As the clinical specialties of emergency medicine and prehospital medicine developed, patients who otherwise would have died in the field began to survive to reach the ED. It soon became apparent that existing emergent treatments for many critical conditions were unsatisfactory and/or were understudied. However, traditional methods of obtaining prospective informed consent for research participation are not feasible when a devastating pathology deprives patients of meaningful decision- making capacity. With that in mind, a set of regulations was developed by the Federal regulatory agencies in USA; this allows for exception from informed consent (EFIC) in emergency research in specific clinical circumstances1 and went into effect in 1996. The emergency medicine community was the key driver in the creation of these regulations.2 ,3

The criteria for EFIC studies are well defined and are briefly summarised in box 1. Among these requirements is prestudy community consultation, aimed at 'providing the opportunity for discussions with and soliciting opinions from the community(ies) in which the study will take place (geographic area) and from which the study subjects will be drawn (similar demographics of patients with the emergent condition under study). These communities may not be the same; when they are not the same, both communities should be consulted … '.1It is an opportunity to allow information exchange, ensures that the community's concerns are known when the institutional review boards (IRBs) and ethics committees engage in decision-making about potential EFIC studies and allows investigators to consider information related to the study that may not otherwise have been apparent to the scientific community. Box 1
### Major criteria for exception from informed consent (EFIC) requirements summarised1


The objective of this study is to describe the unexpected association between the congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) and Dandy Walker anomaly. We report the case of a 1-year-old infant who was hospitalized at her fourth month of life with Dandy Walker anomaly diagnosis and an increased social risk. During her hospitalization, she developed progressively: acromegaloid aspect, triangular fascia, hirsutism, lipoatrophy, muscle hypertrophy, clitoromegaly, abdominal distention, progressive hepatomegaly, and hypertriglyceridemia. This led to the clinical diagnosis of congenital generalized lipodystrophy. Importance should be given to the examination of clinical aspects as well as the interdisciplinary follow-up for proper detection of insulin resistance and diabetes, early puberty, cardiomyopathy, among others. In case of Dandy Walker anomaly, it should be checked the evolution to search intracranial hypertension signs. Due to its autosomal recessive nature, it is important to provide genetic counseling to the parents.


We propose a formal method to validate the reliability of a web application, by modeling interactions among its constituent objects. Modeling exploits the recent "Multiple Levels of Integrity" mechanism which allows objects with dynamically changing reliability to cooperate within the application. The novelty of the method is the ability to describe systems where objects can modify their own integrity level, and react to such changes in other objects. The model is formalized with a process algebra, properties are expressed using the ACTL temporal logic, and can be verified by means of a model checker. Any instance of the above model inherits both the established properties and the proof techniques. To substantiate our proposal we consider several case-studies of web applications, showing how to express specific useful properties, and their validation schemata. Examples range from on-line travel agencies, inverted Turing test to detect malicious web-bots, to content cross-validation in peer to peer systems.


Abstract We study career concerns in Italian academia. We mold our empirical analysis on the standard model of contests, formalized in the multiunit all-pay auction. The number of posts, the number of applicants, and the relative importance of the criteria for promotion determine academics' effort and output. In Italian universities, incentives operate only through promotion, and all appointment panels are drawn from strictly separated and relatively narrow scientific sectors. Thus, the parameters affecting payoffs can be measured quite precisely, and we take the model to a newly constructed data set that collects the journal publications of all Italian university professors. Our identification strategy is based on a reform introduced in 1999, parts of which affected different academics differently. We find that individual researchers respond to incentives in the manner described by the theoretical model: roughly, more capable researchers respond to increases in the importance of the publications for promotion and in the competitiveness of the scientific sector by exerting more effort; less able researchers are discouraged by competition and do the opposite.


We use a rich, census-like Brazilian dataset containing information on spatial mobility, schooling, and income in which we can link children to parents to assess the impact of early education on several labor market outcomes. Brazilian public primary schools admit children up to one year younger than the national minimum age to enter school if their birthday is before an arbitrary threshold, causing an exogenous variation in schooling at adulthood. Using a Regression Discontinuity Design, we estimate one additional year of schooling increases labor income in 25.8% - almost twice as large as estimated using mincerian models. Around this cutoff there is also a gap of 9.6% on the probability of holding a college degree in adulthood, with which we estimate the college premium and find a 201% increase in labor income. We test the robustness of our estimates using placebo variables, alternative model specifcations and McCrary Density Tests.


The current through nanostructures like quantum dots can be stabilized by a classical feedback loop that continuously adjusts system parameters as a function of the number of tunnelled particles n. At large times, the feedback loop freezes the fluctuations of n, which leads to highly accurate, continuous single particle transfers. For the simplest case of feedback acting simultaneously on all system parameters, we show how to reconstruct the original full counting statistics from the frozen distribution.


A critical factor in work group coordination, communication has been studied extensively. Yet, we are missing objective evidence of the relationship between successful coordination outcome and communication structures. Using data from IBM's Jazz™ project, we study communication structures of development teams with high coordination needs. We conceptualize coordination outcome by the result of their code integration build processes (successful or failed) and study team communication structures with social network measures. Our results indicate that developer communication plays an important role in the quality of software integrations. Although we found that no individual measure could indicate whether a build will fail or succeed, we leveraged the combination of communication structure measures into a predictive model that indicates whether an integration will fail. When used for five project teams, our predictive model yielded recall values between 55% and 75%, and precision values between 50% to 76%.


(a) The affected source to which the provisions of this subpart apply is each chromium electroplating or chromium anodizing tank at facilities performing hard chromium electroplating, decorative chromium electroplating, or chromium anodizing. (b) Owners or operators of affected sources subject to the provisions of this subpart must also comply with the requirements of subpart A of this part, according to the applicability of subpart A of this part to such sources, as identified in Table 1 of this subpart. (c) Process tanks associated with a chromium electroplating or chromium anodizing process, but in which neither chromium electroplating nor chromium anodizing is taking place, are not subject to the provisions of this subpart. Examples of such tanks include, but are not limited to, rinse tanks, etching tanks, and cleaning tanks. Likewise, tanks that contain a chromium solution, but in which no electrolytic process occurs, are not subject to this subpart. An example of such a tank is a chrome conversion coating tank where no electrical current is applied. (d) Affected sources in which research and laboratory operations are performed are exempt from the provisions of this subpart when such operations are taking place. (e) If you are an owner or operator of an area source subject to this subpart, you are exempt from the obligation to obtain a permit under 40 CFR part 70 or 71, provided you are not required to obtain a permit under 40 CFR 70.3(a) or 71.3(a) for a reason other than your status as an area source under this subpart. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, you must continue to comply with the provisions of this subpart applicable to area sources.


This paper proposes two frameworks to be used in engineering tree kernels. One is to ensure that the resulting tree kernels be positive semidefinite, while the other is for efficient algorithms to compute the kernels based on the dynamic programming. The first framework provides a method to construct tree kernels using primitive kernels for simpler structures (e.g. for labels, strings) as building blocks and a easy-to-check sufficient condition for the resultant tree kernels to be positive semidefinite. The second framework provides a set of templates of algorithms to calculate a wide range of tree kernels in O(|X|3) or O(|X|2)-time, where |X| denotes the number of vertices of trees.


Introduction Families of patients with dementia may need support in difficult end-of-life decision making. Such guidance may be culturally sensitive. Methods To support families in Canada, a booklet was developed to aid decision making on palliative care issues. For reasons of cost effectiveness and promising effects, we prepared for its implementation in Italy, the Netherlands and Japan. Local teams translated and adapted the booklet to local ethical, legal and medical standards where needed, retaining guidance on palliative care. Using qualitative content analyses, we grouped and compared adaptations to understand culturally sensitive aspects. Results Three themes emerged: (1) relationships among patient, physician and other professionals—the authority of the physician was more explicit in adapted versions; (2) patient rights and family position—adding detail about local regulations; and (3) typology of treatments and decisions. Considerations underlying palliative care decisions were detailed (Dutch and Italian versions), and the Japanese version frequently referred to professional and legal standards, and life-prolongation was a competing goal. Text on artificial feeding or fluids and euthanasia was revised extensively. Conclusions Providing artificial feeding and fluids and discussing euthanasia may be particularly sensitive topics, and guidance on these subjects needs careful consideration of ethical aspects and possible adaptations to local standards and practice. The findings may promote cross-national debate on sensitive, core issues regarding end-of-life care in dementia.


This paper shows how the combined endogenous reaction of banks and investment funds to an exogenous shock can amplify or dampen losses to the financial system compared to results from single-sector stress testing models. We build a new model of contagion propagation using a very large and granular data set for the euro area. Based on the economic shock caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, we model three sources of exogenous shocks: a default shock, a market shock and a redemption shock. Our contagion mechanism operates through a dual channel of liquidity and solvency risk. The joint modelling of banks and funds provides new insights for the assessment of financial stability risks. Our analysis reveals that adding the fund sector to our model for banks leads to additional losses through fire sales and a further depletion of banks' capital ratios by around one percentage point.


OBJECTIVES To present 4 patients with Joubert syndrome who had a favourable evolution as well as to show that many cases have better prognosis than it is usually though. CASE REPORT Anamnesis, image and psychological studies of 4 children with Joubert syndrome, who had been seen in the Pediatric Neurology Service of the University Hospital La Paz of Madrid. RESULTS Four of our 11 patients with Joubert syndrome (36.36%) presented a favourable evolution. Their age ranged between 25 months old and 12 years old. The comprehensive language corresponded to their ages in 3 patients. Two patients began to talk at 19 and 20 months respectively. Three children exhibited a normal language and 1 only communicated by gestures at the time of the last clinical study. All the four children walked without help. The mental level was calculated by the Raven scale in 2 cases and they showed a borderline intellectual quotient (IQ). Both patients were self sufficient in their daily cleanliness and feeding. A patient was able to read, to write and to make mathematical calculi. CONCLUSIONS The Joubert syndrome is a heterogeneous disease from the clinic and genetics points of view, as well as in the evolution. Because of that, an attentive neuropsychological evaluation is necessary before giving the prognosis of the children.


