High data rate and bandwidth efficiency are the requirements of modern
wireless systems. Most studies introduce different ways to develop communication systems to meet these requirements. The researches in the last few years focused on the chaotic system as a chaotic modulation due to its nature. So that the performances of various chaotic modulation schemes (Initial Condition Modulation (ICM) and Chaotic Shift Keying (CSK)) in terms of bit error rate (BER), for different spreading factors are implemented in this article and simulated using MATLAB 2016b simulation. The main objective of this paper is to make a comparison of various chaotic modulation schemes under AWGN channel and study the effect of the spreading factor (β) on the performance of different chaotic modulation schemes, where the spreading factor (β) is the number of generated chaotic signal samples during the bit period (Tb). Different values of spreading factor (12,16, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100) samples are selected to implement various chaotic modulation schemes. The results show that the spreading factor value of (100) achieves good performance for all types of chaotic modulation schemes which are implemented here. Increasing the value of spreading factor over (100) such as (120, 140, and 180) will add a little bit enhancement to the system, whilst the processing time will increase dramatically.


A reaction of primary amine, 5-ethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine (1) with substituted aldehydes afforded a new class of imine group containing compounds (3, 5 and 7). The synthesized compounds were characterized by using spectroscopic techniques viz., 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectral studies. Antimicrobial activity was done using disc diffusion technique using Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Ralsotonia solanacearum and antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Alternaria solani. All the synthesized compounds exhibited potent antimicrobial activities.


ABSTRACT Despite its prevalence in armed conflicts globally, the pursuit of justice and human rights during armed conflict has received relatively little attention compared with efforts taken post-conflict. In this article, I discuss the trajectory of state-led measures to tackle human rights abuses while violence is ongoing, with a focus on the interplay between actors seeking to expose and those seeking to conceal human rights abuses. This expose–conceal framework is used to study the search for justice for abuses committed by paramilitary groups in Colombia in the 2000s. I argue that various domestic and international human rights advocates and civil society organisations clashed with the Colombian Government over questions of accountability. Persistent efforts to expose or conceal abuses produced a tug-of-war dynamic, where the two sides pulled the political debate and judicial frameworks in their preferred direction. This article contributes a conflict studies perspective on the establishment of national-level institutions to advance human rights in a context of high impunity and amid armed conflict. Going forward, I argue that more attention to the during-conflict period can enhance our understanding of how the pursuit of justice plays out after conflict.


fetal disappeared. A close follow up from 36 weeks of gestation to 3 months after the delivery indicated the fetal was cured. Fetal arrhythmias are a common phenomenon of pregnancies. Generally the symptoms are mild and the treatment is not necessary but persistent severe bradycardia and sustained tachycardia may cause fetal hydrops, preterm delivery, and higher perinal morbidity and mortality. Fetal PVCs can occur in fetal cardiomyopathy, fetal cardiac tumours, congenital long QT syndrome, electrolyte imbalances, and conduction disorders. Most isolated fetal PVCs usually disappear spontaneously prenatally. The persistent fetal PVCs usually subside within 6 weeks and would not cause severe arrhythmias. If it is not associated with hydrops fetalis, no treatment is required. Expectant treatment and intimate monitoring were performed for fetal arrhythmia during pregnancy. Ultrasound has an important role in predicting fetal arrhythmia outcome.


Using chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assays we showed that epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha), and 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PenCB) induce class Pi glutathione S-transferase (GSTP1) in primary cultured rat liver parenchymal cells. GSTP1 enhancer I (GPEI), which is required for the stimulation of GSTP1 expression by PenCB, also mediates EGF and TGF alpha stimulation of GSTP1 gene expression. However, hepatocyte growth factor and insulin did not stimulate GPEI-mediated gene expression. On the other hand, the antioxidant reagents butylhydroxyanisole and t-butylhydroquinone, stimulated GPEI-mediated gene expression, but the level of GSTP1 mRNA was not elevated. Our observations suggest that EGF and TGF alpha induce GSTP1 by the same signal transduction pathway as PenCB. Since the sequence of GPEI is similar to that of the antioxidant responsive element (ARE), some factors which bind to ARE might play a role in GPEI-mediated gene expression.


The optical photoluminescent (PL) emission of Yb3+ ions in the near infrared (NIR) spectral region at about 950–1100 nm has many potential applications, from photovoltaics to lasers and visual devices. However, due to their simple energy-level structure, Yb3+ ions cannot directly absorb UV or visible light, putting serious limits on their use as light emitters. In this paper we describe a broadband and efficient strategy for sensitizing Yb3+ ions by Ag codoping, resulting in a strong 980 nm PL emission under UV and violet-blue light excitation. Yb-doped silica–zirconia–soda glass–ceramic films were synthesized by sol-gel and dip-coating, followed by annealing at 1000 °C. Ag was then introduced by ion-exchange in a molten salt bath for 1 h at 350 °C. Different post-exchange annealing temperatures for 1 h in air at 380 °C and 430 °C were compared to investigate the possibility of migration/aggregation of the metal ions. Studies of composition showed about 1–2 wt% Ag in the exchanged samples, not modified by annealing. Structural analysis reported the stabilization of cubic zirconia by Yb-doping. Optical measurements showed that, in particular for the highest annealing temperature of 430 °C, the potential improvement of the material's quality, which would increase the PL emission, is less relevant than Ag-aggregation, which decreases the sensitizers number, resulting in a net reduction of the PL intensity. However, all the Ag-exchanged samples showed a broadband Yb3+ sensitization by energy transfer from Ag aggregates, clearly attested by a broad photoluminescence excitation spectra after Ag-exchange, paving the way for applications in various fields, such as solar cells and NIR-emitting devices.


The successful fabrication of bulk glassy alloys depends on the chemical composition and fabricating process. To prepare bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) by casting with copper mould, the cooling ability of the mould and the melting temperature are considered. In this work the influence of the melting temperature on the fabrication of the BMGs is studied by varying the suction casting temperature of the Ti44.10Cu.37.04Zr9.80Ni7.06Sn2.00 alloy by varying the current density employed in melting process. The results show that there is an optimum melting temperature range for fabricating the Ti-Cu-Zr-Ni-Sn BMG by suction casting. When the temperature is outside this range, the crystalline phases occur within the glassy matrix. The influence of the melting temperature on the fabrication of the Ti-Cu-Zr-Ni-Sn BMG is discussed.


Seventy-two children with no underlying diseases were treated for empyema. Radical surgical approaches like decortication were necessary for only 3 children. In 66 children tube drainage was applied. Staphylococcus aureus was cultured or was shown in Gram's stain in 32 (44%) and children with this microorganism had longer duration of tube drainage (p < 0.05). The period for normalization of chest X-ray was positively related with the age of the patient (p < 0.05). In 60 of 72 children, chest X-ray was normal after 3 months. Follow-up of the patients 18 months after the infection revealed that pulmonary radiograms were normal in all cases and pulmonary function tests were within normal limits in all of the tested children (n = 25). It is emphasized that avoiding major surgical approaches must be encouraged in childhood empyema.


The wireless access for vehicular environment (WAVE) mandates that data packets of non-safety applications are to be sent within WAVE basic service sets (WBSS). These WBSS are to be established on the least congested service channels. WAVE proposes a mechanism to select such channels; yet, owing to vehicles' high mobility, there is high chance of having overlapped WBSS, yielding unsatisfactory performance. Several approaches have been proposed to mitigate this problem. Nevertheless, they are either inefficient or cost-ineffective. In this paper, we propose a novel approach called altruistic service channel selection (ASSCH) that compels vehicles to cooperate in order to select the least congested service channels for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) non-safety applications. ASSCH has three phases: 1) identifying the channel's current state (i.e., free or occupied); 2) predicting channels that are likely to be free in the near future; and 3) selecting the least used channel among them. We then propose a stochastic analytical model for the throughput of V2V non-safety applications considering various factors, including the busy channel at zero, discarded by all existing IEEE 802.11p EDCA models. Simulation results demonstrate that ASSCH outperforms existing allocation-based schemes as it incurs low capture delay, low ratio of overlapping WBSS, and high throughput. Simulation results also show that our analytical model closely matches the throughput of EDCA access categories.


BACKGROUND
Breast cancer incidence rates are increasing among Asian women, likely due to the changes in risk factors caused by globalization. Trends in breast cancer rates among Chinese women may differ from other Asian regions due to the implementation of a nationwide family planning program and resulting changes in women's reproductive practices. Appraisal of cancer trends can direct cancer control and public health planning, but relevant studies in China are scarce due to a lack of long-term data. We sought to evaluate secular time trends in breast cancer incidence and mortality using 40 years of cancer registry data for women in urban Shanghai.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data on invasive breast cancer incidence and mortality were collected by the Shanghai Cancer Registry. Age-standardized rates (ASRs) for incidence and mortality were calculated using the Segi/Doll 1960 world standard population. Age, period, and birth cohort effects were evaluated using age-period-cohort (APC) Poisson regression models. Overall linear trends, interpreted as the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC), were derived from the net drift in age-drift models.

RESULTS
A total of 53 885 breast cancer cases and 17 235 breast cancer-specific deaths were documented among women in urban Shanghai between 1 January 1973 and 31 December 2012. Breast cancer incidence and mortality ASRs increased by 141.2% and 26.6%, respectively. Significant age, cohort, and period effects were identified in both incidence and mortality APC models; cohort effects were pronounced. Overall, a substantial increase in breast cancer incidence (EAPC = 2.96%/year) and a moderate increase in breast cancer mortality (EAPC = 0.87%/year) was observed. A notable downward trend in mortality was identified among younger women born after 1960.

