In this work, we have proposed a de-noise interpolation Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps(DNIKSOM) -based method for the Map matching(MM). It has been seen that there are some problems in the MM, such as large error range of the original position information, low match accuracy and so on. Therefore, in MM problem to achieve high accuracy, it is necessary to consider the topography of roads and the requirement for match accuracy lying within the original position information in the matching process. In the present study, Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps(KSOM) in the field of pattern recognition possesses good performance. Now to get more valuable position information, A kind of de-noise algorithm for Kohonen neural network is proposed to meet the case that neural network may not be trained sufficiently with consideration for the topography of roads. And a kind of Lagrange interpolation algorithm is also proposed to meet the requirements for matching accuracy. These processes make the amended position information closer to the true value. In this application to a city's MM, we investigate DNIKSOM's ,KSOM's and Centroid localization algorithm's location performance on a original position data set. Finally, the comparison of experimental results shows that DNIKSOM has better location performance than others.


To meet the requirements of weight-saving and low-cost production of components for future transport vehicles, the concept of multi-material mix is of increasing importance. In this context aluminum-iron compounds produced by means of compound casting are considered to be of particular importance. An essential and critical aspect of such compound castings is the formation of intermetallic phases (IMP) at the Al-Fe interface. Both the nature and the kinetics of potential IMPs are not well understood and require a systematic investigation. In this paper we document the interface formation of pure Al and binary Al-alloys on a mild steel substrate by means of isothermal wetting experiments. Tests were carried out employing the sessile droplet method in a controlled atmosphere. Using pure Al and Al7Si, Al7Cu, and Al7Zn alloys the interface reactions were investigated by quantitative metallography (LOM, SEM/EDX). Special attention was paid to the influence of the alloying elements on the type and sequence of IMPs at the interface.


Convenience stores with refrigerated display cases are ubiquitous in much of the developed world. For such buildings it is common to utilize multiple rooftop units (RTU) to serve the retail area and multiple coolers or freezers to provide cooling for merchandise. The overall objective of this paper is to develop and assess an integrated control approach for typical convenience store applications using a virtual testbed. The integrated controls will coordinate the operation of multiple RTUs and refrigeration systems for the purposes of reducing energy consumption and electrical peak demand. For practical implementation, a model-based predictive control algorithm is developed and evaluated that requires no additional sensors. Convenience stores are everywhere and opportunities for optimizing controls would be significant.


Some medicinal plants contain natural compounds such as isoflavonoids and polyphenols that produce sterility in male animals. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of the chloroform extract of the seeds of Sea Island cotton, Gossypium barbadense; the ethanolic extract of seeds of soybean, Glycine max; and the ethanolic extract of the leaves of rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, on the fertility of male albino mice as a prelude for their usage in the control of house mice. The extraction of cottonseeds was performed by soaking and shaking, and the extraction of soybeans seeds and rosemary leaves was performed using the Soxhlet apparatus. Sperm parameters, histology of testes, and biochemical parameters of treated mice were compared with the corresponding ones of untreated mice. The oral administration of all extracts caused a significant reduction in sperm count and motility, and had severe histopathological effects on the testes. The plant extracts also caused significant decreases in the concentration of free testosterone, significant increases in the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, and a significant decrease in the concentration of urea in serum (except the extract of soybeans). The plant extracts tested in the present study proved to have anti-fertility effects on male albino mice, but it caused significant perturbations in the kidney and liver. These extracts could be used in the control of house mice.


Purpose: To summarize the recent evidence regarding different aspects of pterygium recurrence. Methods: Human-based studies from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were identified using the following keywords: conjunctival disease, pterygium, recurrent pterygium, pterygium recurrence, pterygium management/surgery, conjunctival autograft (CAU), amniotic membrane graft/transplant, and adjuvant therapy (January 2009 to February 2021). We reviewed risk factors associated with the recurrence of pterygium, timing of recurrence, medical treatments to prevent from recurrence, and nonsurgical and surgical alternatives for management of recurrence. Results: Dry eye disease, black race, and young age are considered definite risk factors for recurrence. However, fleshy appearance of the pterygium and preoperative size remain controversial. Surgical techniques such as excessive suturing, insufficient conjunctival graft size, thick conjunctival graft with remained Tenon tissue, and postoperative graft retraction are considered possible risk factors for recurrence. Using fibrin glue instead of sutures can further reduce recurrence rates. Although recurrence could occur even after many years, most recurrences happen in the first 3–6 months after surgery. Multiple kinds of adjuvant medications are used before, during, or after the operation including mitomycin C (MMC), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), corticosteroids, and anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGFs). Multiple weekly subconjunctival 5-FU injections are shown to be safe and effective in halting the progression of recurrent pterygium. Although topical bevacizumab is found to inhibit the growth of impending recurrent pterygium, the effect is mostly temporary. CAU is superior to amniotic membrane transplantation in the treatment for recurrent pterygia. Conclusions: There is yet to be a panacea in treating recurrent pterygium. Currently, there is not a globally accepted recommendation for treating recurrent pterygium with anti-VEGFs or 5-FU as a nonsurgical treatment. We strongly recommend using MMC as an adjunct to surgery in recurrent cases, with consideration of its specific complications. CAU is the most effective surgical treatment for recurrent pterygium, and other new surgical therapies need further investigation.


BACKGROUND
Lorlatinib, a third-generation inhibitor of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), has antitumor activity in previously treated patients with ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The efficacy of lorlatinib, as compared with that of crizotinib, as first-line treatment for advanced ALK-positive NSCLC is unclear.

METHODS
We conducted a global, randomized, phase 3 trial comparing lorlatinib with crizotinib in 296 patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC who had received no previous systemic treatment for metastatic disease. The primary end point was progression-free survival as assessed by blinded independent central review. Secondary end points included independently assessed objective response and intracranial response. An interim analysis of efficacy was planned after approximately 133 of 177 (75%) expected events of disease progression or death had occurred.

RESULTS
The percentage of patients who were alive without disease progression at 12 months was 78% (95% confidence interval [CI], 70 to 84) in the lorlatinib group and 39% (95% CI, 30 to 48) in the crizotinib group (hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.41; P<0.001). An objective response occurred in 76% (95% CI, 68 to 83) of the patients in the lorlatinib group and 58% (95% CI, 49 to 66) of those in the crizotinib group; among those with measurable brain metastases, 82% (95% CI, 57 to 96) and 23% (95% CI, 5 to 54), respectively, had an intracranial response, and 71% of the patients who received lorlatinib had an intracranial complete response. The most common adverse events with lorlatinib were hyperlipidemia, edema, increased weight, peripheral neuropathy, and cognitive effects. Lorlatinib was associated with more grade 3 or 4 adverse events (mainly altered lipid levels) than crizotinib (in 72% vs. 56%). Discontinuation of treatment because of adverse events occurred in 7% and 9% of the patients, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
In an interim analysis of results among patients with previously untreated advanced ALK-positive NSCLC, those who received lorlatinib had significantly longer progression-free survival and a higher frequency of intracranial response than those who received crizotinib. The incidence of grade 3 or 4 adverse events was higher with lorlatinib than with crizotinib because of the frequent occurrence of altered lipid levels. (Funded by Pfizer; CROWN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03052608.).


Estimation of treatment e ects with causal interpretation from observational data is complicated because exposure to treatment may be confounded with subject characteristics. The propensity score, the probability of treatment exposure conditional on covariates, is the basis for two approaches to adjusting for confounding: methods based on strati cation of observations by quantiles of estimated propensity scores and methods based on weighting observations by the inverse of estimated propensity scores. We review popular versions of these approaches and related methods o ering improved precision, describe theoretical properties and highlight their implications for practice, and present extensive comparisons of performance that provide guidance for practical use. Copyright ? 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Inspired by investigations of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) produced in the Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) aboard the International Space Station, we present a study of thermodynamic properties of shell-shaped BECs. Within the context of a spherically symmetric `bubble trap' potential, we study the evolution of the system from small filled spheres to hollow, large, thin shells via the tuning of trap parameters. We analyze the bubble trap spectrum and states, and track the distinct changes in spectra between radial and angular modes across the evolution. This separation of the excitation spectrum provides a basis for quantifying dimensional cross-over to quasi-2D physics at a given temperature. Using the spectral data, for a range of trap parameters, we compute the critical temperature for a fixed number of particles to form a BEC. For a set of initial temperatures, we also evaluate the change in temperature that would occur in adiabatic expansion from small filled sphere to large thin shell were the trap to be dynamically tuned. We show that the system cools during this expansion but that the decrease in critical temperature occurs more rapidly, thus resulting in depletion of any initial condensate. We contrast our spectral methods with standard semiclassical treatments, which we find must be used with caution in the thin-shell limit. With regards to interactions, using energetic considerations and corroborated through Bogoliubov treatments, we demonstrate that they would be less important for thin shells due to reduced density but vortex physics would become more predominant. Finally, we apply our treatments to traps that realistically model CAL experiments and borrow from the thermodynamic insights found in the idealized bubble case during adiabatic expansion.