The use of per-subcarrier antenna subset selection in OFDM wireless systems offers higher system capacity and/or improved link reliability. However, the implementation of the conventional per-subcarrier selection scheme may result in significant fluctuations of the average power and peak power across antennas, which affects the potential benefits of the system. In this paper, power efficiency of high-power amplifiers and energy efficiency in per-subcarrier antenna selection MIMO-OFDM systems are investigated. To deliver the maximum overall power efficiency, we propose a two-step strategy for data-subcarrier allocation. This strategy consists of an equal allocation of data subcarriers based on linear optimization and peak-power reduction via cross-antenna permutations. For analysis, we derive the CCDF (complementary cumulative distribution function) of the power efficiency as well as the analytical expressions of the average power efficiency. It is proved from the power-efficiency perspective that the proposed allocation scheme outperforms the conventional scheme. We also show that the improvement in the power efficiency translates into an improved capacity and, in turn, increases energy efficiency of the proposed system. Simulation results are provided to validate our analyses.


Author(s): Liu, Xuerong | Abstract: The high temperature superconductivity in cuprates is realized by off-stoichiometric doping. In addition to contributing carriers to the CuO₂ planes, the dopants inherently introduce local disorder into the systems. Using the X-ray diffuse scattering technique, we studied the dopant-induced local structural distortions in two cuprate compounds: La₁.₉₂Sr₀.₀₈CuO₄ and YBa₂Cu₃O₆.₉₂. On La₁.₉₂Sr₀.₀₈CuO₄, strong anisotropic diffuse scattering pattern on top of the diffuse scattering due to thermal vibrations was observed. Our quantitative analysis shows that the observed anisotropic X-ray diffuse scattering intensities can be well described by the Huang Diffuse Scattering(HDS) theory with the single defect approximation, which indicates the Sr dopants are randomly distributed in the crystal. Based on the fitted parameters, the Sr-dopant induced elastic lattice distortion pattern was reconstructed. The big amplitude of the elastic lattice distortion near the Sr dopants suggests that Sr- dopant induced local structural modulation might be the origin of the electronic inhomogeneities observed with scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. The oxygen vacancies in YBa₂Cu₃O₆.₉₂ behave in a different way. Our X -ray diffuse scattering measurements reveal that majority of the oxygen vacancies tend to cluster together and are ordered to form a 4-unit-cell superstructure with $\ vec}q}_0$ = (1/4,0,0) along a* direction. The superlattice consists of large anisotropic displacements of Cu, Ba, and O atoms, respectively and appears to be consistent with the presence of an O-ordered "Ortho-IV'' phase. These Ortho-IV'' minority phase islands also induce long-range strains to the surrounding lattices, which manifest themselves as HDS observed in our experiments. Our quantitative analysis further revealed a b direction lattice modulation within the islands with the wavevector to be $\vec}q}_1=(0,0.21,0)$. The fact that $\ vec}q}_1$ is very close to the nesting vector connecting the nearly nested Fermi surface(FS) "ridges'' originated from the metallic Cu-O chains strongly indicates that the b direction modulation is induced by the FS effect


Thank you very much for reading psychopathology the science of understanding deviance. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search hundreds times for their chosen books like this psychopathology the science of understanding deviance, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they cope with some infectious virus inside their desktop computer.


The anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) sensors provide an excellent means of measuring the earth's magnetic field. Low cost, high sensitivity, small size, noise immunity, and reliability are advantages of AMR sensor over other electrical alternatives. But the sensitivity of constant voltage biased AMR sensor changes greatly with the temperature of surrounding and cross-axis field. In this paper, constant current bias is used in order to reduce the sensitivity temperature coefficient of AMR sensor. At the same time, cross-axis field compensation is taken based on iteration. The results of experiment show that the sensitivity of HMC100x without cross-axis field compensation varies greatly with the variation of cross-axis field, the sensitivity of HMC100x with cross-axis field compensation is stable. It can be seen that proposed sensitivity compensation method is effective. Developed magnetometer is used for vehicle detection. Experimental results show that developed magnetometer is capable of detecting vehicle and its output variation curve shape is different for the ferrous cart moves over sensor along different direction.


Summary The shear wave velocity field, calculated using the Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) method (Park et al., 1999; Xia et al., in press) was used to map the bedrock surface at depths of 2 to 7 m and identify potential fracture zones within bedrock at a site in Olathe, Kansas. Preliminary analysis of this site 's hydrologic characteristics, based primarily on borehole data, suggested that fractures and/or an unmapped buried stream channel was influencing fluid movement along the drill-defined bedrock surface. Since topographic variations on the surface of bedrock can influence the transport and eventual fate of contaminants released at or near the ground surface, determining the nature and location of anomalous bedrock was critical to establishing the environmental risk at this site. High velocity gradients within the shear wave velocity field were used as diagnostic of the bedrock surface, while localized lateral decreases in the shear wave velocity below the bedrock surface were considered characteristic of fracture zones or erosional channels. Calculating the shear wave velocity field from surface wave arrivals can generally be accomplished with a high degree of accuracy regardless of cultural noise. The insensitivity of MASW to cultural obstacles and noise was demonstrated at this site (e.g., a 185,000 m 2 asphalt parking lot, electrical and mechanical noise from nearby industrial facilities, traffic noise from the adjacent highway, exploratory drilling on the asphalt parking lot, and aircraft noise). The depth-to-bedrock map produced using shear wave velocity data only possesses significantly higher resolution with less than 0.3 m in difference observed between the interpreted bedrock depth from surface wave data and from drill confirmed bedrock. Advantages of mapping the bedrock surface with the shear wave velocity field calculated from surface waves include the insensitivity of MASW to velocity inversions, ease of generating and propagating surface wave energy in comparison to body wave energy, and its sensitivity to lateral changes in velocity.


Due to the extensive use of network services and emerging security threats, enterprise networks deploy varieties of security devices for controlling resource access based on organizational security requirements. These requirements need fine-grained access control rules based on heterogeneous isolation patterns like access denial, trusted communication, and payload inspection. Organizations are also seeking for usable and optimal security configurations that can harden the network security within enterprise budget constraints. In order to design a security architecture, i.e., the distribution of security devices along with their security policies, that satisfies the organizational security requirements as well as the business constraints, it is required to analyze various alternative security architectures considering placements of network security devices in the network and the corresponding access controls. In this paper, we present an automated formal framework for synthesizing network security configurations. The main design alternatives include different kinds of isolation patterns for network traffic flows. The framework takes security requirements and business constraints along with the network topology as inputs. Then, it synthesizes cost-effective security configurations satisfying the constraints and provides placements of different security devices, optimally distributed in the network, according to the given network topology. In addition, we provide a hypothesis testing-based security architecture refinement mechanism that explores various security design alternatives using ConfigSynth and improves the security architecture by systematically increasing the security requirements. We demonstrate the execution of ConfigSynth and the refinement mechanism using case studies. Finally, we evaluate their scalability using simulated experiments.


A common mechanism for ensuring that software behaves securely is to monitor programs at run time and check that they dynamically adhere to constraints specified by a security policy. Whenever a program monitor detects that untrusted software is attempting to execute a dangerous action, it takes remedial steps to ensure that only safe code actually gets executed.
 This article improves our understanding of the space of policies enforceable by monitoring the run-time behaviors of programs. We begin by building a formal framework for analyzing policy enforcement: we precisely define policies, monitors, and enforcement. This framework allows us to prove that monitors enforce an interesting set of policies that we call the infinite renewal properties. We show how to construct a program monitor that provably enforces any reasonable infinite renewal property. We also show that the set of infinite renewal properties includes some nonsafety policies, that is, that monitors can enforce some nonsafety (including some purely liveness) policies. Finally, we demonstrate concrete examples of nonsafety policies enforceable by practical run-time monitors.


With the rapid growth of the telecom sector heading towards 5G and 6G and the emergence of high-bandwidth and time-sensitive applications, mobile network operators (MNOs) are driven to plan their networks to meet these new requirements in a cost-effective manner. The cloud radio access network (CRAN) has been presented as a promising architecture that can decrease capital expenditures (Capex) and operating expenditures (Opex) and improve network performance. The fronthaul (FH) is a part of the network that links the remote radio head (RRH) to the baseband unit (BBU); these links need high-capacity and low latency connections necessitating costeffective implementation. On the other hand, the transport delay and FH deployment costs increase if the BBU is not placed in an appropriate location. In this paper, we propose an integer linear program (ILP) that simultaneously optimizes BBU and FH deployment resulting in minimal capital expenditures (Capex). Simulations are run to compare the performance of star and tree topologies with the varying line of sight probabilities (LoS) and delay thresholds. We consider fiber-optic (FO) and free-space optics (FSO) technologies as FH for the CRAN. Finally, we provide an analysis of Opex and the total costs of ownership (TCO), i.e., a technoeconomic analysis.