CONCLUSIONS
Forty years of cancer registry data document a tremendous increase in incidence and a slight increase in mortality for breast cancer among women in Shanghai. Effective, appropriate, and affordable breast cancer prevention and control strategies are urgently needed in China.


Structural genomics initiatives are beginning to rapidly generate vast numbers of protein structures. For many of the structures, functions are not yet determined and high-throughput methods for determining function are necessary. Although there has been extensive work in function prediction at the sequence level, predicting function at the structure level may provide better sensitivity and predictive value. We describe a method to predict functional sites by automatically creating three dimensional structural motifs from amino acid sequence motifs. These structural motifs perform comparably well with manually generated structural motifs and perform better than sequence motifs. Automatically generated structural motifs can be used for structural-genomic scale function prediction on protein structures.


Background: Little is known about the effect of social support on nonadherence in persons with schizophrenia, especially in developing Asian countries where social support is considered to be imperative. Additionally, the role of depression as a mediator in the association between social support deficits and nonadherence has not been evaluated. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 75 participants at a university hospital in Thailand. Logistic regression was used to determine whether depression and a deficit in social support were associated with nonadherence, and whether depression mediated this association. Results: There were strong relationships between nonadherence and major depressive episodes (odds ratio [OR] 9.5, confidence interval [CI] 2.3–38.9), living alone (OR 21.8, CI 3.5–143.0), and dissatisfaction with support from family (OR 10.0, CI 1.9–53.1). The OR of the association between social support deficits and nonadherence decreased by nearly one half after adjusting for depression. Discussion: Depression and social support deficits were significantly associated with nonadherence in persons with schizophrenia. Depression is important in mediating the association between social support deficits and nonadherence. Enhancing social support, as well as early detection and effective intervention for depression should be emphasized in interventions to improve adherence in persons with schizophrenia.


Malicious software or malware has risen to become a primary source of most of the attacks taking place across the Internet over the last decades. This prevalence of new malware, for which signatures are not available, along with the challenge of anti-malware software to keep up with the continuous stream of new malware, has made the adoption of classification/clustering approaches necessary. Machine-learning methods have been excessively applied to classify or cluster malware into families, based on different features derived from static or dynamic review of the malware. While these approaches demonstrate promise, they are themselves subject to a growing array of countermeasures. In this work, we propose a framework to enhance the traditional machine learning-based classification by utilizing high-level domain knowledge. We outline major behaviours of Windows malware from an analyst's point of view and provide possible methods (rules) to extract them from the output of static and dynamic analysis tools. We also take advantage of memory forensics to extract other stealthy aspects of an executable, which otherwise remain undetected. Our comparative experimental results with the state-of-the-art malware classification approaches, confirm the effectiveness of our framework by an average classification accuracy of 81%, while leaving only 0.5% of samples unlabeled.


In recent work, it was proposed to use lossy compression to remove noise from corrupted signals, based on the rationale that a reasonable compression method retains the dominant signal features more than the randomness of the noise. To further understand and substantiate this theory, we first explain why compression (via coefficient quantization) is appropriate for filter thresholding for denoising. That is, denoising is mainly due to the zero-zone and that the full precision of the thresholded coefficients is of secondary importance. Secondly, under the realistic assumption that wavelet coefficients follow a Generalized Gaussian distribution, we derive an optimal threshold value (and thus the zero-zone width) from minimizing the mean squared error among soft-threshold estimators. We propose an adaptive threshold which is easy to compute and nearly optimal. Thirdly, along with the chosen zero-zone, we use Rissanen's Minimum Description Length (MDL) principle to quantize outside of the zero-zone. Lastly, experimental results on noisy images show that the proposed compression method does indeed remove noise and improve the image quality.


Ingestion of monosodium glutamate (MSG) causes headache, nausea and craniofacial tenderness in healthy individuals. The present study explored whether MSG produces behavioural signs of headache, nausea and changes in craniofacial sensitivity in rats. The behavior of male and female Sprague Dawley rats was video recorded before and after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of either MSG (1-1000 mg/kg), nitroglycerin (GTN, 10 mg/kg) or normal saline. Behaviors (grimace score, head-flicks, rearing, head scratches, facial grooming, lying-on-belly and temporalis muscle region mechanical withdrawal threshold (MT)) were evaluated. Facial cutaneous temperature of the nose and forehead was measured before and after i.p. injections via infrared thermography. Plasma glutamate and calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) concentrations after administration of 1000 mg/kg MSG were measured in anesthetized rats. MSG induced nocifensive, headache- and nausea-like behaviors in a dose-related manner but had no effect on MT. MSG (1000 mg/kg) induced a significantly greater frequency of headache-like behavior in females, but a longer duration of nausea-like behavior in males. MSG produced a prolonged increase in plasma glutamate and CGRP concentrations. Co-administration of the median effective dose of MSG (350 mg/kg) with GTN (10 mg/kg) amplified headache-like behaviors, induced significant craniofacial sensitivity and produced increased nausea-like behaviour. Co-administration of sumatriptan or naproxen with MSG (1000 mg/kg), significantly attenuated MSG-induced nocifensive and headache-like behaviors. Our data suggests that systemic administration of MSG to rats induces behavioral correlates of headache and nausea. This model may offer another avenue for research on the mechanism and treatment of primary headache disorders such as migraine.


Abstract : As part of the Metalworking Processes and Equipment Program, information was collected on deformation characteristics of metals and their effect on processing operations. This report presents the information collected from technical engineering reports on Government contracts and from general engineering and metallurgical publications. The objective is to help the nonspecialist in recognizing the implications of scientific findings and in applying them in specific operations. This report contains a series of articles covering the following subjects: Theory of Plasticity; High-Velocity Forming; Work-Hardening Mechanisms in Metals; Shear Forming and Spinning of Metals; Friction and Wear in Metal-Deformation Processed; Rod, Wire, and Tube Drawing; and Applications of Static High Pressure to the Forming of Metals-Hydrostatic Extrusion. These subjects are treated in two ways: (1) generalized discussions of common processes point out why specific variables must be modified in order to deform certain types of metals satisfactorily; and (2) data on the more difficult-to-form metals are used to illustrate the principles, limitations, and effects of the processes. (Author)


Acyl imidazolide activation of venom phospholipase A2 enzymes was studied by a variety of kinetic and chemical means in order to determine the nature of the reaction between the protein and the activator and to identify the amino-acid residues involved. The conductimetric methods of Lawrence, (1971) were extensively modified and improved. The proposal of Drainas, (1978) that activation by acylation was complementary to activation by calcium was studied in detail. Nitrogen-based chelators were used to show that the metal ion dependence was dominated by the inhibitory effects of transition metal ion impurities, with copper and zinc being the most powerful inhibitors. A kinetic investigation showed that these metal ions were not simple competitive inhibitors for calcium. The kinetic results showed that long-chain fatty acylation had no effect on the metal-ion dependence. The importance of using transition metal ion chelators (eg o-phenanthroline) in such kinetic studies was demonstrated and this study revealed that the affinity constant for calcium was ca 5muM (ie 50 fold less that previously stated). A new polyacrylamide gel method was developed to study small basic peptides; this had a lower detection limit at octapeptides, but could routinely detect decapeptides using the Coomassie blue detection method. This was used to monitor purification of bee venom components and to characterise peptide fragments of bee venom phospholipase A2. Short chain acyl imidazolides were found to block the activation site without giving full activation. This was consistent with models in which a long hydrophobic chain was required either to act as a substrate penetration probe or else to change the conformation of the enzyme. The conformation change model was supported by further studies of the resistance of the activated enzyme to a variety of inhibitory reagents. Use of radiolabelled acyl imidazolide activators showed that the acyl residue did not remain bound to the activated enzyme under acidic denaturing conditions. Cyanogen bromide fragments and fragments obtained by peptidase treatment retained insignificant amounts of the labelled acyl residue. Group modifying agents were tested as blockers or modifiers of the activation reaction. The results eliminated any direct involvement of the N-terminal residue or of lysine side chains. Modification of tyrosine and arginine residues changed the nature of activation but did not affect reaction with the activators. Demonstration that the enzyme could be activated by p-bromophenacyl bromide in the presence, but not in the absence of long-chain fatty acid pointed to the direct involvement of an active histidine residue. Comparison of the sequences of activatable and non-activatable enzymes indicated that a histidine residue at 20-26 might be important.


We report the late results of treatment of 13 consecutive patients with gastric cancer and concomitant esophagogastric varices. Of seven good‐risk patients classified as Child's class A or B, gastrectomy together with selective shunt operation was performed in two, total gastrectomy with splenectomy in three, and distal partial gastrectomy with paraesophageal devascularization without splenectomy in one. The remaining patient with early gastric cancer underwent distal partial gastrectomy following repeated endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) for treatment of the esophageal varices. Although the majority of patients who underwent surgical repair of varices (i.e., shunt, splenectomy, or devascularization) died, total gastrectomy with splenectomy was the only procedure that led to control of the esophageal varices. Since partial gastrectomy combined with EIS limits the morbidity and mortality of an extensive resection and at the same time controls esophageal variceal bleeding, it is probably the procedure of choice for patients with a carcinoma in the lower two‐thirds of the stomach. Concerning non‐surgical cases, two patients were effectively treated using laser endoscopy and EIS, without the occurrence of variceal bleeding. The remaining four patients, given chemotherapy or irradiation for treatment of gastric carcinoma, died within 4 months with variceal bleeding or liver failure. For the poor‐risk patients with evidence of severe liver dysfunction, laser treatment and EIS would be the treatment of choice.


