The reclamation area of the ex gold-mining PT. Newmont Minahasa Raya (PT. NMR) will be used as a botanic gardens. This study aims to assess the reclamation program's success based on a variable vegetation of the ex gold-mining area of PT. NMR for the basis of the next management. Observations of vegetation on each unit of area was done by nested sampling system, where plots were placed along a perpendicular transect in a contour line. Vegetation variables were recorded among other: species name, individual number, plot numbers, coordinates, temperature, humidity, canopy cover, and land cover. The effect of vegetation on both of two variable regions, revegetation area and non-revegetation area, was tested using discriminant analysis. The results showed that the vegetation composition of the ex gold mining area of PT. NMR was still dominated by introduction species i.e. gamal (Gliricidia sepium), mahoni (Swietenia macrophylla), and lamtoro (Leucaena leucocephala). The diversity of understorey vegetation was middle category. The vegetation structure of the revegetation area was still in its infancy and has not yet reached climax conditions. However, revegetation efforts PT. NMR has succeeded in restoring the composition and structure of vegetation resembling to vegetation conditions in secondary forests. For supporting the ecosystem stability and promoting development programs of botanic gardens, were the enrichment of native vegetation and endangered species is needed.


This report summarizes the 2009 financial and production records of 88 Michigan cash grain farms. To be included, the farms must have produced at least 50 percent of gross cash farm income from one or a combination of these items: corn, soybeans, wheat, navy beans, oats, sugar beets and other small grains. The records came from Michigan State University's TelFarm project and Farm Credit Service of Michigan. The values were pooled into averages for reporting purposes. Farm records were included if a farm financial analysis had completed 2009 data including beginning and ending balance sheets and a statement of income and expenses. The data was checked to verify that cash discrepancy was less than 10% of gross cash inflow and that debt discrepancy was less than $1,000. While considerable variation in the data exists, average values are reported in the summary tables.


Objective: Medical students and surgeons are living lives full of stress, which leads them to be in an accelerated state that can result in mistakes and frustration. Our constant desire to be better means that we can forget to be in the present. Mindfulness has been emerging as a new therapy that has been fruitful in different areas. The objective of this study is to explore whether mindfulness therapy could improve laparoscopic training in medical students. Design: A pilot study was performed with 10 first-year medical student volunteers. The students were randomly assigned to a control group or the mindfulness group. The control group received no intervention at all. The mindfulness group received mindfulness sessions for 15–20 min free of charge before the laparoscopic training. Five modified tests in laparoscopic simulation were included. The time for two pre-tests and three tests was measured after an assigned training time. Setting: The study was performed at the Center for Surgical Skills Training at the University of Chile, Santiago. Participants: The study included 10 first-year medical student volunteers from Universidad de Los Andes (50% male and 50% female). We chose to conduct the study with first-year students because they had not had any previous experience in surgery or laparoscopy. Results: All 10 participants finished the trial. There were no significant differences in the times for the pre-tests between the two groups. The best improvement between the pre-tests and tests was achieved by the mindfulness group for the colour matching task with an improvement of 72 1.1 s. The mindfulness group showed a better performance in all final tests compared with the control group, which was statistically significant (P 5 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, the test times for the group who were exposed to mindfulness therapy were improved (reduced) compared with those of the control group. The development and implementation of mindfulness laparoscopic simulation training may be feasible. Further studies are justified to confirm that hypothesis.


The mean-field Hubbard model is used to investigate the formation of the antiferromagnetic phase in hexagonal graphene rings with inner zigzag edges. The outer edge of the ring was taken to be either zigzag or armchair, and we found that both types of structures can have a larger antiferromagnetic interaction as compared with hexagonal dots. This difference could be partially ascribed to the larger number of zigzag edges per unit area in rings than in dots. Furthermore, edge states localized on the inner ring edge are found to hybridize differently than the edge states of dots, which results in important differences in the magnetism of graphene rings and dots. The largest staggered magnetization is found when the outer edge has a zigzag shape. However, narrow rings with armchair outer edge are found to have larger staggered magnetization than zigzag hexagons. The edge defects are shown to have the least effect on magnetization when the outer ring edge is armchair shaped.


