Abstract We report on an investigation of bubble-induced turbulence. Bubbles of a size larger than the dissipative scale cannot be treated as pointwise inclusions, and generate important hydrodynamic fields in the carrier fluid when in motion. Furthermore, bubble motions may induce a collective agitation due to hydrodynamic interactions which display some turbulent-like features. We tackle this complex phenomenon numerically, performing direct numerical simulations with a volume-of-fluid method. In the first part of the work, we perform both two-dimensional and three-dimensional tests in order to determine appropriate numerical and physical parameters. We then carry out a highly resolved simulation of a three-dimensional bubble column, with a set-up and physical parameters similar to those used in laboratory experiments. This is the largest simulation attempted for such a configuration and is only possible thanks to adaptive grid refinement. Results are compared both with experiments and previous coarse-mesh numerical simulations. In particular, the one-point probability density function of the velocity fluctuations is in good agreement with experiments. The spectra of the kinetic energy show a clear $k^{-3}$ scaling. The mechanisms underlying the energy transfer and notably the possible presence of a cascade are unveiled by a local scale-by-scale analysis in physical space. The comparison with previous simulations indicates to what extent simulations not fully resolved may yet give correct results, from a statistical point of view.


Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) teinturier cultivars are characterized by their typical reddish leaves and red-fleshed berries due to ectopic anthocyanin formation. Wines of these varieties have economic importance as they can be used for blending to enhance the color of red wines. The unique and heritable mutation has been known for a long time but the underlying genetic mechanism still is not yet understood. Here we describe the association of the red-fleshed berry phenotype with a 408 bp repetitive DNA element in the promoter of the VvmybA1 gene (grapevine color enhancer, GCE). Three different clones of 'Teinturier' were discovered with two, three and five allelic GCE repeats (MybA1t2, MybA1t3 and MybA1t5). All three clones are periclinal chimeras; these clones share the same L1 layer, but have distinct L2 layers with different quantities of GCE repeats. Quantitative real time PCR and HPLC analysis of leaf and berry samples showed that the GCE repeat number strongly correlates with an increase of the expression of VvmybA1 itself and the VvUFGT gene regulated by it and the anthocyanin content. A model is proposed based on autoregulation of VvmybA1t to explain the red phenotype which is similar to that of red-fleshed apples. This study presents results about the generation and modes of action of three MybA1t alleles responsible for the red-fleshed berry phenotype of teinturier grapevines.


The Ming deposit, Baie Verte, Newfoundland, Canada, is an Early Ordovician bimodal-mafic, Cu-Au-(Zn-Ag) volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit. The deposit consists of a number of ore lenses that are stacked in the uppermost part of the Rambler rhyolite. One of the uppermost lenses, the 1806 zone, is enriched in Au and Ag. The deposit has been affected by Silurian-Devonian greenschist to amphibolite grade metamorphism and polyphase deformation and this has led to debates as to whether the Au-Ag enrichment in the deposit is syngenetic or a product of a later metamorphic and structural overprint.

The 1806 zone consists predominantly of discordant sulfide stringer, stratabound semimassive to massive sulfides and a weakly mineralized silicified cap zone. The ore is largely hosted within the footwall Rambler rhyolite that is strongly altered to quartz-sericite ± green mica with sporadic chlorite-biotite. Base and precious metal zoning is developed from the down-plunge portion (Cu-Au) to the up-plunge portion (Cu-Zn-Au-Ag-Pb) of the 1806 zone. The ore mineralogy and mineral chemistry are complex and are interpreted to be of an intermediate sulfidation type. Pyrite and chalcopyrite are the dominant sulfide species with minor to accessory sphalerite, galena, pyrrhotite, and arsenopyrite. Sulfosalts including Ag-bearing tennantite-tetrahedrite, stannite, boulangerite, and loellingite, and precious metal-rich phases are common throughout the deposit. Precious metals occur as (1) mercurian electrum (7.93–20.57 wt % Hg) and (2) various Ag phases (miargyrite, pyrargyrite, mercurian stephanite, unnamed AgCuFeS phase, Ag-Hg ± Au alloys) that are more abundant in the up-plunge portion of the 1806 zone. Tellurides and bismuthides are present in trace amounts. Oxides (cassiterite and magnetite) are present exclusively in the down-plunge portion of the 1806 zone.

The deposit geometry, metals distribution, complex ore assemblages, abundant sulfosalts, and the significant concentration of the epithermal suite of elements (e.g., Au, Ag, As, Hg, Sb, Bi) in the ore strongly contrast with those of orogenic Au deposits and support a syngenetic or synvolcanic origin for precious metals in the Ming VMS deposit, including a possible magmatic input into the 1806 zone ore-forming system.

Evidence for a late, syndeformation precious metal emplacement via orogenic overprinting is lacking at the 1806 zone and all data point to a syngenetic origin for precious metal enrichment, indicating that Ordovician Appalachian VMS deposits are favorable targets for Au. Nevertheless, Silurian-Devonian metamorphism and deformation have resulted in textural recrystallization and local remobilization of precious metals and the main fabrics largely control the current geometry of the host succession and of the Ming orebody.


The paper describes and analyzes the changes in Slovenian agro-food sector in the period 1992-2006 with more emphasis on the years after 2000 in the light of accession to the European Union (EU). The accession has not caused any major difficulties in the Slovenian agriculture as a whole. Such an outcome can be attributed to the fact that the objectives and mechanisms of Slovenian agricultural policy were gradually brought into line with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) already in the pre-accession period. Therefore, the adoption of the CAP on accession largely meant a continuation of the measures pursued under the national agricultural policy, but with higher funds for the agricultural support. The agricultural income remained at the relatively high level compared with the previous years and the analyses of the main factors determining income revealed the continuation of trends typical for the period after 1999 – a slightly upward trend in the agricultural output volume, a downward trend in the producer prices of agricultural products and an intensive upward trend in the subsidies for farmers. The most evident changes that could be attributed directly to the EU accession may be observed in the agro-food trade. Slovenia is traditionally a net food importer. However, abolishing customs protection on the imports from the EU and a rise in the customs duties levied on the exports to the third countries after the accession has increased the trade deficit to the highest level so far. Trade was somewhat reoriented from other countries to EU Member States, especially on the export side. Opening up the market after the accession increased a competitive pressure on the food industry and the business performance of the sector deteriorated significantly. The Slovenian agro-food chain is faced with some important challenges. The problem of relatively poor competitiveness of the sector has not yet been solved, and comprehensive structural changes and adjustments are still needed.


This femur, presented to the Woodwardian Museum in 1869 by L. Ewbank, Esq., M.A., Clare College, Cambridge, still remains, so far as I have seen, the only example of a Dinosaurian genus from the Oxford Clay which has a general affinity with Iguanodon. As in all the Dinosaurs collected from the great Pelolithic period extending from the Oxford to the Kimmeridge Clays, the articular extremities of the bone show in their pitted surfaces evidence of having had terminal cartilages, though these do not appear to have been so thick as to have modified materially the forms of the articular ends. Thus the bone is devoid of epiphyses. And since epiphysial growths among the lower vertebrates have a definite relation to the activity of the animal type in which they are found, as is shown by their occurrence in Anura and Lacertilia, it would seem likely, since Dinosaurs are to a large extent Reptilian in their osteology, that this condition of the articular surfaces bespeaks animals of sluggish habits, and therefore, it may be, of cold blood, notwithstanding that a not dissimilar condition marks the articular ends of bones in the larger Cetacea. This femur is 1 foot and inch long, with a slight antero-posterior flexure forward in the lower third of the shaft (P1. VI. fig. 1). The bone is stouter and has its articular ends more expanded, and pertained to a stouter type of limb than the femur of Hadrosaurus or any of the figured American Cretaceous Dinosaurs


The reliance on streams and rivers to provide water for agricultural purposes and to some extent- domestic purpose, is still in existence especially in the semi-urban and rural areas. This study investigated the bacteriological load and physicochemical properties of water from streams receiving industrial effluents and a reservoir receiving wastewater from a hospital. Water samples were collected from March to August, 2015 from ten sampling stations and analysis were carried out following standard procedures. The water pH ranged from 6.21 ± 0.03 – 8.22 ± 0.08. Phosphate ranged from 0.0 – 7. 80 ± 0.38 mg L-1. Nitrate ranged from 0.03 ± 0.04 – 209 ± 2.26 mg L-1 while nitrite ranged from 0.00 – 14. 00 ± 0.30 mg L-1. The TSS (total suspended solids) and TDS (total dissolved solids) were in the range 40.0 ± 2 .00 – 58.70 ± 130 mg L-1 and 40 ± 6.0 – 1010 ±45.0 mg L-1 respectively. The bacteriological loads ranged from 4.85 ± 2.0 – 36.5 ± 7.0 cfu 100 ml-1. Sites receiving effluents from industrial and hospital wastes were highly polluted with values obtained for parameters exceeding the standard set by World Health Organizatio (WHO). The shapes of the bacteria examined under the microscope were Coccobacilli, Cocci, Vibrio, Diplococci and Bacilli. Vibrio shaped bacteria was only observed from streams receiving wastewater from the hospital. In conclusion, it is necessary to educate people on the danger of using water from these streams and a proper waste management method should be established at the hospital and the industrial areas.