DNA and RNA binding proteins (DRBPs) are a broad class of molecules that regulate numerous cellular processes across all living organisms, creating intricate dynamic multilevel networks to control nucleotide metabolism and gene expression. These interactions are highly regulated, and dysregulation contributes to the development of a variety of diseases, including cancer. An increasing number of proteins with DNA and/or RNA binding activities have been identified in recent years, and it is important to understand how their activities are related to the molecular mechanisms of cancer. In addition, many of these proteins have overlapping functions, and it is therefore essential to analyze not only the loss of function of individual factors, but also to group abnormalities into specific types of activities in regard to particular cancer types. In this review, we summarize the classes of DNA-binding, RNA-binding, and DRBPs, drawing particular attention to the similarities and differences between these protein classes. We also perform a cross-search analysis of relevant protein databases, together with our own pipeline, to identify DRBPs involved in cancer. We discuss the most common DRBPs and how they are related to specific cancers, reviewing their biochemical, molecular biological, and cellular properties to highlight their functions and potential as targets for treatment.


The results of eight percutaneous transluminal angioplastic (PTA) interventions in seven patients on the brachiocephalic arteries are presented. The occlusions and stenoses were dilated up to the normal lumen. The subjective symptoms disappeared in all of the patients and, similarly, the pulse and blood pressure in the arm were normalized. No complications were registered.


This note presents a method for predicting nonlinear response of pile groups in clays, subjected to vertical loads. The method is based on mobilizable strength design (MSD) concepts, in which the mobilized strength is associated with the shear strains developed in the soil. The suggested procedure is incremental, and requires evaluation of a displacement field. A simple procedure of superposition of pattern functions is suggested for the construction of a complete displacement field. The incremental procedure allows for the variation of the displacement field throughout the loading process, according to principles of minimum energy and compatibility requirements among the piles. Essentially, the procedure allows consideration of a nonlinear continuum between the piles. The pattern functions are an adaptive form of the logarithmic function suggested by Randolph and Wroth in 1979. Under small load levels, when the soil is essentially elastic, the procedure yields values comparable to those from the elastic solution of Randolph and Wroth. At larger strain levels, nonlinear pile group response is simulated based on the soil constitutive models specified by the practitioner. The method is applicable to cases where shaft loading does not induce volume changes in the soil. The method is compared with three dimensional finite difference simulation of undrained loading of pile groups with a nonlinear soil constitutive model. Fair agreement is observed.


Attitudes toward punishment and forgiveness in English society of the nineteenth century came, for the most part, out of Christianity. In actual experience the ideal was not often met, but in the literature of the time the model was important. For novelists attempting to tell exciting and dramatic stories, violent and criminal activities played an important role, and, according to convention, had to be corrected through poetic justice or human punishment. Both Dickens and Thackeray s novels subscribed to the ideal, but dealt with the dilemma it presented in slightly different ways. At a time when a great deal of attention has been directed toward economic production and consumption as the bases for value, Reed s well-documented study reviving moral belief as a legitimate concern for the analysis of nineteenth-century English texts is particularly illuminating."


. In Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs), because of high mobility of vehicles and frequent change of road segments, an end-to-end communication path between moving vehicles may not exist unfortunately. As a promising solution to this challenge, for non-realtime constrained VANET applications, store-carry-forward paradigm is considered to deliver a message to a remote destination vehicle effectively through a socialspot in city road environments. So, the behavior of VANET can be modeled as Delay Tolerant Networks, and known as Vehicular Delay Tolerant Networks (VDTNs). Therefore, in this paper, we propose a secure message delivery protocol for protecting receiver-location privacy in socialspot-based VDTNs since location privacy is one of critical security requirements in VANETs. To design a simplified protocol, we eliminate the use of pseudonym-based vehicle identification accompanied with a complex pseudonymous key management. Instead, we introduce an identity-hidden message indexing which enables a receiver vehicle to query a message whose destination is itself to the socialspot RSU without revealing its identity.


Alternative lower bounds for the binding energy of a quantum-mechanical system of interacting particles are presented. These bounds are expressed in terms of two-particle quantities and improve the conventional bounds of the Hall-Post type. They are constructed by considering not only the energy in the two-particle system, but also the structure of the pair wave function. We apply the formal results to various numerical examples, and show that in some cases dramatic improvement over the existing bounds is reached.


The old telecom industry is featured as highly regulated and vertical integrated sector. The value-adding activities were confined in a close value chain. 'Walled garden' model is the business model of traditional telecom service. Liberalization campaign introduced competition which facilitated the vertical specification. The Internet brought a radical change beyond what is thought as an ordinary technological evolution. Internet enables the disruption of the old business model and brings the 'public garden' model.
 The industry got consensus that next generation network is based on the IP technology. One of the most important characteristics of NGN is the service plane separates from the network transport plane. This fundamental change of the technology paradigm profoundly impacts on the network architecture, the service provisioning environment, the market structure, and the business model of ICT services.
 Convergence is recently the most spectacular phenomenon in the ICT service market. Still, some problems related to the convergence emerged. The deep-seated reason for those unsustainable broadband services is the absence of a reasonable business model or a pricing schema. Convergence challenged the existing regulation. Regulators have to identify the potential control points in NGN and regulate them appropriately. The backbone network infrastructures may be regulated as public utility. Competition is encouraged in the access and service/content provisioning market.
 The upward value shift happened. Consequently, all the stakeholders need to develop their capabilities so as to seize the new opportunities. Indeed, NGN technology breaks up the close value chain and gives the possibilities of joining the value-adding activities to all market players including the potentials. An open and dynamic business ecosystem for ICT services come into being. Multiple co-existing business models rather than the one-size-fits-all model will be the status in future NGN market.
 Telecom operators can still play an important role in the business models for the new converged services at present. But they have the risk to degrade into bit pipe plumber in NGN market if they do not build up their core competency for instance service innovation and management capabilities.
 The 'gated garden' business model could be promising for telecom operators. As possible transformation directions, telecom operator may evolve into a service provider, or an incubator manager.


Heterozygous germline mutations of BMPR2 contribute to familial clustering of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). To further explore the genetic basis of PAH in isolated cases, we undertook a candidate gene analysis to identify potentially deleterious variation. Members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway, namely SMAD1, SMAD4, SMAD5, and SMAD9, were screened by direct sequencing for gene defects. Four variants were identified in SMADs 1, 4, and 9 among a cohort of 324 PAH cases, each not detected in a substantial control population. Of three amino acid substitutions identified, two demonstrated reduced signaling activity in vitro. A putative splice site mutation in SMAD4 resulted in moderate transcript loss due to compromised splicing efficiency. These results demonstrate the role of BMPR2 mutation in the pathogenesis of PAH and indicate that variation within the SMAD family represents an infrequent cause of the disease. 32:1385–1389, 2011. ©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


ZnTe films have been prepared on Si substrates by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD), and the temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) properties were investigated. The near-band-edge (NBE) emission of the ZnTe sample at 83K shows an asymmetry line shape, which can be decomposed into two Gaus-siam lines labelled by FE and BE. Temperature-dependent PL intensity of the NBE peak shows two variation regions, and an expression with two dissociation channels fits well to the experimental data. The results of the temperature-dependent full width at half maximum (FWHM) and peak energy were well understood under the framework of the two-dissociation-channel model. That is, at low temperature, the emission from bound excitons governs the NBE peak, while above 157K, the free exciton emission becomes dominant gradually. A simple model with three energy levels was employed to describe the variation in emission intensity of BE and FE with temperature.


of normal height. In their third table the authors claim that a change of 1 ml in a population mean of weekly alcohol consumption would result in a 0-24% decline in the prevalence of deviant drinking (which they defined as more than 300 ml/week). It follows from this that to achieve a reduction of 1% in the prevalence of "deviant" drinking it would suffice to reduce the population mean by 4 ml of alcohol a week (or by 0 6 ml a day). Do Professor Rose and Mr Day really believe that this would save the government £lOm-that is, 1% of the estimated £2bn a year said to be the social cost of alcohol drinking?


Conducting polymeric materials prepared from immiscible blends, such as polypropylene (PP)/polystyrene (PS), together with carbon black (CB), are known to have a relatively high electrical conductivity, because of a selective distribution of CB (double percolation). Melt spinning of immiscible blends containing CB has, however, not been extensively reported on previously. An immiscible 1:1 blend of PP and PS to which 4 wt% CB was added exhibited a very low melt draw-down ratio at rupture compared wit PP with the same content of CB. By adding 5 wt% SEBS (styrene-ethylene-butene-styrene block copolymer), the ultimate melt draw-down ratio increased about 10 times, which made the material more suitable for melt spinning. As-extruded samples of the immiscible blends (with CB) did not have higher electrical conductivities than PP/CB. A heat treatment increased the conductivity of immiscible PP/PS/CB composites, and longer treatment times and higher temperatures promoted the conductivity. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers


This study examined the records of forest fire outbreaks and characteristics over the 518 years of the Joseon Dynasty period (1392–1910) through the analysis of major historical records of Korea. The historical books used in this study were 14 major national historical books, and include the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (朝鮮王朝實錄), the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat (承政院日記), and the literature was examined, centering on official records of the royal palace in the Joseon Dynasty period. The contents of forest fires recorded in the historical record literature include the overviews of outbreak, forest fire types, and forest fire damage. According to the results of analysis of historical records, the largest forest fire damage was in the forest fire that occurred on the east coast in 1672, in which 65 persons died and in the forest fire that occurred in the same area in 1804, in which 61 persons died and 2600 private houses were destroyed by fire. The causes of fire outbreak were shown to be unknown causes in 42 cases, accidental fires in 10 cases, arson in 3 cases, thunder strike in 3 cases, hunting activities in 2 cases, child playing with fire in 1 case, cultivating activities in 1 case, and house fire in 1 case. Forest fire outbreaks were analyzed by region and by season and according to the results, 56% (39 cases) of the forest fires broke out on the east coast and 73% (46 cases) broke out in the spring. Forest fire policies include those for general forests, those for reserved forests, those for prohibited forests, those for capital city forests, those for royal family's graves, royal ancestral shrine, and placenta chamber, those for hunting grounds such as martial art teaching fields, and relief policies for people in areas damaged by forest fires, forest fire policies for national defense facilities such as beacon fire stations, and burning and burning control policies for pest control. In conclusion, due to the seriousness of forest fires in the Joseon Dynasty period, the royal authority and local administrative agencies made various forest fire prevention policies, policies for stabilization of the people's livelihood damaged due to forest fires, and methods to manage major facilities in forests.