China has widely implemented land consolidation, which was expected to increase the amount of cultivated land and enhance grain yields. Key components of land consolidation include filling mall waterbodies and leveling land, both of which have strong impacts on the environment in the Yangtze River Delta. The impacts of land consolidation on soil ecology and agricultural production are not yet clear. Here, we conducted a field survey of soil properties and rice growth to detect the effects of land consolidation in the first growing season. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to analyze the remote sensing data. We found significant differences in the soil properties under different types of land leveling, with a general NDVI pattern of: control > borrowed topsoil area > filled waterbodies area > topsoil cutting area. We found significant heterogeneity in rice NDVI after land consolidation. The NDVI of rice had extremely significant positive correlations with soil organic matter and available zinc. The spatial variation in soil properties caused by land consolidation was a dominant factor leading to the heterogeneity of rice NDVI. Fertilizing soil and strengthening field management should be adopted to provide more ecological services while increasing quantity.


Magnetic properties of iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized by microwave solvothermal method are reported. The effect of the nucleating agent on the composition, size, morphology and microstructure of nanoparticles was studied with a view to their correlation with magnetic properties. It is shown that a soft magnetic material with high value of magnetization saturation and high-frequency dispersion of complex permeability can be obtained by an appropriate choice of the nucleating agent.


Selective biliary cannulation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is required to perform all therapeutic biliary procedures. Despite major advances in imaging, guidewires and sphincterotome catheter designs, the success rate for biliary cannulation by experienced endoscopists during ERCP is approximately 85% when standard cannulation techniques are applied. Precut sphincterotomy, also known as access sphincterotomy, is performed when standard techniques fail to achieve selective biliary cannulation. Precut sphincterotomy significantly increases the rate of biliary cannulation up to 98%. However, precut sphincterotomy has traditionally been considered a risk factor for adverse events following ERCP, especially concerning is post-ERCP pancreatitis which results in significant morbidity and financial burden. Recent evidence suggests that precut sphincterotomy alone may not be a risk factor for pancreatitis; rather repeated attempts (≥10) at biliary cannulation prior to precut sphincterotomy may be the actual cause of post-ERCP pancreatitis. In this paper, we review the different variations of the precut sphincterotomy technique and their corresponding rates of success and adverse events.


The application of membranes for clove oil purification has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of processing. The main problem that occurs is the polymer-based membranes tend to change in properties such as weakening, dissolving, and swelling when contact with clove oil. In this study, cellulose acetate membrane was developed with TiO2 nano-particles to reduce swelling effect and coating with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to modify membrane surface. The membranes were prepared using dry-wet phase inversion method from dope solution with polymer concentration of 14–20 wt% and nano-particles of TiO2 with a concentration of 0–1.5 wt% in total solid. The formed membrane was coated with PVA with a concentration of 2–5 wt% crosslinked using glutaraldehyde. The SEM results show that prepared membrane are asymmetric membranes and show the coated layer of PVA on the surface. The FTIR spectra confirm that the PVA is successfully crosslinked and the addition of nano-particles TiO2 decreases the membrane swelling degree, significantly. In the addition of 0.5 wt% of nano-TiO2 can increase the flux from 0.54 to 0.66 L × m−2 × h−1 × bar−1. The coated membrane surface using PVA increases the selectivity of the membrane to produce clove oil permeates with eugenol content of 82.5 % from 68 %.


The parasitologic investigation performed without clinical orientation in a routine laboratory allowed to identify the most common parasites, often cysts of protozoa, using a minimal technique. A more accurate investigation (e.g.: concentration, extraction and flotation) was hampered by a too large number of systematic specimens. The use of an immersion objective improves the detection and identification of cysts of protozoa. There is still some controversy on the virulence of small amoebae, flagellates, Blastocystis and Entamoeba coli, the infection being often massive. AIDS should predispose to new parasitic diseases such as cryptosporidiosis and strongyloidosis. A careful examination of stools for parasites has become mandatory in view of the wide geographical origin of patients with a parasitic disease.


This thesis is made of two connected parts, the first one about limit order book modeling and the second one about tick value effects. In the first part, we present our framework for Markovian order book modeling. The queue-reactive model is first introduced, in which we revise the traditional zero-intelligence approach by adding state dependency in the order arrival processes. An empirical study shows that this model is very realistic and reproduces many interesting microscopic features of the underlying asset such as the distribution of the order book. We also demonstrate that it can be used as an efficient market simulator, allowing for the assessment of complex placement tactics. We then extend the queue-reactive model to a general Markovian framework for order book modeling. Ergodicity conditions are discussed in details in this setting. Under some rather weak assumptions, we prove the convergence of the order book state towards an invariant distribution and that of the rescaled price process to a standard Brownian motion. In the second part of this thesis, we are interested in studying the role played by the tick value at both microscopic and macroscopic scales. First, an empirical study of the consequences of a tick value change is conducted using data from the 2014 Japanese tick size reduction pilot program. A prediction formula for the effects of a tick value change on the trading costs is derived and successfully tested. Then, an agent-based model is introduced in order to explain the relationships between market volume, price dynamics, bid-ask spread, tick value and the equilibrium order book state.