When designing rockbolts for rockburst conditions, it is commonly assumed that the kinetic energy of an ejected rock block is absorbed by rockbolts. To obtain the energy absorption capacity of a rockbolt, drop testing has been widely used. The advantage of using a drop test to investigate the dynamic performance of rockbolts is that it can provide repeatable results. However, it is recognised that the drop test technique is a crude simulation of an actual seismic loading mechanism. To investigate the difference, numerical models were constructed to simulate the response of a rockbolt under both drop testing and simulated seismic loading conditions using the numerical code UDEC (Universal Distinct Element Code, Ver 6.0) (Itasca Consulting Group 2018). The seismic wave is simplified as a full cycle sinusoidal wave which generates the same ejection velocity magnitude on a reinforced rock block as the drop test. The rockbolt was found to fail under the simulated seismic loading condition but survived the drop test. This difference is because reflected seismic waves create additional displacement between the ejected rock block and adjacent rock block. The results indicate that impact energy or kinetic energy should be used carefully when determining the dynamic demand on rockbolts as it does not consider the critical interaction between seismic waves and the reinforced rock blocks. Additional parameter sensitivity studies showed how the frequency of a simulated seismic wave affects the dynamic response of rockbolts. The results can be used to improve our understanding on the dynamic response characteristics of ground support. The knowledge gained from the comparison can be used to improve the estimation of dynamic demand on rockbolts under rockburst conditions.


Illustrations play a major role in the education process. Whether used to teach a surgical or radiologic procedure, to illustrate normal or aberrant anatomy, or to explain the functioning of a technical device, illustration significantly impacts learning. Although many specimen are readily available as volumetric data sets, particularly in medicine, illustrations are commonly produced manually as static images in a time-consuming process. Our goal is to create a fully dynamic three-dimensional illustration environment which directly operates on volume data. Single images have the aesthetic appeal of traditional illustrations, but can be interactively altered and explored. In this paper we present methods to realize such a system which combines artistic visual styles and expressive visualization techniques. We introduce a novel concept for direct multi-object volume visualization which allows to control the appearance of inter-penetrating objects via two-dimensional transfer functions. Furthermore, a unifying approach to efficiently integrate many non-photorealistic rendering models is presented. We discuss several illustrative concepts which can be realized by combining cutaways, ghosting, and selective deformation. Finally, we also propose a simple interface to specify objects of inter-∗


Three marine sediment cores were collected along the length of the fjord axis of Barilari Bay, Graham Land, west Antarctic Peninsula (65°55′S, 64°43′W). Multi-proxy analytical results constrained by high-resolution geochronological methods (210Pb, radio carbon, 137Cs) in concert with historical observations capture a record of Holocene paleoenvironmental variability. Our results suggest early and middle Holocene (>7022–2815 cal. [calibrated] yr B.P.) retreated glacial positions and seasonally open marine conditions with increased primary productivity. Climatic cooling increased sea ice coverage and decreased primary productivity during the Neoglacial (2815 to cal. 730 cal. yr B.P.). This climatic cooling culminated with glacial advance to maximum Holocene positions and expansion of a fjord-wide ice shelf during the Little Ice Age (LIA) (ca. 730–82 cal. yr B.P.). Seasonally open marine conditions were achieved and remnant ice shelves decayed within the context of recent rapid regional warming (82 cal. yr B.P. to present). Our fi ndings agree with previously observed late Holocene cooling and glacial advance across the Antarctic Peninsula, suggesting that the LIA was a regionally signifi cant event with few disparities in timing and magnitude. Comparison of the LIA Antarctic Peninsula record to the rest of the Southern Hemisphere demonstrates close synchronicity in the southeast Pacifi c and southern most Atlantic region but less coherence for the southwest Pacifi c and Indian Oceans. Comparisons with the Northern Hemisphere demonstrate that the LIA Antarctic Peninsula record was contemporaneous with preLIA cooling and sea ice expansion in the North Atlantic–Arctic, suggesting a global reach for these events.


High frequency toroidal model is developed and used to calculate several critical inductor parameters such as inductance, resonance frequency, quality factor, power loss, flux density with good accuracy for high power RF applications. The model that is developed is then transformed to the equivalent circuit, which is used by impedance analyzers to compare measurement and calculate results for several parameters. Full design and characterization program Matlab GUI has been generated to calculate and present high frequency characteristics of the toroidal inductor graphically. Program gives all the required design critical parameters, 15 output characteristic curves with high accuracy. The program can be used for commercial and academic applications. The accuracy of the program has been tested on several assembled inductors. The calculated results have been compared to the measured results and good agreement has been observed on all of them.


Background: Some patients still complain of residual dizziness after successful canalith repositioning procedure (CRP) for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Previous study found that compared to the low-dose betahistine, the high-dose betahistine could yield better efficacy in treating residual dizziness. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess whether the addition of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) could make low-dose betahistine produce similar results to high-dose betahistine in treating residual dizziness. Methods: The recruited patients were randomly assigned to receive either low-dose betahistine (6 mg/time, three times/day) or high-dose betahistine (12 mg/time, three times/day). Patients in the low-dose group also received CBT (twice a week, 1 hour per time). The treatment was continued for 4 weeks. The duration of residual dizziness, 25-item Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) were recorded and analyzed. The duration of residual dizziness and DHI score were the primary outcomes, and the HARS and HDRS scores were the secondary outcomes. Results: Each group had 50 patients. After treatment, the average DHI scores, HDRS scores, and HARS scores were significantly decreased in both groups. The duration of residual dizziness and average DHI score were nonsignificantly different ( P = 0.08; P = 0.06) between the two groups, although they were lower in the low-dose group. Compared to the high-dose group, the low-dose group had the significantly lower average HDRS score ( P = 0.007) and HARS score ( P = 0.02). Meanwhile, four patients in the high-dose group experienced intolerable stomach upset. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the addition of CBT could make low-dose betahistine produce similar results to high-dose betahistine in treating residual dizziness. Moreover, the low-dose betahistine plus CBT showed some advantages over high-dose betahistine in relieving depressive and anxiety symptoms and should be further explored.


Carbon monoxide (CO) is proposed as a physiological messenger. CO activates cGMP and has a direct effect on potassium channels. Both actions of CO lead to hyperpolarization of a cell's resting membrane potential, suggesting that CO may function as a hyperpolarizing factor, although direct evidence is still lacking. Here we take advantage of the known membrane potential gradient that exists in the muscle layers of the gastrointestinal tract to determine whether CO is an endogenous hyperpolarizing factor. We find that heme oxygenase-2-null mice have depolarized smooth muscle cells and that the membrane potential gradient in the gut is abolished. Exogenous CO hyperpolarizes the membrane potential. Regions of the canine gastrointestinal tract that are more hyperpolarized generate more CO and have higher heme oxygenase activity than more depolarized regions. Our results suggest that CO is a critical hyperpolarizing factor required for the maintenance of intestinal smooth muscle membrane potential and gradient.


The advent of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal in 1933 found Jackson County suffering in ways similar to those in other rural areas of the nation.Overproduction had lowered farm prices to levels below cost; and the absence of capital in the county prevented local industrial growth. Real per capita income in Jackson County had been low before the Depression, and the county's dependence on agricultural cash crops and natural resources used in industry made avoiding the Depression impossible.Further, runs on the larger banks in Asheville in 1930 ignited fears that all banks were insolvent and teetered on closing. Political conservatives received most of the blame for the crisis, and in Jackson County the sense of helplessness horrified officeholders, both Republican and Democrat. The trade school, the Sylva Collegiate Institute, failed to weather the crisis. Meanwhile, more than one-third of the working population in the county had lost jobs, and most of those with jobs were on reduced pay. Even earnings of state employees and officials were cut by ten to thirty percent depending upon the position, but all suffered some loss. Politically and socially, the Depression bred strife and discontent; and it is against this backdrop that the impact of New Deal policies on Jackson County should be measured. Still, the clear impact of New Deal programs in Jackson County cannot be easily determined. The question of the legacy of the New Deal in Jackson County remains unanswered. Perhaps the isolation of the county in the midst of the Blue Ridge Mountains as well as the independent nature of its people led to resistance to the reforms of the New Deal. Possibly, the people molded the New Deal to their needs as many agricultural and industrial recovery programs vested power in the local people. Finally, local leaders hindered some programs such as public welfare because state and local taxes were required to initiate some of these, and as a result, while outwardly they heralded the program, they secretly fought it.This thesis will consider the New Deal's impact upon the economy, political structure, and social views of Jackson County from the introduction of the program in1933 to the nation's entry into World War II . The span of years from 1933 to 1941 also allows for the equal attention to the governorships of John Christoph Blucher Ehringhaus and Clyde R. Hoey. Though Jackson County represents a relatively small area, the New Deal influenced the county in three distinct ways depending on the location: Cherokee Reservation, the college area at Cullowhee, and the remainder of the county. Limitations and implementation at the local level also pose interesting questions as to how the New Deal was received by the people. Furthermore, the personal popularity of President Roosevelt served to assist in implementing the program, but one must wonder if the New Deal detracted from his popularity. Also, one must examine how party machines employed the program to increase their own power.For Jackson County farmers, the New Deal gradually raised market prices and increased credit. Eventually, businesses received credit assistance; and public works projects brought employment to the area. For the first time, the prospect of security for the disadvantaged and poor was obtained; and young people were provided a way to explore the country through work programs which moved them from their home communities to other states where work projects were located. In summation, the goal of this paper is to determine what if any significant impact the New Deal made upon Jackson County economically, politically, and/or socially.


