This thesis discussed the influence of pantomime game in teaching vocabulary. Vocabulary is one of the important things in learning English, especially in learning language skills. The objective of the research is to know whether there is a significant influence of pantomime game towards students" vocabulary. It is expected that the result of the study will provide a deeper understanding about the use of pantomime game for English teachers and for the readers.
The methodology of this research was quasi experimental design. The writer did three steps in conducting this research: pre-test, treatment, and post-test. the population of this research was the fifth grade of SDN 5 Jati Mulyo. The sample of this research was chosen by doing cluster random sampling technique. The sample consisted of two classes, one as a experimental class and another class as a control class. The treatments was held in three meetings 2x35 minutes for each meeting. The design used pre-test and post-test to find out students" vocabulary test. After giving the post-test, the writer analyzed the data by using independent samples test.
After passing normality and homogeneity test, it was found that the result of Mann-Whitney U was 0.000. This result was consulted to the score of the value significant generated Sig. (Pvalue) < α = 0.05. Therefore, Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted. In other words, from this research it is known that pantomime game can improve the students" vocabulary. It can be concluded that there is a significant influence of pantomime game towards students" vocabulary.
Key words: Pantomime Game, Vocabulary, Quasi Experimental Design.


The article suggests ways to foster quality and rigour in research production around 'south Asian' experiences. This project is fundamental from an ethical perspective in terms of undertaking quality and rigorous research publications, but also to challenge some common research practices amongst non-occidental and occidental scholars. Disability studies in the sub-continent needs to be critical of the uncritical reception of occidental critical disability studies into our realm, along with its scaffolding of conceptual formations such as ideas of Self–kin relations, agency, sexualities, identity politics, to name a few areas. The article first explores the idea of 'south Asianess' or indeed 'Indian' as a default, fictionalised space producing a monologue, due to colonisation and the 'idea of the 'captive mind'. Secondly, I provide an overview of the notion of ableism and its relation to systems of dehumanisation and identity. There is an interlude into examining caste and ableism and the re-emergence of scientific racism. The final section of the article turns toward aspects within Indian philosophical traditions that provide new opportunities for a distinctive Indian form of disability studies, namely heterodox argumentation and the strands of an integrative ethos.


BACKGROUND
Rituximab (RTX) has been shown to be effective as an induction agent in anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), but studies have been limited by short-term follow-up. We decided to investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of an RTX-based cyclophosphamide (CYP)-sparing regimen (CycLowVas) for renal AAV.

METHODS
Consecutive patients with renal AAV presenting de novo or with a major relapse, except those with serum creatinine >500 μmol/L, previous treatment with RTX and pulmonary haemorrhage or cerebral vasculitis, were treated with two pulses of RTX 2 weeks apart and six fortnightly doses of CYP, as well as a reducing protocol of daily oral steroids. Maintenance was with low-dose steroids and azathioprine.

RESULTS
Twenty-three patients were treated. Median follow-up was 39 months, with 17 patients reaching >2 years of follow-up. All patients achieved clinical remission within 6 weeks. Three major and two minor relapses occurred in five patients at a median of 30 months, which were treated by re-dosing with RTX for major relapses and steroid increase alone for minor relapses. Adverse events included one severe drug reaction, four non-serious and one serious infective episodes in the first 3 months, one skin malignancy at 21 months and one death at 19 months not related to treatment or disease.

CONCLUSIONS
A RTX-based low-dose CYP regimen is effective at inducing long-term disease-free remission and may be the platform on which to develop a steroid-minimizing regimen to further decrease adverse events in the future.


Federated learning (FL) is an emerging distributed machine learning framework for collaborative model training with a network of clients (edge devices). FL offers default client privacy by allowing clients to keep their sensitive data on local devices and to only share local training parameter updates with the federated server. However, recent studies have shown that even sharing local parameter updates from a client to the federated server may be susceptible to gradient leakage attacks and intrude the client privacy regarding its training data. In this paper, we present a principled framework for evaluating and comparing different forms of client privacy leakage attacks. We first provide formal and experimental analysis to show how adversaries can reconstruct the private local training data by simply analyzing the shared parameter update from local training (e.g., local gradient or weight update vector). We then analyze how different hyperparameter configurations in federated learning and different settings of the attack algorithm may impact on both attack effectiveness and attack cost. Our framework also measures, evaluates, and analyzes the effectiveness of client privacy leakage attacks under different gradient compression ratios when using communication efficient FL protocols. Our experiments also include some preliminary mitigation strategies to highlight the importance of providing a systematic attack evaluation framework towards an in-depth understanding of the various forms of client privacy leakage threats in federated learning and developing theoretical foundations for attack mitigation.


Studying the temperature dependence of conductivity sigma of rat and human lipoproteins and apoprotein A-I fractions revealed an anomalous region in the range of temperatures (35-38) +/- 0.5 degree C. The activation energy delta H and temperature coefficient sigma (delta sigma/delta T) on both sides of Tc and the heat of transition (delta H of transition) were calculated. In high-density human lipoproteins and apoA-I, the delta H value was found to be very low. Some mechanisms of interaction of hydrocortizone with high-density lipoproteins and apoA-I were studied by using IR-spectroscopy and conductometry were studied. It was found that the hormone considerably increases the portion of alpha-helices and beta-structures in these proteins (coil<-->alpha-helix and coil<-->beta-structure transitions). In this case, delta H value of the transition increases 13-fold; in addition, the abnormal region in apoA-I shifts 1-2 degrees C downwards. The anomalous changes in conductivity in the range of physiological temperatures in all lipoprotein fractions including apoA-I are probably related to structural phase transitions both in proteins and in phospholipids. Since the delta H value of the transition in human high-density lipoproteins is small, it is assumed that, in phospholipids of these particles, an orientation transition of the A<-->C smectic type takes place, which is assigned to the second-order phase transition. The structural transition in apoA-I can probably also be assigned to the second-order phase transition since the enthalpia of the transition is very small; presumably, this transition is related to changes in symmetry due to changes in the secondary structure (coil<-->beta-tructure transition).


People living in rural America face unique social circumstances that often prevent them from achieving optimal health status. Economic instability significantly contributes to higher rates of chronic disease and poor mental health among rural residents. The social conditions associated with "rurality" are gendered with rural women bearing the brunt of social and psychosocial detriments to their health. Income, education, role responsibilities, living circumstances and personal and community health resources are among the main areas challenging rural women today. The psychosocial stressors that result from the demands of rural life affect rural women's mental health, functioning and behavior. Considering the social context of individual rural areas in the light of health behavior interventions is essential to increasing their potential effectiveness. Health campaigns targeting smoking, nutrition and physical activity- chronic disease risk factors- can no longer be indifferent to social circumstances. Without recognition of the unique social context and experiences of rural women, the solutions implemented to meet health care needs in rural areas have little hope of achieving success. The examination of rural social contextual factors is of utmost importance and public health significance as intervening to improve social circumstances may result in decreased incidence of some diseases in rural women.


In recent years, extensive research has been carried out on red blood cells in order to investigate their mechanical properties. The interest in these studies has been possible thanks to the technological innovations made in the field of micro or nano manipulation of biological and non-biological particles without physical contact. In the present project, we have developed a new approach to study the deformation of red blood cells moving against a trapped microbead by applying a sinusoidal voltage (DC offset 3.5 Vpp) to the stage at 0.4 Hz frequencies. The oscillating movement imposed on the stage highlights the indentation test and the tensile test known for the study of mechanical behavior of materials. The mechanical properties found are: the modulus of elasticity (Young Modulus), the shear modulus, the coefficient of hardening and erythrocyte resistance coefficient. The axial shear modulus 25.00 ± 1.5 μN/m and the transversal shear modulus 15.7 ± 4.63 μN/m were compared to those in the literature. These values were respectively determined by Hooke's law and the Hertz model.


The basic concept of the insurance is because people need protection against any incident that occurs in the community such as illness and natural disasters. The article 14 In Law No. 2 of 1992 on  Insurance, that social insurance is a type of insurance to the implemented by the government for public welfare.  The current population is Moslem Indonesia reached 80%, therefore, the Indonesian Muslim community needs the systema syariah  social insurance.   The system of syariah social insurance where there are 2 (two) products, where there are participants and savings accounts tabarru' and as managers by the BUMN (state corporation) in law No. 2 of 1992 on Insurance.DOI: 10.15408/ajis.v15i1.2854


Study Design. Multicentered randomized controlled trial with quality of life and resource use data collected. Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of yoga intervention plus usual care compared with usual care alone for chronic or recurrent low back pain. Summary of Background Data. Yoga has been shown as an effective intervention for treating chronic or recurrent low back pain. However, there is little evidence on its cost-effectiveness. The data are extracted from a pragmatic, multicentered, randomized controlled trial that has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a 12-week progressive program of yoga plus usual care in patients with chronic or recurrent low back pain. Methods. With this trial data, a cost-effectiveness analysis during the time period of 12 months from both perspectives of the UK National Health Service and the societal is presented. Main outcome measure is an incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). Results. From the perspective of the UK National Health Service, yoga intervention yields an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £13,606 per QALY. Given a willingness to pay for an additional QALY of £20,000, the probability of yoga intervention being cost-effective is 72%. From the perspective of the society, yoga intervention is a dominant treatment compared with usual care alone. This result is surrounded by fewer uncertainties—the probability of yoga being cost-effective reaches 95% at a willingness to pay for an additional QALY of £20,000. Sensitive analyses suggest the same results that yoga intervention is likely to be cost-effective in both perspectives. Conclusion. On the basis of this trial, 12 weekly group classes of specialized yoga are likely to be a cost-effective intervention for treating patients with chronic or recurrent low back pain.