We report experimental evidence on the effects of social preferences on intertemporal decisions. To this aim, we set up an intertemporal Dictator Game and investigate whether (and how) subjects change theirchoices, compared with those they had taken in absence of any payoff externality in a previous stage of the experiment. We run two treatments -INFO and BELIEF, respectively- depending on whether Dictators know -or are asked to elicit- their assigned Recipients' risk and time preferences. We find that high (own) risk aversion is associated with low (own) discounting. We also find that (heterogeneous) socialtime preferences are significant determinants of choices, in that Dictators display a marked propensityto account for the Recipients' intertemporal concerns.


The past and future of cities are inextricably linked, a linkage that can be seen clearly in the long-term impacts of urban geochemical legacies. As loci of population as well as the means of employment and industry to support these populations, cities have a long history of co-locating contaminating practices and people, sometimes with negative implications for human health. Working at the intersection between environmental processes, communities, and human health is critical to grapple with environmental legacies and to support healthy, sustainable, and growing urban populations. An emerging area of environmental health research is to understand the impacts of chronic exposures and exposure mixtures—these impacts are poorly studied, yet may pose a significant threat to population health. Acute exposure to lead (Pb), a powerful neurotoxin to which children are particularly susceptible, has largely been eliminated in the U.S. and other countries through policy-based restrictions on leaded gasoline and lead-based paints. But the legacy of these sources remains in the form of surface soil Pb contamination, a common problem in cities and one that has only recently emerged as a widespread chronic exposure mechanism in cities. Some urban soils are also contaminated with another neurotoxin, mercury (Hg). The greatest human exposure to Hg is through fish consumption, so eating fish caught in urban areas presents risks for toxic Hg exposure. The potential double impact of chronic exposure to these two neurotoxins is pronounced in cities. Overall, there is a paradigmatic shift from reaction to and remediation of acute exposures towards a more nuanced understanding of the dynamic cycling of persistent environmental contaminants with resultant widespread and chronic exposure of inner-city dwellers, leading to chronic toxic illness and disability at substantial human and social cost.


Abstract In 1974, Erdős posed the following problem. Given an oriented graph H, determine or estimate the maximum possible number of H-free orientations of an n-vertex graph. When H is a tournament, the answer was determined precisely for sufficiently large n by Alon and Yuster. In general, when the underlying undirected graph of H contains a cycle, one can obtain accurate bounds by combining an observation of Kozma and Moran with celebrated results on the number of F-free graphs. As the main contribution of the paper, we resolve all remaining cases in an asymptotic sense, thereby giving a rather complete answer to Erdős's question. Moreover, we determine the answer exactly when H is an odd cycle and n is sufficiently large, answering a question of Araújo, Botler and Mota.


The likelihood principle (LP) is typically understood as a constraint on any measure of evidence arising from a statistical experiment. It is not sufficiently often noted, however, that the LP assumes that the probability model giving rise to a particular concrete data set must be statistically adequate—it must "fit" the data sufficiently. In practice, though, scientists must make modeling assumptions whose adequacy can nevertheless then be verified using statistical tests. My present concern is to consider whether the LP applies to these techniques of model verification. If one does view model verification as part of the inferential procedures that the LP intends to constrain, then there are certain crucial tests of model verification that no known method satisfying the LP can perform. But if one does not, the degree to which these assumptions have been verified is bracketed from the evidential evaluation under the LP. Although I conclude from this that the LP cannot be a universal constraint on any measure of evidence, proponents of the LP may hold out for a restricted version thereof, either as a kind of "ideal" or as defining one among many different forms of evidence.


Abstract States frequently acquire proof of other states' norm violations, from nuclear proliferation to harboring terrorists to interfering in elections. Existing theories do not fully explain how states that catch others red-handed wield a form of coercive power over the wrongdoers. Discoverers may conceal proof of wrongdoing, share such proof with other actors privately, or reveal their proof to the world. States with more leverage over wrongdoers have two incentives to conceal proof of wrongdoing. They can blackmail wrongdoers by threatening to go public with proof of their guilt, and they can simultaneously allow wrongdoers to save face. States that possess proof of wrongdoing but have less leverage are more likely to share that proof with others. If a discoverer distrusts the intentions of states with more leverage, it will reveal evidence publicly, catalyzing others to act. Publicizing proof weaponizes the prospect that other states will pay reputation and hypocrisy costs if they do not follow through on punishing norm violations. Four case studies of nuclear proliferation (Taiwan, Libya, South Africa, and North Korea) probe this novel theory.


Extraction of uranium from seawater is of great interest because of its potential applications in the nuclear energy field. In this study, we prepared 3D Fe-inserted and N-doped carbon nanosheet frameworks by a polymer-blowing process, followed by decoration with nickel–manganese layered double hydroxide (Fe-NCNF-LDH). Employing SEM, FTIR, XPS, XRD, TEM, and BET techniques, we confirmed the existence of 3D structured porous materials with advantageous interconnectivity to provide a highly accessible freeway for uranium(VI) ionic diffusion. We investigated the removal of uranium(VI) from an aqueous solution (ppm level) and simulated seawater (ppb level) by the Fe-NCNF-LDH composites. The results showed that the adsorption process fitted well with a pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir isotherm model. Based on XRD and XPS, before and after the adsorption of uranium(VI), we proposed a possible sorption mechanism (anion exchange, chemical reduction, and surface complexation). In addition, the Fe-NCNF-LDH composites show good adsorption properties after five adsorption–desorption cycles, which augur well for potential application in the field of the adsorption of uranium from seawater.


The mechanism of cycle length oscillation and its role in spontaneous termination of reentry was studied in an in vitro preparation of canine atrial tissue surrounding the tricuspid orifice. Reentry occurred around a fixed path with incomplete recovery of excitability. Among 18 experiments, there was complete concordance between the occurrence of spontaneous cycle length oscillation and spontaneous terminations; both were observed in 10 experiments and neither in the other eight (p less than 0.001). Local changes in conduction during oscillations resulted from the dependence of both conduction velocity and action potential duration on the preceding local diastolic interval. Interval-dependent changes in action potential duration contributed to the oscillation by altering the next diastolic interval. Because of changes in action potential duration, changes in cycle length were poorly correlated with changes in diastolic interval and, therefore, with local conduction velocity. Complex oscillations resulted from variations in conduction time at multiple sites in the circuit. Oscillations caused most spontaneous terminations. The critical event was an exceptionally long diastolic interval preceding the next-to-last cycle that accelerated local conduction (which tended to shorten the last cycle) and prolonged action potential duration and refractoriness at the site of block. Ninety-two of 99 recordings of spontaneous termination showed evidence of oscillation of conduction and refractoriness causing block.


The ubiquitously expressed hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is involved in expression of a large number of oxygen-regulated genes. HIF-1 is a heterodimer consisting of an alpha and a beta subunit, both belonging to the basic-helix-loop-helix Per-aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-Sim (PAS) family of transcription factors. Whereas HIF-1alpha is a novel member of this family, HIF-1beta is identical to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator, previously recognized to be involved in xenobiotic metabolism. cDNA cloning revealed that mouse HIF-1alpha can be expressed as two mRNA isoforms containing alternative 5' untranslated regions and two different predicted translational start sites. We cloned and characterized 20.5 kb of the mouse HIF-1alpha gene (Hif1a) containing exon II-XV. The two alternative first exons, I.1 and I.2, are separated from exon II by approximately 24 kb and 17 kb, respectively. We also sequenced Hif1a exon I.1 and flanking regions, and mapped a single exon I.1 transcription initiation site. Reverse transcription PCR analysis of total RNA derived from normoxic and hypoxic mouse hepatoma and fibroblast cell lines suggested that the two alternative mRNA isoforms are constitutively coexpressed in these cells, and that two different promoters drive transcription of HIF-1alpha. A minimal exon I.1 promoter was identified which moderately activated heterologous gene expression, indicating that additional cis-elements are required for efficient HIF-1alpha transcription in vivo.


A facile and simple methodology was adopted for the trapping of highly crystalline AgCl and Ag/AgCl nanoparticles (NPs) into the interlayer spacings of vanadium oxides (VOx). Self-organization of AgCl and Ag/AgCl-NPs on VOx was found to be governed by the nature of the dicarboxylic acids used during the synthesis of the nanocomposites. A "fractal-like" morphology of the AgCl@VOx nanocomposite was achieved in the presence of cis-1,2 cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid. Heating of the AgCl@VOx nanocomposite above 68 °C resulted in the growth of polydispersed and ultrafine (3–4 nm) Ag/AgCl-NPs and its self-organization into monolayer formation on a partly crystalline VOx matrix. Change in the conformation of the dicarboxylic acid to the trans-isomer resulted in the formation of a 'rod-like' structure of Ag/AgCl-NPs on a highly crystalline VOx matrix. The band gaps of the nanocomposites were within the range of 1.8 to 2.9 eV. Because of such a low band gap, the synthesized nanocomposites were found to be highly active toward the photooxidation of methylene (MB) and methyl orange (MO) under sunlight.