Background: The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) showed that structured lifestyle interventions can delay or prevent onset of type 2 diabetes in high risk individuals. Despite disproportionate diabetes burdens in low-income individuals, there are no data regarding expected health and economic impacts of structured diabetes prevention in the Medicaid population. Objective: To examine the net costs and health benefits of extending coverage for structured lifestyle programs to the Medicaid population. Methods: We modelled a prevention strategy consisting of triannual screening for prediabetes (FPG?100 mg/dl or A1c?5.7%) followed by a DPP-like lifestyle program vs. routine care in non-disabled U.S. Medicaid beneficiaries aged 25-64 years. Medicaid population characteristics were extracted from 2006-2016 NHANES surveys. Costs of diabetes and its complications were estimated from Medicaid administrative claims data of 8 states comprising 52% of the U.S. adult Medicaid population. Based on DPP-like studies in Medicaid populations, we assumed the intervention will reduce diabetes incidence by 32% and will be delivered at costs defined in the Medicare Payment Scheme. We estimated incremental health benefits (in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs)) gained and net costs (in 2016 U.S. dollars) of screening and delivering lifestyle programs and subtracted savings through prevention of diabetes from a Medicaid perspective over a 10 year time horizon. Results: Given a 25% screening and intervention uptake in approximately 27 million non-disabled Medicaid beneficiaries across 50 states, extending coverage could prevent or delay 135,000 cases of diabetes, gain 243,000 QALYs, and cost $1.35 billion (incremental cost effectiveness ratio $55,000 per QALY gained). Conclusions: Extending Medicaid coverage for life-style diabetes prevention programs might be a good use of health care resources and will potentially diminish the diabetes burden in low income individuals. Disclosure M. Laxy: None. P. Zhang: None. H. Shao: None. B. Ng: None. M.K. Ali: None. E.W. Gregg: None.


The current effort to review and perhaps modify the government- sanctioned way milk and milk products are priced in the United States has many problems. Decisions are likely to be delayed and they may be unsound. Procedures for the current effort probably cannot be changed. But, now is the time to consider changes in the procedures so that alternative approaches are utilized the next time around.


Ni (II) has been designated as a priority pollutant by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) due to its ability to cause mutations and cancer in humans. The risk
associated with soil and groundwater contamination of nickel waste generated by many industries is high, and therefore Ni (II) remediation is of critical importance. It is discharged into the environment through the disposal of wastes from industries like Electroplating industry, metallurgical and metal finishing, textiles and ceramics, pigment and wood preservatives, photographic sensitizer manufacturing, etc. In the environment nickel occurs in divalent and tetravalent forms. Comparative to tetravalent, divalent nickel is more hazardous to the environment. Electroplating industry which commonly use nickel metal for plating process, discharges the effluents into the environment containing Nickel in excess of the maximum permissible limits. According to W .H.O. standards the permissible limits for nickel in effluent is 3mg/l and in drinking water is 0.02 mg/l. Staphylococcus sp. has polyphosphate in its cell, which is responsible for sequestering nickel. Using chemical and biological methods conjointly can decrease the cost of remediating contaminated sites. Microbial reduction of Ni(II), an important aspect of biological remediation, requires the knowledge of microorganisms capable of reducing Ni(II) and the mechanisms involved in the reduction processes. Staphylococcus sp. has polyphosphate in its cell, which is responsible for sequestering nickel. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the bio-removal of nickel from wastewater, which is collected and characterized from an electroplating industry, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, RSP ,Rourkela. Staphylococcus cultured in the lab is used for the removal of nickel. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the effect of various parameters like pH, inoculum volume, sugar amount, initial nickel concentration on nickel reduction by indigenous soil isolated bacteria isolated from soil contaminated sites.


In this paper we investigate the impact of the granularity of the power distribution for accurately predicting semiconductor chip temperature fields. Specifically, we calculate the transfer functions between power distributions and resulting temperature maps for various microprocessor packages and cooling conditions, which establish a minimum granularity required for accurate thermal analysis. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, we like to provide some general guidelines for the impact of different power granularities on the global chip temperatures and second we intend to spike a broader discussion about to which extent small heating effects can affect chip temperatures for circuits under full operation. As such this work is not only beneficial for package and cooling solution engineering but also important to circuit designers and computer architects in their battle against hotspots in microprocessors


This study was conducted to investigate the effects of apple polyphenol extract (APE) against influenza virus in mice loaded with restraint stress. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint of APE was recorded, and the percentage composition of polyphenols was determined as 81.7%. Our results showed that restraint stress significantly promoted the mortality and duration of complications of mice infected with the H1N1 virus. However, oral administration of APE (100 and 200 mg/kg) improved the survival rates and prolonged living time of stressed mice infected with influenza virus in a dose-dependent manner. APE was further found to significantly improve the number of immunocytes, ratio of CD4 helper cells, secretion of IL-2, and capabilities of natural killer (NK) cytotoxicity (LU10/spleen) in spleens of restraint-stressed mice. In addition, APE also significantly decreased the level of lipid peroxidation and increased oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) in splenocytes. These results indicated that the protective effects of APE on mice infected with influenza virus were related to the alleviation of stress-induced impairment of immune functions and its antioxidant property might contribute to the immune recovery.


Effective knowledge transfer is essential in ensuring the successful development of products, but is the role of the different actors in this process clear? During the past 20 years De Montfort University (DMU) has supported in excess of 100 companies in the design and development of new products. Case study material has been produced to support undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, placements for students have been established and a number of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) have been initiated and completed. Activities with Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), Large Enterprises (LEs), design consultancies and KTPs, all in the Higher Education context, have provided DMU with considerable and multifaceted experiences relating to knowledge transfer in product design and new product development in both the public and private sectors. Based on these experiences this paper considers the nature of and the difficulties in ensuring effective knowledge transfer in the product design and new product development discipline, in a higher education context. This paper investigates knowledge transfer environments that support academics in gaining experience and providing design students and professionals with access to information from which to generate innovation. This paper explores the nature and importance of relationship building in the management of knowledge environments to enable effective knowledge transfer and uses a case study to illustrate this activity within the Higher Education Institution (HEI) context.


AIM: The aim of this work was to examin the diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for the abdomen-pelvis computed tomography (CT) examinations performed at our medical institution. Another aim was to compare our data with the national and international values for the same examination as starting point on the way of establishing a regional DRLs and to contribute to the national DRLs project. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dosimetric indexes were collected for the abdominal pelvic examination for 180 patients and results are analysed using Matlab (R2016b) statistics and machine learning toolbox. RESULTS: The results are within and below the international reported levels for abdomen-pelvis CT in several countries and slightly higher than our published national reference level. CONCLUSION: Continuous monitoring of the radiation doses received by the patients in computed tomography is continuous and ongoing process in order to ensure compliance and to optimize clinical imaging protocols. More extensive data acquisition and analysis are required to allow better understanding of the contributing factors leading to less patient radiation dose while preserving the clinical image quality.


Different evaluated (n,d) energy-angle elastic scattering distributions produce k-effective differences in MCNP5 simulations of critical experiments involving heavy water (D2O) of sufficient magnitude to suggest a need for new (n,d) scattering measurements and/or distributions derived from modern theoretical nuclear models, especially at neutron energies below a few MeV. The present work focuses on the small reactivity change of <1mk that is observed in the MCNP5 D2O coolant-void-reactivity calculation bias for simulations of two pairs of critical experiments performed in the ZED-2 reactor at the Chalk River Laboratories when different nuclear data libraries are used for deuterium. The deuterium data libraries tested include ENDF/B-VII.0, ENDF/B-VI.4, JENDL-3.3 and a new evaluation, labelled Bonn-B,which is based on recent theoretical nuclear-model calculations. Comparison calculations were also performed for a simplified, two-region, spherical model having an inner, 250-cm radius, homogeneous sphere of UO2, without and with deuterium, and an outer 20-cm-thick deuterium reflector.


Education in general, and specifically higher education, plays an important role in the development process of all nations. Institutions of higher education have an important responsibility to support knowledge-driven economic growth strategies. This paper investigates the strategies of how by applying technologies on a large scale—with close attention to quality—virtual education can help higher education to find a way through the crisis of access, prohibitive cost, and lack of flexibility that we find all over the developing world. By addressing various issues related to planning, implementation, and quality with proper strategies, virtual education can provide immense opportunity to reduce the North-South knowledge gap and also to promote the development of the developing world. This paper reviews various issues related to promotion and quality control in virtual higher education and addresses possible strategies with general considerations of Africa and Asia.