: In order to evaluate significance and frequency of valproic acid (VPA)-induced hyperammonemia we measured venous serum ammonia, SGOT, G-GT, platelets and antiepileptic drug levels in three groups of subjects: 1.) 30 pediatric patients treated with VPA, alone or in combination 2.) 30 healthy age and sex matched subjects 3.) 30 pediatric unselected patients treated with various antiepileptic drugs except VPA. In the VPA group serum ammonia was significantly (p less than 0.01) higher than in controls and in the group 3. Patients on VPA-polytherapy had significantly higher serum ammonia values than patients on VPA-monotherapy (p less than 0.01). Hyperammonemia was found in 8 (27%) VPA-treated patients. A syndrome consisting of lethargy, stupor, hypotonia and increased seizure activity developed in 3 patients on VPA-therapy of whom two showed hyperammonemia. After discontinuing VPA this syndrome disappeared in all three cases. There was no direct correlation between VPA and ammonia levels. The etiology of hyperammonemia in VPA treated patients is not yet fully explained. It may be related to the fatal VPA induced hepatic failure reported in the literature. Some risk factors which may facilitate hepatic injury during VPA therapy (young age, co-medication, polytherapy, infectious disease, protein overload, low caloric intake) are discussed and some practical consequences are indicated.


Magnus effect consists in deflection of the trajectory of a rotating body moving in a gas. It is a direct consequence of the interaction between the body surface and the gas particles. In this paper, we study the so-called inverse Magnus effect which can be observed in rarefied gases. We restrict ourselves to the two-dimensional case, namely a spinning disc moving through a sparse zero-temperature medium. We consider general non-elastic interaction between the disc and the particles depending on the incidence angle. We give a classification of auxiliary parameters with respect to possible dynamical response. In the absence of other forces, three kinds of trajectories are possible: (i) a converging spiral, (ii) a curve converging to a straight line and (iii) a circumference, the case intermediate between the two first ones. A specific 2-D parameter space has been introduced to provide respective classification.


Java programs often use pointer structures for normal computations. A verification system for Java should have good proof support for reasoning about those structures. However, the literature for pointer verification almost always uses specifications and definitions that are tailored to the problem under consideration. We propose a generic specification for Java pointer structures that allows to express many important properties, and is easy to use in proofs. The specification is part of the Java calculus [22] in the KIV [15] prover.


Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine normal reference values for cross‐sectional area (CSA) and the correlation between demographic factors and CSA in the cervical roots and brachial plexus trunks using ultrasonography. Methods: Ninety‐five age‐matched healthy individuals were studied. Ultrasonographic tests were performed via nerve tracing from the cervical root to the brachial plexus trunk. The CSA of each nerve was measured in the C5–8 ventral roots and brachial plexus (trunk level). Results: Normal values of each cervical root were: C5, 5.66 ± 1.02 mm2; C6, 8.98 ± 1.65 mm2; C7, 10.43 ± 1.86 mm2; and C8, 10.76 ± 2.02 mm2. Values for the brachial plexus were: upper trunk, 16.70 ± 2.88 mm2; middle trunk, 14.01 ± 2.70 mm2; and lower trunk, 13.75 ± 2.57 mm2. The side‐to‐side discrepancy was 11.91 ± 11.11%. Body mass index (BMI) and height correlated frequently with nerve CSA. Conclusions: These reference values may be helpful in investigating pathologies involving the cervical area. Muscle Nerve 46: 711–716, 2012


Various innovative and original works have been applied and proposed in the field of sports video analysis. However, individual works have focused on sophisticated methodologies with particular sport types and there has been a lack of scalable and holistic frameworks in this field. This article proposes a solution and presents a systematic and generic approach which is experimented on a relatively large-scale sports consortia. The system aims at the event detection scenario of an input video with an orderly sequential process. Initially, domain knowledge-independent local descriptors are extracted homogeneously from the input video sequence. Then the video representation is created by adopting a bag-of-visual-words (BoW) model. The video's genre is first identified by applying the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) classifiers on the initially obtained video representation, and various dissimilarity measures are assessed and evaluated analytically. Subsequently, an unsupervised probabilistic latent semantic analysis (PLSA)-based approach is employed at the same histogram-based video representation, characterizing each frame of video sequence into one of four view groups, namely closed-up-view, mid-view, long-view, and outer-field-view. Finally, a hidden conditional random field (HCRF) structured prediction model is utilized for interesting event detection. From experimental results, k-NN classifier using KL-divergence measurement demonstrates the best accuracy at 82.16% for genre categorization. Supervised SVM and unsupervised PLSA have average classification accuracies at 82.86% and 68.13%, respectively. The HCRF model achieves 92.31% accuracy using the unsupervised PLSA based label input, which is comparable with the supervised SVM based input at an accuracy of 93.08%. In general, such a systematic approach can be widely applied in processing massive videos generically.


This paper covers the estimation of the water levels of Beysehir Lake, located in middle of Turkey, using the artificial intelligence (AI) such as the neural networks (NN) and the fuzzy logic (FL). The study considers the detailed investigation of the effect of the longterm estimate duration on the lake water level estimation. The analysed estimate ranges were 1 day, 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. The lake parameters such as the shortwave radiation, the lake total inflow rate, the lake total outflow rate and the past lake water levels constituted the input layer of the AI configurations. This study clearly showed that the estimate performance of the AI methods decreases with the increasing estimate range. It is also seen that the best estimate performance criteria are obtained by different AI methods for different estimate ranges. It is seen that the Generalized Regression Neural Network (GRNN) showed relatively superior performance compared with the other two artificial neural networks, i.e. the Radial Basis Function (RBF) and the Feed Forward Back Propagation method (FFBP), and the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) method, for the long estimation ranges such as 60 and 90 days. The second overall best performance was obtained by FFBP.


This paper approaches the question of the authenticity and
the authorship of the Historia calami tatum and the letters supposedly
exchanged between Heloise and Abelard, through an
investigation of word frequencies, phrases, and other stylistic
issues, making use of computer-assisted counting and a concordance
of the Historia and Letters Two to Seven.
Recently Tore Janson studied the cursus patterns used in the
correspondence, and concluded that on the basis of that evidence,
the correspondence had either one author or one editor who
imprinted his or her style on all the letters. A study by the
present author of the means and standard deviations of 24 words
shows that on the basis of these words the letters attributed to
Heloise cannot be differentiated from those attributed to
Abelard; the style of the Historia calami tatum is close to that
of the letters, but Letters Three, Five and Seven ("Abelard") are
more similar to Letters TWo, Four and Six ("Heloise") than they
are to the Historia. The use of quotations is also consistent
with the hypothesis that Abelard was the single author of the
entire correspondence, and some of the concepts which appear in
the letters attributed to Heloise are strikingly Abelardian.
Moreover, Letters TWO, Four and Six contain a number of phrases,
more or less unusual, which appear in the letters attributed to
Abelard and in other works surely written by him.
The author challenges the explanation that as Abelard's
student and wife, Heloise wrote in the same style, and points out
that according to the correspondence, contact between the two was
minimal after their conversion to monastic life. The more
contact one hypothesizes in order to explain the style of the
letters attributed to Heloise, the more difficult it is to
explain their content.
The paper was presented orally at the International Congress
of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica on Falschungen im Mittelalter
on September 18, 1986 and is to be published substantially
in the form which follows in the Proceedings of that Congress.


The copper - aluminum pipe has been widely used in the refrigeration industry. And the welding quality becomes the focus. A PLC control system was developed to accurately control the resistance welding process of the Cu-Al pipe. The welding voltage was adjusted by a couple of silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR). To restrain the effect of network voltage fluctuation on the welding heat generation, it was obtained that the experimental relationship of the angle of flow and the network voltage, and fitted to a quadratic polynomial equation. Therefore, the control system can calculate the exactly the angle of flow value according to the current network voltage. The experiment results show that the error of the welding heat generation is limited in 5% when the network voltage fluctuates in the range of 380V ±10%. And the SEM and EDS analyzing results suggests that the welding seam length is more than 5mm, and there is hardly eutectic composition.


Accumulated data support a relationship between mood disorders and cellular plasticity and resilience, some suggesting relevance to autophagy. Our previous data show that pharmacological enhancement of autophagy results in antidepressant-like effects in mice. The current study was designed to further examine the effects of autophagy enhancement on mood by testing the effects of subchronic treatment with the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors and autophagy enhancers rapamycin and temsirolimus in a model for mania and in a model for antidepressant action, respectively. The results show that rapamycin reduced mania-like aggression and reward-seeking behaviors, with no effects on locomotion. Temsirolimus reduced depression-related immobility in the forced-swim test without effects on locomotion in the open field or on anxiety-related measures in the elevated plus maze. Taken together with our previous findings, these data support the notion that enhancing autophagy may have mood-stabilizing effects.


In this paper Dutch and Polish personal nouns appearing in legal texts are discussed from a morphologicalpoint of view. The contrastive analysis was based on examples excerpted from the law of succession as presented in the Civil Code of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Poland. The conclusions drawn from this analysis concern the following problems: the motivation of the personal nouns, the structural diff erences between the two legal languages, the productivity of formative models and the (im)possibilities of their translation.


This research paper addressed the formulation and performance of a mucoadhesive gel containing the antiinflammatory drug ketoprofen. Various polymers were used in the formulation at different levels together with different types of crosslinking additives. The compatibility between ketoprofen and the employed polymers was tested using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Sustained release profiles were obtained from gels containing pluroic F127, carbopol981 and polycarbophil. Fast release was obtained from sodium alginate and HPMC at low levels. Response surface modeling of the release data indicated that the optimum ketoprofen release rates (44-58 %) were obtained from gel formulations containing carbopol 981 at 1% w/w level. Gel formulations containing sodium alginate (5 % w/w) released more than 40 % of their content of ketoprofen within two hours. The fastest rate was obtained from formulations containing hydroxylpropyl methylcellulose (HPMC E15) where, more than 90 % of the drug content was released at polymer level of 20 % w/w as obtained from model optimized formulations. The clinical evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic action of the prepared formulations compared to commercial ketoprofen tablets indicated significant difference (P < 0.05) in pain intensity and swelling associated with ginigivitis in favor of the gel formulation over the oral tablet. Therefore, formulation of ketoprofen into a mucoadhesive orodental gel can be considered an easy and more effective alternative to oral solid dosage forms.