In vitro assays identified the Golgi peripheral protein GRASP65 as a Golgi stacking factor that links adjacent Golgi cisternae by forming mitotically regulated trans‐oligomers. These conclusions, however, require further confirmation in the cell. In this study, we showed that the first 112 amino acids at the N‐terminus (including the first PDZ domain, PDZ1) of the protein are sufficient for oligomerization. Systematic electron microscopic analysis showed that the expression of non‐regulatable GRASP65 mutants in HeLa cells enhanced Golgi stacking in interphase and inhibited Golgi fragmentation during mitosis. Depletion of GRASP65 by small interference RNA (siRNA) reduced the number of cisternae in the Golgi stacks; this reduction was rescued by expressing exogenous GRASP65. These results provided evidence and a molecular mechanism by which GRASP65 stacks Golgi cisternal membranes. Further experiments revealed that inhibition of mitotic Golgi disassembly by expressing non‐regulatable GRASP65 mutants did not affect equal partitioning of the Golgi membranes into the daughter cells. However, it delayed mitotic entry and suppressed cell growth; this effect was diminished by dispersing the Golgi apparatus with Brefeldin A treatment prior to mitosis, suggesting that Golgi disassembly at the onset of mitosis plays a role in cell cycle progression.


As the scan speed of the atomic force microscope (AFM) operating in intermittent contact mode is increased, the likelihood of artifacts appearing in the image is increased due to the probe tip losing contact with the sample. This paper presents an analysis of the effects of probe loss and a new method, switched gain resonant control, of reducing the problem of probe loss when imaging at high speed. The switched gain resonant controller is implemented to switch the cantilever quality Q factor according to the sample profile during the scan. If the controller detects that the probe has lost contact with the sample the cantilever Q factor is increased leading to a faster response of the feedback controller, expediting the resumption of contact. A significant reduction in image artifacts due to probe loss is observed when this control technique is employed at high scan speeds.


A seismic simulation is performed on a synthetic soil-rock model with frequencydependent attenuation spectra of soils. A detailed attenuation (i.e., quality factor, Q ) characterization of remolded kaolin is obtained by utilizing a newly developed non-resonance experimental method. The attenuation spectra exhibit an apparent and consistent hump-shape frequency-dependent pattern in the seismic frequency range and demonstrate general and quantitative similarity to previously studied natural soils of different geologic origins. This frequencydependent attenuation behavior cannot be described with the simplified linear relationships with respect to frequency for modeling applications. A frequencydependent attenuation spectrum of soils is established in a polynomial formula in the frequency range of 2 10 to 30 Hz. To quantify the frequency-dependent effect on the amplification, a transfer function which is established for vertically propagating SH waves passing through a single soil layer underlain by bedrock is used. The results from the simulation indicate that the accurate characterization of frequency-dependent attenuation is instrumental in amplification spectra estimate; whereas constant Q assumption may overestimate the amplification spectra at a maximum of 7 times at 30 Hz for SH waves traveling through a soil layer of 100 m thick.


: The speech-based envelope power spectrum model (sEPSM) was developed to predict the speech intelligibility of sounds produced by nonlinear speech enhancement algorithms such as spectral subtraction. It is a linear model with a linear, level-independent gammatone (GT) filterbank as the front-end. Therefore, it seems difficult to evaluate speech sounds with low and high sound pressure levels (SPLs) consistently because the intelligibility of the speech is dependent on the SPL as well as the signal-to-noise ratio. In this study, the sEPSM was extended with the dynamic compressive gammachirp (dcGC) auditory filterbank and a ''common'' normalization factor of the modulation power spectrum component to improve the predictability of the model. For evaluating the proposed model, we performed subjective experiments on the intelligibility of speech sounds enhanced by spectral subtraction and a Wiener filter algorithm. We compared the subjective speech intelligibility scores with the objective scores predicted by the proposed dcGC-sEPSM, original GT-sEPSM, and other well-known conventional methods such as the short-time objective intelligibility measure (STOI), coherence speech intelligibility index (CSII), and hearing aid speech perception index (HASPI). The result shows that the proposed dcGC-sEPSM predicted the subjective results better did than the other methods.


Background:Anti-inflammation and anti-apoptotic effects of physical activity have been proven and its effectiveness depends on intensity, duration and type.
Since obesity is considered as a mild chronic inflammation, it is reasonable that the degenerative damages occurin tissues, especially in the liver as the center of metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two types aerobic training (endurance and high intensity interval training) on markers of hepatocyte apoptosis in rats fed with high fat diet.
Materials and Methods: In an experimental trial, 28 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: control-normal diet, control-high fat diet, endurance training-high fat diet and high intensity training-high fat diet. In the first stage, rats were fed with high fat diet for 13 weeks.Then, they trained for 12 weeks, 5 sessions per week. At the end of the experimental period, the rats were anesthetized and the liver tissue was removed to evaluate the expression of regulatory genes in the pathway of apoptosis.
Results: High intensity training induced significant increase in the expression BAX gene(P=0.001) whereas, there was no significant effects on BCL-2 gene (p=0.06). High intensity training compared with endurance training caused an increase in BAX/ Bcl-2 ratio. Pattern of Caspase-9 changes was similar to the BAX/ BCL-2 ratio.
Conclusion: The results showed that the effect of physical activity on the pathway of hepatocytes apoptosis depends on the type and intensity of training. Therefore, it is recommended to use moderate endurance training to protect the liver from damage caused by high fat diet.
Keywords: Apoptosis, BAX, Bcl-2, Caspase- 9


The analysis in this paper focuses on the impact of health on the savings and consumption decisions of the elderly. In principle, there are at least five alternative channels through which health may affect consumption and savings. Ill health may affect both consumption capacities and needs while the risk of deteriorating health might increase subjective mortality expectations inducing higher consumption. Conversely ill health may induce lower consumption and an increase in precautionary savings given that agents may anticipate increased consumption needs following a negative health shock. Our main objective in this paper is to describe how consumption decisions of the elderly adjust to health changes and to disentangle of the different channels through which consumption responds to health changes. To identify the effect of health on consumption and saving decisions we use data from the British Household Panel Survey and the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing (ELSA) and we estimate a series of regression models which relate health changes to observed consumption changes. Our findings suggest that there are significant adjustments in the composition of consumption following an illness onset. These adjustments reflect mainly the combined effect of increased costs associated with illness onset as well as the effect of constraints on opportunity to spend associated with illness onset.


Abstract Primary afferent neurons transduce distension of the bladder wall into action potentials that are relayed into the spinal cord and brain, where autonomic reflexes necessary for maintaining continence are coordinated with pathways involved in sensation. However, the relationship between spinal circuits involved with physiological and nociceptive signalling from the bladder has only been partially characterised. We used ex vivo bladder afferent recordings to characterise mechanosensitive afferent responses to graded distension (0-60 mm Hg) and retrograde tracing from the bladder wall to identify central axon projections within the dorsal horn of the lumbosacral (LS) spinal cord. Labelling of dorsal horn neurons with phosphorylated-MAP-kinase (pERK), combined with labelling for neurochemical markers (calbindin, calretinin, gamma aminobutyric acid, and parvalbumin) after in vivo bladder distension (20-60 mm Hg), was used to identify spinal cord circuits processing bladder afferent input. Ex vivo bladder distension evoked an increase in primary afferent output, and the recruitment of both low- and high-threshold mechanosensitive afferents. Retrograde tracing revealed bladder afferent projections that localised with pERK-immunoreactive dorsal horn neurons within the superficial laminae (superficial dorsal horn), dorsal gray commissure, and lateral collateral tracts of the LS spinal cord. Populations of pERK-immunoreactive neurons colabelled with calbindin, calretinin, or gamma aminobutyric acid, but not parvalbumin. Noxious bladder distension increased the percentage of pERK-immunoreactive neurons colabelled with calretinin. We identified LS spinal circuits supporting autonomic and nociceptive reflexes responsible for maintaining continence and bladder sensations. Our findings show for the first time that low- and high-threshold bladder afferents relay into similar dorsal horn circuits, with nociceptive signalling recruiting a larger number of neurons.


Monitoring and diagnostics of large software systems is crucial to ensure uninterrupted functioning of modern businesses. Reliability engineers have to rely on automatic event processing to identify and mitigate any potential disruptions of the system health from underlying computer networks. As obtaining impact labels for individual events is expensive, systems operators usually maintain only a small rep-resentative dataset, making it hard for machine learning practitioners to train models on large-scale data streams. By formulating the problem within the multiple instance learning framework, we propose an approach to event classification that can be effectively trained using this limited information. Our evaluation results show potential 65% reduction in minutes spent by the network reliability engineers on disruption investigations when the proposed model is used. By automatically quantifying the network impact, the proposed approach streamlines the investigation process and reduces the risk of unnecessary wake-up calls among on-call reliability engineers and resolver personnel.


