blood plasma ·-MSH concentrations. Acclimation to 15, 22 or 29°C led to a temperature-dependent increase of both ·-MSH and NAc ß-END plasma concentrations. Moreover, the in vitro sensitivity to TRH of melanotrope cells (that synthesise these peptides) also correlated positively with ambient temperature. Increased TRH activation stimulated processing of the precursor of ·-MSH and NAc ß-END, resulting in increased release of both peptides and storage of a surplus of NAc ß-END within melanotropes. Plasma T4 levels were highest in carps acclimated to the intermediate temperature tested, and correlated strongly with hypothalamic TRH content. Plasma T3 levels were unaffected by ambient water temperature. We conclude that ambient water temperature influences the sensitivity of melanotrope cells to TRH in carps. This effect, however, is not due to acute temperature change, but evolves during the acclimation process of carps to a new temperature. Copyright © 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel


: Biochemical changes in the stomach mucous membrane of rats treated with N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) were studied. Carcinogenesis was shown to involve considerable changes in gastric mucous membrane, e. g. disorders in biosynthesis of isoforms of pepsinogen-pepsin. Their level and proteolytic activity are gradually declined. This effect can be reversed at an early stage of treatment and is persistent in advanced tumors of glandular part of rat stomach.


A Datta-Das spin field-effect transistor is built of a heterostructure with a Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI) at the interface (or quantum well) separating two possibly magnetized reservoirs. The particle and spin currents between the two reservoirs are driven by chemical potentials that are (possibly) different for each spin direction. These currents are also tuned by varying the strength of the SOI, which changes the amount of the rotation of the spins of electrons crossing the heterostructure. Here we investigate the dependence of these currents on additional Zeeman fields on the heterostructure and on variations of the reservoir magnetizations. In contrast to the particle current, the spin currents are not necessarily conserved; an additional spin polarization is injected into the reservoirs. If a reservoir has a finite (equilibrium) magnetization, then we surprisingly find that the spin current into that reservoir can only have spins which are parallel to the reservoir magnetization, independent of all the other fields. This spin current can be enhanced by increasing the magnetization of the other reservoir, and can also be tuned by the SOI and the various magnetic fields. When only one reservoir is magnetized then the spin current into the other reservoir has arbitrary tunable size and direction. In particular, this spin current changes as the magnetization of the other reservoir is rotated. The optimal conditions for accumulating spin polarization on an unpolarized reservoir are to either apply a Zeeman field in addition to the SOI, or to polarize the other reservoir.


A simple method for calculating the mutual and self inductances of circular coils of rectangular cross section and parallel axes is presented. The method applies to non-coaxial as well as coaxial coils, and self inductance can be calculated by considering two identical coils which coincide in space. It is assumed that current density is homogeneous in the coil windings. The inductances are given in terms of one-dimensional integrals involving Bessel and Struve functions, and an exact solution is given for one of these integrals. The remaining terms can be evaluated numerically to great accuracy using computer packages such as Mathematica. The method is compared with other exact methods for the coaxial case, and with a filamentary method for the non-coaxial case. Excellent agreement was found in all cases, and the exact method presented here agrees with another exact coaxial method to great numerical accuracy.


The Seawater Greenhouse is an innovative technology to address problems at the food-water-energy nexus. It is a growing system powered by renewable energy and cooled by seawater, allowing sustainable intensification of agriculture to meet the soaring demands for food in the world's arid regions. This presentation explains how the technology can be adapted to meet different climatic conditions and economic constraints. To illustrate the different modes of operation, case studies are presented for designs already implemented in Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Oman. Further designs are in progress for Iran and Somaliland. Seawater evaporation, the key feature of the Seawater Greenhouse, is highlighted from the points of views of both space cooling and brine disposal. Space cooling enables extended growing seasons, diversification of crops and reduced evapotranspiration rates in hot climates – without expenditure of freshwater. Brine disposal comes into play when, instead of using raw seawater for cooling, the seawater is taken from the reject stream of desalination plants. This introduces the possibility for improved brine management, which can also be applied for inland desalination scenarios where brine disposal is especially problematic. The seawater greenhouse can be used for volume reduction of brine, to prevent deterioration of soil associated with unmanaged discharge of brine to the environment. The presentation also shows how the design of the Seawater Greenhouse has been optimised through fluid dynamic modelling to achieve targets for cooling and brine disposal in certain case studies, in particular that of Somaliland where a pilot is currently being developed to meet exacting requirements with regard to low cost and robust construction.