This paper presents a Multi Agent System (MAS) framework applied to achieve energy management in a multiple micro grids systems. Each micro grid consists of photovoltaic arrays (PVs), batteries as a storage units and different types of loads. The PV output power and the various load power consumption patterns change in hourly basis. The micro grid can be operated in grid connected mode in normal mode or it can be islanded from the grid to be self-sustained using the PVs output power and the storage power in its batteries. The simulation of each micro grid is performed using Matlab/Simulink, while the MAS control algorithm is developed on Java Agent Developing Environment (JADE). The integration between Matlab/Simulink and JADE is performed using MACSimJX, which provides MATLAB models developed in Simulink with access to JADE.


Viral matrix proteins containing a highly conserved PPxY Late (L) domain motif are critical for efficient viral budding of several emerging RNA viruses. The L domain motif functions by recruiting host cell proteins necessary for separation of virus particles from the cell surface during the budding process. The conserved nature of the PPxY motif and its importance for viral egress make it an attractive drug target with potential broad spectrum antiviral activity. Here we describe a PPxY inhibitor capable of reducing viral budding of four highly lethal, category A RNA viruses: Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, and Junín viruses.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the effects of an intra-articular (IA) lidocaine or bupivacaine injection on synovial fluid (SF) biomarkers of cartilage metabolism.

STUDY DESIGN
Experimental.

ANIMALS
Horses (n = 6).

METHODS
The study had 2 components, each with an identical design: the first arm assessed the effects of bupivacaine (0.5%) IA in the intercarpal joints and, after a 2-week washout period, the second was conducted to evaluate the effects of IA lidocaine (2%) in the tarsocrural joints. The mares were randomly assigned to receive the test local anesthetic in the target joint or the placebo (0.9% NaCl) in the contralateral joint. After a 2-week washout period, treatments were reversed, yielding 6 joints for each treatment. SF samples were collected for measurement of biomarkers of cartilage metabolism.

RESULTS
IA bupivacaine or lidocaine induced a significant increase in both markers of cartilage matrix synthesis (CS846-aggrecan and CPII-type II collagen) suggesting an anabolic effect. Bupivacaine also resulted in an unanticipated decrease in both collagen degradation markers (C2C and C1,2C).

CONCLUSIONS
These results reveal an anabolic effect of single IA injections of local anesthetics on cartilage metabolism. Although collagen degradation biomarker results were not increased, it is possible that the anabolic response is because of an undetected cartilage insult, and requires further investigation.


COVID-19, Scopus, Top Authors, Institutes, Countries and Co-Words Analysis The main objective of the present study is to summarize the research output about COVID19. The search was conducted in Scopus, the largest abstract and citation database of peerreviewed literature, and later it was analyzed on VOSviewer. Total 34716 research documents have been published about COVID-19 till September 2020. We focused on three parameters, i.e., co-authorship pattern, citations, and co-words analysis. Based on the total number of publications, h-index, total citations, and citations per document, we provided the list of the top ten authors, institutes, and countries. Based on the total number of publications, the topranked author is Wiwanitkit, V., and the top institute is Harvard Medical School, USA. It is worthy to note that more than 150 countries have contributed to research output. Based on the total publications, citations, and h-index, we provided details for each continent. Later, we provided the list of the top ten countries. The highest documents are published by the USA (25.35%). We analyzed the 343682 keywords from all publications to provide a general overview or the common trends in publications. We also analyzed the top 2000 most cited documents and provided the details of the top ten authors, institutes, and countries. Based on the VOSviewer' analysis, the information on the co-occurrence of words in titles, abstracts, and keywords is provided. This may help to depict the common trends in research publications. Based on the bibliometrics results, significant work has been published on pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this pandemic.


: Cor triatriatum is a congenital heart malformation that is characterised by the division of the left or right atrium into two separate chambers by a membrane or diaphragm. Reports among adults are scarce, as most cases are diagnosed during childhood. The risk of mortality is increased when cor triatriatum is complicated by pulmonary hypertension. This is a report of an 86-year-old woman with World Health Organization Group 2 pulmonary hypertension secondary to cor triatriatum, discovered during preoperative workup. Echocardiography showed a membrane dividing the left atrium into two. Doppler studies revealed a reversal of normal flow, similar to mitral stenosis. The right ventricle was dilated, with reduced long axis function.