A recent description of paired gnathobase‐like structures (GLSs) in the head region of the radiodont Amplectobelua symbrachiata raised the question of whether these appendicular structures are more widely spread within Radiodonta, putative lower stem‐group euarthropods. Here we describe a new genus of Radiodonta, Ramskoeldia gen. nov., that also bears GLSs. Its two new species, Ramskoeldia platyacantha sp. nov. and R. consimilis sp. nov., are distinguished based on the morphology of their frontal appendages. The presence of three pairs of GLSs associated with reduced segments posterior to the head and the detailed morphological similarities of the GLSs suggest that Ramskoeldia is closely related to Amplectobelua Hou et al., and they are classified together in the revised Family Amplectobeluidae. Other diagnostic characters of this family include the lack of a radially‐arranged oral cone, instead sharing mouthparts composed of smooth and tuberculate plates, and a frontal appendage with three podomeres in the shaft and prominent larger endites on podomeres 4 and 8. Due to its lack of GLSs and the different morphology of its mouthparts, membership of Lyrarapax Cong et al., in Amplectobeluidae cannot be confirmed. Appraisal of available evidence indicates that the morphology of the feeding structures, including frontal appendages, the mouth apparatus, and GLSs, serves as a fundamental source of characters in the classification of radiodonts.


This book describes the design, physics, and performance of high density plasma sources which have been extensively explored in low pressure plasma processing, such as plasma etching and planarization, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of thin films, sputtered deposition of metals and dielectrics, epitaxial growth of silicon and GaAs, and many other applications. This is a comprehensive survey and a detailed description of most advanced high density plasma sources used in plasma processing. The book is a balanced presentation in that it gives both a theoretical treatment and practical applications. It should be of considerable interest to scientists and engineers working on plasma source design, and process development.


Last generation multi-purpose printers or MFPs are very capable computational devices, often equipped with a built-in programming framework which eases its extensibility. However, they include so much functionality that often it is too hard to operate them. This paper describes two services which turn MFPs into Ubiquitous Computing devices, i.e. more intuitive, personalised, user-friendly, upgradeable and context-aware devices. For that, two novel interaction models between users and MFPs are proposed, namely the "show ringcode and click" and the "install once, upgrade and run forever" interaction models.


The authors present the results obtained with the tarsoconjunctival flap technique in eyelid reconstructions of total plane defects and affecting more than 50% of the horizontal length of the lower eyelid. They describe how the method was used in 40 cases and discuss major aspects in the evolution of the procedure. They conclude by defending the utilization of the method as the technique of choice in complex lid lesions due to its satisfactory aesthetic and functional results.


The years since 9/11 have seen unprecedented global efforts to combat the evil of terrorism. The legislative and especially the executive arms of many governments have been very active. Many courts have engaged in judicial activism in the sense that they have invalidated executive and even legislative action taken by the state in the name of combating terrorism. This article will examine the judicial role with respect to the state's anti-terrorism activities. It will suggest that with some exceptions, courts in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom have been surprisingly active with respect to review of the state's anti-terrorism activities. One exception is the Indian Supreme Court's decision upholding anti-terrorism legislation in that country that has since been repealed. In addition to making the empirical observation about the surprising amount of judicial activism since 9/11, this article will also argue that judicial activism in reviewing state anti-terrorism activities for respect for human rights can be normatively justified. The normative justifications for judicial review include the unique role of courts in protecting human rights and unpopular minorities, frequently exaggerated claims of legislative and executive expertise in combating terrorism and the ability of courts to accommodate social interests in preventing terrorism through proportionality analysis and dialogue between courts and legislatures. Although courts should be aware of the limitations of their own institutional competence, they should not ignore the limits of legislative and executive competence in counter-terrorism.


Weathering processes in a small watershed (Soldiers Delight) underlain by Serpentinite in the Piedmont of Maryland were studied by means of a mass balance technique and were compared with the processes operative in a watershed uncertain by schist. The two terranes are downwasting at a rate of 2.4 m per m.y., but chemical weathering much more strongly affects the Serpentinite (2.2 m per m.y.) than the schist (1.2 m per m.y.). The serpentinite lacks a saprolite cover because resistate minerals are absent and alumina in the bedrock is scarce. In contrast, the schist contains both quartz and a source of alumina in the alumino-silicate minerals and, as a result, has a thick saprolite mantle. Relatively small amounts of secondary quartz, chalcedony, and 14A clay minerals are synthesized in the serpentinite watershed, but relatively large amounts of gibbsite and clay minerals (kaolinite and vermiculite) are formed during the weathering of the schist. The hydrologic consequences in the serpentinite terrane compared with the schist watershed are increased flood-flow discharge, greater fluctuation in seasonal, instantaneous base-flow discharge, and pronounced seasonal fluctuations in total discharge. The serpentinite stream water averaged 205 ppm of total dissolved solids in the base flow compared to 25 ppm in the schist. Stream water from the serpentinite is of the magnesium bicarbonate type; that from the schist is sodium–calcium bicarbonate type. On the serpentinite, substantial land-surface reduction (denudation) is effected by chemical weathering; mechanical weathering is secondary. On the schist terrane, mechanical weathering is the primary agent that lowers the land surface, even though chemical weathering has reduced the rock mass ay almost one-half.


The study of the intoxiation cases of the patients (0-18 years) admitting to pediatric emergency unit Objective: This study has been held descriptively with the aim of analyzing the acute intoxication cases of the ones (0-18 years) applying to Pediatric Emergency Unit. Material and Method: Permission is obtained from the institution before starting the study. 110 children admitting to pediatric emergency unit with the problem of intoxication have been included in the study after their family signed the consent form by being informed about the aim of the study. Descriptive and parametric tests are used for the evaluation of the data gathered by a questionnaire form prepared based on the literature data. Result: The average age for the cases is 7.7±5.7 (5 months-18 year); 44.5 % of these are in 2-6 age group, 56.4% are female, 61.% are the ones out of school. 57.3% (n=63) of the 110 intoxication cases are drug toxicity (paracetamol 26/63 %) and 65.1% of these are female children. 43.6% of the cases are taken into intensive care unit while 34.5% are hospitalized in service. The average length of hospitalization is 27.6±15.73 hours. 22.7% of the reasons of intoxication (n=5) are suicide, 20% are unconscious drug intake, 19.1% are the drugs left uncovered and 13.6% are home accidents. Gastric lavage is performed to the most of the patients (61.8%) and after giving activated charcoal they are taken into service and received supportive treatment aimed at the symptoms. Conclusion: The fact that the intoxication is mostly seen in children and mostly results from unconsciousness shows that the education of the family about this issue has great importance. Also female children remain at the forefront of the suicidal drug intoxication. We believe that in order to prevent the childhood intoxication, there must be extensive research with the aim of reducing the mortality and morbidity and efforts should be made to raise public awareness.


Development of serotoninergic system of rat hypothalamus has been studied. The level of its maturity was measured by specific absorption of 3H-serotonin by hypothalamus of fetuses (days 16-20 of intra-uterine development), newborn (9 days after birth) and adult rats. Inhibitors of specific serotonin capture by serotoninergic neural elements (cocaine, fluoxetin and cytalopram) were used in control experiments. Specific uptake of 3H-serotonin by hypothalamus was detected on day 16 of intra-uterine development. It increased twice by day 18 and remained unchanged until birth. No statistically significant increase of 3H-serotonin uptake was detected in newborn and adult animals.


Hysteretical effects were studied on the ankle extensor muscle of the anesthetized cat. Continuous and intermittent stimulations were applied to efferents supplying these muscles; linear sinusoidal and step changes of the length were used. Stiffness of the muscle could became negative when the muscle was stretched above the resting length provided that the intermittent stimulation was used. If the same length was achieved under conditions of continuous stimulation, the stiffness was invariably positive. Effectiveness of the intermittent stimulation was higher as compared with continuous one in shortening phases of length changing. The observed hysteretical effects are discussed from the functional point of view.


Palladium-catalyzed fluorous Stille cross-coupling reactions with organic halides or triflates require only 90−120 s for completion when conducted under microwave irradiation. Comparable thermal reactions require about 1 day. Fourteen different coupling products were synthesized and isolated in good yields after three-phase extraction (FC-84, dichloromethane, water) and chromatography. The examples extend the scope of the fluorous Stille coupling with respect to both the tin and halide/triflate components. Applications in parallel synthesis are suggested.


This paper presents profile of the physico-chemical properties of study areas of the research. Most frequently, in the Niger Delta zone spilled oil in the marine sediments is prevalent. The research paper therefore focused at first instance to evolve the parametric control properties which have direct interactions with the spilled oil. Samples sediments A, B, C, and D were collected from the designated study areas of Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Ogbia, Brass and Nembe local government areas hosting the major oil producing companies along the coastal regions of Niger Delta-Nigeria. The samples were subjected to instrumental analysis for determination of pH 5.2 (acidic); electrical conductivity 169 µS/cm; redox potential -134 mv; temperature 25.7 centigrade; bulk density 3.3; particle density 2.75; porosity 41.6; organic matter 8.60; clay 28.70; silt 56.80;  sand 14.5; total hydrocarbon content 83.33; and the metallic components of the samples (mg/kg) stood as follows- Zinc (Zn) 1.47; Lead (Pb) 0.070; copper (Cu) 2.06; cadmium (0.51); Nickel (Ni) 0.82; manganese (Mn) 4.75; iron (Fe) 7.60; and chromium (Cr) 0.98. Table II showed sample Sediment A gave appreciable values on all the parameters for good judgment on the rest samples Sediment B, Sediment C and Sediment D results. The possible reasons being there are much physico-chemical interactions down the samples which bring concomitant effects on animals, fishes, humans' health and regions degradation tendencies and perennial consequences of social agitations for remediation and compensations.


Hollow porous magnetite spheres were synthesized by a simple solvothermal route with controllable size ranging from 80 nm to 400 nm. The size, shell thickness and the interior space of the resulted crystals were controlled by reaction time, molar ratio of ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3) and ammonium acetate (NH4Ac). The structure, morphology, size, and magnetic properties of the hollow porous magnetite spheres were investigated. The characterizations of Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that ratio of NH4HCO3 and NH4Ac, and molar concentration of ammonium played an important role in the morphology, size and magnetic property of the porous hollow sphere. Meanwhile, reaction time strongly influenced in the porous structure and interior space of hollow porous magnetite spheres.