Science and technology innovation is the power of enterprise development, since the 1980s, A series of science and technology policies have been formulated according to the needs in different periods. Because the policy varies in different circumstances, science and technology innovation environment, such as social innovation atmosphere, information and service supply still depend on the creation of local authority. Therefore, this paper defines the framework of the technology innovation, takes up the countermeasure of improving local innovation in science and technology, including: create favorable policy environment, and build scientific and technological innovation atmosphere, guide the limited resources, technology intermediary market, so as to coordinate and support local technology innovation and achieve the goal of the coordinate development of the science& technology, economy and society. Technological innovation is the originality of scientific research and technological innovation, refers to the floorboard of creation and application of new technology, new knowledge, new technology, using the new mode of production and management model, and develop new products, improve product quality, provide the new service process. Macro frame is refers to the macro-control of laws, regulations and policies, China national science and technology innovation policy innovation of science and technology is the place where, macro frame to support science and technology innovation in the science and technology to implement national policy.


The extended aircraft arrival management problem, as an extension of the classic aircraft landing problem, seeks to preschedule aircraft on a destination airport a few hours before their planned landing times. A two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming model enriched by chance constraints is proposed in this paper. The first-stage optimization problem determines an aircraft sequence and target times over a reference point in the terminal area, called initial approach fix (IAF), so as to minimize the landing sequence length. Actual times over the IAF are assumed to deviate randomly from target times following known probability distributions. In the second stage, actual times over the IAF are assumed to be revealed, and landing times are to be determined in view of minimizing a time-deviation impact cost function. A Benders reformulation is proposed, and acceleration techniques to Benders decomposition are sketched. Extensive results on realistic instances from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport show the benefit of two-stage stochastic and chance-constrained programming over a deterministic policy.


There are two strong and equally important predictors of rates of human protein evolution: The amount the gene is expressed and the proportion of exonic sequence devoted to control splicing, mediated largely by selection on exonic splice enhancer (ESE) motifs. Is the same true for noncoding RNAs, known to be under very weak purifying selection? Prior evidence suggests that selection at splice sites in long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) is important. We now report multiple lines of evidence indicating that the great majority of purifying selection operating on lincRNAs in humans is splice related. Splice-related parameters explain much of the between-gene variation in evolutionary rate in humans. Expression rate is not a relevant predictor, although expression breadth is weakly so. In contrast to protein-coding RNAs, we observe no relationship between evolutionary rate and lincRNA stability. As in protein-coding genes, ESEs are especially abundant near splice junctions and evolve slower than non-ESE sequence equidistant from boundaries. Nearly all constraint in lincRNAs is at exon ends (N.B. the same is not witnessed in Drosophila). Although we cannot definitely answer the question as to why splice-related selection is so important, we find no evidence that splicing might enable the nonsense-mediated decay pathway to capture transcripts incorrectly processed by ribosomes. We find evidence consistent with the notion that splicing modifies the underlying chromatin through recruitment of splice-coupled chromatin modifiers, such as CHD1, which in turn might modulate neighbor gene activity. We conclude that most selection on human lincRNAs is splice mediated and suggest that the possibility of splice–chromatin coupling is worthy of further scrutiny.


This study aims to compare the water quality in distinct aquatic systems, situated in different representative areas of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, Romania - a unique natural area of national and international importance. These areas are largely populated by a vast diversity of aquatic organisms, including rare species of plants, animals, aquatic birds and fish, many of them being endangered species. Any imbalances in these ecosystems, owing to natural and human-induced changes in the water quality may affect aquatic life. In this sense, water samples were collected from the surface layer of a freshwater environment (i.e., Babina, Rădăcinoasele and Ciorticuț lakes), as well as from mixed environments (i.e., Musura and Sahalin Bays) during August 2018. The following water quality indicators were considered: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrite-nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, ammonium-nitrogen, orthophosphates, chlorophyll a, total organic carbon, silica, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, sulphates, turbidity, total suspended solids, transparency and oxido-reduction potential. These parameters were analysed and discussed in relation to national and international environmental standards. Maps of spatial distribution of some quality parameters were obtained, showing variation as a result of local specific environmental circumstances, which change in time and space. These results suggest that the environmental indicators measured in drought conditions and low water levels showed generally good to moderate water quality status, in spite of many local triggers associated with natural and anthropogenic causes that can alter or impair the quality of the water. After this investigation performed during August 2018, it can be appreciated that the analysed water samples maintain appropriate levels that are suitable for the ecological status of the investigated aquatic systems, and, as expected, the aquatic habitats are ecologically balanced environments. The paper recommends the routine monitoring and periodical testing of the water quality to create and develop a database to reflect the natural variation and human related implications for water quality within these areas, and their short, medium and long-term evolution trends. The present work is important for water quality assessment to detect changes in water quality under human pressures and climate change and to protect and conserve these natural water resources.
Abbreviations: Ammonium-Nitrogen (N-NH4+: mg/L), Before Present (BP years), Chlorophyll a (Chla: μg/L), Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (DDBR), Dissolved Oxygen Saturation (DO: %), Dissolved Oxygen Concentration (DO: mg/L), Electrical Conductivity (EC: μS/cm), European Union (EU), Global Positioning System (GPS), Hectares (ha), Nitrate-Nitrogen (N-NO3 -: mg/L), Nitrite-Nitrogen (N-NO2 -: mg/L), Orthophosphates (P-PO4 3-: mg/L), Oxido- Reduction Potential (ORP: mV), Silica (SiO2: mg/L), Sulphates (SO4 2--: mg/L), Temperature (t: oC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS: mg/L), Total Organic Carbon (TOC: mg/L), Total Suspended Solids (TSS: mg/L), Turbidity (NTU units), Water Depth (m), Water Framework Directive, (WFD), pH: (units), Water Transparency/Secchi Disc Depth (SDD: m), World Health Organization (WHO).