The main goal of physical hydraulic modelling of plunge pools as energy dissipators at the toe of reservoir dams is the assessment of their performance efficiency. There is a limitation of using non-cohesive material at steep slopes. Accordingly a suitable combination of cohesive and non- cohesive materials should be selected to simulate the scouring resistance characteristics in the plunge pool against complicated turbulent flow in a hydraulic model. In this study, the relative ability of rock to resist scouring in the plunge pool of Karoon-III dam on the Karoon River in south eastern Iran was simulated using a physical model. Eighty-six experiments in four series were carried out in a flume with an effective length of 10 meters with different combination of cohesive and non-cohesive materials, with uniform flow in different velocities. The threshold velocity of scouring was subsequently determined for each combination. Cement was eliminated from the test due to its high scour resistance and was replaced by bentonite clay. Experiments were then continued to determine a suitable fraction of clay bentonite in the combination. The erosive power of water was calculated using three methods: measured flow profiles, flow normal depths, and the Standard Step method. The Erodability Indices were determined by the Annandele method for each method. These Indices were used to determine the suitable class of bentonite clay for different parts of the Karoon-III dam plunge pool.


The electron density distribution of HCP (hexagonal close-packed) metal Mg is obtained for the first time by the maximum entropy method (MEM). The data used in the analysis are measured by a newly developed synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction with an imaging plate (IP) as a detector. Care is taken in the quality of the specimen and the high counting statistics of the measurement. In the MEM map of Mg, which is the electron density distribution map obtained by the MEM, a surplus of electron charge is seen around the tetrahedral sites (T sites) of the HCP structure, while the electron densities around the octahedral sites (O sites) are much less than the average density of inter-atomic sites. By these surplus electrons, Mg metal forms a honeycomb network in the base plane and shows a kind of electronic layer structure. Since there are no ambiguities of phase determination, it can be said that the MEM map of Mg is constructed purely depending on the experimental data and free from any structural models. In our previous work the same kind of honeycomb network was found in Be, which is also an HCP metal. There is a high possibility that such honeycomb network is one of the structural characteristics of pure HCP metals at the electronic level. More work has to be done to investigate such a possibility and the MEM analysis will play an important role in structural studies at the electronic level.


Abstract Boreal forest trees influence mineral weathering rates via exudation and uptake processes. Most trees in the boreal forest live in symbiosis with ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi that sheath most of the root tips and form the main interface between the tree and the soil. Current weathering models do not take into account the nature and scale of fungal-mineral interactions. Here we show for the first time grain-scale effects of EcM fungi in symbiosis with a host plant on mineral weathering under sterile conditions. EcM fungi actively direct their growth and energy flow towards mineral grains containing essential nutrient elements for the tree and fungus.


Modern semiconductor design methods makes it possible to design increasingly complex system-on-a-chips (SOCs). Testing such SOCs becomes highly expensive due to the rapidly increasing test data volumes with longer test times as a result. Several approaches exist to compress the test stimuli and where hardware is added for decompression. This master's thesis presents a test data compression method based on a modified facsimile code. An embedded processor on the SOC is used to decompress and apply the data to the cores of the SOC. The use of already existing hardware reduces the need of additional hardware. Test data may be rearranged in some manners which will affect the compression ratio. Several modifications are discussed and tested. To be realistic a decompressing algorithm has to be able to run on a system with limited resources. With an assembler implementation it is shown that the proposed method can be effectively realized in such environments. Experimental results where the proposed method is applied to benchmark circuits show that the method compares well with similar methods. A method of including the response vector is also presented. This approach makes it possible to abort a test as soon as an error is discovered, still compressing the data used. To correctly compare the test response with the expected one the data needs to include don't care bits. The technique uses a mask vector to mark the don't care bits. The test vector, response vector and mask vector is merged in four different ways to find the most optimal way.