Bryophytes are poikilohydric organisms that play a key role in ecosystems, while some of them are also resistant to drought and environmental disturbances but present a slow growth rate. Moss culture in the laboratory can be a very useful tool for ecological restoration or the development of urban green spaces (roof and wall) in the Mediterranean region. Therefore, we aim to: (i) determine the optimal culture conditions for the growth of four moss species present in the Mediterranean climate, such as Bryum argenteum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Tortella nitida, and Tortella squarrosa; (ii) study the optimal growth conditions of the invasive moss Campylopus introflexus to find out if it can be a threat to native species. Photoperiod does not seem to cause any recognisable pattern in moss growth. However, temperature produces more linear but slower growth at 15 °C than at 20 and 25 °C. In addition, the lower temperature produced faster maximum cover values within 5–8 weeks, with at least 60% of the culture area covered. The study concludes that the culture of moss artificially in the organic gardening substrate without fertilisers is feasible and could be of great help for further use in environmental projects to restore degraded ecosystems or to facilitate urban green spaces in the Mediterranean area. Moreover, this study concludes that C. introflexus could successfully occupy the niche of other native moss species, especially in degraded areas, in a future global change scenario.


The average number of fungiform papillae in receptive fields of single chorda tympani nerve fibers decreases during development in sheep, and a greater proportion of small receptive fields that are highly responsive to NaCI, compared with NH,CI, is acquired. To learn whether there also are developmental differences in the number of taste buds within the papillae in mapped receptive fields, we studied the morphology of receptive fields and fungiform papillae, and also counted fibers in the chorda tympani nerve, in fetal, perinatal, and postnatal sheep. Whether defined as the number of fungiform papillae or as the number of taste buds within papillae, receptive fields of chorda fibers decrease developmentally. Initially, however, there is an increase, and subsequently a decrease, in the number of taste buds per field. The differences in field size cannot be attributed to developmental alterations in numbers of fungiform papillae because the total number of papillae on the tongue remains constant. The average number of taste buds per papilla, however, also increases and then decreases, and the increase in perinatal animals is accompanied by the appearance of large, multipored taste buds. Because there is a significant relation between fungiform papilla size and number of taste buds in the papilla, papilla size could be one regulating factor for taste bud number. Furthermore, the number of chorda tympani nerve fibers apparently increases up to perinatal stages and then decreases postnatally, providing another potential regulating factor for the number of taste buds. We propose that in perinatal animals there is a period of hyperinnervation of existing receptive fields by new chorda fibers or branches that induce de nova taste bud development and/or division of existing buds. Later in development, we suggest, there is an elimination of some innervation. The end result is a decrease in the average number of papillae and taste buds in receptive fields. Taste receptive fields are not static during development, but rather undergo substantial changes in morphology and neural organization.


Removal of the electrical shielding from a type of Fourier transform seismometer overlays seismic information with Extremely Low Frequency-range (ELF) electromagnetic signals between about 0.3 Hz and 36 Hz (the ITU-designated range of ELF is 3 to 30 Hz). The observed signals originate in the electric power grid, shown clearly by the fact that they are sum and difference heterodyne products with the power grid's higher harmonics of 60 Hz, typically the 36th and 37th, because the seismometer's chosen frequency modulation (FM) carrier frequency is roughly 2200 Hz. It is especially interesting that on 2017-03-19, prior to 14:25:12 UTC, the instrument recorded an 11 minute sequence of 20.3 Hz ELF outbursts that culminated intimately with a 3.2 magnitude earthquake located a few miles west of Bardwell KY. These ~20.3 Hz ELF signals, very near the third Schumann resonance frequency, have been recorded numerous times. They are distinctive and fairly strong, ranging 15 to 30 db or more above the noise floor, but definitely not an every-day event; months can pass without them. So far most of these ELF signals do not have an intimately associated earthquake, with the event of 2017-03-19 being one of only two exceptions recorded thus far. That quake's location was more than one hundred miles from the instrument, in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). The second case, a quake in Kansas, was about three times farther from the instrument, and its ELF signals were correspondingly weaker. Those other, unassociated electromagnetic events might come from quakes too weak to detect, but it should be noted that stronger, easily detected quakes also rarely exhibit any ELF/seismic "connectivity". This paper describes an instrument that overlays ELF, electric field and seismic signals. The instrument's two-dimensional (2D) output has a time axis (horizontal) resolution of ~3 seconds and an ELF frequency (vertical) resolution of ~0.3 Hz.


Recent studies have reported that E2F transcription factor (E2F) 8, an atypical E2F transcription factor, serves a critical role in promoting the growth and development of the murine placenta. However, the function of E2F8 in the human placenta remains unknown. Invasion of extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) into the maternal decidua is known to be important for the development of the human placenta. To investigate the role of E2F8 in human placental development, E2F8 localisation was examined in the human placenta and E2F8 mRNA expression was detected in primary cultured EVTs. The human EVT cell line, HTR-8/SVneo, was divided into two groups and treated separately, one with retrovirus expressing short hairpin (sh)-RNA against E2F8 (shE2F8 cells) and the other with non-target control shRNA (shControl cells). The cell functions, including cell cycle, proliferation, invasion and adhesion, were compared between the shE2F8 and shControl cells. A histological examination revealed that E2F8 was localised in the decidua cells, EVTs, and cytotrophoblasts in the placenta. E2F8 mRNA was confirmed to be expressed in cultured primary EVTs. No significant difference was observed in the cell cycle, proliferation or adhesion between the shE2F8 and shControl cells. The invasive ability was ~2-fold higher in the shE2F8 cells when compared with the shControl cells (P<0.01). Production of matrix metalloproteinase-1 was significantly increased in the shE2F8 cells when compared with the shControl cells (P<0.05). Taken together, E2F8 is present in the EVTs of the human placenta, but, unlike murine placenta, it may suppress the invasiveness of EVTs. E2F8 was also present in cytotrophoblasts in cell columns, which have no invasive ability and differentiate into EVTs. In conclusion, E2F8 also exists in the human placenta, and its function may be different from that in the murine placenta, although further investigation is required.


Purpose. This study aims to analyze sensory fusion recovery using method of  LCD glasses with  alternating occlusion of  visual  fields  and compare its efficacy with orthoptic treatment using synoptophore. Material  and methods. Eighty-six  patients  with  prior  esotropia, post-operative absence of bifoveal fusion and residual angle of deviation <10° were studied. All patients were hyperopic. All of them underwent synoptophore treatment for 12 months (3–4 courses). Forty-three patients unsuccessful in bifoveal fusion recovery underwent treatment with LCD glasses for 6 hours/day. Results. Bifoveal fusion and binocular vision were significantly more often recovered (P<0,000) by LCD glasses treatment as compared to the synoptofore treatment. The stable bifoveal fusion was formed in 29 (67%) and 16 (18%) children, the unstable one –  in 11 (26%) and 17 (20%); the treatment was ineffective  in 3  (7%) and 53  (62%) patients,  respectively. Binocular vision was obtained in 20 (46%) and 21 (24%) patients, and taking into account the subsequent diplopic treatment in cases with stable sensory fusion in 10 (23%) and 2 (2%), respectively. Parents were more satisfied with the treatment by LCD glasses because of the lack of frequent visits to the hospital. Conclusion. Alternating occlusion of visual fields with LCD glasses is a more effective mean of bifoveal fusion and binocular vision recovery than orthoptic treatment with a synoptophore in patients after successful strabismus surgery.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate, in a community sample of people with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), chronic pain prevalence, associated factors, sites, characteristics, interference with daily functioning, treatments received, and treatment helpfulness.

DESIGN
Postal survey.

SETTING
Community.

PARTICIPANTS
Three hundred eighty-four individuals aged over 17 years with SCIs.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Chronic Pain Grade questionnaire, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, pain sites, and treatments.

RESULTS
Current pain was reported by 79% of respondents and was significantly more common in less highly educated persons, and individuals not employed or in school. Most common locations of current pain were the back (61%), hips and buttocks (61%), and legs and feet (58%). Upper extremity pain was experienced by 76% after the injury and by 69% currently. Individuals with tetraplegia were significantly more likely to have neck and shoulder pain than were those with paraplegia. On average, respondents reported a high level of pain intensity and a moderate level of pain interference with activities, and rated treatments received for pain as being only somewhat helpful.

CONCLUSION
Most individuals with SCI experience chronic pain that is refractory to medical treatment. Further research is needed to delineate the causes of, and optimal treatments for, the various pain problems in this population.


ABSTRACT

Febriani. 2018. Improving Students' Skill in Writing Procedure Text using Video Tutorial at The Second Grade Students of SMA Negeri 12 Surabaya. The Advisor: (I) Dra. Bekti Wirawati, M.Pd and (II) Drs. Johny Sugiono, M.Pd.

Key words: Writing Skill, Procedure Text, Video Tutorial

This study was conducted in order to know whether video tutorial can improve students' skills in writing procedure texts for the second grade of SMAN 12 Surabaya. The subject of the study was consisted of 40 students of XI IPA 1. In conducting this study, the researcher used Classroom Action Research (CAR) as the method of the study. The researcher used the Kurt Lewin's model design. Then, the resarcher and English teacher of SMA N 12 Surabaya were collaborated in conducting this study. The researcher was as the teacher and the English teacher was as the observer and the collaborator. The researcher taught writing of procedure text using video tutorial. This study was conducted following procedures of the action research: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The study was carried out in two cycles. Each cycle consisted of one meeting. The data was gathered in this study through observation sheet, writing test, and documentation. The results of the study showed that there was improvement of the students' skill in writing procedure text using video tutorial. Most of the students gradually gained good scores at the second cycle. Those score of Minimum Mater Crterion / Kriteria Ketuntasan Mminimal (KKM) of English lesson was 75. The class percentage in the preliminary study was 15%. Besides, the class percentage showed that were 42,5% students passed the KKM in the first cycle and 80% students achieved the KKM in the second cycle. It mean that this study had been reached the criteria of success; 75% students could pass the KKM. Moreover, the class condition during teaching learning process was also better in every cycle. In addition, there was a positive response from the English teacher and the students about implementing the action. So it could be conclude that video tutorial improve students' skill in writing procedure text.