This book is an ambitious effort by three well-known and well-respected scholars to fill an acknowledged void in the literature—a text covering the burgeoning field of empirical finance. As the authors note in the preface, there are several excellent books covering financial theory at a level suitable for a Ph.D. class or as a reference for academics and practitioners, but there is little or nothing similar that covers econometric methods and applications. Perhaps the closest existing text is the recent addition to the Wiley Series in Financial and Quantitative Analysis. written by Cuthbertson (1996). The major difference between the books is that Cuthbertson focuses exclusively on asset pricing in the stock, bond, and foreign exchange markets, whereas Campbell, Lo, and MacKinlay (henceforth CLM) consider empirical applications throughout the field of finance, including corporate finance, derivatives markets, and market microstructure. The level of anticipation preceding publication can be partly measured by the fact that at least three reviews (including this one) have appeared since the book arrived. Moreover, in their reviews, both Harvey (1998) and Tiso (1998) comment on the need for such a text, a sentiment that has been echoed by numerous finance academics.


A trajectory tracking controller based on differential flatness is presented for a nonlinear bicycle model. This controller maps the bicycle dynamics into a point mass located at a center of oscillation with an additional degree of freedom of yaw dynamics. A state transformation is performed that reveals structure in the yaw dynamics resembling a Liénard system. A candidate Lyapunov function inspired by this structure is used to assess the stability of the yaw dynamics while tracking straight-line trajectories and steady turns. The basin of attraction of the controller is limited by actuator constraints and the presence of unstable equilibrium points during turns with high lateral acceleration. The controller properties and the stability of yaw dynamics are demonstrated in simulation.


Nanoparticles are promising alternatives to antibiotics since nanoparticles are easy to manufacture, non-toxic, and do not promote resistance. Nanoparticles act via physical disruption of the bacterial membrane and/or the generation of high concentrations of reactive-oxygen species locally. Potential for physical disruption of the bacterial membrane may be quantified by free energy methods, such as the extended Derjuan-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory, which predicts the initial surface-material interactions. The generation of reactive-oxygen species may be quantified using enthalpies of formation to predict minimum inhibitory concentrations. Neither of these two quantitative structure-activity values describes the dynamic, in situ behavioral changes in the bacteria's struggle to survive. In this paper, borrowing parameters from logistic, oscillatory, and diauxic growth models, we use principal component analysis and agglomerative hierarchical clustering to classify survival modes across nanoparticle types and concentrations. We compare the growth parameters of 170 experimental interactions between nanoparticles and bacteria. The bacteria studied include Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Helicobacter pylori, and were tested across multiple concentrations of liposomal drug delivery systems, amphiphilic peptide, and silver and selenium nanoparticles. Clustering reveals specific pairs of bacteria and nanoparticles where the nanoparticle induced growth dynamics could potentially spread the infection through the development of resistance and tolerance. This rapid screening also shows that bacteria generated nanoparticles do not induce growth modes indicative of the development of resistance. This methodology can be used to rapidly screen for novel therapeutics that do not induce resistance before using more robust intracellular content screening. This methodology can also be used as a quality check on batch manufactured nanoparticles.


Population s of Parargyractis canadensis Munroe that existed in Sandy Creek (Monroe County, N.Y.) were studied from 7 October 1971 to 28 October 1972. Being a new species only recently described by Munroe (1972) it was possible for the first time to document its complete life history. Previous to this study the immature forms of P. canadensis had never been reported. During this study, it was also possible to obtain quantitative estimates of the density and distribution of immature forms of P. Canadensis at three different areas of Sandy Creek. These immature stages averaged 270.2/m 2 for the 1971-72 overwintering generation and 358.2/ m 2 for the 1972 summer generation. Larvae and pupae were found to be uniformly distributed from bank to bank .


This thesis treats the handling analysis of the Vehiconomic's three wheeled prototype vehicle "Smite". This is a light weight low emission vehicle intended for urban traffic but with sufficient power supply to manage highway driving as well. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the vehicle's stability and handling characteristics using the multibody simulation software ADAMS/Car, and also to try to find a more optimum configuration of the vehicle. The software in an excellent tool that allows you to examine different driving scenarios and easily make vehicle modifications, both quicker and safer than in real life.In order to obtain reliable results the simulations have to be as close to the reality as possible. The ADAMS/Car model was validated with the help of logged data, derived while performing physical test runs on an air strip. Maneuvers preformed were; Severe lane change, Slalom maneuver and a J-turn maneuver. Due to simplifications made in the virtual model, the validation did not generate satisfying results for all driving scenarios, but the model is considered good enough to help draw general conclusions about the vehicle's behavior. The largest simplification made was regarding the propelling of the vehicle, which was made front wheel driven instead of rear wheel driven.Due to the simple construction of the vehicle, very little room for modifications is available. The possibilities to affect the position of the center of gravity are very limited. The only room for modification available is in the front suspension system. Due to multiple mounting points for the spring/damper component, 12 different combinations of the front suspension system were generated. Additionally two more setups were made by changing the track width with the implementation of spacers. A suspension configuration was found that reduced the roll angle with approximately 10%.


Animals that can reproduce vegetatively by fission or budding and also sexually via specialized gametes are found in all five primary animal lineages (Bilateria, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Placozoa, Porifera). Many bilaterian lineages, including roundworms, insects, and most chordates, have lost the capability of vegetative reproduction and are obligately gametic. We suggest a developmental explanation for this evolutionary phenomenon: obligate gametic reproduction is the result of germline stem cells winning a winner-take-all competition with non-germline stem cells for control of reproduction and hence lineage survival. We develop this suggestion by extending Hamilton's rule, which factors the relatedness between parties into the cost/benefit analysis that underpins cooperative behaviors, to include similarity of cellular state. We show how coercive or deceptive cell-cell signaling can be used to make costly cooperative behaviors appear less costly to the cooperating party. We then show how competition between stem-cell lineages can render an ancestral combination of vegetative reproduction with facultative sex unstable, with one or the other process driven to extinction. The increased susceptibility to cancer observed in obligatelysexual lineages is, we suggest, a side-effect of deceptive signaling that is exacerbated by the loss of whole-body regenerative abilities. We suggest a variety of experimental approaches for testing our predictions. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 1 October 2020 Revised 14 October 2020 Accepted 15 October 2020


This study evaluated the effect of ginger rhizome and its callus as well as callus elicited by yeast extract, glycine and salicylic acid on the production of pro-inflammatory (TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10 and TGF-β) cytokines in vitro. Petroleum ether (PE) and chloroform; methanol (1:1) (CM) extracts of rhizome and callus were shown to significantly (P < 0.05) suppress in a dose-dependent manner the LPS-induced production of TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6. Both callus extracts showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher ability than the rhizome extracts. CM extract of ginger callus treated with elicitors showed significant (p < 0.05) capacity to inhibit IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α secretion at highest concentration used (100 μg/mL) when compared to control (untreated callus). Elicitors improved significantly (P < 0.05) the callus capacity to produce the IL-10 and TGF-β anti-inflammatory cytokines. HPLC analysis showed that 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol were found in both extracts of rhizome, but were not detected in the callus extracts. Furthermore, gallic acid was found only in CM extracts of rhizome (34.05 ± 0.39 μg/mg) and callus (17.88 ± 0.01 μg/mg). Yeast extract, salicylic acid and glycine elicitors enhanced significantly (p < 0.05) the production of gallic acid in callus CM extract where the highest content was obtained from callus elicited with 100 mg/L of yeast extract followed by callus elicited with 50 mg/L of salicylic acid and 200 mg/L of glycine, respectively. Therefore, ginger callus could be included in nutraceutical formulations where it could provide valuable protection against inflammatory diseases.

 Key words: Anti-inflammatory, ginger, callus, elicitors.


The nature and growth of electro-deposits of manganese on substrates of alpha manganese, gamma manganese, copper, stainless steel and aluminium from pure solutions with no addition agents and with addition agents of sulphur dio-xide or selenious acid have been studied. It has been shown that a flash layer of amorphous manganese is init-ially deposited from pure solutions fitting in or rese-mbling that of alpha manganese over which gamma manganese begins to build up in absence of reducible sulphur or selenium compounds. In presence of sulphur dioxide, the amorphous nature continues to build up to an increasing thickness over which a crystalline pattern of alpha manganese is obtained. It has been further shown that tha substrate has a directing influence only in the first few atomic layers of the deposit and beyond that, with all other conditions of deposition remaining the same, on the same and similarly prepared substrates, gamma and alpha manganese can be prepared with an/addition of 0.1 gmil of SO2 or 112Se03 for alpha—deposition and the absence of reducible S or Se compounds for gamma deposition. Even gamma manganese can be deposited on alpha manganese and vice versa depending upon the absence or presence of reducible sulphur or selenium compounds in the electrolyte.


Due to the current hype around cloud computing, the term "native cloud application" becomes increasingly popular. It suggests an application to fully benefit from all the advantages of cloud computing. Many users tend to consider their applications as cloud native if the application is just bundled in a virtual machine image or a container. Even though virtualization is fundamental for implementing the cloud computing paradigm, a virtualized application does not automatically cover all properties of a native cloud application. In this work, we propose a definition of a native cloud application by specifying the set of characteristic architectural properties, which a native cloud application has to provide. We demonstrate the importance of these properties by introducing a typical scenario from current practice that moves an application to the cloud. The identified properties and the scenario especially show why virtualization alone is insufficient to build native cloud applications. Finally, we outline how native cloud applications respect the core principles of service-oriented architectures, which are currently hyped a lot in the form of microservice architectures.