ObjectiveIdentify and document strategies that enhance the value of syndromic surveillance (SyS) data and information for the response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness needs of local and state emergency management professionals in the U.S.IntroductionIntense stress can severely degrade one's ability to process and utilize new kinds of information.1 This psychological phenomena may partially explain why epidemiologist are challenged to communicate and establish the value of SyS information with emergency management professionals (EMPs). Despite the timely and useful insights that SyS data and methods can provide, it is very difficult to convey what these data are when EMPs and epidemiologists are working to make intense, highly-scrutinized and high-consequence emergency decisions. If state and local authorities want emergency plans and responses that benefit from the powerful insights that SyS can provide, epidemiologists need to learn how to best report information and establish a strong rapport before emergencies strike.Over the past ten months, ISDS's NSSP's Syndromic Surveillance and Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery (SPHERR) Committee has worked to identify gaps, potential best practices, document use cases, and identify tools for integration of SyS data in EM activities. During SPHERR practice exchange meetings, SyS professionals have consistently cited effective communication between SyS staff and emergency preparedness staff as a top priority in integrating SyS more fully into all phases of emergencies.MethodsParticipants will engage in an interactive and guided discussion that identifies and documents effective strategies and tools to communicate SyS information in ways that provide EMPs with useful, actionable and valuable insights. As a prompt and further framing device, examples or use cases will be gathered from participants based on health conditions of interest; i.e., Infectious Disease, Environmental Exposures, Injury, Mental Health Conditions, Health Care Utilization, and Exacerbations of Chronic Disease Conditions.4 Examples presented or discussed by SPHERR will also be used as prompts. The authors will use grouping and appreciative inquiry techniques to facilitate this round table discussion, and document the lessons learned. The discussion will inquire and analyze communication methods that participants use, or plan to use for conveying relevant SyS insights to EMPs during each phase of the emergency management cycle. Examples by preparedness phase are included below.During the preparedness phase, establishing SyS/Emergency management relationships can identify ways in which SyS information can address gaps in emergency management capabilities. Ongoing relationships and inclusion of SyS information in exercises helps ensure that this information is incorporated and effectively utilized in emergency management.During the response, SyS data can be used to monitor changes in the number of emergency department (ED) visits, increases in emergency-related syndromes, timing of impacts to EDs, and relative impact by geographical location of EDs. Displacement of populations during mass-care events can also be examined. Conducting surveillance for emergency-related key-words in ED reports can facilitate targeted surveillance for outcomes of interest. SyS data can also be used to screen for potential cases of disease, so that interventions can be targeted effectively. Example use cases of how SyS information has informed event responses will be discussed.During recovery from the emergency, SyS data can be used to track population displacement, as populations return to the area affected by the emergency. It can also be used to track ED visits, to determine when/if they return to pre-event levels. Secondary effects of the emergencies (such as carbon monoxide poisoning, flood-water contaminated food, HazMat events or suicidal ideation/attempts) can also be examined.SyS data can help in mitigation activities to prevent emergencies, reduce the chance of their occurrence, or reduce their damaging effects by monitoring ED data for patterns of syndrome presentations, or clusters of syndromes which could indicate a potential outbreak or event of public health significance. For diseases with typical seasonal patterns, SyS data can be used as an indicator of the beginning of the season, so that public health disease prevention messages and other interventions can be timed more effectively. Historical SyS data can also be examined to identify patterns of presentations that occurred before an outbreak is recognized, to increase the index of suspicion for these patterns in future surveillance.ResultsAt the end of the discussion, roundtable participants will possess a matrix of strategies and tools that they can customize to better utilize SyS in have tools and templates customized to communicate the value of SyS information in addressing hazards, vulnerabilities and threats faced by their communities.ConclusionsIntegration of SyS data into a highly functioning surveillance system facilitates rapid identification and characterization of potential threats, enhances health and medical situational awareness and increases the evidence base for making emergency management decisions.The importance of integrating surveillance data into emergency management and of effective and timely communication of this data to enhance situational awareness and share surveillance information with emergency managers has been repeatedly cited in both CDC Guidanceand in after-action reports for real-world events.This roundtable will help ensure that participants have the knowledge to effectively communicate SyS to EM personnel and ensure that this potentially life-saving information is integrated into all phases of emergency management.References1. Bourne, L, Yaroush, R. Stress and Cognition: A Cognitive Psychological Perspective. Moffett Field (CA): National Aeronautics and Space Administration; September 2003 155 p. Report Number (Nasa/CR-2003-212282), p.6.2. Arroyo-Barrantes, S, RodrIguez,M, Perez, R, editors (Pan American Health Organization). Information management and communication in emergencies and disasters; manual for disaster response teams. 2009 Washington, (DC): Area on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief. 138 p. Report Number NLM HV553.3. Kahn, A., Kosmos, C, Singleton, C. Public Health Preparedness Capabilities: National Standards for State and Local Planning. Atlanta (GA); March 2011 252 p. Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.4. Final Recommendation: Core Processes and EHR Requirements for Public Health Syndromic Surveillance. International Society for Disease Surveillance; Jan 2011 69 p.5. A Primer for Understanding the Principles and Practices of Disaster Surveillance in the United States (1st ed.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Atlanta (GA): CDC; 2016.6. Uscher-Pines, L, Farrell, C, Babin, S, Cattani, J, Gaydos, C., Hsieh, Y, Rothman, R, Framework for the development of response protocols for public health syndromic surveillance systems: Case studies of 8 U.S. States, Disaster Med Health Prep. 2009 Jun 3 (S1), S29-36.7. Monitoring Health Effects of Wildfires Using the BioSense System—San Diego County, California, October 2007, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atlanta (GA). MMWR 2008 57(27); 741-747.8. Morbidity surveillance after Hurricane Katrina---Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, September 2005. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atlanta (GA). MMWR 2006; 55;727-31


People tracking is a key technology for autonomous systems, intelligent cars and social robots operating in populated environments. What makes the task difficult is that the appearance of humans in range data can change drastically as a function of body pose, distance to the sensor, self-occlusion and occlusion by other objects. In this paper we propose a novel approach to pedestrian detection in 3D range data based on supervised learning techniques to create a bank of classifiers for different height levels of the human body. In particular, our approach applies AdaBoost to train a strong classifier from geometrical and statistical features of groups of neighboring points at the same height. In a second step, the AdaBoost classifiers mutually enforce their evidence across different heights by voting into a continuous space. Pedestrians are finally found efficiently by mean-shift search for local maxima in the voting space. Experimental results carried out with 3D laser range data illustrate the robustness and efficiency of our approach even in cluttered urban environments. The learned people detector reaches a classification rate up to 96% from a single 3D scan.


Health insurance is the fastest growing portfolio in Indian insurance. Due to its rapid growth, health insurance is treated now as a separate category by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). However in India, only 18% of people are covered under any health insurance policy. Hence, there is great opportunity for further growth of the health insurance market in India. Marketing health insurance policies involves unique practices compared to marketing any other product, because health insurance policies are service products and intangible by nature. This study uses primary data collected from 300 development officers as well as secondary data and analyses them with the help of discriminant function analysis (DFA) to identify the key personal and organisational characteristics that influence the performance of the development officers in the marketing of public sector health insurance policies in India.


Smartphones enable the collection of mobility data using various sensors. The key challenge in the collection of continuous data is to overcome the limited battery capacity of the device. While extensive research has been conducted to solve energy issues in continuous mobility learning, we argue that previous works have not reached optimal performance. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient mobility monitoring system, FreeTrack, to collect place-centric mobility data with minimum energy consumption in everyday life. We first analyzed the regularity of life patterns, cellular connection patterns, and battery charging behaviors of 94 smartphone users to examine important features related to human mobility. Based on our findings, we design an adaptive duty cycling scheme that uses zero-cost information (i.e., regular mobility, cell connection, and battery state) as low-level sensing to infer location change without the need to activate sensors. We model the location inference on the Hidden Markov Model and optimize the sensing schedule of individual smartphones for real-time operation. Our extensive experiment with 48 smartphone users shows that the proposed system achieves an energy saving of about 68% over previous works, yet still correctly traces 97% of mobility with 0.2±0.5 places misses in a day.


ABSTRACT This article discusses Sylvia Plath's overlooked juvenilia poems and contextualizes them in postwar American culture. The fairy tales were significant cultural products during the 1950s, that also continue to define the culture today through Disney's adaptations. Plath loved Grimms' tales; several of her poems show direct engagement with tales. The first half of my article looks at Plath's juvenilia poems and their reimagination of fairy-tale narratives. For Plath, the fairy tales functioned as a way to retell her life events. Whilst, the second part of my research uses a psychoanalytical approach to link "momism" in postwar America with the evil witch figure. By close-reading "The Disquieting Muses" poem, I demonstrate Plath's engagement with the ambiguous mother whose food, similar to the witch in "Hansel and Gretel", function to deceive the children.


Prior to 1924 there were six known salt domes in East Texas (Grand Saline, Steen, Brooks, Butler, Keechi, and Palestine domes). In 1924 M. A. Davey discovered the Boggy Creek dome, which promises to yield commercial production. There were discovered in East Texas in 1927, as a result of geological and seismograph work, nine domes (Bethel, Bullard, Oakwood, Whitehouse, East Tyler, Mt. Sylvan, La Rue, Troup, and Haynesville) and perhaps even a tenth (the Salmon prospect), as well as a probable "high" (Cronin structure). The first four mentioned of the discoveries in 1927 are shallow and have since found the salt depths ranging from 500 to 1,500 feet. It is thought that the East Tyler and Mt. Sylvan are also shallow domes. The depth to the salt at the La Rue, Haynesville, an Troup is not yet known, but they are thought to be deeper. These newly discovered domes are briefly described in this paper which also contains a table showing the Eocene and Upper Cretaceous formations in East Texas. The stratigraphic position and lithologic character of the prospective producing sands are also described. Some theoretical considerations regarding the prospects of commercial production are discussed.


Abstract. The MIX inventory is developed for the years 2008 and 2010 to support the Model Inter-Comparison Study for Asia (MICS-Asia) and the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF HTAP) by a mosaic of up-to-date regional emission inventories. Emissions are estimated for all major anthropogenic sources in 29 countries and regions in Asia. We conducted detailed comparisons of different regional emission inventories and incorporated the best available ones for each region into the mosaic inventory at a uniform spatial and temporal resolution. Emissions are aggregated to five anthropogenic sectors: power, industry, residential, transportation, and agriculture. We estimate the total Asian emissions of 10 species in 2010 as follows: 51.3 Tg SO2, 52.1 Tg NOx, 336.6 Tg CO, 67.0 Tg NMVOC (non-methane volatile organic compounds), 28.8 Tg NH3, 31.7 Tg PM10, 22.7 Tg PM2.5, 3.5 Tg BC, 8.3 Tg OC, and 17.3 Pg CO2. Emissions from China and India dominate the emissions of Asia for most of the species. We also estimated Asian emissions in 2006 using the same methodology of MIX. The relative change rates of Asian emissions for the period of 2006–2010 are estimated as follows: −8.1 % for SO2, +19.2 % for NOx, +3.9 % for CO, +15.5 % for NMVOC, +1.7 % for NH3, −3.4 % for PM10, −1.6 % for PM2.5, +5.5 % for BC, +1.8 % for OC, and +19.9 % for CO2. Model-ready speciated NMVOC emissions for SAPRC-99 and CB05 mechanisms were developed following a profile-assignment approach. Monthly gridded emissions at a spatial resolution of 0.25°  ×  0.25° are developed and can be accessed from http://www.meicmodel.org/dataset-mix .