This study was conducted to examine the roles of institutions for malt-barely production by farmers in Wegera district of North Gondar, Ethiopia. A structured interview schedule was used to interview 120 farmers selected from two Kebeles through systematic random sampling method and focused group discussions to describe results. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive tools such as percentage, mean and standard deviation. Binary Logistic regression model was used to examine factors that determine the use of malt-barley technology. Results from the study showed that the roles of different institutions facilitated in access to new malt-barely seeds. Training and access to improved seed varieties are the main factors that had positive effects on the probability of participating in malt-barley production. To improve the roles of institutions in malt-barley production, the study suggested integrated seed system, efficient institutional linkage, effective extension service and skill training.


In Fortiana and Grane (2002) we study a scale-free statistic, based on Hoeffding's maximum correlation, for testing exponentiality. This statistic admits an expansion along a countable set of orthogonal axes, originating a sequence of statistics. Linear combinations of a given number p of terms in this sequence can be written as a quotient of L-statistics. In this paper we propose a scalefree adaptive statistic for testing exponentiality with optimal power against a specific alternative. We obtain its exact distribution and compare it with other scale-free statistics for testing exponentiality, such as the Stephens' modification of the Shapiro-Wilk statistic, the Gini statistic and the Qn statistic defined in Fortiana and Grane (2002).


The treatment of industrial wastes containing both toxic and nontoxic organic compounds is often accomplished by biological processes. Despite its success in many instances, the complex nature of the effects of toxic substances on process performance and kinetics is not well understood. This study was conducted to examine the behavior of an aerated submerged fixed-film (ASFF) biological system receiving a mixture of toxic (phenol) and nontoxic (sucrose) bisubstrate and evaluate its kinetic parameters. Laboratory experiments were carried out using a 50-litre ASFF reactor composed of four equal compartments.

Heterogeneous biomass acclimated to a bisubstrate (phenol/sucrose) system demonstrated the preference of microorganisms to utilize sucrose with a slower concomitant utilization of phenol. However, the removal in a bisubstrate system is slightly higher than that in a single substrate system which may be attributed to the extra biomass accumulated from the utilization of the other substrate. A steady-state approach to process kinetics indicates that substrate removal in the first compartment follows the Monod model for both sucrose and phenol where no mhibition (Haldane rate expression) appears over the studied range of phenol concentrations up to 800 mg/l. Meanwhile, substrate removal in the second through fourth compartments is better described by a variable order model which is likely to be a function of the hydraulic loading.


Visual inspection of target parts is a common approach to ensuring train safety. However, some key parts, such as fastening bolts, do not possess sufficient feature information, because they are usually small, polluted, or obscured. These factors affect inspection accuracy and can lead to serious accidents. Therefore, traditional visual inspection relying on feature extraction cannot always meet the requirements of high-accuracy inspection. Deep learning has considerable advantages in image recognition for autonomous information mining, but it requires a considerable amount of computation. To resolve the issues mentioned above, this study proposes a method that combines traditional visual inspection with deep learning. Traditional feature extraction is used to locate the targets approximately, which makes the deep learning purposeful and efficient. A composite neural network, stacked auto-encoder convolutional neural network (SAE-CNN), is provided to further improve the training efficiency. A SAE is added to a CNN so that the network can obtain optimum results faster and more accurately. Taking the inspection of centre plate bolts in a moving freight car as an example, the overall system and specific processes are described. The study results showed satisfactory accuracy. A related analysis and comparative experiment were also conducted.


In the last few years many reports have documented that human pathogenic viruses are transmitted via food and can cause epidemics. Between November 1994 and February 1995 a HAV epidemic was recorded in the village and agricultural area of Euskirchen (Germany). 49 persons with HAV infections were registered. It seems that the epidemic started in a bakery and was caused by an employee who had spent his holidays in the Dominican Republic and came back already excreting the virus via his faeces. Two weeks later he developed a symptomatic illness. HAV is transmitted via a fecal-oral cycle. Lack of hygiene in food production and distribution cause the risk of secondary virus contamination. Virus transmission via food is first of all a problem in uncooked food. To ensure success in food safety in respect of foodborne human pathogenic viruses it is important to establish personal hygienic education, cleaning and disinfection plans and preventive measures such as immunization to avoid viruses in the food.


Prior research documents that Asian Americans are implicitly seen as less American than European Americans (implicit American = White effect). The aim of the present research was to test whether this effect is weaker in more ethnically diverse metropolitan areas. Data from the 2010 U.S. Census were utilized to compute three indicators of context ethnic diversity: minority representation, variety, and integration. Implicit ethnic-American associations were assessed using data collected through Project Implicit. A total of 304 metropolitan areas were included in the analyses. The sample (N = 271,006) included 44.8% White and 31.7% Asian participants; it was composed mostly of relatively young adults (M = 26.54, SD = 11.16) and included more women (60.9%) than men. Respondents completed an Implicit Association Test measuring associations between the concepts "American" vs. "foreign" and two ethnic groups ("Asian American" vs. "European American"). Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. The implicit American = White effect was less pronounced in metropolitan areas characterized by higher proportions of Asian Americans (minority representation). The presence of multiple ethnic groups (variety) was associated with a weaker implicit American = White effect only when minority representation was high. Greater dispersion of ethnic groups at the neighborhood level (integration) was not a source of reliable variation in implicit ethnic-American associations. These findings highlight the value of a multi-faceted perspective on context ethnic diversity. The extent to which the American identity is implicitly associated with Asian Americans and European Americans fluctuates as a function of socio-structural characteristics of local contexts.


We consider perturbations of the hydrogen atom by sufficiently small homogeneous static electric and magnetic fields of all possible mutual orientations. Normalizing with regard to the Keplerian symmetry, we uncover resonances and conjecture that the parameter space of this family of dynamical systems is stratified into zones centred on the resonances. The 1 : 1 resonance corresponds to the orthogonal field limit, studied earlier by Cushman & Sadovskií (Cushman & Sadovskií 2000 Physica 142, 166–196). We describe the structure of the 1 : 1 zone, where the system may have monodromy of different kinds, and consider briefly the 1 : 2 zone.


Following the example of the successful International Masterclasses "Hands on particle physics" (IMC) which are using LHC data, we are developing an IMC-like session based on data from the LIGO-Virgo network of interferometric gravitational wave detectors. The fact that the instruments members of this network share their data and analyze them jointly for almost a decade can be directly transposed into the existing IMC framework in which groups of high-school students, which participate to a Masterclass the same day in different institutes, combine their independent measurements during a common videoconference which ends the session. In this talk, we describe in details the new Masterclass exercise based on gravitational wave detector data and show what a typical day-long Masterclass session could look like.


ABSTRACT Painted Buntings (Passerina ciris) have been declining in the southeastern United States since the 1970s. A recent demographic assessment highlighted the importance of estimating demographic parameters, which have received little attention to date. The dearth of information is troublesome because attempts to reverse declining trends require a better understanding of the relationship between habitat quality and age- and sex-specific survival and recruitment rates. We used capture–mark–recapture data collected from 2007 to 2015 on Bald Head Island (BHI) and at Hammocks Beach State Park (HBSP) in North Carolina, USA, to estimate local age- and sex-specific annual survival rates and local population size and recruitment rates using programs MARK and LOLASURVIV. Juveniles had lower local survival rates than adults (HBSP: 0.28 ± 0.14 vs. 0.67 ± 0.06; BHI: 0.28 ± 0.04 vs. 0.57 ± 0.02). Local annual survival rates for males on BHI (0.50 ± 0.03) were lower than those for females (0.57 ± 0.02). Age-specific differences were consistent with known differential age-dependent survival skills, and sex-specific differences were consistent with the potential influence of sexual dichromism. Conservative estimates of population size on BHI averaged 101 juveniles and 263 adults annually. Annual in situ reproductive recruitment averaged 28 individuals plus an additional 120 new immigrants, indicating successful reproduction and connectivity with neighboring coastal populations. Local adult survival estimates from our 2 North Carolinian study populations were similar to high-end estimates from across the eastern and western range of the species (∼0.60). Finite observed population growth rate estimates between the BHI population (λ = 1.10) and a South Carolinian population (λ = 0.87) underscore the potential role of differential habitat quality and the importance of information from multiple sites, including nonbreeding grounds, for proper inferences about the status of the species. Reported vital rates provide a stronger foundation on which to base habitat quality as assessed with demographic parameters and to guide Painted Bunting conservation regionally.


Computing global illumination by finite element techniques usually generates a piecewise constant approximation of the radiosity distribution on surfaces. Directly displaying such scenes generates artefacts due to discretization errors. We propose to remedy this drawback by considering the piecewise constant output to be samples of a (piecewise) smooth function in object space and reconstruct this function by applying a binary subdivision scheme. We design custom taylored subdivision schemes with quadratic precision for the efficient refinement of cell‐ or pixel‐type data. The technique naturally allows to reconstruct functions from non‐uniform samples which result from adaptive binary splitting of the original domain (quadtree). This type of output is produced, e.g., by hierarchical radiosity algorithms. The result of the subdivision process can be mapped as a texture on the respective surface patch which allows to exploit graphics hardware for considerably accelerating the display.