Clinicians face a diverse array of therapeutic intervention choices while enabling individuals experiencing spasticity in connection with the upper motor neuron syndrome. Currently, it is not known the extent to which particular therapeutic intervention choices are selected by clinicians while enabling the individual, particularly in light of changing medical management for spasticity. Further, given the relative scarcity of relevant research evidence and other literature to guide clinicians in their treatment decisions in this area, it is unclear what factors serve to influence clinicians' treatment decision. This thesis reports results from an extensive mail-out survey of Canadian and American occupational and physical therapists working in neurorehabilitation which was designed and conducted with the aims of illuminating current practice trends, and of inferring ifrhow individual factors influence the clinician's decision making with regards to spasticity management. Nine hundred Canadian and American occupational and physical therapists who self-identifled as working in the area of adult neurorehabilitation were randomly selected for a mail survey, and 494 responses were received and analyzed. The survey gathered information about the individual therapist, therapist education, client demographics, practice environments, and the intervention choices for enabling clients experiencing spasticity. Based on these survey results, this thesis provides a description o f the choices clinicians are selecting for spasticity-management with clients in terms of the range of current intervention techniques, the relative frequency of use, and the factors (client and therapist related) that may be influencing these choices. The results of this survey will hopefully provide a clearer picture of the clinical decisions currently being made throughout the continent, and how various client and therapist related factors affect


PURPOSE
Biomarkers of inflammation and hemostasis have been associated with left ventricular (LV) mass. We studied relationships of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL6), D-dimer, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), soluble thrombomodulin (sTM), soluble tumor necrosis factor type 1 receptor (sTNFR1), von Willebrand factor (vWF), soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), factor VIII, fibrinogen, matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3), and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) with LV mass in an asymptomatic population. Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging to characterize LV mass; biomarkers were measured using standardized protocols (N = 763 to 4979). Adjusted models were used to associate each biomarker with LV mass while correcting for potential confounding.

FINDINGS
LV mass was associated with many biomarkers after adjustment for demographic characteristics and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Although the demographic and risk factor adjustments attenuated the association of CRP and IL6 with LV mass, further adjustment for weight changed regression coefficients from positive to negative for CRP and IL6 for LV mass. sTM, Factor VIII, and vWF were directly associated with LV mass in fully-adjusted models. For sTNFR1, sICAM-1, D-dimer, fibrinogen, and PAI-1, adjustment for risk factors and weight rendered associations with LV mass nonsignificant.

CONCLUSIONS
In this large cohort free of clinical cardiovascular disease, several hemostasis and inflammation markers were associated with LV mass. The unusual finding of a negative relationship of CRP and IL6 with LV mass only after adjustment for weight suggests that the effects of inflammation on LV mass are strongly influenced by obesity.


Newly available data on Russian commerce, industry, finance, incorporations, labour, and investment allow a fresh approach to two historical puzzles: the dating of cyclical peaks and troughs in Russia during the six decades before the First World War and the evaluation of theories advanced to explain the causes of these cycles. A diffusion index and a composite index establish the dates and amplitudes of seven complete cycles from 1855 to 1909 and part of an eighth, in 1910–13, interrupted by the First World War. The influence of wars and the Revolution of 1905 on the Russian cycle is clear. A comparison of diffusion indices for Russia and Germany reveals that Russian cycles occasionally diverged from the European pattern in the absence of war and revolution, notably during the industrial boom of the 1890s. The new findings give qualified support to the contention of several Soviet economists in the 1920s that this divergence resulted, at least in part, from the monetary stimulus of exports, primarily of grain.


This study investigates the nature of the causal relationships between stock prices and the key macro economic variables representing real and financial sector of the Indian economy for the period March, 1995 to March, 2007 using quarterly data. These variables are the index of industrial production, exports, foreign direct investment, money supply, exchange rate, interest rate, NSE Nifty and BSE Sensex in India. Johansen`s approach of cointegration and Toda and Yamamoto Granger causality test have been applied to explore the long-run relationships while BVAR modeling for variance decomposition and impulse response functions has been applied to examine short run relationships. The results of the study reveal differential causal links between aggregate macro economic variables and stock indices in the long run. However, the revealed causal pattern is similar in both markets in the short run. The study indicates that stock prices in India lead economic activity except movement in interest rate. Interest rate seems to lead the stock prices. The study indicates that Indian stock market seems to be driven not only by actual performance but also by expected potential performances. The study reveals that the movement of stock prices is not only the outcome of behaviour of key macro economic variables but it is also one of the causes of movement in other macro dimension in the economy.


The present research introduces the concept of developing a novel nanohybrid system based on fluorescent quantum dots coupled to polymer–protein bioconjugates for the detection of potential biological hazards. The organic–inorganic hybrids were constructed by the chemical conjugation of carboxylic functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol) with the designed synthetic recombinant protein specific to bovine herpesvirus (rHBoV5), followed by coupling to II–VI semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). These nanostructures were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results clearly showed that the polymer–protein bioconjugates (PVA–COOH/rHBoV5) were synthesized via the proposed zero-length linker route. Moreover, these bioconjugates proved to be successful capping agents for producing CdS and CdSe quantum dots using aqueous colloidal chemistry. The TEM images associated with the optical absorption results indicated the formation of nanocrystals with estimated diameters in the range of 4.0–5.0 nm. The "blue-shift", in the visible absorption spectra, and the PL values present strong evidence that the CdS and CdSe QDs behaved as fluorophores in the quantum-size confinement regime. Finally, the hybrid system was validated by immunochemical assay of bovine herpesvirus utilized as the model for detecting biological hazards. This research opens a window of opportunity of using a new class of hybrid nanomaterials for the rapid detection of potentially threatening biological species.


Chinese Lexicon Project (Sze et al., 2014) summarized lexical decision response data of 2,500 Chinese characters. The original analysis has showed that the newest character frequency norm accounts the most variance of reaction times. The variance of these response data are analyzed in terms of the character frequency, strokes, and structures in use of the norms from Taiwan. First of all, simplified characters ranked as high frequency have greater performance on reaction times, but these characters ranked as lower frequency in traditional scripts have overestimated response points. Secondly many simplified characters are transformed from complex to simple, and strokes are substantial discrepancy between Chinese scripts. Finally, stuructre of character takes a large proportion of variance in the response data. The covariance of structure and character frequency also shows a significant trend. Our current work reveals some critical thinkings on using mega-data as the approach to study Chinese character processing.


The VLSI CAD system built and supported by Western Digital Corporation since 1981 is composed primarily of vendor-supplied tools; a number of in-house tools, mostly translators, have been developed to tie the system together. The main criteria for selecting tools are ease of use and performance; tool selection is supported by a committee that includes users as well as providers. New tools are introduced through a close Partnership between the CAD Systems Department and the users. To support the system, a skilled staff of CAD software applications engineers is on hand, consulting with users, augmenting the documentation, interfacing with the vendors, installing new releases, preparing user interfaces and standard files, managing the hardware system, and developing the soft-ware required to integrate the vendor tools. The disadvantages to using a vendor-oriented system are that (1) tools are too general purpose and may be poorly adapted to the company's environment and (2) new and possibly more beneficial tools and techniques may not be available on the commercial market.


These essays, by some of today's greatest scholars of Judaism and Hellenism in antiquity, explore a variety of ways in which these two great civilizations interacted. The common focus of these studies is the transition from one culture to the next - how words or concepts or conventions from the one came to be transplanted, and often modified in the process, in the other. Taken together, however, they provide something broader: a large, variegated picture of the cultural interaction that was to prove so crucial for the later history of Judaism and Christianity.


We incorporate relevance feedback into a learning to rank framework by exploiting query-specific document similarities. Given a few judged feedback documents and many retrieved but unjudged documents for a query, we learn a function that adjusts the initial ranking score of each document. Scores are fit so that documents with similar term content get similar scores, and scores of judged documents are close to their labels. By such smoothing along the manifold of retrieved documents, we avoid overfitting, and can therefore learn a detailed query-specific scoring function with several dozen term weights.


We investigate the wetting properties of the simplest element of an array of random fibers: two rigid fibers crossing with an inclination angle and in contact with a droplet of a perfectly wetting liquid. We show experimentally that the liquid adopts different morphologies when the inclination angle is increased: a column shape, a mixed morphology state where a drop lies at the end of a column, or a drop centered at the node. An analytical model is provided that predicts the wetting length as well as the presence of a non-symmetric state in the mixed morphology regime. The model also highlights a symmetry breaking at the transition between the column state and the mixed morphology. The possibility to tune the morphology of the liquid could have important implications for drying processes.