Although over 110 chemical species have been securely identified in the interstellar and circumstellar gas, there are still many data needs for molecular astrophysics. Among these needs are new high‐resolution spectroscopic measurements of potential interstellar molecules, in particular organic radicals, metal‐bearing molecules, and molecular ions. Ab initio studies that support these experimental investigations are necessary as well. Reaction rate measurements of many ion‐molecule, neutral‐neutral, and radiative association processes are also essential.


BACKGROUND
Osteoid osteoma (OO) is a benign osteoblastic bone lesion that causes severe local pain mainly at night, and usually responds to oral administration of NSAID. The lesion is located around the proximal thigh in more than 50% of the cases. Osteoblastoma is similar to OO in their histopathology features, but emerges frequently in the spine, and has a larger diameter than OO. Percutaneous CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is becoming the treatment of choice for osteoid osteoma and non-aggressive osteoblastoma in the last decade.

METHODS
During the period 2005-2009, 38 patients were diagnosed with osteoid osteoma (n = 34), and osteoblastoma (n = 4). A total of 34 patients were treated with RFA using a water-cooled, variable ablation size tip. Two patients underwent an open procedure, and 2 had spontaneous remission.

RESULTS
Thirty three patients (97%) reported complete remission of their pain after a single treatment; one patient needed a second RFA treatment, and reported full remission of his symptoms after the 2nd treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
Percutaneous CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteoma and non-aggressive osteoblastoma is simple, safe, and reliable. Meticulous placement of the probe inside the tumor, and the usage of water-cooled, variable ablation size tip, improves the overall outcome and decrease complication rates.


Ch'ŏndogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) was active in both the religious and political spheres during the Japanese colonial period between 1910 and 1945. Ch'ŏndogyo believers and organizations were important in the March First Movement of 1919 and various moderate nationalist movements in the 1920s and 1930s. Most of its membership was located in the northern provinces of Korea during this time. The division of the peninsula strongly affected Ch'ŏndogyo in both the northern and southern zones and eventually contributed to the weakening of its religious and social organizations on both sides of the dividing line. This article will focus on developments in Ch'ŏndogyo in what became North Korea, taking into account both internal and external processes. National division led to the creation of separate religious and political organizations in the North and the South because of the increasing difficulties in communication between the two zones. In the North, tensions between those within the religion that favored increasing cooperation with the nascent Communist regime and those that wanted greater religious and political autonomy eventually led to the end of autonomy for Ch'ŏndogyo's political party, the Ch'ŏndogyo Ch'ŏngudang (Ch'ŏndogyo Young Friends' Party), and the destruction of its religious institutions.


Saxitoxin (STX) was measured in green mussels (Perna viridis), and feathers cockle (Anadara antiquata, Arcidae) from Jakarta and blood cockle (Anadara granosa) from Jakarta and Indramayu. Samples were taken 7 times from fish market Muara Baru Jakarta and Karangsong Indramayu. All samples were collected from June up to October 2009. The aim of this research is to find out the content of STX in the mussels. The mussels tissues were homogenized, weighed and extracted with 0.1 M HCl. The supernatan were filtered by 0.45 μ nylon membran. Fluorescence oxidation of STX was carried out using 2% H2O2 in alkaline solution. Analysis was performed using HPLC equipped with a C18 column (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm), fluorescence detection (ex 340 nm, em 400 nm) elution of acetonitrile/0.1 M ammonium formate solution (5:95, v/v, pH 6) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/ min. The calibration graphs was prepared by injecting standards ranging from 0,5–20 ng/ml, giving an acceptable linearity (r = 0.999). Retention time of saxitoxin standard was detected at 5.467 min. Negative results were obtained for most of blood mussels from Indramayu with the exception of the 4th and 7th sampling. Saxitoxin were detected in Perna viridis and Anadara antiquata, Arcidae ranging from 0.87–5.39 μg/ 100 g and 0.14–0.9 μg/ 100 g wet tissues respectively.


In this study, the thermodynamic properties, energy release, combustion, and emission variations in a spark ignition (SI) engine fueled with alcohol-gasoline blends and gasoline has been investigated. Test results showed that the net indicated work area of alcohol-gasoline blends was wider than pure gasoline blends and also; this situation affected positively the brake mean effective pressure and engine power output. The mass burn ratio of alcohol–gasoline blends was higher than those of pure gasoline. The exhaust emission level decreased with the increase of ethanol content in the fuel blend, but similar results was not observed with methanol–gasoline blends.


The connection of electronic power converters to the electrical network is increasing mainly due to massive integration of renewable energy systems. However, the electrical dynamic performance of these converters does not match the behavior of the network, which is mainly formed by generation facilities based on big synchronous generation systems. Depending on the desired electrical operation mode different control structures can be implemented in the converters in order to get adapted with the grid conditions. However, changing between different control structures and operation is not an optimal solution, as the resulting system results complex and is not highly robust. As an alternative, this paper presents a new control technique for grid connected power converters based on the concept of virtual admittance. The proposed control permits to emulate the electrical performance of generation facilities based on classical synchronous generators with a power converter, with no need of implementing different control structures, giving rise to a system that provides a friendly and robust operation with the network.


A radioimmunoassay for determination of free light polypeptide chains from human immunoglobulins in serum and urine is described. The free light chains were isolated from the regular immunoglobulins by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 columns. In the radioimmunoassay the free and antibody-bound 125I-labelled light chains were separated on gel filtration through Sephadex G-200 columns. The mean concentration of free light chains in serum from 20 normal subjects was 10.6 mg/1 for lambda chains and 13.2 mg/1 for kappa chains. The 24-hr urinary excretion was 1.1 mg for lambda chains and 3.2 mg for kappa chains.


In this work we present a complete methodology for robust authoring of AR virtual characters powered from a versatile character animation framework (Smartbody), using only mobile devices. We can author, fully augment with life-size, animated, geometrically accurately registered virtual characters into any open space in less than 1 minute with only modern smartphones or tablets and then automatically revive this augmentation for subsequent activations from the same spot, in under a few seconds. Also, we handle efficiently scene authoring rotations of the AR objects using Geometric Algebra rotors in order to extract higher quality visual results. Moreover, we have implemented a mobile version of the global illumination for real-time Precomputed Radiance Transfer algorithm for diffuse shadowed characters in real-time, using High Dynamic Range (HDR) environment maps integrated in our open-source OpenGL Geometric Application (glGA) framework. Effective character interaction plays fundamental role in attaining high level of believability and makes the AR application more attractive and immersive based on the SmartBody framework.


Shortcut nitrification has been successfully applied in a laboratory scale nitrification-denitrification process consisting of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and an aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) in treating synthetic and municipal wastewater to simultaneously remove organic carbon and nitrogen. For the treatment of synthetic wastewater, the combined system exhibited a high TOC removal of 98% with a steady ammonia removal efficiency of about 98% in the MBR and a total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of 90%. In treating municipal wastewater, due to its low COD concentration, removal efficiencies of TOC, ammonia and TN were 70%, 98% and 60%, respectively. The biogas production was around 76.4 L/m3 wastewater when treating synthetic wastewater. However, little biogas was produced when treating municipal wastewater which was the result of low organic carbon loading to the UASB. Energy analysis has demonstrated that this novel shortcut nitrification process could consume less energy than a conventional process and have the potential of bio-energy generation via biogas production thus helping to achieve a more favorable energy balance.


ABSTRACT Fang, J.Y.; Chen, Y.P.; Yao, P., and Su, M., 2016. Effective Roughness Height in High-Concentrated Flows. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 33–37. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The effective roughness height is an important parameter in coastal sediment transport models. It has been extensively investigated in the past but few research results are related to the high-concentrated flows which often occur in a silty coast. A series of experiments has been carried out in a wave-current flume with silt-sized sediment bed. The mean velocity profiles were measured under different combined wave-current conditions. The effective roughness heights were calculated based on the curve fitting of measured velocity profiles by following the velocity profile model of You (1994). The accuracy of three empirical models, namely, Grant and Madsen (1982), Li and Amos (1998) and You (1996) was examined with the 'measured' effective roughness heights. The results show that all the models are not much accurate for the high-concentrated flows, particularly in the case with a relatively small sediment size. Therefore, cautions should be taken when applying those models in the silty coast, particularly during the extreme events.


There is a growing consensus among regulators and commentators that some cryptocurrencies (so-called 'investment tokens' or 'security tokens') are securities, provided that they grant their owner rights that are comparable to those of an investor. As a consequence, EU initial disclosure regulation applies, requiring the issuer to draw up a prospectus that contains all the information relevant for an investor to make an informed decision. Issuers of investment tokens are also subject to prospectus liability if the prospectus is flawed or no prospectus was made available at all.