Non-small cell lung carcinoma patients are frequently treated with cisplatin (CDDP), most often yielding temporary clinical responses. Here, we show that PARP1 is highly expressed and constitutively hyperactivated in a majority of human CDDP-resistant cancer cells of distinct histologic origin. Cells manifesting elevated intracellular levels of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated proteins (PAR(high)) responded to pharmacologic PARP inhibitors as well as to PARP1-targeting siRNAs by initiating a DNA damage response that translated into cell death following the activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Moreover, PARP1-overexpressing tumor cells and xenografts displayed elevated levels of PAR, which predicted the response to PARP inhibitors in vitro and in vivo more accurately than PARP1 expression itself. Thus, a majority of CDDP-resistant cancer cells appear to develop a dependency to PARP1, becoming susceptible to PARP inhibitor-induced apoptosis.


The automotive sunroof system has many benefit that are able to control ventilation and brightness. Kinds of auto motive sunroof system are Panorama sunroof, normal sunroof type. Recently, strength in sunroof system with the growth of the global automotive industry are one of the most important issues. Many studies have been carried out to improve sunroof system's strength. In the paper, the structural analysis on close, open condition of normal sunroof type is carried out. The close and open condition of automotive sunroof Assy are verified by comparing structural analysis results with experimental data obtained by strength tester. All kinds of influence factors affecting the sunroof system stiffness is confirmed by simulation and test. A FEM model of sunroof system is established for analyzing the strength of sunroof system by using Abaqus program. In the paper, method of structural analysis and strength test are proposed for evaluation of sunroof system's close and open condition.


The unified power flow controller (UPFC) is one of the flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) devices that has the unique capability of independently controlling the real and reactive power flow at different transmission angles, in addition to regulating the system bus voltage. In this research, the mathematical analysis of the effects of the UPFC's VA rating and the system short circuit level (SCL) on the power flow are investigated to define the overall feasible operating area. Based on this analysis a new fuzzy logic controller has been proposed to improve the system performance. The controller rules are structured depending on the relationship between the series/shunt inserted voltages and the desired changes in real/reactive power flow in the power system. A power flow optimiser is designed based on real power priority logic and the on-line estimation of the SCL to define the appropriate operating point under different system contingencies. Three case studies are conducted to verify the capability of the UPFC and the effectiveness of the proposed fuzzy controller at different operating conditions.


ABSTRACT
 Several transgenic lines of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., expressing a synthetic cry1A gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), were examined in replicated field trials in 2003–2007 for suppression of naturally occurring population densities of lepidopteran pests and the resultant crop injury that they caused. Bt soybean and negative controls (isogenic segregants and parental lines) were evaluated against velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner); soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker); and green cloverworm, Hypena scabra (F.). Population densities of these lepidopteran species were essentially absent in each of the Bt soybean entries evaluated throughout the growing season in every year of the study compared with moderate (5–10 larvae per row-m) to large (20–30 larvae per row-m) peak population densities in the negative control soybean entries. These lepidopteran populations caused significant plant injury in the non-Bt soybean plots, ranging from 53% defoliation in 2003 to 17.5% in 2007, compared with <1.5% defoliation (mostly 0.0% defoliation) in the Bt soybean plots. When two or three foliar insecticides were applied in August or September, as lepidopteran populations approached or exceeded economic threshold levels, pest populations were suppressed and defoliation was minimal in the treated non-Bt entries similar to results in Bt soybean. Soybean 100-seed weights and harvested yields were similar between the Bt and non-Bt entries each year of this study. It seems that Bt transgenic soybean provides excellent season-long control of lepidopteran pests and have yields equal to the standard cultivars examined in this study. Once available to producers, this Bt technology has the potential to provide an effective insect pest management option similar to that being used in Bt cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., and Bt corn, Zea mays L., and enhance the sustainability and profitability of soybean production in the southern region where lepidopteran pests cause annual economic losses to the crop.


The purpose of this study is to figure out the effect of maintaining period of PTFE membrane used in GBR with autogeonous bone, heterogeneous bone and synthetic bone on bone formation on rabbits' cranial defect. Eight adult New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. Four defects were surgically made in their calvaria. Using a trephine bur, 4 'through and through' defects were created and classified into 4 groups, which were consisted of control (no graft), experimental group 1 (autogeonous bone) and experimental group 2 (deproteinized bovine bone: OCS-B®; NIBEC, Korea), experimental group 3 (synthetic bone: MBCP; Biomatlante, France). The defects were covered with PTFE membrane (Cytoplast®, Innova, Canada). Membranes were removed after 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks post-GBR in each 2 rabbits. And then, all rabbits were sacrificed; specimens were taken and observed histologically..: After removing the membranes after 1 week of the experiment, bone formation was not evident in a control group but the area was replaced with only loose fibrous connective tissue. In group 1(autogeonous bone), thin bone formation and infiltration of connective tissue on the superficial layer were observed. Initial bone formation and infiltration of fibrous connective tissue were evident in group 2(deprotenized bovine bone) and 3(synthetic bone). When the membranes were removed after 2 weeks of the experiment, bridge shaped bone formation was shown in control group but mostly connective tissue took place. More increased bone thickness was evident in group 1 and increased bone formation than first week was shown in group 2 and 3. When the membranes were removed after 4 weeks of the experiment, 2/3 of normal bone thickness was formed in control group still with infiltration of connective tissue. In group 1, regular bone formation with normal bone thickness was shown and in group 2 and 3, similar bone thickness to the normal was evident. After the removal of the membranes in 8 weeks, bone thickness formed in control group was more increased than 4th week, but could not reach normal bone thickness. In group 1, normal bone thickness was formed and similar bone thickness to that of the normal was observed in group 2 and 3. Within the limited study, when performing the GBR procedure, at least 4-week period of the membrane retention is required, and more retention time of the xenograft or synthetic bone is needed than that of autogenous bone for better bone regeneration.


A single fatiguing muscular load results in increase of the blood free amino acids concentration in animals. Regular training with moderate physical loads leads to amino acid content increase during first weeks of training and then to its normalizing in the process of adaptation to loads. Excessive training with heavy muscular loads is accompanied by the decrease of essential amino acids concentration in the blood.


Background: Statin therapy has been thought to improve outcomes in cardiac surgeries. We aimed to determine the statin effects on the development of postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF), hospital length of stay (LOS), and inflammatory status in patients undergoing cardiac surgeries. Methods: A systematic literature search in databases was performed, until January 2015. Randomized clinical trial (RCT) studies evaluating statin effect on statin-naive patients with sinus rhythm undergoing cardiac surgeries were eligible to be analyzed. Results: Twelve RCTs involving 1116 patients, 559 receiving statin and 557 receiving control regimen, were analyzed. Postoperative AF occurred in 17.9% and 36.1% of patients in the statin and control groups, respectively. The statin therapy was associated with decreases in the postoperative AF (risk ratio [RR] 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41-0.61, P < .000010), hospital LOS (mean difference in days, RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.20, P 1⁄4 .0002), and postoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) compared with control (mean difference in mg/L, RR 12.37, 95% CI 23.87 to 0.87, P 1⁄4 .04). The beneficial effects on AF and CRP were more marked in patients receiving atorvastatin compared to other statins. Decrease in postoperative AF was greater in coronary artery bypass graft surgery compared to that in isolated valvular surgery. Conclusion: Perioperative statin therapy in statin-naive patients with sinus rhythm undergoing cardiac surgeries was associated with decreases in the development of postoperative AF, the hospital LOS, and the CRP level. However, there were insufficient data to provide evidences regarding statin impacts in patients undergoing isolated valvular surgery.


What is it that moves and motivates us in our lives? Martijn van Zomeren proposes social relationships are at the essence of this key question and, in a fascinating investigation into human motivation, he develops a novel and integrative psychological theory termed 'selvations theory'. The theory suggests that we are essentially relational beings that seek to regulate relationships in response to felt changes in our network of relationships (selvations). However, we need to do this in culturally appropriate ways and this is where our culturally construed self comes to be of use. From Self to Social Relationships constitutes a powerful argument about human essence, integrating major theories in and around psychology, which has strong implications for the study and practice of social motivation.


Summary. This study investigates the association between body height and inter-generational social advancement through education. Questionnaire data were collected from 2800 students (1023 men and 1777 women) from the universities of Wrocław, Poland. The questions referred to three generations: the students and their parents and grandparents. Information was collected on the age, body height and weight of the students and their parents, and on the parents' and grandparents' education. The lowest body heights were typically found for individuals from families with the lowest educational levels, whereas the greatest body heights were found for those brought up in families with a high educational status or in families who had upgraded their status. The size of the change in the educational level of parents is only associated with fathers' and female students' body height. Individuals who had advanced from a middle educational level or who came from families with this type of advancement were found to be significantly taller, on average, than those upgrading their educational level from the lowest position. The results show that, for men, educational advancement during the course of their lives or in the earlier generation is more favourable to achieving higher stature, whereas for women, the multi-generational tradition of a high educational status is of greater significance.


Drug-induced cardiotoxicity is a major adverse effect that has been encountered for some clinically important drugs especially antineoplastic agents. This toxicity has previously led to the post-marketing withdrawal of numerous pharmacologically active drugs and limits the efficacy of other clinically useful ones. Currently, assessing the cardiotoxicity potential is a crucial parameter in drug development, and many models have been estab - lished to facilitate its prediction to avoid such toxicity. In this chapter, we will briefly discuss the mechanism of drug-induced cardiotoxicity, risk factors, how to prevent, early detection and/or management from a pharmacological and toxicological point of view.