In this article, we provide a nuanced perspective on the benefits and costs of covert research. In particular, we illustrate the value of such an approach by focusing on covert participant observation. We posit that all observational studies sit along a continuum of consent, with few research projects being either fully overt or fully covert due to practical constraints and the ambiguous nature of consent itself. With reference to illustrative examples, we demonstrate that the study of deviant behaviors, secretive organizations and socially important topics is often only possible through substantially covert participant observation. To support further consideration of this method, we discuss different ethical perspectives and explore techniques to address the practical challenges of covert participant observation, including; gaining access, collecting data surreptitiously, reducing harm to participants, leaving the site of study and addressing ethical issues.


Discover Novel and Insightful Knowledge from Data Represented as a Graph Practical Graph Mining with R presents a "do-it-yourself" approach to extracting interesting patterns from graph data. It covers many basic and advanced techniques for the identification of anomalous or frequently recurring patterns in a graph, the discovery of groups or clusters of nodes that share common patterns of attributes and relationships, the extraction of patterns that distinguish one category of graphs from another, and the use of those patterns to predict the category of new graphs. Hands-On Application of Graph Data Mining Each chapter in the book focuses on a graph mining task, such as link analysis, cluster analysis, and classification. Through applications using real data sets, the book demonstrates how computational techniques can help solve real-world problems. The applications covered include network intrusion detection, tumor cell diagnostics, face recognition, predictive toxicology, mining metabolic and protein-protein interaction networks, and community detection in social networks. Develops Intuition through Easy-to-Follow Examples and Rigorous Mathematical Foundations Every algorithm and example is accompanied with R code. This allows readers to see how the algorithmic techniques correspond to the process of graph data analysis and to use the graph mining techniques in practice. The text also gives a rigorous, formal explanation of the underlying mathematics of each technique. Makes Graph Mining Accessible to Various Levels of Expertise Assuming no prior knowledge of mathematics or data mining, this self-contained book is accessible to students, researchers, and practitioners of graph data mining. It is suitable as a primary textbook for graph mining or as a supplement to a standard data mining course. It can also be used as a reference for researchers in computer, information, and computational science as well as a handy guide for data analytics practitioners.


Consecutive autopsy of 1,000 cases of the aged disclosed coronary sclerosis in 428 cases, myocardial infarction in 137, cardiac hypertrophy in 237, valvular heart disease in 120, conduction disturbances in 96, cor pulmonale in 41, pericarditis in 39, and congenital heart disease or anomalies in 28. There were 343 morphologically normal hearts. A total of 1,022 heart diseases were found in 657 cases, corresponding 1.6 heart diseases per one heart. Heart diseases in the aged were divided into (1) those continuing from the younger period and (2) those specifically found in the aged. The latter were non-inflammatory valvular diseases and chronic conduction disturbances. Mitral regurgitation, including mitral ring dilatation (10), mitral ring calcification (9), spontaneous rupture of the chordae tendineae (2) and calcified aortic stenosis (12) and degenerative aortic regurgitation of prolapsed cusp (35) were produced by various degeneration of the connective tissue of the valves. A total of 59 cases of conduction disturbances consisted of complete or advanced heart block (15), right bundle branch block (RBBB) (16), RBBB with left axis deviation (17), and left bundle branch block (LBBB) (11). Forty-seven cases showed main lesions in the branching portion of the AV bundle and origin of the bilateral bundle branches, which were closely related to the degeneration of the central fibrous body and fibrosis at the summit of the ventricular septum. The common field, where the valvular diseases and conduction disturbances occurred, was the fibrous trigone of the heart.


This research synthesis provides policy-makers and practitioners with an understanding of the building blocks for effective adaptation decision-making, as evidenced through the NCCARF research program. It synthesised a portfolio of adaptation research for each Australian state and territory and addressing the complex relationships between research and policy development. Each state and territory synthesis report directs users to research relevant identified priorities.


Location-aware technology and Internet connectivity embedded in mobile phones allow users to navigate physical spaces and be connected to other users, bringing many activities formerly performed "online" to physical hybrid spaces. Among such activities are location-based mobile games (LBMGs), which use urban spaces as the game scenario. This article is a case study of Alien Revolt (2005-2007), the first Brazilian LBMG, released in 2005 by the company Mind Corporation and the operator Oi in Rio de Janeiro. The game uses Java-enabled cell phones equipped with location awareness to transform the city into a battlefield. Following much of the Swedish game Botfighters' (2001-2005) idea, the first LBMG, Alien Revolt's goal involves virtually shooting other players within a specific radius in the city space. Alien Revolt exemplifies how cell phones strengthen users' connections to physical space, because they are used as collective communication devices, rather than personal private technologies. Moreover, when used for location-based activities, the cell phone plays the role of a location aware technology, rather than a mobile telephone used for two-way voice communication.


During the past decade several eSafety systems were developed for vehicles and promising future improvements of road safety are expected to rely on such safety functions. Especially for active safety systems attempting to avoid accidents through active support to the driver, which are currently under rapid development, no generally accepted assessment program is in place, thus there is a need for standardised testing and assessment methods. The objective of this research is the examination of existing test procedures used for the evaluation of various technological systems related to vehicle safety. For that reason a thorough literature review was carried out in to identify the most appropriate procedures that are currently used or are under development to test the various technological systems and examine if these procedures are relevant to road accident problems. The difference between active and passive safety is explained and the intelligent transport systems are categorised in two different ways. The different organizations and bodies involved to the development of the test procedures are described, as well as methodologies for testing and evaluation of preventive safety functions that have been addressed in several research projects in Europe and US during the last years are presented. Moreover, several test procedures concerning active safety are described in a standardised way, and some detailed information regarding ISO and SAE standards is provided. The results of the research revealed that while test methods for validation of ICTbased safety systems with drivers in the loop are not widely applied, there are certain methods for testing specific systems, mainly given by means of standards. The measured data recorded through testing procedures can be used to calculate safety performance indicators describing the performance of the safety function and the evaluation of a safety system for regulatory consideration requires full attention and further concrete steps that could involve educating consumers on the merits of a safety system, incentivizing automobile manufacturers to make the system readily available or further analyzing the system. This work has been undertaken in the EC funded DaCoTA project Key-words Active safety systems, test procedures, system evaluation


The lifeworld term and the programmatic demand for lifeworld-orientation are well established within the entire field of modern day social work. The subject of this article is the introduction of a lifeworld-concept, that is based on an epistemological distinction between ???lifeworld??? ( Lebenswelt ) and ???life conditions??? ( Lebenslage ). In this context, the term ???lifeworld??? and its usage will be critically reconsidered and then contrasted to the term ???life conditions???. By taking a closer look at the differentiation between the life we live (i.e. the live as it happens), the life we experience and the life which we communicate to others, it becomes possible to demonstrate the specific borders and requirements of perception and communication, which have to be handled responsibly in research, teaching and practical work in order to meet professional, legal and normative standards.


: System openness refers to the extent to which system components (e.g., hardware and software) can be independently integrated, removed, or replaced without adversely impacting the existing system. Openness is an intuitively understood concept used to describe the architecture and implementation of safety- mission, and infrastructure-critical systems. However, openness is difficult to quantify in terms of its value . While openness is widely associated with life-cycle cost avoidance, system openness can also lead to increased costs in some cases. Previous efforts to establish value have relied on qualitative system analyses, with the results often articulated as an intangible "openness score" that fails to provide the information necessary to understand the conditions under which there is a life-cycle cost avoidance. This paper develops a model that quantifies the relationship between system openness, life-cycle cost and system capability risks. A case study that evaluates the Acoustic Rapid COTS Insertion (A-RCI) Sonar System is provided. For the version of the A-RCI considered in this paper, an open system architecture was found to always be cost-effective when the original A-RCI two-year refresh interval is mandated. However, if the refresh interval is unconstrained and the expected consequence of losing capability is small, a closed system with no refreshes is less costly than the original A-RCI.


ABSTRACT This study aims to analyze the effect of transport performance and bus crew performance on the quality of Trans Sarbagita transportation services in Bali Province. This study combines a descriptive analysis techniques and structural equations with alternative PLS SEM. The findings showed that the performance of transport and performance of the bus crew had a positive and significant effect on the quality of Trans Sarbagita transportation services in the Province of Bali. Transportation performance, bus crew performance and service quality have a significantly affects on the satisfaction level of Trans Sarbagita users in Bali Province. Transport performance and bus crew performance indirectly influence the level of satisfaction through the quality of Trans Sarbagita services in Bali Province. Based on the results of the study, a more comprehensive study is needed in the development of Trans Sarbagita public transportation to realize service quality and maximum level of satisfaction. Keywords: Transport Performance,  Community Satisfaction, Service Quality, and Satisfaction Level


Trompe l'oeil (French for "fool or deceive the eye"), is a genre dating back to antiquity that has fascinated both painters and viewers from the Renaissance to the present day. Both witty and serious, it describes paintings that imitate natural appearances so convincingly that viewers momentarily mistake the objects for the real thing. The moment of deception, however, is brief. Uncertainty over what is real and what is illusion is soon replaced by amusement at having been tricked and admiration for the artist's ingenuity and skill. This book explores the fascinating art of trompe l'oeil in more than 100 European and American paintings ranging in date from the 15th through the 20th centuries. Organised thematically, the volume begins with works of art inspired by ancient prototypes and with paintings by early Renaissance artists whose close observation of nature was a prerequisite for eye-deceiving illusionism. It then presents the principal subjects of trompe l'oeil artists, beginning with images of letters, prints, dollar bills and other essentially flat objects that appear to rest on the picture surface, and then moves to three-dimensional illusions in which objects appear to project or recede from the picture plane, blurring the boundary between real and fictitious space. An epilogue illustrates the legacy of the art of trompe l'oeil for 20th-century artists. Five enlightening essays by experts in European and American art and the science of seeing examine the phenomenon and persistence of trompe l'oeil over the centuries.