However, this conclusion is only the first step of the wider debate of the best regulation of investment tokens, and many questions remain. The element in the room is whether the current regulation can be sensibly applied to public offers of investment tokens. This article discusses open questions in this regard, such as which national regulator is responsible for prospectus review and administrative measures? How can issuers from outside the EU ensure they do not become subject to the EU initial disclosure obligations? Who would the 'issuer' be the tokens were offered by a decentralised network?

The article concludes that EU initial disclosure regulation can be sensibly applied to initial coin offerings. However, the fact that supervision and enforcement are currently carried out on the national level poses serious problems that should be addressed in the future.


This study was conducted to examine the renewal experience and experience quality of outdoor activities. The sample of the research; Cruise hill city forest consists of 209 people who have experienced recreational activities and 147 people who have not yet used these areas, a total of 355 people, 154 women 201 men, between the ages of minimum 18, maximum 64, from people living in or coming to Denizli. determined. The validity and reliability study developed by Sonnentag and Fritz (2007) Yıldız et al. (2019) and the renewal experience scale developed by Kang and Gretzel (2012) was also developed by Yıldız et al. (2019) Turkish adaptation and validity and reliability studies were carried out and the quality of experience scale was used. Pearson Correlation Analysis, Independent Groups T-Test techniques were used in the analysis of the data. According to the research findings; There is no statistically significant difference between individuals' regeneration experiences [t (353) =1.79, p>.05] according to their participation in outdoor recreational activities. According to their participation in outdoor recreational activities, it was seen that the quality of experience of the individuals who participated in the activities (Mean=34.12) was higher than those who did not (Mean=31.53). The regeneration experiences of individuals using open recreation areas showed statistically significant differences in the relaxation sub-dimension [t (353) =2.261, p<0.05] according to gender. Female users have a higher refresh experience (Mean=9.85) than male users (Mean=9.62). There was no statistically significant difference between male and female users in terms of regeneration experience in other sub-dimensions. The quality of experience of individuals using the open recreation area was found to be statistically significant in all sub-dimensions and total scores [t (353) =-0.19, p>0.05]. does not show. It was observed that there was a moderately positive and significant relationship between the renewal experience and the quality of experience (r= 0.565, p<0.05). Accordingly, it can be said that as the quality of the experience increases, the renewal experience increases.


SUMMARY Cadherins are Ca2+-dependent cell adhesion molecules that mediate cell adhesion by homophilic binding. Structural and functional analysis of the extracellular part of cadherins that mediates this binding has often been hampered by the availability of sufficient amount of protein. Therefore, we have expressed the extracellular region of E-cadherin (uvomorulin) using the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS). A recombinant baculovirus was generated that encodes the signal peptide, the precursor region and the extracellular part of the mature protein, under the control of the promotor for polyhedrin. Infection of insect cells with recombinant virus led to the expression of about 40 mg of the E-cadherin fragment per 2×109 infected cells. About half of the protein synthesized was secreted, either as mature protein or in its unprocessed form. The precursor peptide was removed by trypsin treatment in the presence of Ca2+ and recombinant protein was purified to homogeneity. Biochemical characterization of the recombinant protein revealed a high degree of similarity with the mouse wild-type protein. Recombinant protein exhibited the known resistance to trypsin in the presence of Ca2+ and was recognized by two different conformation-sensitive monoclonal anti-E-cadherin antibodies. Rabbit antibodies made against the recombinant protein recognized E-cadherin from different species. In spite of the high degree of structural resemblance recombinant E-cadherin was not able to inhibit E-cadherin mediated cell-cell adhesion.


This paper offers an analysis of the documentary film, Una Vida Sin Palabras [A life without words] (2011). The film follows a short period in the lives of a campesino family living in a rural area of Nicaragua as a teacher of Nicaraguan sign language, working for a local NGO, endeavours to teach three deaf siblings how to sign. Bringing together the critical practices of Disability and Subaltern studies in the specific context of contemporary Nicaragua, the paper argues: (1) that the film ultimately re-inscribes and reinforces the subalternity of the disabled subjects it sets out to portray; and (2) that the hierarchy it produces between its object – the deaf family – and its implied educated, metropolitan audience replays some influential (but, we would argue, politically limited) critiques of the failure of the first Sandinista Government (1979-1990) and other broad based radical political movements to represent the national popular. In so doing, the paper also makes a case for the political and intellectual importance of bringing a Critical Disability Studies perspective to the field of Subaltern Studies, and argues that an engagement with the problems that are presented by this film at the level of both form and content raise some important questions for both fields of enquiry.


Mutations in the DNA mismatch repair system increase mutation and recombination. They may thereby promote the genetic divergence that underlies speciation, after which the reacquisition of a functional repair system may sustain that divergence by creating a barrier to recombination. We tested several lines of Escherichia coli, derived from a common ancestor and evolved for 20,000 generations, for their recombination ability. Some lines, but not others, had become mismatch repair-defective mutators during experimental evolution, providing different opportunities for DNA sequence divergence. We knocked out the repair system in lines that had retained this function, and we restored function to those lines that had become defective. We then estimated recombination rates in various crosses between these repair-deficient and -proficient strains. The effect of the mismatch repair system on recombination was greatest in those lines that had evolved nonfunctional repair, indicating they had undergone more sequence divergence and, consequently, were more sensitive to the recombination-inhibiting effect of a functional repair system. These results demonstrate the establishment of an incipient genetic barrier between formerly identical lines, and they support a model in which the mismatch repair system can influence speciation dynamics through its simultaneous effects on mutation and recombination.


OVERVIEW
The Durban Container Terminal (DCT) is currently the biggest and busiest container terminal in Africa and handles about 2.7 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) a year. The DCT handles approximately 70% of South Africa's containers and generates 60% of South Africa's revenue (Port of Durban 2014). Increasing the automation level of a terminal with products that automate a single part of the operation or the whole process is recognised as the next step towards improving performance at today's container terminals. The benefits of automation include lower operational costs and improved terminal productivity, capacity, safety and security. Automating an existing straddle carrier terminal is a complex project that requires expertise, careful planning, a capacity for wide-ranging systems integration and the ability to consider numerous factors beyond technical implementation. Besides the actual automated system, there is also extensive change management within the entire organisation of the terminal, as operating an automated terminal requires a thorough change of business processes, as well as different skill sets for the people operating the terminal.


Context Although distributed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) practice has been shown to improve learning outcomes, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of this training strategy. This study assesses the cost-effectiveness of workplace-based distributed CPR practice with real-time feedback when compared with conventional annual CPR training. Methods We measured educational resource use, costs, and outcomes of both conventional training and distributed training groups in a prospective-randomised trial conducted with paediatric acute care providers over 12 months. Costs were calculated and reported from the perspective of the health institution. Incremental costs and effectiveness of distributed CPR training relative to conventional training were presented. Cost-effectiveness was expressed as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) if appropriate. One-way sensitivity analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were conducted. Results A total of 87 of 101 enrolled participants completed the training (46/53 in intervention and 41/48 in the control). Compared with conventional training, the distributed CPR training group had a higher proportion of participants achieving CPR excellence, defined as over 90% guideline compliant for chest compression depth, rate and recoil (control: 0.146 (6/41) vs intervention 0.543 (25/46), incremental effectiveness: +0.397) with decreased costs (control: $C266.50 vs intervention $C224.88 per trainee, incremental costs: −$C41.62). The sensitivity analysis showed that when the institution does not pay for the training time, distributed CPR training results in an ICER of $C147.05 per extra excellent CPR provider. Conclusion Workplace-based distributed CPR training with real-time feedback resulted in improved CPR quality by paediatric healthcare providers and decreased training costs, when training time is paid by the institution. If the institution does not pay for training time, implementing distributed training resulted in better CPR quality and increased costs, compared with conventional training. These findings contribute further evidence to the decision-making processes as to whether institutions/programmes should financially adopt these training programmes.


Modeling and measurement of the human face have been increasing by importance for various purposes. Laser scanning, coded light range digitizers, image-based approaches and digital stereo photogrammetry are the used methods currently employed in medical applications, computer animation, video surveillance, teleconferencing and virtual reality to produce three dimensional computer models of the human face. Depending on the application, different are the requirements. Ours are primarily high accuracy of the measurement and automation in the process. The method presented in this paper is based on multi-image photogrammetry. The equipment, the method and results achieved with this technique are here depicted. The process is composed of five steps: acquisition of multi-images, calibration of the system, establishment of corresponding points in the images, computation of their 3-D coordinates and generation of a surface model. The images captured by five CCD cameras arranged in front of the subject are digitized by a frame grabber. The complete system is calibrated using a reference object with coded target points, which can be measured fully automatically. To facilitate the establishment of correspondences in the images, texture in the form of random patterns can be projected from two directions onto the face. The multi-image matching process, based on a geometrical constrained least squares matching algorithm, produces a dense set of corresponding points in the five images. Neighborhood filters are then applied on the matching results to remove the errors. After filtering the data, the three-dimensional coordinates of the matched points are computed by forward intersection using the results of the calibration process; the achieved mean accuracy is about 0.2 mm in the sagittal direction and about 0.1 mm in the lateral direction. The last step of data processing is the generation of a surface model from the point cloud and the application of smooth filters. Moreover, a color texture image can be draped over the model to achieve a photorealistic visualization. The advantage of the presented method over laser scanning and coded light range digitizers is the acquisition of the source data in a fraction of a second, allowing the measurement of human faces with higher accuracy and the possibility to measure dynamic events like the speech of a person.


We now have an additional tool to help in managing complicated retinal detachments. We look forward to the day when we can leave the liquid without having to remove it because of the possibility of ocular complications.