Offline learning is a key part of making reinforcement learning (RL) useable in real systems. Offline RL looks at scenarios where there is data from a system's operation, but no direct access to the system when learning a policy. Recent work on training RL policies from offline data has shown results both with model-free policies learned directly from the data, or with planning on top of learnt models of the data. Model-free policies tend to be more performant, but are more opaque, harder to command externally, and less easy to integrate into larger systems. We propose an offline learner that generates a model that can be used to control the system directly through planning. This allows us to have easily controllable policies directly from data, without ever interacting with the system. We show the performance of our algorithm, Model-Based Offline Planning (MBOP) on a series of robotics-inspired tasks, and demonstrate its ability leverage planning to respect environmental constraints. We are able to find near-optimal polices for certain simulated systems from as little as 50 seconds of real-time system interaction, and create zero-shot goal-conditioned policies on a series of environments.


A method of elevating the storage lifetime of purified proteins has been discovered which appears to confer stability to all proteins investigated and may therefore be classed as generic in action. The basic methodology involves the formation of multiple electrostatic complexes between the protein and selected soluble polyelectrolytes to give protein-polyelectrolyte (PP) complexes and then to add solutions of polyalcohols or other compounds containing multiple hydroxyl groups. Dehydration of the resulting solution by vacuum evaporation, freeze drying or forced air convection produces a dry film or powder of stabilised protein. The method has been used mainly in the preparation of active enzymes for analytical tests. It has also been found that the formation of PP complexes also enhances the stability of enzymes in solution and the technique may be applicable to the stabilisation of virus suspensions by polycations. Examples of stabilised enzymes prepared by these methods are given and the proposed mechanism of stabilisation and applicability of the method to shelf-stable vaccine products are discussed.


This paper applies agents to the highly dynamic and variable context of healthcare emergency decisionsupport domain. More specifically we advocate the use of mobile agents to support the deployment of an ambulance service in real-time. We presented an implementation of the proposed agent based architecture, which was based on the specific functional and non-functional application requirements set out based on thorough analysis of literature. We also created an illustrative emergency scenario in order to demonstrate the validity and feasibility of our proposed model. From the evaluation of the implementation we were able to identify some of the major technical advantages it has to offer as well as challenges one needs to address in similar attempts. We choose mobile agents as the key enabling technology because they offer a single, general framework in which large-scale distributed real-time decision support applications can be implemented more efficiently. Healthcare was chosen as the target application domain to emphasize both the benefits derived from the exploitation of mobile agent paradigm in this domain as well as to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed approach in the highly uncertain context.


: The Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health has four core functions: the monitoring and surveillance of communicable diseases and environmental hazards in Scotland; operational advice and support at national and local level; research; and education and training. Its work is determined by a specification drawn up by the Public Health Policy Unit of the Scottish Office Department of Health. To fulfill its remit it works closely with a wide range of professionals, including those in the Scottish Office Department of Health, the health service, local government, and in organisations concerned with the environment. It also has close relationships with the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, Public Health Laboratory Service, London, the World Health Organization and other international bodies.


Fibrous myopathy is a common, well-known side effect of repeated pentazocine injection. However, compression neuropathy due to fibrotic muscle affected by pentazocine-induced myopathy has not previously been reported. In a 37-year-old woman with documented pentazocine-induced fibrous myopathy of triceps and deltoid muscles bilaterally and a three-week history of right wrist drop, electrodiagnostic examination showed a severe but partial lesion of the right radial nerve distal to the branches to the triceps, in addition to the fibrous myopathy. Surgery revealed the right radial nerve to be severely compressed by the densely fibrotic lateral head of the triceps. Decompression and neurolysis were performed with good subsequent recovery of function.


We relate household saving to pension reform, to explain the high household saving rates in urban China from a new perspective. We use the exogenous - policy induced - variation in pension wealth to explicitly estimate the impact of pension wealth on household saving, and obtain a significant offset effect of pension wealth on household saving. Our estimations show that pension reform boosted the household saving rate in 1999 by about 6 percentage points for cohort aged 25-29 and by about 3 percentage points for cohort aged 50-59. Our results also indicate that declining pension wealth reduces expenditure on education and health more than on other consumption items.