Data were acquired by the Passive and Active L- and S-band airborne sensor (PALS) during the 1999 Southern Great Plains (SGP99) experiment in Oklahoma to study remote sensing of soil moisture in vegetated terrain using low-frequency microwave radiometer and radar measurements. The PALS instrument measures radiometric brightness temperature and radar backscatter at L- and S-band frequencies with multiple polarizations and approximately equal spatial resolutions. The data acquired during SGP99 provide information on the sensitivities of multichannel low-frequency passive and active measurements to soil moisture for vegetation conditions including bare, pasture, and crop surface cover with field-averaged vegetation water contents mainly in the 0-2.5 kg m/sup -2/ range. Precipitation occurring during the experiment provided an opportunity to observe wetting and drying surface conditions. Good correlations with soil moisture were observed in the radiometric channels. The 1.41-GHz horizontal-polarization channel showed the greatest sensitivity to soil moisture over the range of vegetation observed. For the fields sampled, a radiometric soil moisture retrieval accuracy of 2.3% volumetric was obtained. The radar channels showed significant correlation with soil moisture for some individual fields, with greatest sensitivity at 1.26-GHz vertical copolarized channel. However, variability in vegetation cover degraded the radar correlations for the combined field data. Images generated from data collected on a sequence of flight lines over the watershed region showed similar patterns of soil moisture change in the radiometer and radar responses. This indicates that under vegetated conditions for which soil moisture estimates may not be feasible using current radar algorithms, the radar measurements nevertheless show a response to soil moisture change, and they can provide useful information on the spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture. An illustration of the change detection approach is given.


A novel field programmable gate array implementation of content-based music retrieval system is presented in this paper. The system adopts a novel hardware architecture for approximate string matching. The architecture is based on a simple shift-and-or algorithm. It has the advantages of low area cost and high throughput. Numerical results show that the proposed architecture has significantly lower CPU time over its software counterpart running on Pentium IV for large database and/or edit distances.


Over the years, there has been increasing attention for the role of social networks in explaining performance differences between organizations. Yet, research on social networks within healthcare organizations in general and long-term care facilities specifically has been rare, despite growing interest in explanations for differences in performance.

In this thesis, we study informal social networks of nursing staff and organizational performance in different care settings for residents with dementia in the Netherlands. Three types of social networks are investigated: communication and advice networks between nursing staff of dementia units, and networks between nursing staff and relatives or acquaintances of residents. Ties between nursing staff and relatives/acquaintances of residents cross the boundary of the organization. For this reason, we name these ties boundary-crossing networks as they place employees in direct contact with third parties outside the organization. We argue that social networks of nursing staff influence behaviour of nursing staff and care processes of dementia units, which in turn will influence the quality of life of residents, and ultimately organizational performance in long-term care.

First, we investigate the structure of communication and advice networks of nursing staff on dementia units. Overall, communication and advice networks of nursing staff in long-term care are relatively cohesive. This fits with the high level of cooperation that is needed to provide good care to residents. Communication and advice networks are more cohesive in smaller units and are also shaped by characteristics of staff members. The results furthermore show that communication networks are important for staff's job satisfaction.

A boundary-crossing tie with relatives/ acquaintances of residents is mentioned by two-fifths of the nursing staff. Our findings show that in units with these boundary-crossing networks staff treat residents with more respect and are more at ease with residents. Social networks are also positively related to staff's organizational identification which, in turn, is related to their work motivation and their behaviour towards residents.

We also find that more cohesive communication networks of nursing staff are positively related to the social support that is experienced by staff members. Furthermore, in units with a more supportive culture less challenging behaviour of residents is reported.

In this thesis, organizational performance is defined as the aggregated quality of life of individual residents in long-term care units. We study if social networks are directly related to three aspects of quality of life of residents with dementia: frailty, depressive symptoms and social engagement. Our results show that cohesive communication, advice, and boundary-crossing networks of nursing staff are positively related to the social engagement of residents. No relationship was found between social networks and frailty or depressive symptoms of residents.

Overall, the study demonstrates differences in organizational performance of long-term care dementia units with regard to the quality of life of residents. These differences can be partly explained by the cohesiveness of informal social networks of nursing staff of the units.


Quality of Service (QoS) in Real Time Applications such as video, voice, online gaming is becoming the major concern. In Today's Scenario Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is an emerging service because of the benefits of this service. The most advantageous benefit which attracts many people using this service is the low cost. QoS is an important factor for the voice traffic. Internet Protocol (IP) network implements QoS in two ways i.e. Integrated Services (IntServ) and Differentiated Services (DiffServ) but still VoIP suffers from delay, voice echo, packets loss or Intermittent silent pauses. Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a framework specified by IETF when used with IP increases its QoS. MPLS is used as an extension to IP. In this paper we define the MPLS QoS management and how it supports the IP QoS architecture.


Nanomeasuring machines are devices for solving various positioning and measuring problems in a range of several milli-metres with sub-nanometre resolution. These devices are used for positioning, probing and measurements. The combination of this machine with a scanning force microscope leads to improved quality in the calibration of standards. The measurement accuracy and stability of the scanning force microscope are important for the achievable measurement uncertainty. Many systems are influenced by the creep, hysteresis and bending of the included piezo actuators. A scanning force microscope head with a combined deflection detection system that comprises an interferometer and a beam deflection system was developed. Due to this system, it is possible to simultaneously measure the displacement, bending and torsion of the cantilever with only one focussed beam. An additional high-speed piezoelectric actuator for the vertical motion of the cantilever was integrated and is controlled by the bending signal. The outcome of this additional con-trol system is a much higher scan speed. The interferometer system can be used for precise measurement of the vertical cantilever motion. Hence, non-linearity and hysteresis in the actuator do not affect the measurement. The device was used for several calibration measurements on step height and lateral standards. This article deals with the set-up, function and application of a scanning force microscope head for dimensional metrology with the nanomeasuring machines.


The increasing concerns on fuel prices, lowest fuel consumption, higher operating
efficiency and low levels of carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon during cold
start have generated noticeable interest on diesel engine as a prime mover with expected
higher soot and NOX emissions. In order to reduce the emission from diesel fuelled
vehicle, some control technologies were introduced. One of the technology is diesel
particulate filter (DPF) which consists of a porous substrate that permits exhaust to pass
through but traps particulate matter (PM) or carboneous soot. Conventional DPFs are
manufactured using expensive materials. In this study, alternative material based on
alumina and zeolite was used to form porous ceramics filter installed in diesel fuelled
vehicle exhaust system and named as novel diesel particulate filter (NDPF). The NDPF
elements were arranged in line with 1cm spacing inside an enclosed casing. The NDPF
showed potential as DPF to curb soot emissions. Pressure drop for the NDPF was in the
range of 89% - 93% at every given flow rate during pressure drop test. Effective soot
reduction was in the range of 60% - 70%. As predicted, trapped soot were accumulated
mostly at the front and middle of NDPF. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and
energy dispersive xray (EDX) analysis confirmed the trapping ability of carbon elements
in the range of 19% - 70% for each filter. Brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and
brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) was slightly affected when NDPF was installed
in the exhaust system and resulted to drops in engine efficiency in the range of 2% -
26%. Nevertheless, further reinforcement steps for the NDPF are needed to prolong its
filtering capacity.


By studying the fitness landscape properties of engine calibration problem we propose a new Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based optimisation algorithm for the problem. The engine calibration problem in this paper is to minimise the fuel consumption, gas emission and particle emission of a Jaguar car engine. To evaluate the fuel consumption and emissions of the engine, a model of the engine that was developed in University of Birmingham was used. A strength Pareto method is used to convert the three objectives into one fitness value. Then a local search algorithm is used to find local optima. We then study these local optima to find the properties of good solutions in the landscape. Our studies on the good solutions show that the best solutions in the landscape show some patterns. We perform Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on the good solutions and show that these components present certain properties, which can be exploited to develop new exploration operators for evolutionary algorithms. We use the newly proposed operator on some well-known algorithms and show that the performance of the algorithms can be improved significantly.


Abstract Background: Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are long-term disabling conditions placing high economic demands on health services. Aim: To investigate whether cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp), delivered in a specialist psychological therapies service, was associated with a reduction in intensive care costs. Methods: Days using inpatient care and out of hours crisis support were recorded (N = 69). Costs associated with high intensity care use in the 12 months pre-referral were compared to during, and 12 months following cessation of therapy. Results: Despite the majority of participants incurring £0 at all time periods, costs of intensive mental health care more than halved with CBTp delivery, with a significant decrease during therapy, and at trend level after therapy (p = 0.07). Post hoc analysis revealed that offsetting the cost of therapy for those who utilised intensive care services at any time point (N = 18) resulted in therapy being cost neutral during therapy and cost effective (at trend level) 12 months following cessation of therapy. Conclusion: CBTp may reduce costs associated with intensive psychiatric care, even in a population where the minority use these services. Investment in therapy may lead to both clinical and financial benefits.


In this article saddle and Hopf bifurcation points of predator-prey fractional differential equations system with a constant rate harvesting are investigated. The numerical results based on Grunwald-Letnikov discretization for fractional differential equations together with the Mickens' non-standard discretization method agree with those found by the corresponding ordinary differential equation system.