Sacral insufficiency fractures are a common source of back pain in the elderly and are associated with significant morbidity due to poor recognition and delays in diagnosis. Previous treatment modalities have centered primarily on bed rest, oral analgesia, early mobilization and physical therapy. However, in recent years sacroplasty has emerged as a viable treatment option for sacral insufficiency fractures. Earlier recovery with sacroplasty, reduced incidence of deep venous thrombosis, and earlier return to activities of daily living are some of the features that made this treatment modality more appealing than traditional conservative management. We undertook a systematic review of the literature to examine the efficacy of sacroplasty for treatment of sacral insufficiency fractures in the elderly population. Thirty-one articles were included in this study for final analysis. Cement extravasation was the most commonly reported complication; however, it was not found to have clinical significance in the majority of studies that reported this outcome. Two studies reported S1 radicular pain after the procedure while only one study reported a patient with persistent pain requiring reoperation (1/8 incidence, 12.5%). The mean reduction in pain score from pre-procedure to latest follow-up post-procedure [reported as visual analog scale (VAS)] was 5.8+1.3 for those studies that reported this figure. Overall, sacroplasty is a safe and effective procedure associated with low complication rate and consistent pain relief in patients with sacral insufficiency fractures.


In this study, we developed a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay for specific diagnosis of Plasmodium knowlesi. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood samples using a commercial kit. With incubation at 37°C, the samples were successfully amplified within 20 minutes. The end product of RPA was further examined by loading onto agarose gel and a specific band was observed with a size of 128 bp. The RPA assay exhibited high sensitivity with limits of detection down to one copy of the plasmid. From the specificity experiments, it was demonstrated that all P. knowlesi samples (N = 45) were positive while other Plasmodium spp. (N = 42) and negative samples (N = 6) were negative. Therefore, the RPA assay is a highly promising approach with the potential to be used in resource-limited settings. This assay can be further optimized for bedside and on field application.


Enhancement-mode high voltage SiC VJFETs are available on market today. In this paper we present results of dynamic characterization of these devices. A standard double pulse test with clamped inductive load was used during this characterization. Switching times are registered and energy losses are calculated. The impact of driver circuitry on device performance is highlighted. A comparison between commercially available driver and an optimized driver is established here showing the dependency of switching losses of this device on driver circuit. When an optimized driver is used, a reduction of 80% and 70% in turn-off time and switching loss is observed, respectively.


Over the past few years, networks which are subject to long delays, high disruptions, asymmetric data rates and/or low delivery ratio etc, have gained popularity. Different approaches have been researched in the past to improve performance of networks under these challenging conditions e. g. modifying TCP behaviour suitable for a selected set of networks including Performance Enhancing Proxies (PEPs) based satellite networks and by proposing complete new networking architecture such as Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN). The presence of PEPs breaks the original end-to-end TCP connection into two or three TCP connections and in this way allows a TCP variant to be applied on satellite link in a suitable way. The presence of PEPs on satellite links has disadvantages, e. g. splitting TCP connection is not compliant with the standard internet security mechanism IPsec as IPsec encrypts the traffic which can be only viewed at end nodes. In the thesis, a new dynamic Multilayer IPsec (ML-Ipsec) protocol is proposed for TCP/IP based networks, which enables the trusted intermediate devices to access part of IP datagram in order to function properly, while maintaining confidentiality between end nodes. The protocol is also flexible enough to break the IP datagram as many as 15 levels. The other paradigm, DTN, is an overlay networking architecture; evolved from a focus on deep space networks to a broader class of heterogeneous networks e. g. wireless adhoc networks etc. The security protocols defined for DTN, including the "Bundle Security Protocol" (BSP) are designed on the assumption that some sort of public key management mechanism is there to support security functions. In the DTN community, DTN key management is still an open issue. The thesis proposes to solve the key management issue by contributing: 1) A new Efficient Scalable Key Transport Scheme (ESKTS) which provides a way to transport the symmetric key using public key cryptography, in which the symmetric key generated at a DTN node can be transported to another communicating body securely along with the data. The ESKTS is scalable, communication efficient and compliant with the BSP semantics. 2) Sstandard PKI validation and revocation mechanism is enhanced by a new scheme which is compliant with PKI, compliant with BSP and also enables the applications to build a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) of reduced size. Furthermore the scheme also increases the efficiency to search through the list while providing communication efficiency to distribute CRL in the network due to its reduced size. 3) Framework for DTN key management architecture is proposed to establish a shared state between communicating parties dynamically. The shared state establishes the building block for security services; the cryptographic algorithms and the keys. Keywords: Security, PEPs, Satellite Networks, Key Management, PKI, DTN, Key Transport.