There has been a good deal of work on algorithms to simulate quantum many-body systems with fault-tolerant quantum computers- those with full error correction. Fault-tolerant quantum computers of scale requisite to achieve computational advantage for these problems are likely over a decade away. Moreover, devices that we can build in the near term, called Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum computers (NISQ), have too much noise to implement the long circuits required by these algorithms. We review heuristic, short-depth quantum algorithms more suited to NISQ computers; specifically, their scaling properties when applied to electronic and nuclear structure calculations, including Hamiltonian complexity with particle number, ansatz state preparation, convergence, and noise. We will present examples of actual quantum structure calculations with NISQ computers, as well as a newly-developed error mitigation technique that significantly improves accuracy. We end with an outlook for "advantage" – when NISQ systems might excel conventional HPC approaches for comparable problems.


Establishing IT governance arrangements is a deeply political process, where relationships of power play a crucial role. While the importance of power relationships is widely acknowledged in IS literature, specific mechanisms whereby the consequences of power relationships affect IT governance arrangements are still under‐researched. This study investigates the way power relationships are inscribed in the governance of digital identity systems in Denmark and the United Kingdom, where public and private actors are involved. Drawing on the theoretical lens of circuits of power, we contribute to research on the role of power in IT governance by identifying two distinct mechanisms of power inscription into IT governance: power cultivation and power limitation.


Scientific and technological progress in the XX century had a great impact on the development of pharmacology. Deontological problems are quite urgent in modern pharmacology. The philosophical, moral and ethical, social and economic concepts play a significant role in it. THe drugs in the developed countries are manufactured on a fairly large scale, medical service makes up an important part of the state expenses. The quality of the medical service affects the productive forces of the country. The modern highly active drugs have to be properly and skillfully employed. The drugs should be examined first in experiments on animals on then in clinics in accordance with the scientific and deontological principles.


Abstract 324 Background: There has been recent evidence that lenalidomide, while used in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), also has been associated with an enhanced risk of secondary malignancies including MDS. Here we are examining the impact of maintenance on the development of metaphase-based MDS-associated cytogenetic abnormalities (MDS-CA), and subsequent development of therapy related MDS (t-MDS) and acute leukemia (t-AL) in the two arms of Total Therapy 2 (TT2) and two successive Total Therapy 3 trials (TT3A, TT3B). Methods: The details of TT2/TT3A/TT3B trials and patient outcomes have been reported previously. TT2 (median follow-up 118 months) patients were then randomized to receive thalidomide maintenance (TT2+Thal) for 3 years versus no thalidomide (TT2-Thal). Maintenance in TT3A (median follow-up 78 moths) consisted of VTD in the first year and TD for years 2 and 3 in TT3A, while TT3B (median follow-up 48 months) employed VRD for all 3 years. The patient populations were as follows: TT2-Thal arm (n=283), TT2+Thal arm (n=270), TT3A (n=279) and TT3B (n=162). Bone marrow examination with conventional cytogenetics was performed at baseline, post-induction, post-transplant and then at least semi-annually from maintenance in all patients prospectively. Chi-square and Fisher9s exact tests were used to compare baseline characteristics between protocols. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression were used to model associations between baseline covariates and onset of MDS-CA and t-MDS/t-AL. Kaplan and Meier method was used to model cumulative incidence of MDS-CA and t-MDS/t-AL. Results: Baseline characteristics were fairly comparable between the two arms of TT2 and the two TT3 studies, except a higher proportion of GEP70 high risk patients in TT3B. Cumulative incidence of MDS-CA was significantly higher in TT3B protocol from time of first transplant (Figure 1), with the most common cytogenetic abnormality being deletion of chromosome 20 (del20, 35%), followed by monosomy/deletion 7 (27%) and monosomy/deletion 5 (17%) across all protocols. Of the 71 patients with an MDS-CA, 29 were also diagnosed with clinical MDS or AML; for these 29 patients, the median time to this diagnosis from first transplant was 58 months. The cumulative incidence of MDS-CA was higher and achieved more statistical significance (Figure 2) in TT3B compared to TT3A when landmarked from the start of maintenance. In univariate analysis for all patients, TT3B emerged as a significant variable in the univariate Cox regression model for MDS-CA, and in both the univariate and multivariate models for del20. Univariate and multivariate modeling within TT3B patient population did not reveal significance with cumulative dosing of different maintenance drugs. Discussion: Three randomized phase III trials (IFM-2005-02, CALGB 101104 and MM-015) have demonstrated an increase incidence of second malignancies in patients receiving lenalidomide maintenance after having been exposed to alkylating agent melphalan. In our present study, we are reporting an increased incidence of MDS-CA in the TT3B trial that employed VRD maintenance when compared with predecessor TT3A and TT2 trials. The data suggests that the risk is associated with lenalidomide exposure rather than its cumulative dosing in patients with prior exposure to therapy with alkylating agents. Pairwise log-rank comparisons: Disclosures: Sawyer: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences: Employment, under panding process, under panding process Patents & Royalties.


Objective To evaluate objectively the effectiveness of current surgical management of displaced acetabular fractures. To provide insight into how these evaluation methods can be used to identify areas in which improvements in surgery and rehabilitation can be pursued to improve patient outcomes. Design Consecutive case series. Setting University medical center. Patients Fifteen patients were studied, each with an isolated, displaced acetabular fracture treated with a Kocher-Langenbeck approach. Main Outcome Measures Primary outcome measures included hip muscle strength, including work (Joules/minute) and maximum torque (30°/second) for abductors/adductors and flexors/extensors. Gait analysis of patients and able-bodied cohorts, including stride length, speed, and cadence, were also assessed. Motion analysis during gait was also studied for each body segment, including the trunk, pelvis, hip, knee, and ankle, in the sagittal, frontal, and axial planes. Motion data for the affected side was compared with motion data for the unaffected side, and linear gait findings for the study patients were compared to able-bodied cohorts. An assessment of clinical outcome was performed by completion of a validated Musculoskeletal Function Assessment (MFA) questionnaire and the were results correlated with muscle strength and gait analysis. Secondary outcome measures included adequacy of fracture reduction, radiographic grade, the presence and severity of heterotopic ossification at the time of the most recent follow-up, and passive range of motion of the affected and unaffected hips. Results No statistical differences in muscle strength for each of the major muscle groups were found when the affected limb was compared with the unaffected limb. No statistical differences were found between the study patients and the able-bodied cohorts with regards to stride length, gait speed, and cadence. The only significant difference found in body segment position was trunk inclination. When the study patients were compared with able-bodied cohorts, the patients tended to walk with greater forward inclination of their trunks; this was true for all phases of gait. Total MFA scores averaged 22 (range, 0–57). Patients could be separated into two separate groups based on their total MFA score. One group (n = 6) had an average MFA score of 7 (range, 0–10), while a second group (n = 9) had an average MFA score of 32 (range, 12–57). The scores of study patients as a whole, and those of each individual group of patients, were compared with known MFA scores for nonpatients and patients in the Orthopaedic Trauma Association/Association for the Study of Internal Fixation (OTA/AO) injury group (hip and thigh). When the muscle strengths of these two groups of patients were compared, all hip flexion and extension variables were significantly weaker in the group with an average MFA score of 32, whereas none of the gait variables were different between the two groups. At an average follow-up of 24 months, seven patients had an excellent radiographic grade, four patients had a good grade, two patients had a fair grade, and two patients had a poor grade. These radiographic grades were in contrast to achieving an anatomic reduction in eleven patients, a satisfactory reduction in three patients, and an unsatisfactory reduction in one patient. Heterotopic ossification was found in eight patients, four patients had Grade 1, and four patients, had Grade 2. No statistically significant differences were observed when each MFA group was compared with each of these radiographic variables. Passive hip range of motion was not statistically different when the affected hip was compared with the unaffected hip. Conclusions Standardized muscle strength determination, gait, and motion analysis, and completion of an MFA questionnaire provided a thorough and revealing evaluation of patients who have undergone open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of a displaced acetabular fracture. Minimal alterations in body posture and affected limb motion were present in patients displaying relatively normal gait parameters, including stride length, speed, and cadence. Despite dissection of the hip musculature during surgery, normal muscle strength recovery was possible after operative repair of these acetabular fractures. However, functional outcome, as determined by MFA scores, was considerably poorer in those patients with significantly weaker hip flexion and extension strength, compared with those of patients with more desirable MFA scores. Based on the current data, it appears that the use of these and similar evaluation instruments can allow determination of factors that negatively affect outcome (hip flexion and extension strength), which otherwise may remain unknown. It is possible that identification and treatment of these factors will improve the quality of life for patients after this type of injury.