Attenuation correction is important among other corrections for quantitative positron emission tomography (PET). A common method is to acquire transmission data using an external source from which attenuation correction factors are derived. The aim of this work was to compare different transmission methodologies for the microPET Focus 220 animal scanner in terms of accuracy, signal-to-noise and scatter. This study included experiments in coincidence mode with and without rod windowing, singles mode with two different energy sources (68Ge and 57Co) and post-injection transmission scanning. In addition, the effectiveness of transmission segmentation was investigated. The propagation of transmission bias and noise into the emission images was also examined. Singles transmission scanning resulted in substantially improved signal-to-noise compared with coincidence measurements. The 57Co measurements provided attenuation coefficients close to the theoretical value for an energy window of 120-125 keV, while the 68Ge single measurements were degraded due to scattering from the object. Transmission scatter correction improved the accuracy for a 10 cm phantom but over-corrected for a mouse phantom. 57Co also resulted in low bias and noise in post-injection transmission scans for emission activities up to 20 MBq. Segmentation worked most reliably for transmission data acquired with 57Co but the minor improvement in accuracy of attenuation coefficients and signal-to-noise did not justify its use, particularly for small subjects. The accuracy and signal-to-noise of activity concentration measurements reflected the accuracy and signal-to-noise of transmission measurements. We conclude that 57 Co singles transmission scanning is the most suitable method of attenuation correction on the microPET Focus 220 animal scanner


Helical gear with asymmetric involutes is a new kind gear which driving side surface is large pressure angle profile. The numbers of meshing tooth are discussed during helical gear pair meshing process, thus the length of total contact lines is determined easily. It is difficult to calculate contact stress by existing formula because this kind gear is non-standard. A calculating formula is derived which can calculate contact stress of helical gear with asymmetric involutes in this paper. A computer's software is written in order to calculate instantaneous contact stress of contact line. Contact stress is compared between symmetric helical gear and asymmetric helical gear.


This paper discusses the experiences of two participants in the Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI), a week-long workshop and lecture series designed to provide an intensive environment for learning and collaboration in the field of digital humanities outside of regular institutional curricula. The DHSI presents an opportunity to consider how digital humanities scholars define themselves as a methodological and theoretical community, given that the field is composed of scholars from a diverse range of backgrounds who may disagree strongly on the nature of the relationship between humanities and information studies that defines digital humanities as a discipline. Two major paradigms emerge, one which sees digital humanities as the application of digital tools to humanistic topics, and another which privileges critical reflection on how digital modes of writing, reading, and scholarship impact our understanding of humanistic inquiry. This paper functions as both a reflection on the DHSI as a form of extra-curricular scholarly engagement, as well as an inquiry into broader theoretical and disciplinary problems within the digital humanities.


INTRODUCTION
Autoimmune thyroid diseases, including Graves' and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, are the most frequent autoimmune disorders. Viral infection, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), is one of the most frequently considered environmental factors involved in autoimmunity. Its role in the development of AITD has not been confirmed so far.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Surgical specimens of Graves' and Hashimoto's diseases and nodular goitres were included in the study. The expression of EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) was analysed by immunohistochemistry, with the parallel detection of virus-encoded small nuclear non-polyadenylated RNAs (EBER) by in situ hybridisation.

RESULTS
In none of the Graves' disease specimens but in 34.5% of Hashimoto's thyroiditis cases the cytoplasmic expression of LMP1 was detected in follicular epithelial cells and in infiltrating lymphocytes. EBER nuclear expression was detected in 80.7% of Hashimoto's thyroiditis cases and 62.5% of Graves' disease cases, with positive correlation between LMP1 and EBER positivity in all Hashimoto's thyroiditis LMP1-positive cases.

CONCLUSIONS
We assume that high prevalence of EBV infection in cases of Hashimoto's and Graves' diseases imply a potential aetiological role of EBV in autoimmune thyroiditis. The initiation of autoimmune thyroiditis could start with EBV latency type III infection of follicular epithelium characterised by LMP1 expression involving the production of inflammatory mediators leading to recruitment of lymphocytes. The EBV positivity of the infiltrating lymphocytes could be only the presentation of a carrier state, but in cases with EBER+/ LMP1+ lymphocytes (transforming latent infection) it could represent a negative prognostic marker pointing to a higher risk of primary thyroid lymphoma development.


Wireless energy transfer is a technology to transmit electricity without wire, and it is a promising technology for charging battery of mobile devices. In battery powered sensor networks, it is important to balance electric energy of batteries of nodes in order to maximize the life time of networks. In this paper, we propose two distributed protocols to balance electric energy of batteries of nodes. The proposed algorithms are based on the population protocol model which is a computational model for networked nodes with very limited resources. The goals of the algorithms are twofold: minimizing the loss of electric energy caused by wireless transmission, and minimizing the time to balance. The proposed algorithms are evaluated by computer simulation.


This paper details the transient operation of a wind energy conversion system (WECS) used simultaneously as an active filter and power generator. This study is intended to address the system response to two types of transient phenomena: voltage dips (fast transients) and wind speed variations (slow transients). The system response to voltage dips is governed by the electrical system dynamics and control method and results in the evaluation of the WECS low-voltage ride through capability. The study of the system response to wind speed variations requires a complete mechanical model to be included. Simulation results are presented for a typical WECS, and a discussion is carried out dealing with the generalization of the present work to other configurations.


The aim of study is to establish pharmaceutical equivalence of different brands of Metformin tablets available in Karachi, Pakistan. The quality control parameters which are studied are weight variation test, hardness test, thickness, friability, disintegration and dissolution specified by BP/USP (British and United State Pharmacopoeia). Weight variation and hardness value requirement was complied by all brands. Disintegration time for all brands was within range i.e. 15 minutes and also complies with the BP/USP recommendation. All brands showed more than 90% drug release within forty five minutes. The present conclusion suggests that almost all the brands of Metformin that are available in Karachi meet the specification for quality control analysis. Assay performed by HPLC by keeping flow rate of 1.0 ml/min of the mobile phase and the quantitative evaluation at 225 nm was performed. The retention time of Metformin was found to be 2.5min. Method suitability for the quantitative determination of the drugs was proved by validation according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines.


ABSTRACT For financial reasons, newspapers and magazines are increasingly going online-only. By doing so, some have returned to profitability, but with what consequences for their audiences? To expand the scant evidence base, we conducted a case study of the UK's New Musical Express (NME) magazine. By analyzing quantitative audience data from official industry sources, we estimate total time spent with the NME by its British audience fell dramatically post-print—by 72%. This fall mirrors that suffered by The Independent newspaper, which went online-only two years earlier. We also report that the NME's official net weekly and monthly readership increased post-print, although these results are difficult to compare with The Independent's because the two titles differed in their print publication frequencies. We conclude that the attention periodicals attract via their print editions is unlikely to immediately transfer to their online editions should they go online-only. Building a fuller theory of print platform cessation, however—one that also encompasses changes in readership/reach—requires more comparable data. This case study provides further evidence to suggest that though, for newspapers and magazines, a post-print existence may be less costly, it is also more constrained, with much of the attention they formerly enjoyed simply stripped away.


Meaningful understanding of chemistry, among others, includes the ability of an individual to think simultaneously at macroscopic, submicroscopic and symbolic levels, and this presupposes the competence to translate between different types of chemical representations. In this study, we investigated 11th grade Greek students' and 3rd year undergraduate chemistry students' ability to translate chemical representations from one level of chemistry (e.g., submicroscopic) into another (e.g., symbolic) concerning the basic chemical concepts: "chemical element", "chemical compound", "aqueous solution" and "solid state of matter", which have already been taught in earlier grades. We followed a mixed method design in which both quantitative and qualitative research instruments were developed and used. These instruments consisted of multiple choice and open-ended questions, which included real pictures (macroscopic), symbolizations and submicroscopic diagrams. Various representations of the three types were given to the students and they were asked to choose or to construct an equivalent one of a different type. Our results showed that the 11th grade students' ability to move across the three levels of chemistry is very low, while the 3rd year undergraduate chemistry students' performance is higher but not satisfactory. In addition, the results obtained from the application of "translation questions" between the three levels of chemistry highlighted many students' alternative conceptions, some of which still persist among the undergraduate students. The students showed lower performance in translations concerning the concepts "chemical compound" and "aqueous solution" than those concerning the concepts "chemical element" and "solid state of matter". The students also showed the lowest level of performance in translating the submicroscopic representations into the symbolic ones. Generally, our results indicate that translating between different types of chemical representations is a very challenging task, which depends on students' conceptual understanding.


This paper reflects the impacts of modernization on the social status of senior citizens in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The Pakhtun culture dominated by patriarchal traditional values embedded in the Pakhtunwali is under the influence of modernization. To know the impact of modernization on the social status of senior citizens in Pakhtun culture, data was collected through in-depth interviews/ interview guide in Hayatabad district Peshawar of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa .The respondents were identified through purposive sampling technique. The traditional status of elders is rapidly changing owing to the changing trends in attitudes, familial relations, individualism, women empowerment and migration as attributes of modernity and technological advancement. This change of the traditional structure puts immense pressure on the economic status of senior citizens. Thus due to the weakening of traditional authority, mutual support system and lack of pension schemes, senior citizens are now on one hand confronted with poverty and lower economic positions while on the other hand they are unable to catch up with the changing circumstances. Further, low economic position of the senior citizens is intertwined with other problems such as non-involvement in the decision making processes at home, abuse and torment, ageism, inappropriate medication and care, substandard diet and accommodation.