ABSTRACT Male-specific single-stranded RNA (FRNA) coliphages belong to the family Leviviridae. They are classified into two genera (Levivirus and Allolevivirus), which can be subdivided into four genogroups (genogroups I and II in Levivirus and genogroups III and IV in Allolevivirus). Relatively few strains have been completely characterized, and hence, a detailed knowledge of this virus family is lacking. In this study, we sequenced and characterized the complete genomes of 19 FRNA strains (10 Levivirus strains and 9 Allolevivirus strains) and compared them to the 11 complete genome sequences available in GenBank. Nucleotide similarities among strains of Levivirus genogroups I and II were 75% to 99% and 83 to 94%, respectively, whereas similarities among strains of Allolevivirus genogroups III and IV ranged from 70 to 96% and 75 to 95%, respectively. Although genogroup I strain fr and genogroup III strains MX1 and M11 share only 70 to 78% sequence identity with strains in their respective genogroups, phylogenetic analyses of the complete genome and the individual genes suggest that strain fr should be grouped in Levivirus genogroup I and that the MX1 and M11 strains belong in Allolevivirus genogroup III. Strains within each genus share >50% sequence identity, whereas between the two genera, strains have <40% nucleotide sequence identity. Overall, amino acid composition, nucleotide similarities, and replicase catalytic domain location contributed to phylogenetic assignments. A conserved eight-nucleotide signature at the 3′ end of the genome distinguishes leviviruses (5′ ACCACCCA 3′) from alloleviviruses (5′ TCCTCCCA 3′).


What makes or breaks the decision for an MNC to enter an emerging market beyond incentives for profit-maximization? What role exists for public-private partnerships as a mechanism for value capture in agricultural biotechnology investments into uncertain markets? The objective of the paper is to provide the necessary theoretical framework by which future research may empirically assess the discounted value and probability of R&D investments into the African agricultural biotechnology sector. A partnership model lies at the foundation for creating marketing channels between industries with high fixed costs and high social utility value. Stimulating intellectual and scientific investments in agricultural biotechnology are contingent on prioritization of public policy, wherein optimal investment strategy into developing markets becomes a balance between providing adequate incentives for investment without compensating technological dissemination to smallholders. A strong regulatory environment not only ensures market power for the private industry and but forces change in the general expectations from and attitude towards the hybrid seed and agriculture innovation. It is, additionally, imperative to create a linkage between the private sector and the smallholder. Not only are multinationals currently the gatekeepers of intellectual capacity for agricultural biotechnology research, but also possess capacity to enter the market and provide products en masses. The lack of immediate profit incentives may be balanced by public sector partnerships that might cushion risks and eventually expand market opportunities for the smallholder.


The study was majorly focused on energy-saving measures and strengthening thermal insulation construction technology in residential building design. Through the comprehensively detailed analysis on the energy-consumption issue of residential buildings, the researcher has realized the necessity of energy saving and thermal insulation, which also initiated the reflection and the further-launched discussion on energy-saving measures and thermal insulation construction technology. In the study, the researcher explored and analyzed mainly on several aspects, the factors to consider in energy saving and thermal insulation, the specific energy-saving measures and strengthening thermal insulation construction, and gave many energy-saving measures and thermal insulation constructions that have good application prospect and practical value. Meanwhile, the researcher also simply researched on the preoccupations of these technologies, key design ideas, technical key points and technology implementation standard, as well as briefly introduced them. This study possesses a certain guiding significance for the energy-saving measures of implementation and thermal insulation construction technology selection in the residential building design. By reference to the study, it is possible to make energy-saving measures and thermal insulation construction technology choices in residential building design more extensive and practical, which has significant meaning for building energy consumption reduction.


We provide an analytic, microscopic analysis of extreme events in an adaptive population comprising competing agents (e.g. species, cells, traders, data-packets). Such large changes tend to dictate the long-term dynamical behaviour of many real-world systems in both the natural and social sciences. Our results reveal a taxonomy of extreme events, and provide a microscopic understanding as to their build-up and likely duration. PACS: 87.23.Ge, 02.50.Le, 05.45.Tp, 87.23.Kg


The judicial role in child custody and visitation disputes has traditionally been understood as one of authoritative decision-making. However this new empirical research suggests that many family court judges prioritize the pursuit of voluntary settlement in pre-trial conferences, using evaluative and facilitative mediation techniques. Drawing on qualitative interviews with judges and other family law professionals in Toronto and New York City, this article identifies points of consensus and controversy among settlement-seeking family judges. Despite the general support for settlement-seeking, there are substantial differences of opinion regarding coercion, due process, and the meaning of the best interests of the child standard.


The sudden disappearance of electrical current during a plasma disruption in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) induces large transient eddy currents in the surrounding vacuum vessel. These eddy currents interact with the background magnetic fields to produce significant mechanical loads. In this study a detailed model of a representative 36 degree segment of the vessel was chosen for analysis and assumed to have a ten-fold rotational symmetry. The eddy currents and Lorentz forces were calculated using an extended version of the eddy current code SPARK with plasma drivers corresponding to several different stationary and moving plasma disruption scenarios. The forces were then used as input to the structural analysis code NASTRAN to calculate the dynamic mechanical response of the vacuum vessel.


Recent data suggest that responsiveness to methacholine continues to improve 2 and more years after cessation of exposure to agents causing occupational asthma (OA). The goal of this study was to characterize further the curve of improvement to methacholine responsiveness in subjects with OA. Eighty subjects with confirmed OA who had at least two assessments of a provocative concentration of histamine causing a 20% drop in FEV(1) (PC(20)) and were seen for at least 2 years after cessation of exposure. The shape of recovery of PC(20) was assessed by CARMA (James K. Lindsey, Liège, Belgium) analysis. Slopes of recovery were compared in the first 2.5 years in 55 subjects and from 2.5 years until the end of observation in 56 subjects. Recovery curves showed progressive improvements in PC(20) significantly influenced by time lapse since end of exposure, sex, baseline PC(20), and FEV(1). The slopes of recovery were significantly different from zero both for the first 2.5 years after cessation of exposure (0.27 +/- 0.05 SEM natural logarithm of PC(20) per year) and later (0.09 +/- 0.008 SEM natural logarithm of PC(20) per year), with the slope significantly steeper for the first 2.5 years. This study shows that improvement in responsiveness to methacholine continues for years after cessation of exposure but that the improvement is more rapid in the first 2.5 years.


The Rideau Canal in south-eastern Ontario falls under three major heritage designations. However, the cemeteries that house the bodies of the labourers who built the Canal are left out of official heritage discourses of the Canal for several reasons including: a lack of historical and archaeological research on the Canal labourers after their deaths; specific cultural and geographical conditions under which labourers were interred, which have led to misconceptions of "unmarked" and "forgotten" cemeteries and; the inability of current policy and legislation used to administer the Canal to recognize human remains as contributing to heritage value. This thesis demonstrates how the bodies of Canal labourers currently contribute to the heritage value of the Canal and their own local communities both in terms of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and advocates for a shift towards a new heritage discourse of the Canal which recognizes this contribution.


Introduction: There is widespread use of herbal and dietary supplements worldwide among patients despite robust clinical evidence of its efficacy. This may lead to adverse effects, such as diabetes,hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular risk and kidney problems due to inappropriate self-prescription. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of herbal and dietary supplements usage among patients with chronic kidney disease and its association with the socio-demographic background and the conventional medication adherence. Materials and methods: A survey was conducted among 78 chronic kidney disease patients attending the Nephrology Clinic, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan, Pahang.
Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi Square Test and Fisher's Exact Test. The p-value was set to be less 0.05 for its level of significance. Results: Most of the patients aged more than 50 years (89.7%), female (53.8%), unemployed (41%) and from lower socioeconomic earners (75.6%). Only 5.2% of respondents reported using herbal and dietary supplements. There was no association between socio-demographic background with the herbal and dietary supplements usage. Similarly, there was no association between herbal and dietary supplements usage and the conventional medication adherence. Conclusion: This study provides a good baseline on the usage of herbal and dietary
supplements use among chronic disease patients. It can be concluded that the level of awareness among the patients is good. Nevertheless, a larger study shall be performed in the future to explore the pattern of association.


This study critically reviews the recently published scientific literature on the design and impact of adaptive and intelligent systems for collaborative learning support (AICLS) systems. The focus is threefold: 1) analyze critical design issues of AICLS systems and organize them under a unifying classification scheme, 2) present research evidence on the impact of these systems on student learning, and 3) identify current trends and open research questions in the field. After systematically searching online bibliographic databases, 105 articles were included in the review with 70 of them reporting concrete evaluation data on the learning impact of AICLS systems. Systems design analysis led us to propose a classification scheme with five dimensions: pedagogical objective, target of adaptation, modeling, technology, and design space. The reviewed articles indicate that AICLS systems increasingly introduce Artificial Intelligence and Web 2.0 techniques to support pretask interventions, in-task peer interactions, and learning domain-specific activities. Findings also suggest that AICLS systems may improve both learners' domain knowledge and collaboration skills. However, these benefits are subject to the learning design and the capability of AICLS to adapt and intervene in an unobtrusive way. Finally, providing peer interaction support seems to motivate students and improve collaboration and learning.