In recent years, substantial amount of researches have been carried out on cost-effective remote/unsupervised stroke rehabilitation methods due to the increasing number of post-stroke hospitalisation and the healthcare expenditure associated. This leads to the need of a reliable remote monitoring scheme that can assists medical specialists in monitoring the condition of patients. The information required to provide this remote monitoring system include the general physiological signals and patient's movement during the exercise. This information can be recorded and analysed to assess the patient condition‥ Most of the conventional motion-capturing methods are visual based where large and expensive equipments are required and the tracking is generally limited in a certain area by the vision of the optical sensor. The non-visual based methods using inertial sensor suffer from drifting problem even when high-precision accelerometers and gyroscopes are used. This paper provides an alternative solution for patient's motion capturing using a low-cost non-visual based wireless sensor tracking system. Each sensor node only contains a 3-axis accelerometer and a microcontroller embedded communication module. Unlike the conventional systems, the output of the sensor, which is a mixture of change in acceleration and gravity influence, is directly used without extracting the precise acceleration and rotation information. Although the output from the sensors does not provide a direct image of the patient's movement, the waveform is still unique for all different types of motion and since the rehabilitation exercises are generally repetitive and pre-defined, the patient's movement can be classified by comparing the sensors' output to a series of templates. A series of experiments involving multiple subjects have been conducted and 200 movement samples were recorded and used to obtain templates, train classifier, and test system performance. K-Nearest Neighbor algorithm has been adopted in the experiment and the validation test has shown a promising result of a 97.22% overall classification accuracy from 36 independent testing inputs.


Agriculture is the major livelihood source of 75% of
the population residing in the rural areas of Jharkhand.
Agricultural production is not able to meet the
demand, leading to food and nutritional security as a
major challenge in the state. A majority of Jharkhand
population is below poverty line. This calls for an
urgent attention of the policy makers to undertake
productivity enhancement initiatives considering the
land, water and human resources. The potential of
agriculture needs to be harnessed through science-led
development using systematic planning and promoting
holistic solutions. A new paradigm of science-led participatory
research for development and holistic approach
along with enabling policies and intuitions are
needed to address the food and nutritional security
along with improved livelihoods of the rural people.
The present paper assesses the current resource base
in Jharkhand, the potential of which could be harnessed.
An effort is also made to analyse future scenarios
based on the trends of population growth in the
state. Business as usual approach would not be effective
to meet the demand and to reduce the poverty.


The development of the Symmetrical Archaeology has recently offered new insights regarding the study of artifacts, not only in archaeology but also in others fields of the social sciences. However, although this theoretical perspective has provided a relevant framework for (re)connecting "humans and things", some question have been raised regarding the modalities of such relations. This contribution aims to offer some answers to these issues, by analyzing the production and diffusion of the Late-Punic amphorae – a group of specific ancient containers from the Late Republican era (2nd c. – 1st c. BC) –from an interdisciplinary perspective. The confrontation of these empirical data with a wide conceptual framework leads us to propose a more detailed definition with respect to how and why humans and artifacts are interconnected, as it outlines the interest of the symmetric approach in performing a more common archaeological interpretation.


In signal processing applications, large energy gains can be obtained by accepting some degradation in the output signal quality. Filters are at the core of many such systems. In this paper, we demonstrate the potential of a new paradigm for achieving favorable quality-energy trade-offs in digital filter design that is based on directly accepting timing errors in the datapath under aggressively scaled VDD. In an unmodified design, such scaling leads to rapid onset of timing errors and, consequently, quality loss. In a modified filter implementation, the onset of large errors is delayed, permitting significant energy reduction while maintaining high quality. Specifically, the innovations in the design include techniques for: 1) run-time adjustment of datapath bitwidth, and 2) design-time reordering of filter taps. We tested the new design strategy on several audio and image processing applications. The designs were synthesized using a 45nm standard cell library. Results of SPICE simulations on the entire designs show that up to 70% energy savings can be achieved while maintaining excellent perceived signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Compared to a traditional filter design, the area overhead of our architecture is about 2%.


Twelve transmission shafts were developed unilateralism torsion fatigue tests. Macroscopic and microscopic fracture features of transmission shafts were observed and analyzed. No defect was found in the origin which was usually located at the bolt bores or nearby the bolt bores because of the stress concentration. Using the fractography quantitative analysis technology the propagation life, the origination life and the relation curve between the crack length and the cycle numbers for all of the twelve shafts were estimated. For only one origin on the fracture surface the total life of the shaft with two expanding directions is usually obvious longer than that with one expanding direction, but the main propagation life is obvious smaller. However for two origins and two expanding directions on the fracture surface the total life of the shaft is usually shorter.


Practical Applications Summary In An Integrated Approach to Quantitative ESG Investing, from the February 2020 issue of The Journal of Portfolio Management, authors Mike Chen and George Mussalli (both of PanAgora Asset Management) propose a novel quantitative framework for optimizing both alpha and the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) aspects of a portfolio. Although investors, especially those in the millennial generation, have become increasingly interested in the ESG aspects of the companies within their portfolios, there has not yet been a well-defined process for constructing portfolios that factors ESG principles into a strictly return-oriented model. Chen and Mussalli's approach is based on three pillars: ESG factors that may also be alpha factors, a unique materiality value that links ESG considerations to alpha, and a portfolio construction framework that is informed by an investor's ESG preferences. The key strengths of this integrated ESG modeling framework are its flexibility, relevancy, and dynamic nature. TOPICS: Portfolio theory, portfolio construction, ESG investing


A cross-sectional study was conducted from October, 2013 to April, 2014 on cause of organ condemnation, its public health and financial significance in Nekemte municipal abattoir in East Wollega zone, Oromia regional state of Ethiopia. The overall objective was to determine the cause of organ condemnation, its public health and financial significance due to fasciolosis, hydatidosis, Cysticercus bovis and other causes. Accordingly, a total of 534 randomly selected slaughtered cattle were examined both during antemortem and postmortem. There were many physical abnormalities such as localized swelling 12(2.25%), laceration 2(0.37%), branding 21 (3.93%), lameness 11(2.06%), abrasion 4(0.74%), nasal discharge 7(1.31%), and lacrimation 5(0.94%). During postmorterm, inspection organs were condemned due to fasciolosis [liver 65(12.17%)], hydatid cyst [liver 94(17.6%), lung 65(12.17%)], Corynebacterium bovis [heart 8(1.49%) and carcass 2(0.37%)]. The chi2 analysis of potential risk factors revealed that there was statistically insignificant difference in age, altitude and body condition between animals from different origin (P > 0.05). The total annual direct financial loss from organ condemnation due to hydatidosis, fasciolosis, C. bovis and other causes was estimated to be 1.056,155.05 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) annually = 52807 USD. The result of this study revealed that hydatidosis (12.73%) is the major disease causing direct economic losses significantly in the study area followed by fasciolosis (12.7%) and cysticercosis (2.4%).

 Key words: Hydatidosis, fasciolosis, Cysticercus bovis, Nekemte.


Ultra-large compressive plasticity at room temperature has recently been observed in electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel (nc-Ni) under micro-scale compression (Pan, Kuwano, Fujita, Chen, Nano Letters 7, 2108 (2007)). The evolution of microstructure of nc-Ni during ultra-large deformation is outlined at a variety of strain levels, with TEM observations in combination with a TEM sample preparation technique using focused ion beam (FIB). This paper demonstrates focused ion beam (FIB) technique to prepare transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples from microcompressed specimens. There has been a demand to prepare TEM samples from a point of interest to study microstructures on atomic scales. Conventional techniques used to make TEM samples, such as chemical polishing or ion-sputtering milling, cannot provide reliable opportunity to make TEM samples from a point of interest. With this technique, the deformation mechanism on atomic scales can be fairly connected with the result of microcompression test, which is available for size-limited materials.


Two of the principle tasks of causal inference are to define and estimate the effect of a treatment on an outcome of interest. Formally, such treatment effects are defined as a possibly functional summary of the data generating distribution, and are referred to as target parameters. Estimation of the target parameter can be difficult, especially when it is high-dimensional. Marginal Structural Models (MSMs) provide a way to summarize such target parameters in terms of a lower dimensional working model. We introduce the semi-parametric efficiency bound for estimating MSM parameters in a general setting. We then present a frequentist estimator that achieves this bound based on Targeted Minimum Loss-Based Estimation. Our results are derived in a general context, and can be easily adapted to specific data structures and target parameters. We then describe a novel targeted Bayesian estimator and provide a Bernstein von-Mises type result analyzing its asymptotic behavior. We propose a universal algorithm that uses automatic differentiation to put the estimator into practice for arbitrary choice of working model. The frequentist and Bayesian estimators have been implemented in the Julia software package TargetedMSM.jl. Finally, we illustrate our proposed methods by investigating the effect of interventions on family planning behavior using data from a randomized field experiment conducted in Malawi.


Changes in membrane potential are a regulatory signal for voltage-gated ion channels including the family of Ca2+ channels. This regulatory role includes the voltage-dependent opening, closing, and inactivation of ion channels and the control of drug access and affinity for discrete channels states. Membrane potential is both a short- and long-term regulatory signal controlling the number and function of these voltage-gated channels. Depolarization of neuronal and neurosecretory cells produces down-regulation of L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. These processes are described and their relevance to physiologic and pathologic processes of neuronal development and neuroprotection are indicated.


Brain computer interface applications, developed for both healthy and clinical populations, critically depend on decoding brain activity in single trials. The goal of the present study was to detect distinctive spatiotemporal brain patterns within a set of event related responses. We introduce a novel classification algorithm, the spatially weighted FLD-PCA (SWFP), which is based on a two-step linear classification of event-related responses, using fisher linear discriminant (FLD) classifier and principal component analysis (PCA) for dimensionality reduction. As a benchmark algorithm, we consider the hierarchical discriminant component Analysis (HDCA), introduced by Parra, et al. 2007. We also consider a modified version of the HDCA, namely the hierarchical discriminant principal component analysis algorithm (HDPCA). We compare single-trial classification accuracies of all the three algorithms, each applied to detect target images within a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP, 10 Hz) of images from five different object categories, based on single-trial brain responses. We find a systematic superiority of our classification algorithm in the tested paradigm. Additionally, HDPCA significantly increases classification accuracies compared to the HDCA. Finally, we show that presenting several repetitions of the same image exemplars improve accuracy, and thus may be important in cases where high accuracy is crucial.