Denials are a basic and often automatic response to an allegation that we have committed some wrong. Every parent has heard not me more times than he or she wants to acknowledge. The not me response is instinctive in young children, but as we mature, we learn that not me is often followed by the question: If not you, then who? Accordingly, we discover that denial is not nearly as effective unless we shift the blame to someone else. This phenomenon of childhood applies with equal force in criminal cases, where a defendant has been accused of wrongdoing. Where that defendant denies responsibility, says not me, and attempts to introduce evidence to address the then who question, what, if any, responsibilities does defense counsel have before engaging in blame-shifting behavior? Are there specific rules or considerations that apply in such situations? This Article addresses those questions, examining both ethical considerations and evidentiary rules, and concludes with proposals for change to address the apparent disjunction between the perceived ethical obligations of reasonably zealous criminal defense attorneys and evidentiary rules that improperly restrict that zeal.


Background : Elevated leukocytes level at admission is a common finding in patients with organophosphates poisoning. It has been suggested as a prognostic marker. Since early leukocytosis is frequent and mulifactorial in origin, we hypothesized that leukocytes level after 24 hours may be a better predictor of mortality.Objectives : To evaluate the prognostic value of leukocytes level at admission; and at 24-48 hours in organophosphate poisoning.Methods : A hospital based, retrospective, cohort study of patients with organophosphate poisoning was conducted in Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal. After obtaining ethical clearance from Institutional research committee, records of patients presenting with poisoning were reviewed. 103 records were considered eligible for study. Relevant data were collected in a preformed pro forma and statistical analyses were carried out.Results : Mean age of 103 participant was 29.4 (SD=11.68). Out of them 57% were females and 43% were males. T-test was applied to test for difference in age, blood pressure, leukocytes at admission, at 24-48 hrs and blood sugar of those patients with different outcomes. Except for leukocytes levels at admission (p=0.104), statistically significant difference was seen in all other parameters (p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that leukocytes levels at 24-48 hrs (B=0.002, p=0.013) is a better predictor of mortality than leukocytes levels at admission (B=0.000, p=0.034).Conclusion : Our analysis supports the hypothesis that leukocytes level at 24-48 hrs is a better predictor of mortality than leukocytes level at admission. However further study with a prospective design is recommended to confirm or refute the hypothesis.


Using oil price projection from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and Partial Equilibrium Agricultural Trade Simulation (PEATSim) model, this study focuses on projected impact of oil price changes on global biofuel supplies and market prices. High (low) oil prices increase (decrease) production costs; and producers could shift area away from energy-intensive crops. These factors could change the demand for the production of biofuel feedstocks. The costs of producing corn and soybeans in Brazil and the United States are more sensitive to oil price changes than other crops. Under the high oil price scenario, production of corn, wheat and soybeans, the main feedstocks for EU and U.S. biofuels, will slightly decrease compared to the base. In Brazil, the production of sugarcane, the major feedstocks for ethanol, will expected to increase by more than 3 percent per year compared to the base. Demand for global ethanol and biodiesel are expected to rise as oil prices increase, pushing production up by an average of 9 and 6 percent compared to the base, respectively. However, demand outpaces supply, increasing average prices of ethanol and biodiesel by about 30 percent. The market impacts above are reversed in the case of the low oil price scenario, although not necessarily by the same absolute amounts.


This inquiry subjectively examines selected basic communication textbooks for information literacy concepts from the communication discipline point of view. Librarians can build on these concepts in library skills instruction sessions for first-year communication students. This analysis reveals that communication textbook authors are addressing information literacy concepts and standards with content, exercises, examples, and most importantly, context, and they are often utilizing their own discipline-specific terminology to do so. Since finding, using, and evaluating information is a cornerstone of communication education, and because the most successful information literacy efforts result from learning its tenets in a variety of contexts, librarians supporting communication classes should consider reviewing discipline-specific textbooks when planning course-specific library instruction. Further, it is recommended that class textbooks in other disciplines be analyzed, especially in classes with multiple sections. By focusing on many classes where students share a common textbook, librarians can maximize their information literacy efforts to reach large numbers of students with more discipline-specific instruction.


In this paper, the experimental investigation into the enhancement of mechanical strength in shape memory alloy (SMA) fiber composites is made by using knotted fiber at the two ends instead of straight fiber. TiNi SMA fiber with both ends knotted is used for purpose of better ensuring stress transfer from the matrix to the fiber than straight fiber. Tension test is carried out above the austenitic finish temperature in air. Specimens are heated by means of electrical resistive lamplight heating. The results indicate that the mechanical strength is larger in the knotted fiber composite than in the straight fiber composite. Knotted fiber exerts the superiority of TiNi SMA fiber composite.


This thesis consists of five papers (Paper A-E) on statistical modeling of diffusion processes. Two papers (Paper A & D) consider Maximum Likelihood estimators for non-linear diffusion processes. An offline Maximum Likelihood estimator is derived in Paper A, and it is shown that this estimator is computationally more efficient than other Maximum Likelihood estimators. The offline algorithm is modified into an online algortihm in Paper D, where it is shown that the statistical properites are preserved while the computational cost is reduced. Model validation is discussed in Paper B and C. A general and numerically robust definition of Gaussian residuals for diffusion processes is presented in Paper B, where it is shown that these residuals are independent and identically distributed under the null hypothesis. Paper C adds suggestions on how these residuals can be tested to detect non-linear dependence. Finally, paper E introduces a simple bias correction framework to the Black & Scholes option pricing formula by correcting for parameter uncertainty. This correction improves the predictive performance of the Black & Scholes formula significantly. Furthermore, it is argued that the bias correction in paper E can be extended to more advanced option pricing models. (Less)


Nonsmooth nonconvex optimization problems involving the (cid:2) p quasi-norm, p ∈ ( 0 , 1 ] , of a linear map are considered. A monotonically convergent scheme for a regularized version of the original problem is developed and necessary optimality conditions for the original problem in the form of a complementary system amenable for computation are given. Then an algorithm for solving the above mentioned necessary optimality conditions is proposed. It is based on a combination of the monotone scheme and a primal-dual active set strategy. The performance of the two algorithms is studied by means of a series of numerical tests in different cases, including optimal control problems, fracture mechanics and microscopy image reconstruction.


The experiment was carried out to determine the effects of equilibration duration, vapour exposure temperature and vapour exposure duration in sperm cryopreservation protocol for Tor tambroides fish using modified Fish Ringer Extender (FRE); and subsequently used in experiment to develop optimal combination of equilibration duration, vapour exposure temperature and vapour exposure duration. Also, an experiment was performed to compare the frozen-thawed sperm characteristics between low temperature incubator and normal refrigerator during cryopreservation process; and the results have been utilised for subsequent final experiment in attempt of the transfer of technology from laboratory to the field condition for the sperm cryopreservation of Tor tambroides under field condition.
The freezing process under laboratory ambient was conducted in freezing laboratory, ISB Mini Farm (Livestock), University of Malaya in which a total of 20 Thai mahseer male fish was involved. The freezing process under field condition was carried out in Taman Negara Sg. Relau (Merapoh), Pahang which included a total of 17 Thai mahseer male fish. The mature Thai mahseer males were induced hormonally by injection of Ovaprim (0.5 ml/kg) 24 hours before the milt collection process. Semen was collected by gentle squeezing using centrifuge tube. The collected semen was diluted with Fish Ringer Solution (FRS) at 1:10 ratio after which was mixed with DMSO (10% of the diluent). The mixture was loaded into the 0.25/0.50 ml French straws and sealed. Subsequently the freezing process was carried out and stored in liquid nitrogen tank. Straws were thawed in water bath at 30oC for 1 minute for evaluation of the sperm. Sperm motility characteristics for frozen-thawed sperm were evaluated using an Automated Semen Analyzer (IVOS, Hamilton-Thorne). The effect of factors and parameters were statistically analysed using one-way ANOVA and Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT).
Duration of 30 minutes equilibration gave higher total motility (67.31±1.27%) than 45 and 60 minutes (61.93±1.31% and 65.09±1.02%, respectively) durations for Thai mahseer sperm cryopreservation protocol. Among three temperatures used for vapour exposure phase in this study, -110°C was considered to be the most suitable temperature which obtained the highest values in total motility and progressive motility (68.53±1.13% and 15.75±0.61%, respectively) compared to -100°C (60.74±1.41% and 11.65±0.68%, respectively) and -120°C (65.07±0.99% and 12.56±0.56%, respectively). Meanwhile, 15 minutes of vapour exposure duration produced the highest values of total motility and progressive motility (65.25±1.25% and 14.83±0.71%, respectively) compared to 5 (63.87±1.31% and 12.31±0.58%, respectively) and 10 minutes durations (65.21±1.09% and 12.82±0.58%, respectively). Combination of 30 minutes of equilibration duration, -110°C of vapour exposure temperature and 10 minutes of vapour exposure duration; combination of 30 minutes of equilibration duration, -110°C of vapour exposure temperature and 15 minutes of vapour exposure duration; and combination of 30 minutes of equilibration duration, -120°C of vapour exposure temperature and 15 minutes of vapour exposure duration were considered as three optimal combinations in sperm cryopreservation of Thai mahseer and were used in subsequent experiment.
Combination of 30 minutes of equilibration duration, -110°C of vapour exposure temperature and 15 minutes of vapour exposure duration showed the highest values in total motility and progressive motility (72.80±2.85% and 21.20±4.02%, respectively) compared to other two combinations [(72.40±2.27% and 16.80±2.22%, respectively) and (70.80±2.35% and 18.20±2.48%, respectively)] used. Both low temperature incubator and normal refrigerator attained the same effect during the equilibration phase which showed no significant differences when using all equilibration durations (30, 45 and 60 minutes) in
total motility (ranging from 97.07±0.74% to 97.60±0.50%, from 87.80±1.74% to 88.40±1.59% and from 88.33±1.59% to 88.67±1.87%, respectively) and progressive motility (ranging from 34.60±4.04% to 38.60±4.16%, from 23.13±2.16% to 23.93±2.95% and from 21.13±1.83% to 21.47±2.48%, respectively) values. As for comparison, the freezing process under laboratory ambient produced higher values in total motility, progressive motility, rapid, medium, slow and ALH (75.03±1.49%, 19.47±1.46%, 24.80±1.83%, 10.23±0.74%, 38.53±1.52% and 3.26±0.12 μm, respectively) compared to freezing process under field condition (35.81±1.69%, 8.96±0.64%, 10.36±0.75%, 4.76±0.37%, 23.11±1.36% and 2.95±0.10 μm, respectively). However, the most interesting facts from this attempt, there were no significant differences in VAP, VSL, VCL, BCF, STR and LIN values between the freezing under laboratory ambient and field condition with a range from 41.54±0.91 μm/s to 43.53±1.33 μm/s, from 37.24±0.90 μm/s to 38.10±1.28 μm/s, 57.30±0.95 μm/s to 61.16±1.35 μm/s, from 24.96±0.62 Hz to 25.48±1.04 Hz, from 86.33±0.53% to 87.94±0.44% and from 62.03±1.20% to 62.93±0.69%, respectively.
In summary, the results demonstrate that the Thai Mahseer sperm could be cryopreserved using modified Fish Ringer Extender (mFRE) with good frozen-thawed sperm motility characteristics both under laboratory ambient as well as field condition.