This study aimed at determining the possible exposure of wild birds to avian influenza (AI), infectious bronchitis (IB) and Newcastle disease (ND) viruses. Apparently healthy species of free flying wild birds were captured using locally-made baited traps set at strategic watering and feeding locations and in poultry farms. Few species of captive wild birds in households and live bird markets (LBMs) were also sampled. Sera from blood samples collected were analyzed for antibodies to AI, IB and ND viruses using enzyme linked immunorsorbent assay (ELISA). Out of the 209 sera analysed, Bubulcus ibis was 24%, 70% and 27% while Psittacus erithacus was 7%, 21% and 7% positive for antibodies to AI, IB and ND viruses, respectively. Branta canadensis , was 35% and 64% positive for antibodies to AI and IB viruses. Balearica regulorum and Numidia maleagris were 100% and 9% positive to AI virus antibodies. Free flying birds were 19 (15%), 57 (45%) and 27 (21%) positive while captive wild birds were 11%, 20% and 14% positive to AI, IB and ND viruses antibodies, respectively. The results of this study confirm that wild birds were exposed to AI, IB and ND viruses. There was co-exposure of some wild bird species to AI, IB and ND viruses. These birds could possibly serve as carriers and disseminators of AI, IB and ND to poultry. Therefore, control measures against these important poultry diseases should include incursion of wild birds. Keywords: Avian influenza, Infectious bronchitis, Newcastle disease, Nigeria, Wild birds


There is an increasing amount of literature that claims the brittleness of deep neural networks in dealing with adversarial examples that are created maliciously. It is unclear, however, how the models will perform in realistic scenarios where \textit{natural rather than malicious} adversarial instances often exist. This work systematically explores the robustness of BERT, the state-of-the-art Transformer-style model in NLP, in dealing with noisy data, particularly mistakes in typing the keyboard, that occur inadvertently. Intensive experiments on sentiment analysis and question answering benchmarks indicate that: (i) Typos in various words of a sentence do not influence equally. The typos in informative words make severer damages; (ii) Mistype is the most damaging factor, compared with inserting, deleting, etc.; (iii) Humans and machines have different focuses on recognizing adversarial attacks.


Bio-oil produced from waste biomass by various thermochemical approaches possess several drawbacks primarily due to the presence of oxygenated compounds. These compounds render bio-oil difficult to be used as normal fuel for combustion. Thus, bio-oil must be processed to remove oxygenated compounds from it. One important process found suitable to deoxygenate bio-oil is the catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) using an appropriate catalyst. In literature, limited studies exist on the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) on hydrodeoxygenation of bio-oil model compounds. Therefore, authors utilized the computational fluid dynamics framework to delineate effect of process variables on the catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (2-HB) which is a bio-oil model compound in this study. The range of conditions considered herein are weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) = 1 h−1, 3 h−1, and 5 h−1; superficial hydrogen gas velocity, u = 0.075 m/s, 0.15 m/s, and 0.25 m/s; Pd/Al2O3 catalyst load = 0.06 kg and temperature, T = 498 K, 598 K, and 698 K. The present solution approach has also been applied to reproduce literature results on hydrodynamics of multiphase fluidized bed systems for comparison purpose. The hydrodynamics inside the fluidized bed reactor have been compared with and without HDO of 2-HB. The HDO of 2-HB yield phenol as the most dominant constitute of the products. Other products include benzene and benzaldehyde but in less fractions. Disclosing a few important results one can find that at constant low temperature (498 K), by increasing the values of WHSV the phenol fraction decreases, whereas those of benzene and benzaldehyde increases when u = 0.25 m/s. This effect becomes more rigorous at high constant temperature (698 K) especially in the case of phenol and benzene fractions. Moreover, most of the conversion of 2-HB and formation of products (phenol, benzene, and benzaldehyde) occurs within 2 s of fluidization time.


Postcolonial literature is supposed to be a battleground on which an active pursuit of decolonization should continue in every possible way. African literature written in the language of the Empire does not appear to be completely anticolonial. Ngugi wa Thiong'o feels a need for linguistic decolonization of African literature. According to him, African literature manifests the domination of the Empire by using their language. He classifies the works of Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka as Afro-European literature. But is taking up the language the same as accepting the standards of the colonizer? The language question has many implications, especially when it comes to African literature. We see that Achebe attempts to decentralize control over language by extensively modifying it. My paper examines how the Nigerian authors Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka have developed their own written English vernacular codes and the way they Nigerianize their texts using pidgin English in their dialogue—the English that is actually used by some Nigerians. My paper also shows that there are other manifestations of imperial domination apart from the linguistic hegemony in African literature. The English of the Empire has been domesticated by Achebe and it has effectively become the language of literary expression, but a preference for the White Man's codes and customs is seen in sociocultural settings. There was cultural domination in the country, which is still at work in present day Nigeria. My paper shows that the domestication of the English language is able to carry the weight of the African culture, but these authors point out that internal indigenous structures are flawed and these deficiencies allow the apparently dead seeds of hegemony to germinate all over again in native soil. So, in Ngugi wa Thiong'o's words, the decolonization of the mind has not yet taken place. In this paper I include my personal experiences of and interactions with the westernized Nigerian and their apparent Afro-European lifestyle. The years I have spent in Nigeria have brought me in contact with the westernized educated Igbos and Yorubas of the South, and my description of their day-to-day tendencies explicitly show that there is a serious imperial effect deeply rooted in the Nigerians.


Friction surfacing is a novel solid state surface coating process with several advantages over conventional fusion welding based surfacing processes. In this work, austenitic stainless steel (AISI 310) and tool steel (H13) coatings were friction deposited on mild steel substrates for corrosion and wear protection, respectively. Microstructural studies were carried out by using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Shear tests and bend tests (ASTM A264) were conducted to assess the integrity of the coatings. This study brings out the microstructural features across the coating/substrate interface and its mechanical properties, showing good metallurgical bonding between stainless steel and tool steel coating over mild steel.


Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL) causes Fusarium crown and root-rot diseases and Tomato yellow leaf curling virus (TYLCV, Israel, Mild, Sardinian strains) infection leads to low yield and poor quality fruits, which causes important economic losses in tomato growing areas. In this study, previously developed molecular markers for FORL and TYLCV were used with 418 tomato genotypes which have characteristics of high yield, quality fruit and resistance to abiotic stresses. 62 tomato lines were obtained from Cukurova University (CU), 196 and 160 of tomato lines were generated from Western Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute (BATEM) and private sector, respectively. All genotypes were tested with classical and molecular methods where species specific resistance RAPD and SCARFrl primers for FORL, CAPS and Co-dominant SCAR primers for TYLCV resistance were used. Analyses revealed that 102 tomato genotype are resistant to FORL, 46 and 35 of plant genotypes contain TY3 and TY1 loci respectively. Three genotypes from BATEM and 4 genotypes from private sector contained the 3 target genes (FORL+TY1+TY3), however, none of the tested CU tomato genotype was resistant to the 3 target genes. Furthermore, yield and some fruit quality characteristics of 7 tomato lines which were resistant to both diseases were determined in molecular and classical tests.


The Hochschild and cyclic homology groups are computed for the algebra of 'cusp' pseudodifferential operators on any compact manifold with boundary. The index functional for this algebra is interpreted as a Hochschild 1-cocycle and evaluated in terms of extensions of the trace functionals on the two natural ideals, corresponding to the two filtrations by interior order and vanishing degree at the boundary, together with the exterior derivations of the algebra. This leads to an index formula which is a pseudodifferential extension of that of Atiyah, Patodi and Singer for Dirac operators; together with a symbolic term it involves the 'eta' invariant on the suspended algebra over the boundary previously introduced by the first author.


BACKGROUND
A previous study showed that 14 days of qid bismuth-based triple therapy with tetracycline 500 mg, metronidazole 250 mg and colloidal bismuth subcitrate 120 mg resulted in excellent Helicobacter pylori eradication rates (89.5%). The present study looked at a shorter treatment period by adding omeprazole and by reducing the dose of tetracycline.

METHODS
One hundred sixty-one patients with H pylori confirmed by histology and (13)carbon urea breath test were included in the study. They were treated for seven days with bismuth subcitrate 120 mg plus metronidazole 250 mg plus tetracycline 250 mg qid plus omeprazole 20 mg bid (OBMT). Patients were 18 to 75 years of age and had dyspepsia with or without a history of peptic ulcer. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome, active ulcer or previous attempt at eradication, or those who had used antibiotics or antiulcer drugs in the previous 30 days were excluded. Eradication was determined by two (13)carbon urea breath tests done one and three months, respectively, after treatment. Strains with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 8 microg/mL or higher were considered to be resistant to metronidazole.

RESULTS
The overall per protocol eradication rate was 84%-89.5% in metronidazole-sensitive and 70.8% in metronidazole-resistant strains. Modified intent-to-treat analysis resulted in a 80% eradication rate--82.5% in metronidazole-sensitive and 66.7% in metronidazole-resistant strains. Only one patient discontinued treatment because of adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS
The OBMT regimen used in this study is safe and effective against metronidazole-sensitive H pylori strains.


The accuracies of gridded precipitation data sets are important for regional climate studies and hydrological models. In this study, the performances of Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) V7, Climatic Research Unit (CRU) TS 3.22 and Willmott and Matsuura (WM) precipitation data sets were examined over central Asia by comparing them against observed precipitation records (OBS) from 586 meteorological stations during 1901–2010. The results show that all the three gridded data sets underestimated the observed precipitation at annual and monthly scales, especially in mountainous areas. Both GPCC and WM underestimated seasonal precipitation, especially for spring precipitation. Among the three gridded data sets, GPCC had the highest correlation and lowest bias compared with CRU and WM when against the OBS. WM had a higher correlation than that of CRU, and its bias was larger than that of CRU. In terms of the drought and heavy rainfall events, CRU had the best performance in capturing drought events, and GPCC was best at representing heavy rainfall events. These differences in the performances between the three gridded data sets were primarily induced by their different interpolation methods and the numbers of available meteorological stations used in the interpolations of the three gridded data sets. Therefore, compared to the other two data sets, GPCC is more suitable for studies of long‐term precipitation variations over central Asia.