Whether to repair or replace the Williamsburg Bridge has been seriously debated in New York City for years. Recently, a blue ribbon panel of technical advisors appointed by the Mayor conducted a world-wide competition for replacement designs. At the same time, they evaluated results of an in-depth inspection of the structure, which was closed in April 1988 for emergency repairs. In June, the Mayor announced that the panel recommends that the existing suspension span be repaired, the approaches rebuilt and the suspension cables re-oiled and rewrapped. The panel did, however, award three prizes and name three honorable mentions for replacement designs. The winners are: 1) Schlaich & Partner of West Germany for a suspension bridge with auxiliary stay cables. It would be constructed in halves and slid together after demolition of the existing bridge. The four main suspension cables are actually 12 small, independent cables; advantages are visibility for inspection and individual replacement. 2) The submission from T. T. Lin Int'l./N. H. Bettigole is a cable stayed bridge, also built around the existing bridge but with new subway tracks occuping the center portion after its demolition. The cables are prestressed, a design that Lin used in Taiwan in 1977. 3) Steinman Boynton Gronquist & Birdsall designed twin double-deck suspension bridges, built in stages on the existing alignment.


The thrust of the study was to find out primary school teachers' attitudes towards the integration of ICTs in the teaching and learning of SS. The study targeted schools piloting the e-learning programme with iSchool in Lusaka and Impact Network in Katete district of Zambia. The study was guided by the theory of Diffusion of Innovation which is one of the most referred to theories in studies related to ICT integration in education. Rogers (2003) in his theory emphasises that the adopter's attitude is a crucial factor for adoption of a new technological innovation. Thus teachers' attitudes are responsible for the success or failure of a new innovation in education.
The study used a multiple case study design because as Yin (2009) points out, multiple case designs are likely to produce robust results as compared to single case studies. Data was collected by interviews with head teachers and teachers, focused group interviews with pupils and observations of the lessons. Data was analysed using cross case and thematic analysis methods. The findings compared and contrasted within and between cases suggested that, the most widely used ICT tools in the schools piloting the e-learning programme were Ipads, laptops, speakers, ear phone and projectors used during the audio visual lessons.
Findings also revealed that primary school teachers in Lusaka and Katete held positive views towards the integration of ICT in the teaching and learning of SS. This was mainly attributed to the training they had undergone with iSchool and Impact Network on the usage of ICTs. Although the schools are located in different spatial dimensions, the urban and rural setup, the teachers' attitudes were positive. Furthermore, teachers across the schools regarded ICT as advantageous over traditional methods of instruction and as suitable for the curriculum.
Although the ICTs were available in the schools, they were not adequate to the extent that each pupil could have had one and use at the same time in the classroom. Thus the teachers called on the MESVTEE to subsidize the purchase of ICT tool and resources, as this would benefit both the pupils and teachers.
The study recommends that the MESVTEE should enact the ICT draft policy to guide schools and stakeholders on the Ministry's official position regarding the integration of ICTs in education. Further, the MESVTEE should closely monitor pilot projects in schools to ensure quality. For further research, the study recommends that scholars in the field of Social Studies should explore in detail benefits and challenges of incorporating ICTs in the subject area and also examine consequences of Ipads and Computer screens on the sight of teachers and pupils.


The aim of this study was to evaluate a semi-parametric survival model on time of survival of breast cancer patients and a case study is considered for describing the model. The study is on survival times of breast cancer patients treated at ORCI which may help to reduce breast cancer outcomes. Data of socio-demographic characteristics of patients, their reproductivity, stages of disease, treatments undergone and follow up of the treatment were considered to develop the model. Cox proportional hazard regression model is adopted considering the covariates incurring in the system. The Wald statistics evaluates whether the coefficients of given variable is statistically significant and found that stage of disease was significant while other covariates -history of multiple sexual partners, smoking cigarette, alcohol use, cancer grade fails to be significant .Also Kaplan Meier Estimate is derived and median survival time is estimated. The results of this paper showed that non parametric and semi parametric survival models were better to predict survival time of breast cancer patients.


In 2010, the European Union launched 'Europe 2020, a strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth' whose goals in employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy need to be reached by 2020. Although such a project has undeniable benefits, the authors of this paper analyse the shortcomings of 'Europe 2020' in the field of EU public procurement rules and the latter's interconnected relationship with State aid rules. The paper is divided into two main parts. The first part considers whether social and environmental considerations in a public tender could lead to a violation of the EU's public procurement and/or State aid rules. The paper analyses and presents the possible ways in which social and environmental considerations may lead to discrimination, the prevention of which is one of the basic principles of EU law in general and public procurement rules in particular. Further, the authors analyse the link between public procurement and State aid rules. The second part evaluates the public procurement directives and the La Poste case to find out whether the new directives create new risks of infringing State aid rules. The paper points to the contradictions between public procurement and State aid rules. In doing so, the authors take a critical approach to the new public procurement rules and the difficult task of achieving simplification, flexibility, legal certainty, greater sustainable and inclusive growth while at the same time not jeopardising State aid rules.