Human capital, a broad concept including education and health, plays a central role in economic development and human well-being. As a consequence, low human capital became one of the three criteria used by the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (UN-CDP) for identifying Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Since 1991, the UN-CDP has used a composite index to measure human capital at the country level. In 2003 this index was reshaped and was renamed the Human Assets Index (HAI) (see UN-CDP webpage on LDCs, and Guillaumont, 2009).


Introduction Although the possible negative health effects of exposure to high energetic ultrasonic noise were discussed since the adoption of the technology in the 1940s, no major research was conducted on this topic since the late 20th century and it only regained focus approximately 10 years ago. Nevertheless, guideline values and limits have been established for the exposure to ultrasonic noise in several countries. The Ears II project was brought to life under the umbrella of the EU's EMPIR, to investigate the human perception of non-audible sound and its possible effects on human health. In this context the Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the National Metrology Institute of Germany developed a measurement technique for assessing industrial ultrasonic noise. Methods Existing measurement techniques for audible sound were evaluated for their applicability to measuring ultrasound. Through evaluation of existing data a reference workplace was developed for laboratory measurements. These comprised simulated practical measurements and high spatial resolution scans of the sound field of an ultrasonic welding machine. Finally, a method was developed and tested in field measurements. Results The existing standards for assessment of the exposure to noise negate the applicability to ultrasonic noise. The same is true for the standards covering technical requirements for sound level metres. A novel technique was successfully developed and field measurements were carried out. Conclusion The existing standards are mostly insufficient for the assessment of the exposure to ultrasonic noise. Either applicability to ultrasound is ruled out a priori or the methods or technical specifications are insufficient for the measurement of ultrasound, because the frequency range of interest is not covered, for example. Based on an existing guideline a novel method was developed, which will, if necessary, be adapted to practical needs after examination of its practical applicability by evaluation of the field tests.


Shape is a fundamental morphological descriptor, one method of its estimation being from digitally processed images. Elliptic Fourier method is an outline-based morphometrics that has some advantages: it does not require either landmarks or previous knowledge about the shape variation of the objects under study; it can visualize the contour of information and reconstruct the original shape; it can be mathematically normalized to size, rotation and starting point of the contour trace; and it can be conducted automatically using computer software. Hence, the variation can be decomposed into several mutually independent quantitative characteristics. In this manner, unacceptable errors based only on human visual judgment of shape, which is frequently deceptive and misled by size factors, can be effectively eliminated. In this study, we applied an elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA) to assess pigmentation pattern symmetries of plastron (ventral shell) of 52 western Hermann's tortoises (Testudohermannihermanni) studied from private breeders, and belonging to two different Mediterranean populations: Albera (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula, n=14) and Balearic Islands (n=38). Low coefficients of regression appeared between carapace length and symmetrical and asymmetrical components. Based on this sample, it was shown that plastral pigmentation design does not present differences for either the symmetrical or the asymmetrical component. These results provide a baseline for further comparisons in variation of plastral pigmentation pattern based on EFA.


In the electronics packaging industry, Epoxy Mold Compound (EMC) polymer matrix is filled with fused silica (SiO2) to obtain the required roughness and hardness. Gate chip off, which occurs during the degating process in transfer molding is one of the common defects which contributes to the failure in the proper functioning of the package. During the degating process, surface contact between two solid bodies (degating blade and gate) generate a high shear stress on package, thus creating a high potential for the incidence of gate chip of. In this study, the influence of transfer molding parameters and size of fillers (normal and fine) on the gate chip off were investigated. The application of Design of Experiments (DOE) using regression model and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed that molding parameters do not significantly influence the incidence of gate chip off. Numerical simulation was used to investigate effect of two filler sizes and molding parameters on the mold fill time, end pressure of fill and shear stress at the wall. The results showed there were no significant influences on mold fill time but the fine filler showed lower pressure at the end of fill and lower shear stress at the wall. Experimental results of two sizes if filler shown that fine filler mold compound exhibited in reduction of gate chip off formation, compared to normal filler mold compound. Smooth surface of fine mold compound lead to decrease of friction shear stress during degating is expected contribute to this finding.


OBJECTIVE
Compare milk-based, iron-fortified formulas containing 7.4 and 12.7 mg/L iron and breast-feeding during the first year of life.

DESIGN
Partially randomized, double-blind trial: non-breast-fed infants randomly assigned to receive one of two coded formulas, identical except for iron content; infants discontinuing breast-feeding between 1 and 8 weeks of age randomly assigned to a formula late-start group.

SETTING
Five general community pediatric practices in Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.

PARTICIPANTS
Sample of 347 healthy, term infants, enrolled within 1 week after birth; 172 included in statistical analyses.

OUTCOME MEASURES
Length, weight, and indicators of formula intolerance recorded at clinic visits; formula consumption, bowel movements, stool consistency, and other tolerance indicators recorded by parents on daily and weekly report forms; hemoglobin, hematocrit, and serum ferritin, iron zinc, and copper measured at 6 and 12 months.

RESULTS
No significant differences between formula-fed groups in growth, attrition, formula consumption, bowel movements, hematocrit, hemoglobin level, and serum iron, zinc, and copper levels (P > .05); first 6-month weight and length changes of the breast-fed group significantly less than in both formula-fed groups (P < .008); serum ferritin level of the formula-fed, high-iron group significantly higher than that of the low-iron and breast-fed groups (P < .008), although all groups' values were normal; no apparent differences between formula groups in formula tolerance and stool characteristics but data were not analyzed statistically.

CONCLUSIONS
Milk-based formulas containing either 7.4 or 12.7 mg/L iron support normal growth and iron status of healthy, term, normally fed infants during the first year and both are well tolerated and accepted.


Impure preparations of rat intestinal peroxidase were shown to aggregate at low ionic strengths and to disaggregate at higher values. This aggregation was accompanied by a decrease in specific activity, which could lead to hysteretic behaviour of reaction progress curves. Advantage was taken of this reversible aggregation to obtain a relatively pure extract, which was subsequently purified to apparent homogeneity by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose followed by hydrophobic chromatography. The purified enzyme did not show the ionic-strength-dependent aggregation behaviour, behaving as a monomer of Mr 50,000. The purified enzyme was shown to catalyse the peroxidatic conversion of the commonly used antioxidant 2-t-butyl-4-methoxyphenol (butylated hydroxyanisole, BHA) to form 3,3'-di-t-butyl-2,2'-dihydroxy-5,5'-dimethoxybiphenyl, with a Km value of 176 microM and a maximum velocity of 8 mumol/min per mg. The specificity constant, kcat./Km, for this substrate was similar to that shown towards the substrate guaiacol.


A search of book publications revealed that few refer to Australian and New Zealand ICT initiatives in schools. Consequently, preservice teachers and practising teachers in Australian Universities and schools are largely restricted to the study of initiatives undertaken elsewhere. Apart from some presence in Journals and Conference Proceedings, there is a silence in terms of telling Australian ICT stories in book publications. This paper summarises the conceptualisation and distinctive features of the book Transforming Learning with ICT: Making IT Happen, published by Pearson Education Australia in 2007. This book enhances the presence of this region in the ICT literature, proposes a transformational story of learning with ICT, and provides case studies of teachers making it happen. Thus, this paper provides an account of the process of moving from the manuscript proposal through to publication, provides insights into preparing a manuscript information sheet which addressed markets, differentiates the proposed book from competing books, outlines the approach, coverage and organisation of the book, and the review process and feedback. Through outlining the stages in the production of a book for publication, this paper provides a guide for potential authors to convey further scholarly Australian stories of learning with ICT. It concludes with ideas on 'where to from here?' through discussion of the vision for an Australian book that might be published in several years time.


: Synchronous or metachronous carcinoma of the larynx and of the lung were seen in seven patients between 1971 and 1977 at the Hotel-Dieu de Quebec. The pulmonary lesion was either missed completely or misdiagnosed. Laryngeal tumours were curable but only two of the pulmonary tumours were treated successfully. The primary nature of the pulmonary lesion may be established by careful examination of the bronchial mucosa. Hemoptysis must always be regarded as a sign of pulmonary cancer unless proven otherwise; hoarseness must not be bluntly attributed to invasion of the laryngeal nerve by lung cancer because a small primary lesion of the vocal cords may exist. Possible pulmonary metastases from any respiratory tract cancer must be carefully diagnosed since curative resection of primary lung lesions is possible.


This investigation tested whether weapon carrying is a response to a perceived threat posed by prior victimization and traumatic experiences in a state population of incarcerated youth. Structured interviews of 723 youth (ageM = 15.5,SD = 1.23; 87% male) residing in all Missouri Division of Youth Services facilities were conducted. Multivariate analyses revealed that although prior victimization and trauma did increase the likelihood of weapon carrying, the probability of weapon carrying was higher with respect to gang fighting and polysubstance use. And although prior victimization and trauma did possess incremental validity in predicting weapon carrying, having been in a gang fight and lifetime polysubstance use were more potent predictors of weapon carrying. Results provide clear social policy implications in that strategies capable of reducing gang involvement and substance abuse may in turn interrupt the cycle of violence via the mechanism of weapon carrying reduction in high-risk youth.


The optimization of a sensor array for a concrete analytical task is usually concerned with choosing a set of sensors to provide the best classification. In this work, a method for the prediction of the quality of classification by evaluation of the uniqueness of the raw experimental data is proposed. The key feature of the method is the presentation of the response of array as a function of the responses of its sensors. The dispersion of those functions serves as quantitative measure of uniqueness of the experimental data for a given set of analytes. The efficiency of the approach has been successfully demonstrated using both simulated and experimental data obtained from the array of three mass-sensitive sensors. The best conformity of the classification efficiency in cluster analysis with results obtained in the framework of the proposed approach is observed in the case of Langmuir-type adsorption processes.