Eco friendly and cost effective methods of green mediated synthesis of nanoparticles are the present research in the limb of nanotechnology. The present work leads to the synthesis of silver nanoparticles from 1 mM AgNO3 solution through various concentration of aqueous leaf extract of Azadirachta indica reducing as well as capping agent. The characteristics of silver nanoparticles were studied by using UVVIS spectroscopy, SEM and EDX. Ultraviolet scanning spectroscopy was used to detect the distinct absorption spectrum of silver nanoparticles. The peak value observed at 435 nm. The EDX spectrum of the silver nanoparticles confirmed the presence of elemental silver signal. The size of synthesized silver nanoparticle was 146 nm. Green synthesized silver nanoparticle showed zone of inhibition against isolated Gram positive (Micrococcus, Bacillus and Staphylococcus species) and Gram negative (Klebsiella species and E.coli) bacteria. Based on the result obtained it can be said that the plant resources can efficiently use in the production of silver nanoparticle and it could be utilized in various fields in biomedical and nanotechnology.


We compared three different soil water models to evaluate the extent to which variation in plant growth form and cover and soil texture along a topographic gradient interact to affect relative rates of evaporation and transpiration under semiarid conditions. The models all incorporated one‐dimensional distribution of water in the soil and had separate functions for loss of water through transpiration and soil evaporation but differed in the degree of mechanism and emphasis. PALS‐SW (Patch Arid Lands Simulator‐Soil Water) is a mechanistic model that includes soil water fluxes and emphasizes the physiological control of water loss by different plant life forms along the gradient. 2DSOIL is a mechanistic model that emphasizes the physical aspects of soil water fluxes. SWB (Soil Water Budget) is a simple water budget model that has no soil water redistribution and includes simplified schemes for soil evaporation and transpiration by different life forms. The model predictions were compared to observed soil water distributions at five positions along the gradient. All models predicted soil water distributions reasonably well and, for the most part, predicted similar trends along the transect in the fractions of water lost as soil evaporation versus transpiration. Transpiration was lowest (about 40% of total evapotranspiration (ET)) for the creosote bush community, which had the lowest plant cover (30% peak cover). The fraction of ET as transpiration increased with increasing plant cover, with 2DSOIL predicting the highest transpiration (60% of total ET) for the mixed vegetation community (60% peak cover) on relatively fine textured soil and PALSr SW predicting highest transpiration (69% of total ET) for the mixed vegetation community (70% peak cover) on relatively coarse textured soil. The community type had an effect on the amount of water lost as transpiration primarily via depth and distribution of roots. In this respect, PALS‐SW predicted greatest differences among stations as related to differences in plant community types. However, since PALS‐SW did not provide as good of fit with the soil moisture data as did 2DSOIL, the differences in the morphology and physiology of the life‐forms may be secondary to the overall control of water loss by the primary factors accounted for in 2DSOIL: vertical distribution of soil moisture, degree of canopy cover, and evaporative energy budget of the canopy. Soil texture interacted with the amount and type of plant cover to affect evaporation and transpiration, but the effect was relatively minor.


As a first application of our renormalisation group approach to non-local matrix models [hep-th/0305066], we prove (super-) renormalisability of Euclidean two-dimensional noncommutative φ 4 -theory. It is widely believed that this model is renormalisable in momentum space arguing that there would be logarithmic UV/IR-divergences only. Although momentum space Feynman graphs can indeed be computed to any loop order, the logarithmic UV/IR-divergence appears in the renormalised two-point function—a hint that the renormalisation is not completed. In particular, it is impossible to define the squared mass as the value of the two-point function at vanishing momentum. In contrast, in our matrix approach the renormalised N -point functions are bounded every-where and nevertheless rely on adjusting the mass only. We achieve this by introducing into the cut-off model a translation-invariance breaking regulator which is scaled to zero with the removal of the cut-off. The na¨ıve treatment without regulator would not lead to a renormalised theory.


As the devil never leaves unbelieving heretics in repose, they conspired in such cities as Paris, Rouen, Orleans, Lyons, Toulouse and other large cities to surprise the catholic Christians and put them all to the sword. The king was apprised of this near the end of the year 1572, whereupon, considering well such a damnable enterprise, he sent orders to all the cities to inquire as to the truth of this endeavour…. When its truth was discovered, he ordered, so that the cost of the executions for which he otherwise would have had to pay might be avoided, that…[the huguenots] be put to death in all of the cities of France where they could be caught. [Explanation of the Saint Bartholomew's massacre provided by an anonymous catholic chronicler, 1581.]


Programmable graphics hardware makes it possible to generate procedural noise textures on the fly for interactive rendering. However, filtering and antialiasing procedural noise involves a tradeoff between aliasing artifacts and loss of detail. In this paper we present a technique, targeted at interactive applications, that provides high-quality anisotropic filtering for noise textures. We generate noise tiles directly in the frequency domain by partitioning the frequency domain into oriented subbands. We then compute weighted sums of the subband textures to accurately approximate noise with a desired spectrum. This allows us to achieve high-quality anisotropic filtering. Our approach is based solely on 2D textures, avoiding the memory overhead of techniques based on 3D noise tiles. We devise a technique to compensate for texture distortions to generate uniform noise on arbitrary meshes. We develop a GPU-based implementation of our technique that achieves similar rendering performance as state-of-the-art algorithms for procedural noise. In addition, it provides anisotropic filtering and achieves superior image quality.


Epoxy with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and MoS2 fillers was coated on a bearing steel (SAE 52100). Frictional and wear properties of the coated samples in sliding contact were investigated on a pin-on-disc tribometer under a normal load of 10 N and a linear sliding speed of 1 m/s against a bearing steel ball. The optimized coating composition (72 wt% Epoxy + 7 wt% hardener + 18 wt% UHMWPE + 3 wt% MoS2) showed highly improved tribological properties compared to pure epoxy and other epoxy-based composites. There was 75% reduction in the coefficient of friction (COF) in the dry interfacial condition (COF reduced from 0.2 to 0.05) over pure epoxy and 80% reduction with grease as the lubricant. The specific wear-rate of the composite was lower by five orders of magnitude over that of pure epoxy. Other mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile strength, and Young's modulus of the composite showed increments of 86%, 121%, and 43%, respectively, with respect to those of pure epoxy. 2–3 wt% of MoS2 had drastic effects on improving strength and reducing friction and wear of the composites. For dry sliding, initial abrasive and adhesive wear mechanisms led to transfer film formation on the steel counterface, and the shearing was mainly within the transfer film. For the grease-lubricated case, a thin layer of grease helped in easy shearing, and the transfer film formation was avoided. This epoxy-based composite will have applications as tribological coatings for journal bearings.


Chlorogenic acid (3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, CA) is the active component in several botanical beverage, vegetables, fruits, and herbal drugs. The effect of water boiling on the bioactivity of CA was studied. CA could be isomerized to 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4-O-CA) and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5-O-CA) in decoctive extraction, and each of the isomers occupied about one-third of the total caffeoylquinic acids. A novel method, using water elution of microsphere resin, was used to purify CA and its 2 isomers. The yield of CA, 4-O-CA, and 5-O-CA was 82%, 5.6%, and 50%, with the purity of 98%, 97%, and 99%, respectively. The DPPH radical scavenging assay showed that 4-O-CA, 5-O-CA, and CA exhibited similar activity. However, there was no significant difference between 4-O-CA and 5-O-CA when used against CCl₄-induced toxicity in hepG2 cells. Our studies show that isomerization is the main transformation of CA in boiling, and the decoction could not decrease the anti-oxidant activity of CA.


In 1941, media mogul Henry R. Luce exulted, "American jazz, Hollywood movies, American slang, American machines and patented products are in fact the only things that every community in the world, from Zanzibar to Hamburg, recognizes in common." It is as true today as it was then. From the early days of Hollywood, an insatiable demand for U.S. cultural products—in advertising, fashion, film, popular music, television, and much else—has had a profound and continuing impact across the globe. Media, Popular Culture, and the American Century explores a diverse range of Americana, where the borders between the real and the imaginary, dream and dystopia, America and the world, blur and disappear. Essays move from configurations of U.S. culture in the early 1900s to the age of Google and digital music.


The main contribution of this paper is to present a recursive estimation/detection technique for reduced-order state-space systems. The recursive state and parameter estimator is built on the framework of polynomial chaos theory and maximum likelihood estimation. The estimator quantifies the reliability of its estimate in real-time by recursively calculating a signal-to-noise ratio. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) indicates how well the output of the reduced-order estimation model matches the actual system output. A detection algorithm makes decisions to trust or distrust the current estimate by comparing the current value of the SNR ratio against a threshold value. This paper applies the proposed techniques to estimate the sprung mass of an actual vehicle. It uses a reduced-order model to approximate the complex ride dynamics of the vehicle. Despite the modeling approximations and simplifications, the proposed technique is able to reliably estimate the sprung mass of the vehicle to within 10% of the true value.


Nanotechnology has the potential to stimulate scientific innovation, promote traditional material industry chain to develop towards high-end direction and greatly benefit the society. In the process of value chain formation and operation, the value chain risks of high-end oriented nanomaterial industry associated with ecological and social environment, health, and safety issues cannot be ignored, however. Value chain formation and risks in high-end oriented nanomaterial industry are studied, and value chain risk management process for risk mitigation and loss prevention has also been put forward.