As the number of cases of newly diagnosed prostate cancer has risen dramatically in the United States during the past decade, the management of a rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level following definitive therapy has become an increasingly common dilemma. Waxman and associates provide a concise, focused review of many of the key issues and controversies surrounding this dilemma. Several of these issues warrant particular attention.


Cereals are a group of cultivated plants belonging to the grass family that produces grains rich in starch with specific dough properties. These grains are easily harvested, due to the structure and, if under appropriate storage, the mature seeds preserve its qualities and nutritional value for a long time. The gradual shift to a steady-production based agriculture has been the main driving force behind the domestication of wheat, namely durum wheat. The world durum wheat steady-production, which prevails in the Mediterranean region, is mostly used in the production of pasta, yet the quality definition requires the control of fungal phytopathogens, industrial unit operations and additives applications. This paper reviews some aspects of durum wheat production and industrial processing, further considering phytopathogenic infections and the application of food additives.


Two new fast full search (FFS) methods are proposed which can improve the performance of the rate- distortion optimized video encoding process. The first method combines the concepts of both conventional sum of absolute difference (SAD) reuse method and row-based partial distortion search (PDS) together to make the performance largely better than these two conventional methods for variable block size motion estimation. The second method speeds up the multi-frame motion estimation process by using the previous results obtained in considered reference frames to set extra thresholds for rejecting search points sooner in reference frames. Furthermore, these two proposed methods can be easily combined to form a very effective motion compensation scheme. On average, a 62% and 52% reduction in terms of computational complexity of integer variable block size and multi-frame motion estimation can be achieved without any video quality degradation as compared with that of the conventional PDS and conventional SAD reuse method respectively.


Expanding populations of resident Canada geese that remain in suburban and urban areas year-round often result in increased conflicts with humans. Non-lethal and humane means are needed for managing the size of Canada goose flocks residing near or on airports, golf courses, industrial parks, government sites, and city parks. A side effect of nicarbazin, a veterinary drug used to control coccidiosis in chickens, is decreased egg production and hatching. Exploiting this side effect, studies of nicarbazin for reducing the hatchability of eggs from Canada geese were conducted. An initial study in Coturnix quail verified reduction in hatchability in a species other than chickens. Because plasma nicarbazin was not routinely measured, a study in chickens was conducted to determine the relationship between plasma and egg nicarbazin. A comparative study in chickens, mallards, and Canada geese showed that nicarbazin absorption was lowest in geese. Studies in both penned and wild Canada geese showed that reduction in hatchability was possible but neither study used bait suitable for general field application. Bait development led to the OvoControl-G® (Innolytics LLC) bait, which resulted in reduction in hatchability of 51% at treated sites compared to control sites in the field. Previous studies showed that nicarbazin is practically non-toxic and is environmentally friendly; timing and management of baiting will minimize non-target hazards. OvoControl-G® 2500 ppm nicarbazin bait is recommended for incorporation into a comprehensive management plan as a reproductive inhibitor for use in controlling resident Canada goose flock sizes.


One of the goals of every university is to produce quality graduates. The study was conducted to trace the graduates of Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) and Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) from SY2005-2012. Survey questionnaires were used in gathering the data. Collected data were interpreted through frequencies and percentages. Results showed that there was a high employment rate for BSED and BEED graduates. The reasons why graduates changed their jobs were due to salaries and benefits. There were still unemployed and never-been-employed graduates because of no job opportunities. This implies that there were insufficient job vacancies/positions in the education sector. There should be an increase in salaries and benefits for regular/permanent workers to motivate them to stay on their jobs. The graduates found that the skills and knowledge they obtain from the university were useful to their jobs. Nevertheless, they still suggested further improvements of VSU's curriculum by providing more related trainings/seminars and workshops, adapting K to 12 curriculums, and offering more communication/human-relation-skills courses. Future enrollees in BSED and BEED degrees should be given an oral interview first to determine if they have a strong passion for the profession.


PURPOSE
Refractive and visual analysis in corneal transplantations performed for keratoconus by two groups of surgeons.

METHODS
Seventy eyes of seventy patients, which had been submitted to penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for keratoconus, were examined and their charts were reviewed retrospectively for long-term results after all sutures had been removed. The patients were divided into two groups, Group I had surgery performed by skillful surgeons and Group II by surgeons in training. The results of best correct visual acuity, refractive error, postoperative complications and computerized videokeratoscopy were compared.

RESULTS
The mean follow-up was 7.9 years with a range of 1.6 - 20 years. Each group consisted of 35 eyes. There were 35 females and 35 males. The donor age was different between the two groups. The surgical technique was the same in both groups, but the number of sutures was different. Preoperative mean logMAR visual acuity was low in the two groups, but statistically different and no relationship was found between the results. All the refractive, topographic and visual acuity results were similar between both groups. Endothelial rejection was more frequent in Group II. Only three grafts lost graft clarity. These patients belonged to Group II.

CONCLUSION
In a corneal referral practice, the visual results after PK were similar to those related to the PK performed by either expert surgeons or in training.