Meteorological uncertainties severely limit the usefulness of models of existing microwave propagation in the presence of precipitation. Major uncertainties, including raindrop shape, drop size distribution, and the penetrating distance of precipitation are discussed in this paper in terms of their impact on satellite communications systems. On the basis of more than 30 measurements of raindrop sizes under different meteorological conditions, a new set of distributions is proposed for slant-path transmission in lieu of the conventional Laws and Parsons distribution. Basic propagation parameters, i.e., specific attenuation and specific phase shift, are evaluated, and comparisons with existing models are made. The results provide a yardstick for establishing a dynamic model meaningful for advanced systems.


We consider the effects of impurities on polarons in three dimensions using a continuous time quantum Monte Carlo algorithm. An exact treatment of the phonon degrees of freedom leads to a very efficient algorithm, and we are able to compute the polaron dynamics on an infinite lattice by developing an auxiliary weighting scheme. The magnitude of the impurity potential, the electron-phonon coupling, and the phonon frequency are varied. We determine the magnitude of the impurity potential required for polaron trapping. For small electron-phonon coupling the number of phonons increases dramatically on trapping combined with a sharp decrease in kinetic energy. The polaron binding diagram is computed, showing that intermediate-coupling low-phonon-frequency polarons are localized by exceptionally small impurities.


Abstract : This thesis, a historical case study, focuses on the conflict between Prussia and Switzerland in the middle of the nineteenth century. Specifically, the thesis examines the sources of the struggle, political developments during its course, and the military measures taken by both sides, including the operational plans for what might well have been a major war. Through this conflict, one can observe that the Concert of Europe, established after the defeat of Napoleon, was no longer functioning as it did in 1815 and immediately after. Since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Neuchatel was simultaneously a Prussian Principality and a Swiss canton. In the face of Prussian efforts to resolve this ambiguity by force, the Swiss presented a common front, setting aside the lingering divisions of the Sonderbund War (the Swiss Civil War) from a few years before. In addition to the fact that they were able to re-unite in the presence of a common foe, the Swiss impressed the Great Powers with their determination to defend themselves. The Swiss action during the Neuchatel Affair was arguably a major factor behind the continued respect for Switzerland's neutrality by the Great Powers.


We study quenches of the interaction and electron-phonon coupling parameter in the Hubbard-Holstein model, using nonequilibrium dynamical mean field theory. The calculations are based on a generalized Lang-Firsov scheme for time-dependent interactions or externally driven phonons, and an approximate strong-coupling impurity solver. The interaction quench calculations reveal the phonon-assisted decay of excess doublons, while the quenches of the electron-phonon coupling lead to persistent oscillations of the phonons and to a phonon-enhanced doublon production.


Automotive technology rapidly advances with increasing connectivity and automation. These advancements aim to assist safe driving and improve user travel experience. Before the realization of a full automation, in-vehicle dialog systems may reduce the driver distraction from many services available through connectivity. Even when a full automation is realized, in-vehicle dialog systems still play a special role in assisting vehicle occupants to perform various tasks. On the other hand, in-vehicle use cases need to address very different user conditions, environments, and industry requirements than other uses. This makes the development of effective and efficient in-vehicle dialog systems challenging; it requires multidisciplinary expertise in automatic speech recognition, spoken language understanding, dialog management (DM), natural language generation, and application management, as well as field system and safety testing. In this article, we review research and development (R&D) activities for in-vehicle dialog systems from both academic and industrial perspectives, examine findings, discuss key challenges, and share our visions for voice-enabled interaction and intelligent assistance for smart vehicles over the next decade.


Li–O2 batteries trigger worldwide interest as promising candidates for future energy supplies. One of the major challenges regarding current Li–O2 batteries is exploring highly efficient cathodes with sophisticated structures and compositions. Herein, highly dispersed metal (Pd) or oxide (RuO2) nanoparticles on ultra-polar carbon are synthesized and employed as cathode materials for Li–O2 batteries. The hierarchically porous structure of the carbon facilitates the oxygen diffusion and electrolyte impregnation and provides enough space to accommodate the discharge products. More importantly, the porous carbon with the ultra-polar surface serves as an efficient support for distinct dispersion of Pd or RuO2 nanoparticles which not only greatly enhances the catalytic activity but also eases side reactions by passivating the carbon defects. By virtue of the hierarchical structure associated with the extremely high dispersion of active particles, the battery performance is effectively enhanced by greatly prolonging the cycle life and significantly lowering the overvoltages especially for the charging process. The encouraging results suggest that such ultra-polar hierarchical carbon-based composites can be appealing materials for rechargeable Li–O2 batteries.


In a large class of statistical inverse problems it is necessary to suppose that the transformation that is inverted is known. Although, in many applications, it is unrealistic to make this assumption, the problem is often insoluble without it. However, if additional data are available, then it is possible to estimate consistently the unknown error density. Data are seldom available directly on the transformation, but repeated, or replicated, measurements increasingly are becoming available. Such data consist of "intrinsic" values that are measured several times, with errors that are generally independent. Working in this setting we treat the nonparametric deconvolution problems of density estimation with observation errors, and regression with errors in variables. We show that, even if the number of repeated measurements is quite small, it is possible for modified kernel estimators to achieve the same level of performance they would if the error distribution were known. Indeed, density and regression estimators can be constructed from replicated data so that they have the same first-order properties as conventional estimators in the known-error case, without any replication, but with sample size equal to the sum of the numbers of replicates. Practical methods for constructing estimators with these properties are suggested, involving empirical rules for smoothing-parameter choice.


Human cognitive limitations make it very difficult to effectively process and rationalise information in complex situations. To overcome this limitation many analytical methods have been designed and applied to aid decision-makers in complex situations. In some cases, the information gained is comprehensive and complete. However, very often it is the case that information regarding the situation is incomplete and uncertain. In these cases it is necessary to reason with incomplete and uncertain information. The probabilistic graphical models known as Bayesian Networks and Influence Diagrams provide a powerful and increasingly popular framework to represent such situations. The research described here makes use of this framework to address a number of aspects relating to incomplete information.

The methods presented are intended to provide support in areas of measuring the completeness of information, assessing the trade-off of speed versus quality of decision-making and incorporating the impact of unrevealed information as time progresses.

Two measures are investigated to determine the completeness levels of influential observable information. One measure is based on mutual information. This measure is ultimately shown to fail, however, since it can result in a negative completeness value. The other measure focuses on the range reductions of either the probabilities (for the Bayesian Networks) or the utilities (for the Influence Diagrams) when observations are made.

Analytical models were developed to determine the trade off between waiting for more information or making an immediate decision. A number of experiments involving participants in imaginary decision-making scenarios were also conducted to gain an understanding of how people intuitively weight such choices.

The value of unrevealed information was utilised by applying likelihood evidence. Unrevealed information relates to something we are looking for but have not yet found. The longer time passes without it being found, the more confident we can become that it is not actually there.


Background/Aim: We evaluated clinical factors related to improved prognosis of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma patients (u-HCC), who were treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) sequential therapy, including lenvatinib (LEN). Materials/Methods: We enrolled 84 u-HCC cases treated with TKIs including LEN from March 2018 to January 2019 (median age 71 years, 63 males, Child-Pugh score (CPS) 5/6/7 = 62/21/1, tumor-node-metastasis stage of Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan 6th (TNM-LCSGJ) II/III/IVa/IVb = 12/30/5/37, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B/C = 33:51). Clinical findings at introduction of the initial TKI were retrospectively evaluated. Results: The median albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score at introduction of the initial TKI (sorafenib [SOR]/LEN = 80/4) was –2.56, and the past number of transarterial catheter chemoembolization was 3 (IQR: 2–5) (second-line: regorafenib [REG]/LEN/SOR = 31/49/4, third-line: LEN/REG = 31:1). The total period of administration with TKIs showed a good relationship with overall survival (OS) (r = 0.946, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.918–0.965, p < 0.001). The prognosis of the entire cohort was good (estimated median survival time: 46.4 months, 1-/2-/3-year OS rate [OSR] = 87.7/63.0/57.2%). A modified-ALBI grade (mALBI) of 2b (ALBI score >–2.27) was the only significant factor at the start of the initial TKI for poor prognosis (hazard ratio 2.319, 95% CI: 1.064–5.052, p = 0.034), while CPS (≥6) was not. Although there was no significant difference in TNM-LCSGJ (p = 0.213), the prognosis of patients with mALBI 1/2a (n = 66) showed better prognosis as compared to those with mALBI 2b (n = 18) (1-year/2-year/3-year OSR = 89.1/69.8/66% vs. 82.4/47.1/23.5%, p = 0.029). Conclusion: Good hepatic function (mALBI 1/2a) at introduction of the initial TKI is a requirement for improved prognosis of u-HCC undergoing TKI sequential therapy.


Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a collagenosis with a substrate of chronic inflammation, which is determined by autoimmunity. The pathogenesis of this disease involves microvasculopathy (small vessel pathology) followed by excessive cutaneous and visceral fibrosis. Although acoustic and vestibular impairment is not classified as being a secondary pathology of SSc, several studies have identified cases of SSc that associate hearing loss and especially vertigo and tinnitus. This paper presents data from the medical literature that have identified vestibular and auditory symptoms among patients with SSc, associating the clinical case presentation of a patient suffering from SSc, which is associated with hearing loss. The need for additional studies on larger groups of patients is underlined, in order to clarify the impact of vasculopathy and fibrosis on the acoustic and vestibular analyzer in patients with SSc.