BACKGROUND
Women who undergo in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer (IVF/ET) face complicated psychological stress and negative emotions, which may affect health during pregnancy and the development of the fetus. The current literature does not address the question of whether women who become pregnant spontaneously and women who undergo IVF face similar levels of pregnancy stress.

PURPOSE
This study investigates the differences in pregnancy stress between women with spontaneous pregnancy and women with IVF/ET pregnancy living in central Taiwan during their first 20 weeks of pregnancy.

METHODS
A prospective, longitudinal design with repeated measures, generalized estimated equations model, Wilks' λ, and Bonferroni test was used. Purposive samples of 163 women who had undergone IVF/ET and of 94 women who had undergone spontaneous pregnancy were enrolled as participants. Pregnancy stress was measured using the Chinese version of the self-administered Pregnancy Stress Scale at the 9th, 12th, and 20th weeks of pregnancy.

RESULTS
The psychological stress experienced by IVF participants significantly increased with gestational week during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy (p < .01) but did not significantly increase in spontaneous-pregnancy participants. Gestational week was the main factor found to influence stress ratings for "identifying maternal role." "Altering body structure and body function" was the main factor found to influence pregnancy stress (p < .00). The method of becoming pregnant had no significant influence on pregnancy stress during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy (p > .05).

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
The results of this study provide clinical evidence that IVF/ET does not cause more stress for women than spontaneous pregnancy. However, the intensity and trend of stresses differed between these two groups. These findings suggest that nurses should consider method of pregnancy when assessing the risk of stress in expectant mothers for each gestational week and when providing appropriate care and support.


Although mitochondria have irreplaceable function in cells, their targeting for therapeutic applications is rather underexplored. As is becoming clear, the mitochondrion is not only a cellular powerhouse that synthetizes ATP, but also produces a number of biologically essential metabolites and is a relay point of a variety of signaling pathways. Many mitochondrial processes are highly conserved and/ or are important for organism survival. According to the free radical theory of aging, certain types of age-related disorders belong to mitochondrial diseases. Therefore, modulation of the mitochondrial functional status might help in some pathologies related to either mitochondrial function impairment or in the treatment of diseases which rely on highly functional mitochondria. Accordingly, this presentation will focus on a class of compounds that affect mitochondrial function. It will also describe methods of mitochondria targeting and the underlying mechanism of preferential accumulation of these agents into compartments with high trans membrane potential. Several possible areas of medicinal use of such compounds will be discussed. The story of the mitochondria-targeted tamoxifen (MitoTam), which is an inhibitor of mitochondrial respiratory complex I with ensuing anti-cancer activity will illustrate that mitochondrial targeting can lead to specific application of these compounds that we refer to as mitocans (standing for mitochondria and cancer). Specific targeting of complex I with MitoTam results in generation of high level of reactive oxygen species in mitochondria, resulting in efficient elimination of cancer cells. MitoTam is currently in Phase 1 clinical trial, and the background of its discovery, synthesis, manufacturing process optimization, preclinical development and mechanism of action will be discussed as well.
Furthermore, the antitumor effects of mitochondrially targeted derivatives of an iron chelator deferoxamine, which are able to disrupt iron metabolism, will be presented. These compounds pose significant migrastatic potential and are effective in suppression of experimental tumors in vivo.
Moreover, an approach to inhibit mitochondrial functional status in senescent cells will be shown. Due to a secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially TNFα, IL6, IL8 and IL1β are senescent cells associated with many age related pathologies. Hence, modulation of senescence associated secretory phenotype via implementing either senolytic or senomorphic compounds might be one of the cornerstones in the longevity research. Several other molecules (MitoQ, MitoVES, IACS-010759) which either enhance or diminish mitochondrial function will be presented/mentioned in context of current knowledge.


Background The cyclical brain disorder of sensory processing accompanying migraine phases lacks an explanatory unified theory. Methods We searched Pubmed for non-invasive neurophysiological studies on migraine and related conditions using transcranial magnetic stimulation, electroencephalography, visual and somatosensory evoked potentials. We summarized the literature, reviewed methods, and proposed a unified theory for the pathophysiology of electrophysiological abnormalities underlying migraine recurrence. Results All electrophysiological modalities have determined specific changes in brain dynamics across the different phases of the migraine cycle. Transcranial magnetic stimulation studies show unbalanced recruitment of inhibitory and excitatory circuits, more consistently in aura, which ultimately results in a substantially distorted response to neuromodulation protocols. Electroencephalography investigations highlight a steady pattern of reduced alpha and increased slow rhythms, largely located in posterior brain regions, which tends to normalize closer to the attacks. Finally, non-painful evoked potentials suggest dysfunctions in habituation mechanisms of sensory cortices that revert during ictal phases. Conclusion Electrophysiology shows dynamic and recurrent functional alterations within the brainstem-thalamus-cortex loop varies continuously and recurrently in migraineurs. Given the central role of these structures in the selection, elaboration, and learning of sensory information, these functional alterations suggest chronic, probably genetically determined dysfunctions of the synaptic short- and long-term learning mechanisms.


NH3 production by renal cortical mitochondria was studied under conditions of metabolic acidosis induced in vivo and with pH manipulations of the media bathing mitochondria from normal rats. A HCO3- medium equilibrated with O2 and CO2 was utilized with glutamine concentrations of either 10 or 0.5 mM. With chronic acidosis NH3 production increased significantly at either substrate concentration. Similar results were obtained with rotenone in the media, both with chronic acidosis and with acidosis of 3 h duration, indicating that increased glutamine entry and/or phosphate-dependent glutaminase (PDG) activity accounts for the increased ammoniagenesis. In contrast to acidosis induced in vivo, mitochondria from normal rats subjected to a diminution in medium pH, either by manipulation of HCO3 concentration or PCO2, significantly decrease NH3 production. Mitochondrial studies with rotenone, as well as studies of solubilized PDG, suggest that a low pH diminishes NH3 production by directly altering PDG activity. Furthermore, regardless of the specifics of the mechanism, these studies indicate that adaptation to metabolic acidosis is not the immediate, direct result of a change in pH.


The Semantic Web is a project and vision of the World Wide Web Consortium to extend the current Web, so that information is given well-defined meaning and structure, enhancing computers and people to work in cooperation. Semantic technologies are being added to enterprise solutions to accommodate new techniques for discovering relationships across different database, business applications and Web services. In this paper, we present an architectural model for a software tool which combines the use of Semantic Web mechanisms with database metadata and data warehousing mechanisms. If the benefits of the Semantic Web concept are combined with a powerful database server, then the information management will be much improved.


Graph programs allow a visual description of programs on graphs and graph-like structures. The correctness of a graph program with respect to a pre- and a postcondition can be shown in a classical way by constructing a weakest precondition of the program relative to the postcondition and checking whether the precondition implies the weakest precondition. ENFORCe is a currently developed system for ensuring formal correctness of graph programs and, more general, high-level programs by computing weakest preconditions of these programs. In this paper, we outline the features of the system and present its software framework.


Power consumption is a key point in the design of high-speed switched capacitor (SC) circuits, which efficiently implement a number of analog functions. Among them, SC modulators are very popular for analog-to-digital conversion. In this kind of circuit, operational amplifiers are the most con- suming cells because of their requirements in terms of dc-gain and unity-gain frequency. An operational amplifier with 90 dB dc-gain and a unity-gain frequency of 250 MHz is presented. The large power consumption (18 mW) could make critical its use in commercial applications, in particular for portable devices. However, combining this cell with a fast adaptive biasing circuit, high performance may be achieved with a 40% power consump- tion reduction. This approach has been used in the design of a sixth-order bandpass modulator suitable for the conversion at intermediate frequency (10.7 MHz) of the FM radio signal. A comparison with a structure without the proposed solution demonstrates that the modulator performance are not degraded by the proposed technique.


Introduces a typed /spl pi/-calculus where strong normalisation is ensured by typability. Strong normalisation is a useful property in many computational contexts, including distributed systems. In spite of its simplicity, our type discipline captures a wide class of converging name-passing interactive behaviours. The proof of strong normalisability combines methods from typed /spl lambda/-calculi and linear logic with process-theoretic reasoning. It is adaptable to systems involving state and other extensions. Strong normalisation is shown to have significant consequences, including finite axiomatisation of weak bisimilarity, a fully abstract embedding of the simply-typed /spl lambda/-calculus with products and sums and basic liveness in interaction. Strong normalisability has been extensively studied as a fundamental property in functional calculi, term rewriting and logical systems. This work is one of the first steps to extend theories and proof methods for strong normalisability to the context of name-passing processes.


The objective of this paper is to study the behaviour of the landfill soil-to-refuse (S/R) ratio when size, geometry and operating parameters of the daily cell vary over realistic ranges. A simple procedure is presented (1) for calculating the cell parameters values which minimise the S/R ratio and (2) for studying the sensitivity of this minimum S/R ratio to variations in cell size, final refuse density, working face length, lift height and cover thickness. In countries where daily soil cover is required, savings in landfill space could be realised following this procedure. The sensitivity of minimum S/R to variations in cell dimensions decreases with cell size. Working face length and lift height affect the S/R ratio significantly. This procedure also offers the engineer an additional tool for comparing one large daily cell with two or more smaller ones, at two different working faces within the same landfill.


As surgeons we are living in an amazing era. Rapid advances in technology transform our surgeries in countless ways. After 20 years the first uniportal VATS were performed (1-3), the procedure has its own space in the thoracic surgery (4), and this special issue takes the readers to reflect on the exciting recent development and future expectations of this modern and futuristic surgical approach.