An optimal control problem for time-varying, nonlinear differential equations with state-dependent control constraints is considered, the data may be nonsmooth. A weak maximum principle for problems with equality mixed constraints and pointwise set constraints imposed only on some components of the control variable is presented. This result is then applied to derive another weak maximum principle for problems with both equality and inequality mixed constraints. The essential assumption is a full rankness condition imposed on the constraints. Additionally, a lemma shows how the results are related to previous contributions.


A survey is presented of current methods for decision tree classifier (DTC) designs and the various existing issues. After considering potential advantages of DTCs over single-state classifiers, the subjects of tree structure design, feature selection at each internal node, and decision and search strategies are discussed. The relation between decision trees and neutral networks (NN) is also discussed. >


ABSTRACT: This position paper proposes a viable alternative to higher education's current focus on student ratings as the primary metric for summative teaching evaluations (i.e., for personnel decisions). In contrast to the divergent opinions among educational researchers about the validity of student ratings, a strong consensus exists that summative measures derived from the student ratings process represent a necessary rather than a sufficient source for evaluating teaching performance (Cashin 1990; Berk 2005). Accordingly, to more completely describe annual teaching performance, we propose a multisource, multiple-perspective Teaching Balanced Scorecard (TBSC), fashioned from the "classic" Balanced Scorecard developed by Kaplan and Norton (1992a). The TBSC can guide academic administrators to expand their conceptual view of teaching performance beyond the boundaries of the classroom, while coherently communicating the department's teaching expectations to the faculty; consistent with this proposition, w...


Propagation of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies is believed to involve the conversion of cellular prion protein, PrPC, into a misfolded oligomeric form, PrPSc. An important step toward understanding the mechanism of this conversion is to elucidate the folding pathway(s) of the prion protein. We reported recently (Apetri, A. C., and Surewicz, W. K. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 44589-44592) that the folding of wild-type prion protein can best be described by a three-state sequential model involving a partially folded intermediate. Here we have performed kinetic stopped-flow studies for a number of recombinant prion protein variants carrying mutations associated with familial forms of prion disease. Analysis of kinetic data clearly demonstrates the presence of partially structured intermediates on the refolding pathway of each PrP variant studied. In each case, the partially folded state is at least one order of magnitude more populated than the fully unfolded state. The present study also reveals that, for the majority of PrP variants tested, mutations linked to familial prion diseases result in a pronounced increase in the thermodynamic stability, and thus the population, of the folding intermediate. These data strongly suggest that partially structured intermediates of PrP may play a crucial role in prion protein conversion, serving as direct precursors of the pathogenic PrPSc isoform.


ABSTRACT Graphics are very effective for communicating numerical information quickly and efficiently, but many of the design choices we make are based on subjective measures, such as personal taste or conventions of the discipline rather than objective criteria. We briefly introduce perceptual principles such as preattentive features and gestalt heuristics, and then discuss the design and results of a factorial experiment examining the effect of plot aesthetics such as color and trend lines on participants' assessment of ambiguous data displays. The quantitative and qualitative experimental results strongly suggest that plot aesthetics have a significant impact on the perception of important features in data displays. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.


In order to evaluate the performance of sprout cutting for seed potato production against virus infection, a study was conducted at Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) Foundation Seed Potato Production Farm, Domar, Nilphamary, Bangladesh in 2005 - 2006. Sprout cut seedlings were grown under three production practices viz. Net-house practice, BADC practice and farmers' practice. Sprout cutting technique was proved to be an effective method of seed potato production against potato virus Y (PVY) and potato leaf roll virus (PLRV). The incidence of PVY and PLRV was detected as nil in net-house practice. However, PVY and PLRV were prevalent in BADC practice and farmers' practice although, BADC practice performed better over farmers' practice. Yield of seed potato and non-seed tubers along with yield attributes were found to be higher in all the five varieties (Diamant, Baraka, Asterix, Raja and Provento) in net-house practice followed by BADC practice and farmers' practice. Among the varieties Diamant, Asterix and Raja seemed to be better in performance as compared to the others. In most of the cases net-house practice differed significantly (p = 0.05) with the others. Keywords: Potato virus Y, potato leaf roll virus, seed potato, sprout cutting African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(36), pp. 5852-5858, 6 September, 2010


Early treated congenital hypothyroidism (CH) allows a normal neuropsychological development in many cases, but sometimes light neuromotor, linguistic, behavioural disturbances are described. In this work we compare two 9 year old twins to study the direct influence of CH in the neuropsychological development, eliminating variables linked to environment and the genetic aspects; one of the twins is affected by early treated congenital hypothyroidism, the other doesn't show any somatic, motor, linguistic, cognitive or behaviour affection. Our intention is to value the influence of CH in the neuropsychological development eliminating the variables linked to environment and to the genetic aspects. From this study emerges that both the somatic and neuropsychological development of the two twins are globally identical still, slight differences could possibly be pointed out during the evaluations, in the their neuropsychological performances. The psychomotor development of the hypothyroid twin resulted to be normal, but slower than the normal twin in any time. In the light of these results we can hypothesize that the differences in the global development are linked to the presence of congenital hypothyroidism although early treated in one of them, because the other variables linked to the genetic, environmental and socio-cultural factors are of no relevance whatsoever in this case. The two sisters are actually genetically and phenotypically identical, and both subject to the same familiar dynamics and receive the same education.


While there is a considerable evidence base showing links between drug use and offending and clear evidence of the impact of treatment engagement on drug-related offending, there is a much smaller UK evidence base on 'what works' in treatment and criminal justice partnerships, particularly in the UK. The current study used police arrest data to measure changes in offending behaviour in 116 drug-using offenders who had tested positive for opiates or cocaine in custody suites on at least three occasions in the previous year. Participants were assigned to either an intensive form of 'quasi-coercive' treatment (the High Crime Causing Users, HCCU) or to treatment as usual from the community Drug Interventions Programme team. The study compares changes in offending in a high-rate offending group with a standard treatment intervention. The assessment of the effectiveness of the intervention was based on arrest rates in the 12 months before and after engagement with the programme, supplemented by data collected from treatment case notes. Data analysis showed a significant reduction in offending in those engaged in the HCCU, who had higher pre-entry offending, but no change in offending for those accessing treatment as usual. There was some indication that greater retention in treatment was linked to better outcomes, and that medical sessions were associated with greater reductions in crime. The results provide some support for intensive partnership working between criminal justice drug services and the police, and suggest that intensive community work with high-rate drug-using offenders can be effective.


The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is indispensable for vertebrate eye development and vision. In the classical model of optic vesicle patterning, the surface ectoderm produces fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) that specify the neural retina (NR) distally, whereas TGFβ family members released from the proximal mesenchyme are involved in RPE specification. However, we previously proposed that bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) released from the surface ectoderm are essential for RPE specification in chick. We now show that the BMP- and Wnt-expressing surface ectoderm is required for RPE specification. We reveal that Wnt signalling from the overlying surface ectoderm is involved in restricting BMP-mediated RPE specification to the dorsal optic vesicle. Wnt2b is expressed in the dorsal surface ectoderm and subsequently in dorsal optic vesicle cells. Activation of Wnt signalling by implanting Wnt3a-soaked beads or inhibiting GSK3β at optic vesicle stages inhibits NR development and converts the entire optic vesicle into RPE. Surface ectoderm removal at early optic vesicle stages or inhibition of Wnt, but not Wnt/β-catenin, signalling prevents pigmentation and downregulates the RPE regulatory gene Mitf. Activation of BMP or Wnt signalling can replace the surface ectoderm to rescue MITF expression and optic cup formation. We provide evidence that BMPs and Wnts cooperate via a GSK3β-dependent but β-catenin-independent pathway at the level of pSmad to ensure RPE specification in dorsal optic vesicle cells. We propose a new dorsoventral model of optic vesicle patterning, whereby initially surface ectoderm-derived Wnt signalling directs dorsal optic vesicle cells to develop into RPE through a stabilising effect of BMP signalling.