Concept maps are commonly used as knowledge representation mechanisms to classify a given domain in the scope of a constructivist knowledge building process. In this paper we carry out social constructivist learning experiences using concept maps as a collaborative knowledge-sharing tool with applications in the coordination of virtual communities for learning. In our experiment, the community studies an environmental area-theoretically and in-situ, collects data from a variety of experiments and makes a representation of it. Then, they build a common concept map representing their understanding of this area using a set of tools developed ad-hoc and integrated by a metamodel wrapping approach. Finally, they complete it linking their node with the collected information as a way to organize and to navigate through the different pieces of knowledge that they have been accumulating during several fieldtrips.


A proposed Bilateral Arbitration Treaty would subject international commercial disputes between enterprises in signatory states' jurisdictions to arbitration unless the parties agreed to the contrary. This marks a substantial departure from conventional understandings of arbitration as based on the consent of the parties. More importantly, the policy would modify the jurisdiction of the courts, removing a large number of disputes to offshore tribunals subject to minimal judicial oversight. This paper explores the constitutional propriety of such a policy, with particular attention paid to the principles of the separation of powers, the rule of law, public provision of essential State functions, open justice, and democracy. These constitutional principles would be subverted if the policy were to operate within the existing regulatory framework for arbitration. The paper makes recommendations for possible modifications to the policy that would make it a better fit with the constitution.


Background:
 Molecular mechanisms underlying stroke-induced neurogenesis have not been fully investigated. Argonaute 2 (Ago2) is the central component of RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) that regulates miRNA activities. We investigated the biological functions of Ago2 in neural progenitor cells (NPCs) under normal and ischemic conditions.

 Methods and Results:
 Adult rats were subjected to permanent right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). Double immunofluorescent data revealed that stroke significantly (p<0.05) increased the number of Ago2
 +
 neuroblasts (doublecortin, DCX
 +
 , 31±4 vs 13±4 in non-MCAo control, n=6/group) in the subventricular zone (SVZ). To examine the role of stroke-upregulated Ago2, we selectively attenuated endogenous Ago2 in NPCs isolated from the ischemic SVZ with siRNA. Attenuation of endogenous Ago2 suppressed stroke-induced NPC proliferation (bromodeoxyuridine
 +
 , BrdU
 +
 cells, 45±3 vs 61±5% in scrambled siRNA group, n=6/group, p<0.05), reduced the size of neurospheres (169±44 vs 224±40 μm, n=7/group, p<0.05), and increased the percentage of TUNEL
 +
 cells (37±5 vs 15±5%, n=6/group, p<0.05). Ablation of Ago2 also significantly reduced the percentage of stroke-increased neuroblasts (Tuj1
 +
 cells, 4±1 vs 9±1%, n=6/group, p<0.05). Using high-throughput deep-sequencing of RNAs isolated by Ago2 crosslinking immunoprecipitation (Ago2 HITS-CLIP) analysis, we found that stroke substantially increased the copy numbers of miRNAs including miR-21 and miR-214, which were expressed at relatively low levels in non-ischemic NPCs. Attenuation of endogenous Ago2 by siRNA reduced Ago2-enriched miRNAs induced by stroke, whereas overexpression of Ago2 increased these miRNA expression.

 Conclusion:
 Our data suggest that Ago2 regulates miRNA biogenesis in NPCs after stroke, which provides new insight into molecular mechanisms of stroke-induced neurogenesis.


Introduction Over 18 000 children are admitted annually to UK paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), of whom nearly 75% receive respiratory support (invasive and/or non-invasive). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has traditionally been used to provide first-line non-invasive respiratory support (NRS) in PICUs; however, high-flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC), a novel mode of NRS, has recently gained popularity despite the lack of high-quality trial evidence to support its effectiveness. This feasibility study aims to inform the design and conduct of a future definitive randomised clinical trial (RCT) comparing the two modes of respiratory support. Methods and analysis We will conduct a three-centre randomised feasibility study over 12 months. Patients admitted to participating PICUs who satisfy eligibility criteria will be recruited to either group A (primary respiratory failure) or group B (postextubation). Consent will be obtained from parents/guardians prior to randomisation in 'planned' group B, and deferred in emergency situations (group A and 'rescue' group B). Participants will be randomised (1:1) to either CPAP or HFNC using sealed, opaque envelopes, from a computer-generated randomisation sequence with variable block sizes. The study protocol specifies algorithms for the initiation, maintenance and weaning of HFNC and CPAP. The primary outcomes are related to feasibility, including the number of eligible patients in each group, feasibility of randomising >50% of eligible patients and measures of adherence to the treatment protocols. Data will also be collected on patient outcomes (eg, mortality and length of PICU stay) to inform the selection of an appropriate outcome measure in a future RCT. We aim to recruit 120 patients to the study. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was granted by the National Research Ethics Service Committee North East—Tyne&Wear South (15/NE/0296). Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, national and international conferences. Trials registration number NCT02612415; pre-results.


Gnot1, a Not (for notochord) family homeobox gene, is expressed in the chick pregastrulation blastoderm. Gnot1 expression in the epiblast is upregulated as the posteriorly derived hypoblast moves forward anteriorly to form a layer beneath it, which is of particular interest considering the known inductive role of the hypoblast in axis formation in the chick. Both activin and retinoic acid are able to activate Gnot1 expression in cultured blastodermal cells and show a strong synergistic effect when applied in combination. Strong superinduction of Gnot1 transcripts in the presence of cycloheximide also indicates the presence of a potent and labile intracellular inhibitor capable of modulating Gnot1 expression. During gastrulation, Gnot1 transcripts become localized specifically to tissues associated with "organizer" function (Hensen's node, head process, notochord). The expression data and the response to mesoderm inducing factors and axial "caudalizing" signals suggest that Gnot1 may be involved in specification of the embryonic body axis and could play a part in regulating features of the trunk/tail organizer in the chick embryo.


INTRODUCTION
Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease resulting in destruction of tissues and structures surrounding the teeth thus, if left untreated causes loss of teeth and ultimately results in edentulism, posing a great negative impact on individuals' quality of life. Hence the global epidemiological data suggests periodontal disease to be one of a major burden on oral diseases. To reduce this burden it is necessary to know the true prevalence of the disease according to which proper initiatives can be formulated. India being home to nearly 1.2 billion people and one amongst the rapidly developing country, its population requires being systemically as well as orally healthy to lead a good quality of life. However due to large heterogenecity amongst its residing population in terms of geographical area, culture, education, socioeconomic status, a variety of oral diseases like periodontal diseases are prevalent here. Even though the early studies suggested that the population is highly susceptible to the disease, the true prevalence of periodontal disease has not been found yet due to paucity in literature available.

AIM
To systematically review the available literature taken from various parts of India and find the prevalence rate of periodontal disease amongst the general population of India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A literature search was performed using PUB MED, COCHRANE and EMBASE databases on August 6, 2015. Following full text assessment a thorough references search was made and potential studies were included. A Quality assessment of retrieved articles from 2(nd) round was done using a self designed questionnaire and only field survey studies were included in the systematic review.

RESULTS
The literature search yielded six studies which had performed field surveys to find the prevalence of periodontal disease in their respective areas. These studies have observed different sets of age groups and the same has been accomplished by using Community Periodontal Index (CPI) or Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). It was also found that no prevalence studies have been carried out in few North and North Eastern states and Union Territories of India.

CONCLUSION
Due to non-availability of same age groups in selected studies an overall prevalence rate could not be obtained. However, it was observed that few areas of states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Assam have reported a prevalence rate of periodontal disease of more than 85% in their general population. The data from the present systematic review calls for a combined initiative from the Government of India and Dental council of India to have a nationwide multicentric prevalence studies to obtain the true prevalence rate of periodontal disease in India and interventions should be provided for the same to maintain the oral health and quality of life of the affected population.


BACKGROUND
The Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont (CCRP) started its activity in 1967. It is population based and covers the Piedmont Region (population 4,500,000; NW Italy). This article reports on time trends in survival after a childhood cancer diagnosed during 1970-1994.

PROCEDURE
During 1970-1994, 2,329 incident cases were registered at CCRP on the basis of histological and/or clinical information, excluding 30 cases reported only by death certificate. Histological or hematological diagnosis was available for 2,067 cases. Vital status was assessed through the offices of the town of residence. At the end of follow-up, 1,202 cases were alive, 1,084 dead and 43 were not traceable. Survival was measured for the major diagnostic groups using both univariate and multivariate statistics.

RESULTS
The 5-yr survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) improved regularly from 24.7% in 1970-1974 to 81.1% in 1990-1994, for acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL) from 0% to 38.1%, for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) from 25.2% to 67.7%, for tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) (all types) from 33.4% to 75.9% and for Ewing tumor from 0% to 90%. Focusing on survival by period of diagnosis, the highest 5-year survival rate was observed for children diagnosed during 1985-1989 for medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma (NB), retinoblastoma, Wilms tumor, osteosarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma and for children diagnosed in 1990-1994 for the remaining sites. The trend over time was statistically significant for ALL, ANLL, NHL, CNS tumors, NB, and osteosarcoma as well as for all malignancies together.

CONCLUSIONS
Population-based survival studies are useful complements to clinical studies. Survival results in the present study are similar to those presented for other European countries and the United States. For most types of neoplasm (except CNS) survival probability appears to stabilize 5-10 years after diagnosis.


We know from the geological record that the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere is naturally regulated: Too much oxygen would have led to global destruction of forests by fire, but too little and any fire would have been unsustainable. But what is the mechanism of oxygen regulation? In their Perspective, Kump and Mackenzie discuss results presented in the same issue by Van Cappellen et al. (p. 493) suggesting that microbes in marine sediments play a crucial role in controlling oxygen levels.