Understanding the microscopic mechanisms of electronic excitation in organic photovoltaic cells is a challenging problem in the design of efficient devices capable of performing sunlight harvesting. Here we develop and apply an ab initio approach based on time-dependent density functional theory and Ehrenfest dynamics to investigate photoinduced charge transfer in small organic molecules. Our calculations include mixed quantum-classical dynamics with ions moving classically and electrons quantum mechanically, where no experimental external parameter other than the material geometry is required. We show that the behavior of photocarriers in zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and C60 systems, an effective prototype system for organic solar cells, is sensitive to the atomic orientation of the donor and the acceptor units as well as the functionalization of covalent molecules at the interface. In particular, configurations with the ZnPc molecules facing on C60 facilitate charge transfer between substrate and molecules that occurs within 200 fs. In contrast, configurations where ZnPc is tilted above C60 present extremely low carrier injection efficiency even at longer times as an effect of the larger interfacial potential level offset and higher energetic barrier between the donor and acceptor molecules. An enhancement of charge injection into C60 at shorter times is observed as binding groups connect ZnPc and C60 in a dyad system. Our results demonstrate a promising way of designing and controlling photoinduced charge transfer on the atomic level in organic devices that would lead to efficient carrier separation and maximize device performance.


Mining of electronic health registries can reveal vast numbers of disease correlations (from hereon referred to as comorbidities for simplicity). However, the underlying causes can be hard to identify, in part because health registries usually do not record important lifestyle factors such as diet, substance consumption, and physical activity. To address this challenge, I developed a text-mining approach that uses dictionaries of diseases and lifestyle factors for named entity recognition and subsequently for co-occurrence extraction of disease–lifestyle associations from Medline. I show that this approach is able to extract many correct associations and provide proof-of-concept that these can provide plausible explanations for comorbidities observed in Swedish and Danish health registry data.


We propose Automatic Feature Explanation using Contrasting Concepts (FALCON), an interpretability framework to explain features of image representations. For a target feature, FALCON captions its highly activating cropped images using a large captioning dataset (like LAION-400m) and a pre-trained vision-language model like CLIP. Each word among the captions is scored and ranked leading to a small number of shared, human-understandable concepts that closely describe the target feature. FALCON also applies contrastive interpretation using lowly activating (counterfactual) images, to eliminate spurious concepts. Although many existing approaches interpret features independently, we observe in state-of-the-art self-supervised and supervised models, that less than 20% of the representation space can be explained by individual features. We show that features in larger spaces become more interpretable when studied in groups and can be explained with high-order scoring concepts through FALCON. We discuss how extracted concepts can be used to explain and debug failures in downstream tasks. Finally, we present a technique to transfer concepts from one (explainable) representation space to another unseen representation space by learning a simple linear transformation. Code available at https://github.com/NehaKalibhat/falcon-explain.


Automatic traffic regulation plays an important role in public transportation especially in metro lines. Delay recovery and real-time control strategies are employed to obtain optimal schedule of high frequency lines in recent years. This paper presents a new traffic model for metro loop lines based on the time deviations of departure times. In this model, a phenomena of transferring knock on delay from one train to another one has been considered. The objective function is considered to minimize the time deviation and increase the passenger satisfaction with headway adherence. Nonlinear model predictive controller is employed to compensate the disturbances and recover the nominal time schedule in metro traffic system by varying the running time between two successive platforms. We minimize the objective function by designing nonlinear model predictive controller in the presence of the operational constraints on control actions and time interval between two successive trains. Simulation results verify the introduced model and show the performance of nonlinear model predictive controller to minimize the delays.


Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the health-related quality of life impact related to foot health and health in general in older adults with lesser toe deformities (LTD) and without any foot conditions. Methods: A case–control observational study was carried out following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology criteria. A total of 100 older adults with a mean age of 74.39 ± 6.02 years were recruited at an outpatient clinic; 50 of these subjects had LTD (case group) and 50 subjects were without any foot conditions (control group). Presence of LTD was determined in both feet using the Kelikian push-up test, and the Foot Health Status Questionnaire scores were self-reported. Results: The case group showed lower scores in quality of life in relation to health in general and to foot health specifically. Statistically significant differences ( p , 0.05) between case and control groups were shown by means of the Wicoxon test. Conclusion: A negative impact in quality of life in relation to foot health should be considered in older adults with LTD, regardless of gender.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between earnings management, measured by the absolute unexpected accruals and the firm's capital structure. The study sample consists of 44 manufacturing Jordanian firms listed in the Amman Stock Exchange during the 5 years (2008-2012), a total of 220 (firm-year) observations. The study provides evidence supporting the hypothesized association between capital structure and the absolute unexpected accruals. Consistent with most prior related studies' results, findings indicate a statistically positive association between earnings management and a firm's financial leverage which is used as a proxy of the firm capital structure. This result hold for one measure of financial leverage (long–term-debt to equity ratio). However, when we use alternative leverage measure (total debt to assets ratio) as a capital structure proxy, the association between earnings management and leverage remains positive but statistically insignificant at the conventional level. Consistent with most related prior studies' findings, the empirical evidence also shows that capital structure is negatively associated with profitability return on equity and positively related to firm size. The regression coefficients on both variables are statistically significant at the conventional level. Also, both external financing and investment opportunities, are positively and significantly associated with capital structure.


This paper addresses the issue of portfolio risk exposure as a function of age, and it focuses the debate by presenting detailed cross-sectional evidence about individual portfolios. It provides new empirical results that characterized the relationship between age and the risk exposure of individual portfolios. The evidence from cross-sectional data suggests that individuals do not follow behavior proscribed by economic theory or by Wall Street advisors, rather the results of this paper suggest that current body of theoretical literature does not adequately describe the behavior of individuals. It implies that a satisfactory model ofindividual behavior needs to focus on factors not linearly correlated with age.


This paper discusses international taxation issues related to electronic commerce, paying special attention to administrative aspects. After explaining some merits of source-based taxation from the viewpoint of enforcement, the paper suggests that electronic commerce makes not only source-based taxation but also income taxation in general difficult to implement. The VAT system is also faced with serious challenges. In order to cope with difficult problems in international taxation, it is essential for tax authorities to strengthen international cooperation in tax administration.


Farmers face many risks which arise from natural, economic and socio-political environments. Risk sharing institutions like national insurance and credit schemes that help reduce the burden of risk to society are weak in Uasin Gishu county. Private sector insurance products are still in their developing stages and this has prompted farmers to turn to self insurance strategies that include diversification and social mechanisms for coping with risk. Off-farm investment is one of the diversification strategies whose prevalence and effectiveness in risk management have not been evaluated. This study sought to determine risk attitudes of farmers, to identify the determinants of off-farm investments and to investigate the effectiveness of off-farm investments in risk management. Data was collected from 100 randomly selected farm households. The ELCE method was used and exponential utility functions fitted by the method of nonlinear least squares and used to estimate the coefficients of absolute risk aversion. A logit model was used to identify determinants of off-farm investments. Effectiveness of off-farm investments in risk management was assessed by simulating the effect of replacing the weight of off-farm income with that of farm income on the coefficient of variation of total income. Results indicated that the major risks of concern to farmers were drought, market/price, pests and diseases and institutional risks with prevalence rates of 59, 34, 4 and 3% respectively. All the farmers in the study were risk averse. Years of experience in farming, employment income, gender and farm income significantly determined off-farm investment decisions. Simulation results showed that off-farm investment income reduces risk. Government policies and institutional mechanisms that reduce risk (such as crop insurance and irrigation technologies) and those that facilitate farmers" access to assets like off-farm investments in order to manage risks in farming are required.


Viral sepsis has been proposed as an accurate term to describe all multisystemic dysregulations and clinical findings in severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients. The adoption of this term may help the implementation of more accurate strategies of early diagnosis, prognosis, and in-hospital treatment. We accurately quantified 110 metabolites using targeted metabolomics, and 13 cytokines/chemokines in plasma samples of 121 COVID-19 patients with different levels of severity, and 37 non-COVID-19 individuals. Analyses revealed an integrated host-dependent dysregulation of inflammatory cytokines, neutrophil activation chemokines, glycolysis, mitochondrial metabolism, amino acid metabolism, polyamine synthesis, and lipid metabolism typical of sepsis processes distinctive of a mild disease. Dysregulated metabolites and cytokines/chemokines showed differential correlation patterns in mild and critically ill patients, indicating a crosstalk between metabolism and hyperinflammation. Using multivariate analysis, powerful models for diagnosis and prognosis of COVID-19 induced sepsis were generated, as well as for mortality prediction among septic patients. A metabolite panel made of kynurenine/tryptophan ratio, IL-6, LysoPC a C18:2, and phenylalanine discriminated non-COVID-19 from sepsis patients with an area under the curve (AUC (95%CI)) of 0.991 (0.986–0.995), with sensitivity of 0.978 (0.963–0.992) and specificity of 0.920 (0.890–0.949). The panel that included C10:2, IL-6, NLR, and C5 discriminated mild patients from sepsis patients with an AUC (95%CI) of 0.965 (0.952–0.977), with sensitivity of 0.993(0.984–1.000) and specificity of 0.851 (0.815–0.887). The panel with citric acid, LysoPC a C28:1, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and kynurenine/tryptophan ratio discriminated severe patients from sepsis patients with an AUC (95%CI) of 0.829 (0.800–0.858), with sensitivity of 0.738 (0.695–0.781) and specificity of 0.781 (0.735–0.827). Septic patients who survived were different from those that did not survive with a model consisting of hippuric acid, along with the presence of Type II diabetes, with an AUC (95%CI) of 0.831 (0.788–0.874), with sensitivity of 0.765 (0.697–0.832) and specificity of 0.817 (0.770–0.865).