In this paper we study the well-known Chv\'atal-Gomory (CG) procedure for the class of integer semidefinite programs (ISDPs). We prove several results regarding the hierarchy of relaxations obtained by iterating this procedure. We also study different formulations of the elementary closure of spectrahedra. A polyhedral description of the elementary closure for a specific type of spectrahedra is derived by exploiting total dual integrality for SDPs. Moreover, we show how to exploit (strengthened) CG cuts in a branch-and-cut framework for ISDPs. Different from existing algorithms in the literature, the separation routine in our approach exploits both the semidefinite and the integrality constraints. We provide separation routines for several common classes of binary SDPs resulting from combinatorial optimization problems. In the second part of the paper we present a comprehensive application of our approach to the quadratic traveling salesman problem (QTSP). Based on the algebraic connectivity of the directed Hamiltonian cycle, two ISDPs that model the QTSP are introduced. We show that the CG cuts resulting from these formulations contain several well-known families of cutting planes. Numerical results illustrate the practical strength of the CG cuts in our branch-and-cut algorithm, which outperforms alternative ISDP solvers and is able to solve large QTSP instances to optimality.


Modulation of thiol levels may alter both the efficacy and toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. We investigated cytoenhancement, using L-buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine (BSO) to reduce cellular glutathione levels prior to intracarotid alkylator administration. We also evaluated chemoprotection against chemotherapy-induced systemic toxicity when the thiol agents N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and sodium thiosulfate were administered into the descending aorta to limit brain delivery. BSO treatment reduced rat brain and intracerebral tumor glutathione levels by 50-65%, equivalent to the reduction in liver and s.c. tumor. BSO treatment significantly enhanced the toxicity of chemotherapy with carboplatin, melphalan, and etoposide phosphate against granulocytes, total white cells, and platelets. Intracarotid administration of NAC resulted in high delivery to the brain, whereas infusion via the descending aorta minimized brain delivery. When NAC, with or without sodium thiosulfate, was administered via aortic infusion prior to chemotherapy, the magnitude of the bone marrow toxicity nadir was minimized, even with BSO-enhanced myelosuppression. Thus, BSO depleted brain and brain tumor glutathione but thereby increased chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. Surprisingly, although NAC was found to readily cross the blood-brain barrier when given into the carotid artery, aortic infusion of NAC resulted in minimal exposure to the central nervous system (CNS) vasculature because of rapid clearance. As a result, aortic infusion of NAC to perfuse bone marrow and minimize myelosuppression and toxicity to visceral organs could be performed without interfering with the CNS cytotoxicity of intracarotid alkylators, even after BSO depletion of CNS glutathione.


This article focused on the stress analysis of an edge crack in a thin hallow rotating functionally graded material (FGM) disk. The disk is assumed to be isotropic with exponentially varying elastic modulus in the radial direction. A comprehensive study is carried out for various combinations of the crack length and orientation with the different gradation of materials. The effect of non-uniform coefficient of thermal expansion on the distribution of stress intensity factor is also studied. The results which are normalized for the advantage of non-dimensional analysis show that the material gradation, the crack orientation and the crack length have significant influence on the amount of stress intensity factors. © 2016 IAU, Arak Branch.All rights reserved.


X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) sources have revolutionized our capability to study ultrafast material behavior. Using an XFEL, we revisit the structural dynamics of shock compressed bismuth, resolving the transition sequence on shock release in unprecedented details. Unlike previous studies that found the phase-transition sequence on shock release to largely adhere to the equilibrium phase diagram (i.e., Bi-V → Bi-III → Bi-II → Bi-I), our results clearly reveal previously unseen, non-equilibrium behavior at these conditions. On pressure release from the Bi-V phase at 5 GPa, the Bi-III phase is not formed but rather a new metastable form of Bi. This new phase transforms into the Bi-II phase which in turn transforms into a phase of Bi which is not observed on compression. We determine this phase to be isostructural with β-Sn and recover it to ambient pressure where it exists for 20 ns before transforming back to the Bi-I phase. The structural relationship between the tetragonal β-Sn phase and the Bi-II phase (from which it forms) is discussed. Our results show the effect that rapid compression rates can have on the phase selection in a transforming material and show great promise for recovering high-pressure polymorphs with novel material properties in the future.X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) sources have revolutionized our capability to study ultrafast material behavior. Using an XFEL, we revisit the structural dynamics of shock compressed bismuth, resolving the transition sequence on shock release in unprecedented details. Unlike previous studies that found the phase-transition sequence on shock release to largely adhere to the equilibrium phase diagram (i.e., Bi-V → Bi-III → Bi-II → Bi-I), our results clearly reveal previously unseen, non-equilibrium behavior at these conditions. On pressure release from the Bi-V phase at 5 GPa, the Bi-III phase is not formed but rather a new metastable form of Bi. This new phase transforms into the Bi-II phase which in turn transforms into a phase of Bi which is not observed on compression. We determine this phase to be isostructural with β-Sn and recover it to ambient pressure where it exists for 20 ns before transforming back to the Bi-I phase. The structural relationship between the tetragonal β-Sn phase and the Bi-II ph...