Objectives: Evaluation of the fetus at risk for uteroplacental insufficiency and growth restriction applies spectral Doppler measurements of the fetal circulation. Our objective is to determine if fetuses with abdominal circumference (AC) below the 5th or weight (EFW) below the 10th percentile will have lower values for the cerebroplacental ratio or the cerebrorenal ratio. Methods: We evaluated 2900 unselected women with multiple associated fetal and maternal co morbidities in whom we measured both the CPR and the CRR using previously standardised methodology. Results: No discernible differences were found between fetuses with low AC <5 or 10 percentile and fetuses with EFW <10% and the CRR or CPR of the appropriately grown fetuses. We plotted the values of each on previously created reference curves (figure). Conclusions: The measurement of the CPR or the CRR among fetuses with AC <10th percentile was not better than EFW <10th percentile to identify fetuses that would ultimately have a lower value consistent with centralisation of fetal blood flow.


The meaningful use of mobile devices in higher education learning contexts is still underrepresented at German universities. Even if these "new" technologies open up totally new teaching and learning experiences the current use is strongly dominated by simple technology provision. With a special course—designed for engineering students—the authors want to change this and go more into the direction of meaningful interaction and collaboration with the help of mobile devices throughout the learning process. The course is developed to give the students the opportunity to use tablet PCs in context of their studies and simultaneously to improve their ability in the field of scientific working processes. Making use of the online tool Evernote supported this aim. This tool allows users to work out and share digital notebooks and with this to organize as well as document a working process. In this case it was used to support a scientific research process from the beginning to the end. As Evernote can be used with an mobile app it easily can be used on tablet PCs. Hence, it supports the course idea of using mobile devices in perfect way. The course itself is divided into four face-to-face meetings and three working phases. By taking part in the course the students go through their own research project with explicit steps—from having a new idea for research to the results' presentation. The meetings are mainly used in order to introduce tools or techniques for research processes. During the working phases the students do their research, create presentations, a poster, and a scientific report. Based on the internal course evaluation and the students' feedback we observed, that the combination of tablet PCs with the Evernote software is a good opportunity to show how mobile devices can be meaningfully integrated into higher engineering education.


The effects of competition rules on innovation can be very far reaching and may be seen as a hindrance to one of its foundational aims; increasing consumer welfare. The aim of this discussion is to provide the reader with sufficient background knowledge of unilateral refusal to supply pursuant to Article 102 TFEU. The piecemeal legal principles show the development of this murky area. Having set the scene, it will look at one of the more prominent cases in the area; the Commission decision against Microsoft. Law and economics overlap greatly, especially where competition policy is concerned and this discussion will highlight the ongoing legal and economic debates underlying the Microsoft decision. More recent developments in the area of unilateral refusal to supply will be highlighted followed by a comparative discussion on how this area is tackled in the United States with special emphasis on the Trinko decision.


This paper estimates gender differences in children's time allocation among four ordered options. It analyses the sample of boys and girls separately through a series of probit models using primary data. We compare the socio-economic determinants of boys' and girls' activities. The results suggest that boys are more likely to go to school as compared to girls with the increase in their age. The provision of schooling as an instrument to decrease child labour and home-care would affect boys more than girls. To make the adults literate (five years of education) only is not enough to eliminate the gender gap in schooling; a greater number of years of adult education is necessary. The female adult education may be devised to eliminate gender discrimination in child schooling. In the larger households, girls drop out of school and are absorbed in the labour market earlier than boys. The results further suggested that the use of resources is significantly different for boys' and girls' welfare. Thus, we conclude that girls can be a better target for increase in the welfare of all children in Pakistan.


A Phase I and pharmacological study of paclitaxel administered as an outpatient, 3-h i.v. infusion just before a 5-day regimen of daily cisplatinum (CP) and a continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was performed in patients with advanced solid tumors. A secondary objective was to determine the objective response rate to this regimen. Forty-two patients were enrolled and were evaluable for toxicities. Eighteen patients were previously untreated, whereas the rest had received prior treatment with radiation (J. H. Schiller et al., J. Clin. Oncol., 12: 241-248, 1994), chemotherapy (M. J. Kennedy et al., Clin. Cancer Res., 4: 349-356, 1998), or both modalities (J. H. Schiller et al., J. Clin. Oncol., 12: 241-248, 1994). The paclitaxel dose was escalated from 100-135-170-200-225 to 250 mg/m2, whereas i.v. 5-FU and CP doses were fixed at 1.0 g/m2/day continuous infusion and 20 mg/m2/day, respectively, daily for 5 days. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; 5 microg/kg/day) was administered s.c. from day 6, routinely after 250 mg/m2 dose of paclitaxel or after a lower dose of paclitaxel if ANC <500/microl or febrile neutropenia was observed. Patients were treated every 28 days. Plasma and urine samples were collected to determine the pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel. In previously untreated patients, the maximally tolerated dose of paclitaxel in the drug regimen was determined to be 170 mg/m2 without and 250 mg/m2 with G-CSF support. At the higher dose level, mucositis and thrombocytopenia were dose-limiting. In previously treated patients, these toxicities were observed at all dose levels of paclitaxel > or =135 mg/m2. With increasing doses of paclitaxel, a disproportionate increase in the peak concentrations, as well as the area under plasma concentration time-curve, was seen. This nonlinearity was due to saturable total body clearance and volume of distribution of paclitaxel (P < 0.001). The apparent plasma elimination half-life was unaffected by the dose of paclitaxel. CP and 5-FU had no apparent effect on the metabolism of paclitaxel. Among 32 patients evaluable for response, 22 demonstrated an objective response, including five complete remissions. Therefore, a regimen of 3-h infusion of 250 mg/m2 paclitaxel before CP and FU is tolerable with G-CSF (as above) support in previously untreated patients. The regimen also seems to be highly active against breast and esophageal cancers.


An outdoor earth science museum exhibit was designed for the Exploration Station in Grover Beach, California, and will use the harvesting methods of fog as a clean water resource to educate children. The design of the exhibit has two parts: a 1 m x 1 m static Standard Fog collector for long term fog collection which rises 2 m off the ground, and a mobile six-panel display consisting of six different materials and structures of meshes, all of which could potentially be used in a large scale fog collection setting. The six-panel portion will present the children with a hands-on method of applying "fog" to different meshes and quantify the efficiency of each by measuring the amount of water collected in a trough while using qualitative observations of the collection process. The meshes were chosen during the design process using observational differences in attachment on the surface of the mesh (including droplet size and surface area), the rundown rate, and the final collection. The material types (polymers and steel) were tested with varying sizes of square, diamond and Raschel mesh. Qualitative results for the condensation of the water droplets for square steel and polyvinylchloride mesh showed a small diameter droplet size and high surface tension. The polypropylene Raschel mesh had larger drop size but the water did not bead, implying a lower surface tension. The differences in collection will allow children to see how small changes in design (i.e. material selection and mesh design) can yield large changes in outcome.


Though 80% of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID -19) patients recover without much medical intervention, the morbidities and mortality in the in the second wave of COVID-19 have been reported to be more. Though COVID-19 mortality is mostly due to acute pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), it has also been reported that cardiac problems and cardiovascular (CV) risks are not less in this disease.[1] Even after recovery, patients are dying due to cardio-respiratory complications in the post-recovery period. To date, there is no evidence of any effective treatment for COVID-19. In India alone at the peak of second wave, daily new cases reported were more than 4 lakhs and daily deaths were about 4000. Practice of yoga is known to improve cardiac and pulmonary functions.[2] Among yoga techniques, pranayamas (controlled breathings) are more effective in promoting cardio-respiratory functions.[3] Among different types of pranayamas, the chandranadi pranayama (left-nostril breathing) and anulom-vilom pranayama (alternate-nostril breathing) have been demonstrated to have maximum beneficial effects on autonomic and cardiopulmonary functions, especially if they are practiced in a single session of pranayama schedule.[4,5] Recently, a slow and deep pranayama schedule integrating both these pranayamas has been reported to facilitate early recovery from COVID-19.[6] Read More ...


A series of large-scale cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on latite basalt aggregates (ballast) to investigate how the frequency f affects the permanent deformation and degradation of railway ballast. During testing the frequency was varied from 5 Hz to 60 Hz to simulate a range of train speeds from about 40 km/h to 400 km/h. Three categories of permanent deformation mechanisms were observed in response to the applied cyclic loads, namely, the inception of plastic shakedown (f ≤ 20 Hz), then plastic shakedown and ratcheting (30 Hz ≤ f ≤ 50 Hz), followed by plastic collapse at higher frequencies (f ≥ 60 Hz). The permanent strain of ballast and particle breakage increased with the frequency and number of load cycles. A cyclic strain ratio was introduced to capture the effect of frequency on the permanent axial and volumetric strains, respectively. An empirical equation was formulated to represent this relationship for latite basalt, and a critical train speed was identified. A good correlation was obtain...


Background: There is evidence to suggest that human papillomavirus (HPV) can cross the placenta resulting in in-utero transmission. The goal of this study was to determine if HPV can be detected in amniotic fluid from women with intact amniotic membranes. Methods: Residual amniotic fluid and cultured cell pellets from amniocentesis performed for prenatal diagnosis were used. PGMY09/11 L1 consensus primers and GP5+/GP6+ primers were used in a nested polymerase chain reaction assay for HPV. Results: There were 146 paired samples from 142 women representing 139 singleton pregnancies, 2 twin pregnancies, and 1 triplet pregnancy. The women were 78% Caucasian, 5% African American, 14% Asian, and 2% Hispanic. The average age was 35.2 years with a range of 23–55 years. All samples were β-globin positive. HPV was not detected in any of the paired samples. Conclusion: Given the age range, race, and ethnicity of the study population, one would anticipate some evidence of HPV if it could easily cross the placenta, but there was none.