Background: The presence of arterio-venous (A-V) fistula recirculation among hemodialysis (HD) patients markedly decrease adequacy of dialysis. Objectives: The present article summarize some of observations about clinical significance, causes, the most common techniques for measurement, and main source of pitfall in calculation of access recirculation. Materials and Methods: A variety of literature sources such as PubMed, Current Content, Scopus, Embase, and Iranmedex; with key words such as inadequate dialysis and arterio-venous fistula access recirculation were used to collect current data. Manuscripts published in English language as full-text articles or as abstract form were included in our review study. Results: Any access recirculation among HD patients should be considered abnormal and if it presents prompt investigation should be performed for its causes. There are two most common techniques for accurate assessment of access recirculation: Urea (or chemical) and nonureabased method by ultrasound dilution technique. The most common causes of access recirculation are the presence of high-grade venous stenosis, inadequate arterial blood flow rate, close proximity, or misdirection of arterial and venous needles placement by HD staff especially in new vascular accesses due to a lack of familiarity with the access anatomy. Conclusions: The presence of access recirculation among HD patients can lead to significant inadequate dialysis thereby resulting in reducing the survival of these patients. Therefore, periodic assessment of access recirculation should be performed in HD wards.


Rhizomes of Zingiber zerumbet that belonging to genus Zingiberaceae have been used in traditional medicine, especially among the Asian community. This study aimed to investigate antioxidant potential of ethyl acetate extract of Z. zerumbet. Identification of extract compound rhizomes of Z. zerumbet was carried out by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GCMS). The GC-MS analysis revealed 12 compounds and the major constituent is Zerumbone (51.57%). Determination of safe concentration Z. zerumbet towards rat red blood cells (RBCs) has been done and showed that incubated RBCs at a concentration 50 μg/ml, 25 μg/ml, 12.5 μg/ml and 6.25 μg/ml of ethyl acetate extract of Z. zerumbet for 1 hour not cause significant differences in hemolysis and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to the control group, NaCl. The antioxidant properties of ethyl acetate extract of Z. zerumbet were compared using in vitro antioxidant methods such as DPPH radical scavenging and FRAP assays while the amount of major phenolic compounds were determined by spectrophotometric methods. The results showed that ethyl acetate extract of Z. zerumbet exhibited antioxidant and radical-scavenging activities at different magnitudes of potency although the effects were small to that BHT. The results obtained in the present study indicates that the rhizomes of Z. zerumbet at concentration range 6.25 μg/ml-50 μg/ml are a potential source of natural antioxidants on rat RBCs.


: Resulting from comparative study of informative value of the radionuclide scanning, oral cholecystography, intravenous cholegraphy, ultrasound investigation (USI) performed in 316 patients with chronic calculous cholecystitis, it was established that the most effective method of diagnosis was USI: pre- and postoperative diagnosis coincided in 93.4% of cases.


Weaving together philosophical, historical, legal, scientific and personal viewpoints, this book gives a rich sample of the vast web which makes up our cultural, spiritual and social diversity. The volume highlights the central importance of cultural and spiritual values in the appreciation and preservation of all life and argues that these values give us a true reflection of worth. It demonstrates how many cultures see Nature as an extension of society, and how sensitive stewardship is an integral part of existence. The book covers: language and how cognition and speech encode indigenous knowledge systems are critical for preservation of diversity; the complex issue of indigenous people and the problems of preserving their relationships both with and within their societies; voices of the world - expressions of concern and disquiet over the declining world diversity; holistic health practices where environment and diet are integrated into indigenous medical health systems; the importance of developing effective intellectual property rights and territorial and land rights to enhance and maintain local control. This book arose out of the Global Biodiversity Assessment (GBA), a massive review of current knowledge in the broad field of biological diversity, commissioned by United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)


Abstract In this article the highly contested relationship between art and politics in the twentieth century is discussed by way of the life and work of the Portuguese composer Fernando Lopes-Graça (1906–94). Lopes-Graça, who described himself as 'a communist from birth', lived for almost fifty years in Salazar's 'New State', a Fascist-type dictatorship, which emerged from a military putsch in 1926 and lasted until 1974. His experience as a communist under a right-wing régime was therefore very different from that of either communist composers living in Western democratic countries or those active in the Eastern bloc. Lopes-Graça stood apart from most other party intellectuals in his resistance to the doctrine of socialist realism. Yet from 1945 onwards he composed revolutionary songs in which his communist engagement is directly evident. Understanding this apparent tension within his output requires both a careful and nuanced understanding of his own personal position and a clear distinction between political engagement in music on the one hand and socialist realist or neo-realist tendencies on the other. It is that latter distinction – between (in the composer's own terms) 'lived action' and 'imagined action' – that accounts for the seemingly contradictory coexistence in Lopes-Graça's thinking of aesthetic autonomy and political commitment, and in his music of (to adopt categories posited by Heinrich Besseler) both 'presentational' music (for conventional concert settings) and 'colloquial' music (to be sung and played ad libitum in political meetings, at demonstrations, in the home, or even in political prisons).


Despite good safety records, vaccines given to young children can cause adverse events. We investigated the reported adverse events following immunization (AEFI) of vaccines given to children of less than seven years of age during the first ten years (1998 to 2008) in the state of Rondonia, Brazil. We worked with the events related to BCG (Bacillus Calmett-Guérin), HB (hepatitis B), DTwP/Hib (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis+Hemophillus influenza b), DTP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis), MMR (mumps, measles, rubella), and YF (yellow fever) vaccines because they were part of the recommended scheme. The number of doses of vaccines given was 3,231,567 with an average of AEFI of 57.2/year during the studied period. DTwP/Hib was responsible for 298 (57.8%), DTP 114 (22.9%), HB 31 (6%), MMR 28 (5.4%), BCG 24 (4.7%), and YF 20 (3.9%) of the reported AEFI. The combination of the AEFI for DTwP/Hib vaccines showed the highest number of systemic (61.4%) and local events (33.8%). Young children (≤1-year old) were more susceptible to AEFI occurring in the 6 hours (54.2%) following vaccine uptake. This study suggests significant differences in reactogenicity of vaccines and that despite limitations of the AEFI Brazilian registry system we cannot ignore underreporting and should use the system to expand our understanding of adverse events and effects.


Apart from being the most common malignancy in women worldwide, breast cancer is also one of the most extensively investigated human cancers. The breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2 are responsible for less than 10% of breast cancer cases. However the genetic basis of the majority of breast cancer has not yet been identified. Since an acquired genetic instability resulting from the defects in DNA repair is known to promote tumorigenesis, a proportion of inherited breast cancers might be attributable to mutations in the genes involved in these functions. Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR) is an accurate and high fidelity repair mechanism, which is mainly responsible for repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). There is considerable evidence to suggest that defects in DNA damage repair in particular in HRR contribute to breast cancer. In the present study we tested the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms of HRR genes on breast cancer susceptibility. We screened a series of 522 breast cancer patients and 900 healthy controls for a panel of four polymorphic HRR genes. The rare allele of XRCC2 R188H was found to be associated with increased risk of breast cancer (odds ratio: 1.32, CI: 0.98,1.79). This allele was also shown to be more associated with lobular breast carcinoma (p=0.001). Furthermore there was preliminary evidence of interaction between XRCC2 R188H and XRCC3 T241 M, and also between XRCC3 T241 M and BRCA2 N372H alleles (both p=0.06). Four novel naturally occurring sequence variants of the XRCC3 DNA repair gene were also identified. We studied the effect of these sequence variants on the repair ability of the XRCC3 protein. A rare XRCC3 variant (D213N), was shown to completely ablate the protein function. The association of this variant with cancer susceptibility was studied in a group of 1524 patients with common cancer and 1577 healthy individuals. However, no association between this variant and cancer susceptibility was found, indicating that XRCC3 is unlikely to be a tumour suppressor gene. The results from the present study support the hypothesis that normally occurring variation in DNA repair genes can influence DNA repair capacity and cancer susceptibility in the population.


Instrument transformers are crucial elements in the metering infrastructure of high voltage grids. With the evolvement of smart grids and the liberalization of the electricity market, new billing points can arise in the grids where electrical energy is transferred between different parties. When these new billing points are at existing places in the grid, it is strongly preferred to use the available instrument transformers for realization of a revenue metering system rather than installing new CTs and PTs. However, these available instrument transformers do not always meet the accuracy class requirements prescribed by legislation like electricity metering codes. In this paper, we present the results of an extensive performance evaluation of the ratio error of high voltage CTs under actual operating conditions. The aim of this evaluation was to find out to what extent CTs that do not meet the required accuracy class can nevertheless be used for revenue metering systems when their ratio errors are measured and corrected for. The study has a significant impact on the expansion of the metering infrastructure within smart grids, since it paves the way to a significant cost saving in the realization of new revenue metering setups.