Received: January 15, 2019 Accepted: February 18, 2020 Published: February 28, 2020 Volume: 3 Issue: 2 DOI: 10.32996/ijllt.2020.3.2.9 This article discusses the fundamental grammatical constraints of translating some Qur'anic questions into English. The grammatical constraints are related to syntax, morphology, and sentence structure. The researcher provides an exemplified survey of these grammatical constraints. The findings of the study revealed that the translator should not neglect the grammatical aspects and should care about the sentence structure carefully. The translators of the Holy Quran should be competent in the two languages and the two cultures to avoid any problems in the process of translation. The findings of the study also showed that the translator has to do the best to keep and comprehend the historical and cultural elements of the original text. English translation of the Qur'anic questions should be done under strict quality tests before its approval. KEYWORDS


The poem Willkommen und Abschied has a high ranking in German literature. For McWilliams (1978/79) it is placed amongst the most famous poems in the German language. Boyle (1991) classifies it as something like a revolution. It symbolises a cultural-historical turning point as Lyrik des Durchbruchs (poetry of the break through) of subjectivity. The poet, who was at that time 21 years of age stood at a turning-point of his life. The poem is classed as an Erlebnisgedicht (experience-poem) and refers to the biographical connection to Goethe's love to Friederike Brion. Psychoanalytical orientated authors, who pointed out a connection between the anxiety pictures and sexuality, could not explain the images of terror confronting the poem's narrator as he rides to his beloved. The question was posed as to whether or not preverbal experiences, also prenatal and perinatal influences, played a role in the poet's fantasy-world. Already Freud came to the conclusion, that earlier life anxiety could be a model of latter anxiety. This means that in times of radical change and affective arousals, alongside the actual conflict anxiety, also earlier biographical anxiety from the preverbal time will be actualised. As we know prenatal and perinatal experiences, early deprivations, separations, losses also make themselves noticed in neurophysiological structures and become part of experiences. From biographical and pathographical observations and the way Goethe interacted with people, especially with women, many observers came to the conclusion, that Goethe's personality was influenced by earlier traumatical experiences. The images of terror in this poem appear to point towards the earlier serious threatening experiences, which have flown as unconscious fantasies of the poet into his experience of the actual situation and into his work. The movement in the poem from darkness to brightness, through a lot of resistance and excitation, with the feeling of being abandoned at the end, could refer to a pre- and perinatal symbolism. Goethe made a number of revisions in Willkommen und Abschied. In these he weakened the affects and muted anxiety and excitation. Perhaps the author was concerned that the terror-inducing phenomena and the heavy affects in the poem could reveal too much of his early traumatic anxieties.


The study presented in this report is the result of a Master of Science thesis performed in cooperation between Chalmers University of Technology and Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg, Sweden. The purpose has been to improve the existing numerical model of the Volvo slotted wall wind tunnel (PVT) with an aim to enable accurate prediction of the primary flow features in the empty wind tunnel.
The main goal of this master thesis has been to deliver an updated and improved numerical model of the Volvo slotted wall wind tunnel that enables an accurate correlation of the results from experiments and from Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations.
A numerous amount of configurations has been simulated with CFD using the solver from ANSYS Fluent with the aim to match the experimental data measured in the Volvo Cars wind tunnel. The main findings were that the flow near the floor is greatly affected by having a proper geometry representation of the basic suction scoop. However, the flow at a distance from the test section floor did not seem to be as affected by this additional geometry. Also, the flow of the PVT tunnel is much more asymmetric than the one generated by the CFD tunnel and this could not be explained by any obvious reason.
It was concluded that despite the update of the numerical model, this can still not be considered as an accurate reproduction of the PVT tunnel and more work is needed before it can be implemented as an alternative computational domain in the standard CFD procedure at VCC. Also, it is important to obtain knowledge about which geometry features in PVT that has a significant or no impact on the flow field in the tunnel to be able to accurately reproduce the results from PVT with CFD simulations and to possibly keep the amount of computational cells on a reasonable level.
Based on the results obtained during this thesis, the recommendations for future work is to try and scan the test section inlet velocity/pressure profile in the PVT tunnel and implement this as a user defined inlet boundary condition in the CFD tunnel. This could probably provide more information and understanding of the asymmetric flow field present in the PVT tunnel. Because of the fact that it has been shown that both the PVT and the CFD tunnel are sensitive to small geometry changes another recommendation for future work would be to perform a sensitivity analysis of the geometric details and their effect on the PVT flow.


We analyze here the topic of integration, in the area of process automation, from sensor/actuator levels to plant management levels. The communication at fieldbus level is based on wireless technology while management applications run in wired control systems, but can also be distributed, communicating via the Internet. This work aims at building a real-life demonstrator at Boliden, a mining and smelting plant located in Boliden, Sweden. A small process control environment is to be deployed at the plant to supervise a tank level control system. Targeted results are an interface between wireless and wired systems, the deployment of a wireless process control environment at Boliden, and the development of the enterprise business management facilities.