A new species of Annonaceae, Mitrephora sirikitiae, is described from Mae Hong Son Province in northern Thailand. It is easily distinguished from the seven species of Mitrephora previously recorded from Thailand due to its very large, showy flowers. It is most similar to M. winitii, but differs in its larger flowers, with inner petals that become undulate at maturity. The profuse blooming of the new species and its large flowers with mild fragrance suggest that may be of significant horticultural potential.


Abstract Purpose To evaluate the outcomes of different intravitreal injections for the treatment of retinal vein occlusion including central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Methods PubMed, Cochrane, the metaRegister of ControlledTrials, and ClinicalTrials were searched for intravitreal anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and steroids with relevant keywords and date limitation of 2009-2018. Meta-analysis was performed on studies that met the defined inclusion criteria. Main outcomes were visual acuity (VA) and central macular thickness (CMT). Results Out of 681 studies, 36 articles (including 21 reporting CRVO and 15 dealing with BRVO) were selected for systematic review. All five intravitreal drugs including triamcinolone, dexamethasone, ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and aflibercept showed improvement of CMT and VA as compared to placebo or laser treatment. Six randomized controlled trials were selected for meta-analysis in RVO patients. The pooled mean difference of visual improvement between sham and ranibizumab was 12.7 Early Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters (95%CI: 11.00 to 13.2), and the pooled mean difference in CMT reduction was 221μm (95%CI: 153 to 284); both changes were significantly in favor of ranibizumab. The pooled mean difference of visual improvement between bevacizumab and triamcinolone was 5.3 ETDRS letters in favor of bevacizumab (95%CI: 16 μm to 17.5 μm). Triamcinolone led to 68.1 μm greater CMT reduction than bevacizumab (95%CI: 58 μm to 76 μm). However, none of these differences were statistically significant. Conclusion Treatment with anti-VEGF agents in RVO is superior to observation. No significant difference was seen between the eyes treated with bevacizumab or triamcinolone based on these results.


The inherent coupling of optical and mechanical modes in high finesse optical microresonators provides a natural, highly sensitive transduction mechanism for micromechanical vibration. Using homodyne and polarization spectroscopy techniques, we achieve shot-noise limited displacement sensitivities of . In an unprecedented manner, this enables the detection and study of a variety of mechanical modes, which are identified as radial breathing, flexural and torsional modes using three-dimensional finite element modeling. Furthermore, a broadband equivalent displacement noise is measured and found to agree well with models for thermorefractive noise in silica dielectric cavities. Implications for ground-state cooling, displacement sensing and Kerr squeezing are discussed.


Today, our society and school are looking for the most effective means of implementing the ever-increasing changes in the education system. Special attention is paid to teacher's profession and personality and specific requirements for the teacher (Nasvytienė & Balcaitytė, 2009; Stockus, 2014; Kim, Youngs, & Frenk, 2017). This causes permanent emotional tension that can lead to teachers' burnout at work. The article deals with the problem of job burnout and its relationship with perfectionism as a personality trait. The presence of perfectionism as a teacher's personality trait and job burnout is acknowledged on a theoretical level (Flett, Hewitt, & Hallett, 1995; Friedman, 2000), however, the number of empirical studies on the issue is not sufficient. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between teachers' burnout at work and perfectionism. The study involved 136 informants – teachers from general education schools and special education institutions. The Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey was used to analyze job burnout, while the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale was applied to study perfectionism. Analysis of the survey data showed that the researched teachers experience burnout at work and that self-oriented perfectionism is most common to teachers,– while other-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism are less common. Analysis of general education school teachers' and special education teachers' burnout at work and perfectionism revealed that there are certain differences in general education school teachers' and special education teachers' job burnout. These results support Nasvytienė and Balcaityte's (2009) conducted review of teachers' experience which showed that teachers who work with children having emotional and behavioral disorders feel complex internal experiences that fray them. The research disclosed that special education teachers more frequently experience emotional exhaustion. The research also demonstrated that self-oriented perfectionism correlates with all the scales of job burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). A multivariate regression analysis showed that such variables as self-oriented perfectionism and age predict 60.3 percent of emotional exhaustion variation. Keywords: job burnout, emotional exhaustion, perfectionism, self-oriented perfectionism, teachers. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/up.2017.03


[ 1 ] Seasonal changes in surface ocean temperature are increasingly recognized as an important parameter of the climate system. Here we assess the potential of analyzing single ‐ specimen planktonic foraminifera as proxy for the seasonal temperature contrast (seasonality). Oxygen isotopes and Mg/Ca ratios were measured on single specimens of Globigerinoides ruber , extracted from surface sediment samples of the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean. Variability in d 18 O and Mg/Ca was then compared to established modern seasonal changes in temperature and salinity for both regions. The results show that (1) average d 18 O ‐ derived temperatures correlate with modern annual average temperatures for most sites, (2) the range in d 18 O ‐ and Mg/Ca ‐ derived temperature estimates from single ‐ specimen analysis resembles the range in seasonal temperature values at the sea surface (0 – 50 m) in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and (3) there is no strong correlation between Mg/Ca ‐ and d 18 O ‐ derived temperatures from the same specimens in the current data set, indicating that other parameters (salinity, carbonate ion concentration, symbiont activity, ontogenesis, and natural variability) potentially affect these proxies.


Dynamic modeling of osteoarticular system is necessary because the exertion of various actions and natural physiological movements are essentially dynamic. The wide mobility of human body leads to the necessity of modeling the osteoarticular system as a mechanism with a large number of degrees of freedom. The differential equations system obtained are very complex and assume numerical integration. Very often we use a simplified model because the phenomena produced are so complex that accurate mathematical reproduction is practically impossible. A dynamic model must provide a good estimate of total weight and mass distribution as well as transmissibility and amortization proprieties for bones, muscles, joints, blood and skin. The paper presents a dynamic functional model considering the human upper limb as a mechanic system with 5 degrees of freedom in the case the segments are moved by their own weight forces. The bones and the muscles were modeled in Solid Works, the model of the upper limb obtained being very close as form to the real one. The differential equations of motion were solved using Lagrange formalism. Key-Words: modeling, human upper limb, dynamic model, osteoarticular system


Cyanobacterial hepatotoxins present a risk to public health when present in drinking water supplies. Existing removal strategies, although efficient, are not economically viable or practical for remote Australian communities and developing nations. Bank filtration is a natural process and a potential low cost, toxin removal strategy. Batch studies were conducted in 12 texturally diverse soils to examine the soil properties influencing the adsorption of the cyanobacterial hepatotoxins, microcystin-LR and nodularin. Sorption isotherms were measured. Freundlich and linear isotherms were observed for both toxins with adsorption coefficients not exceeding 2.751 kg(-1) for nodularin and 3.81 kg(-1) for microcystin. Significant positive correlations were identified between hepatotoxin sorption and clay and silt contents of the soils. Desorption of toxins was also measured in three different soils. Pure nodularin and microcystin-LR readily desorbed from all soils.


The capacity of rolling piston type rotary compressors is typically varied by using variable speed motor drives. That entails the use of high cost electronics. This study explores an alternative means of achieving variable capacity while keeping motor speed constant, by lifting the vane intermittently. The new technique should deliver comparable system performance and efficiency at lower initial costs in order to be competitive. The thesis starts by analyzing the kinematics and dynamics of the vane motion using simplified working models of the system. Also, the interaction between the vane and the rolling piston is modeled, with focus on possible impact between the moving parts. Next, the functional requirements for a vane lifting mechanism are set. The details of the design are worked out, and a complete set of engineering drawings is fully developed. A prototype of the mechanism was constructed; a brief description of the process is given. The last part of the thesis presents the experimental work done to prove the success of the concept, to assess the mechanism, and to determine optimal operation modes. The prototype is shown to fulfill its goal of varying system capacity. The weaknesses of the design are pointed out. Some effort is made to single out the parameters that set optimal cycling times. The main findings of the experiments are presented in a brief conclusion. Recommendations are made for second generation mechanism designs and for developing criteria for cycle time optimization. Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Joseph L. Smith, Jr. Title: Collins Professor of Mechanical Engineering


A protein microarray, sometimes referred to as a protein chip, allows quantifying a large number of target analytes from minimal samples, using immobilized antibodies as capture molecules. Immobilized proteins in a microarray allow screening for reactive antibodies in serum samples, providing a multiplex approach to identify protein-protein interactions, identifying substrates of protein kinases or identifying the targets of biologically active small molecules. The array is a piece of chemically modified glass on which different capture molecules have been immobilized in separate spots in rows and columns thus forming a microarray. Typically hundreds or thousands of spots, each containing a unique capture molecule, are employed allowing to test for multiple binding events within a single assay. The dimension of a spot is approximately 150 μm and some thousand spots can be immobilized on an area of the size of a one-cent coin (figure 1A). This high degree of parallelization and miniaturization of protein microarrays reduces sample and reagent consumption. According to Roger Ekins' ambient analyte theory such miniaturized immunoassays are under certain circumstances even more sensitive than classical immunoassays [Ekins 1989].