Background The association between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk remains unclear and published data are limited. Methods The analytic cohort included 99,798 women, free of cancer at baseline, from the California Teachers Study, a longitudinal cohort comprised of 133,477 female teachers and administrators who were active or recently retired members of the California State Teachers Retirement System in 1995. SSB consumption constituted caloric soft drinks, sweetened bottled waters and teas, and fruit drinks, derived from a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Consumption was divided into four categories: Rare or never, >rare/never to <1 serving/week, ≥1 serving/week to <1 serving/day, and ≥1 serving/day. CRC endpoints were based on annual linkage with California Cancer Registry, defined as first diagnosis of CRC, and classified following the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program coding system. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to generate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for assessing the association between SSB consumption and incident CRC. Results A total of 1,318 incident CRC cases were identified over 20 years of follow-up (54.5% proximal colon and 45.5% distal colorectum). Compared with rare/never consumers, the multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CI) were 1.14 (0.86, 1.53) for total CRC; 1.11 (0.73, 1.68) for proximal colon; and 1.22 (0.80, 1.86) for distal colorectum cancers among women consuming ≥ 1 serving/day of SSBs. Conclusion SSBs were not significantly associated with CRC risk. The biological effects of high SSB consumption make it important to continue to evaluate whether SSBs are associated with CRC. Additionally, future studies should further assess SSBs in large, racial/ethnically diverse cohorts of males and females, and, if feasible, address changes in SSB consumption over time.


An experiment using the novel technique of scattering a longitudinally polarized electron beam from polarized internal hydrogen/deuterium gas targets was carried out in the South Hall Ring at the MIT-Bates Accelerator Center. The scattered particles were detected by the Bates Large Acceptance Spectrometer Toroid (BLAST) detector. The proton electric to magnetic form factor ratio, at Q2 = 0.1 - 0.65 (GeV/c)2 has been determined from the experiment by measuring the spin-dependent ep elastic scattering asymmetry in the two symmetric sectors of the BLAST simultaneously for the first time. The neutron electric form factor in the same Q2 range has been extracted by measuring the spin-dependent asymmetry from the process with a vector polarized deuterium target. These results on the nucleon form factors from the BLAST experiment are presented.


Numerous epidemiological surveys show the ambiguity of evaluation of stable organic chlorine compounds as a risk factor for breast cancer (BC). This is likely to be, to a certain degree, associated with the specific features of performance of epidemiological surveys. The selection of cases of BC from different areas has provided groups with different levels of exposure that as judged from the content of the above substances in the biological environments. Only few epidemiological surveys have been made in the world to assess stable organic pollutants (SOP) as risk factors of BC mainly in occupational groups. In the local areas highly polluted with dioxins, there is evidence for their role as a risk factor of BS only for women living in Sevezo. These findings are in agreement with the results of the surveys made in Chapayevsk. The analytical epidemiological study using a case-control approach has revealed the significance of biological (BC in relatives, childlessness), occupational (women's work at CVZH) and environmental (pollution, the more frequent ingestion of local pork and fish than in the control group) risk factors of BC. In the 1950-1960s, the largest Russian enterprises of chlorine chemistry worked most actively not only in Chapayevsk, but also in towns with plants of chlorine industry, such as Dzerzhinsk, Novomoskovsk, Sayansk, Usolye-Sibirskoye, and others. Ecological and epidemiological studies should be organized in these towns in order to define the value of SOP as a risk factor of BC for general populational groups.


Inadequate water services to the urban poor remain a serious problem in developing countries. Where services do exist, the chosen engineering solution often proves unsustainable. Engineers relying heavily on technical expertise can fail to understand the contextual factors determining what poor people want and are willing to pay. Although the concept of appropriate technology options is common enough, technology alone cannot provide a sustainable service. Tariffs and management options must also be designed to meet the needs of the poor. PREPP (participation-ranking-experience-perception-partnership), is a consumer consultation process for use by engineers with the support of social scientists and community development workers. These professionals traditionally see service provision from diverse perspectives and in developing countries they rarely work as a team. Through PREPP, engineers are able to understand the problems of service provision in poor urban settings through the eyes of poor consumers and the professionals that more commonly work with them. Likewise, social sciences professionals are better able to understand engineering parameters. The result is a cost-effective and relatively rapid process that helps engineers to design relevant engineering solutions with more chance of sustainability. Experiences in Zambia, India, Kenya and Uganda are illustrated.


In this paper, TLD(LiF: Mg, Cu, P) is used as detector. A multi-layer absorption(MLA) model is designed. Combined with Monte-Carlo processes, a bremsstrahlung X-ray spectrum is reconstructed by an iterative method; the reconstructed results agree with the results of simulations by the MCNP process essentially, especially in middle energy region.