To evaluate the obstetric outcomes of extra ultrasonographic anomalies in patients with cleft lip or/and cleft (CL±P) palate. This retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary referral hospital between December 2017 and March 2021. The patients were analyzed under three groups as follows: isolated CL±P (group 1), CL±P with ultrasonographic anomalies with mild fetal and neonatal consequences (group 2), and CL±P with ultrasonographic anomalies with severe fetal and neonatal consequences (group 3). Fourty cases were analyzed. The abnormal karyotype result (16.7%) were 46,x,t (t15;16)(q26;24), monosomy 18, trisomy 13, 46, XX, 21ps +. In the central cleft, ultrasonographic anomalies were seen in nine patients, which was statistically significantly higher than in isolated CL±P (p=0.004). Seven patients with extra ultrasonographic anomalies underwent termination, one patient with anencephaly died in utero. Preterm birth was the most common obstetric complication in all groups (n=9, 27.2%). In group 3, polyhydramnios was observed statistically significantly more frequently than in group 2 (p=0.033), and the first minute APGAR score was statistically significantly lower than in group 1 and 2 (p=0.003). The fifth minute APGAR score was statistically significantly lower and the need for the neonatal intensive care unit was statistically significantly higher than group 1 only (p=0.004 and p=0.007, respectively). Polyhydramnios is not found in isolated cases, but only in cases with additional anomalies. Patients with CL±P with either major or minor additional ultrasonographic anomalies have worse fifth minute Apgar results and a greater need for the NICU.


Disc brakes have evolved over time to be a reliable method of decelerating and stopping a vehicle. There have been different designs of disc brake systems for different applications. This review gives a detailed description of different geometries of the components and the materials used in a disc brake system. In spite of all the improvements, there are still many operational issues related to disc brakes that need to be understood in greater detail and resolved. There has been a lot of research going on about these issues and at the same time different methods are being proposed to eliminate or reduce them. There has also been intensive fundamental research going on about the evolution of the tribological interface of the disc-pad system. One major purpose of the present paper is to give a comprehensive overview of all such developments.


This paper has attempted to show that the cement industry in the United States can accomplish significant reductions in its total energy consumption by intergrinding industrial by-products such as slags, fly ashes, kiln dusts, and possibly other industrial by-products with cement clinker. Further, as seen in many countries this reduction can be accomplished without sacrifice in cement product quality. This study undertook an analysis and evaluation of the utilization of a variety of slags, fly ashes, and kiln dusts in combination with Type I cements from a number of cement plants. Additionally, a significant portion of the project effort was directed on fostering more widespread usage of industrial by-products in blended cement manufacture in the United States and promoting within the industry, ASTM, and other cognizant agencies the adoption of performance specifications applicable to the energy-saving blended cements. This study was a step in the direction of energy savings that can be attained through blended cement production and use. There are potentially many additional means of further reducing the energy requirements of cement manufacture, as was discussed in the excellent report on the use of energy within the cement industry.


Abstract In this paper we proposed and evaluated the performance of a new bit-level text compression scheme that is based on the Hamming codes based data compression (HCDC) algorithm. The scheme consists of six steps some of which are repetitively applied to achieve higher compression ratio. The repetition loops continue until inflation detected and the accumulated compression ratio is the multiplication of the compression ratios of the individual loops, therefore, we refer to the new scheme as HCDC(k), where k refers to the number of repetition loops. To enhance the compression power of the HCDC(k) scheme, a new adaptive encoding format was proposed in which a character is encoded to binary according to its probability. This method of encoding reduces the binary sequence entropy so that it grants higher compression ratio. A number of text files from standard corpora were compressed and the obtained results demonstrated that the proposed scheme has higher compression power than many widely used compression algorithms and it has a competitive performance with respect to state-of-the-art programs.


Due to the concrete self-shrinkage, frequent load application and temperature fluctuation, and so on,the gap formed between the inner tube wall and the core concrete surfaces would decrease the performance of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST). To prevent this cavity problem, various types of expansive agents and aggregates were used in this study to improve the volume stability of core concrete. Comparative experiments with mortars and concrete were carried out respectively under standard curing condition and under enclosed curing condition which simulated the environment in steel tube. The results could be summarized as follows: ● Two types of expansive agents, ZY type expansive agent mainly containing sulfates and aluminates and M type expansive agent mainly containing magnesium oxide, presented different expansive behaviors with curing ages in mortar and concrete. Two types of expansive agents combined with each other could produce complementary and superimposition effects to improve continuously the volume stability of mortar and concrete. ● Sufficient water supply is the key factor for the formation and maintenance of expansion. The volume change caused by the self-shrinkage effect of core concrete could not be effectively off-set with whether two types expansive agents or their compounds under enclosed environment in which water was scarce and could not be supplied from outside. ● When some water-saturated ceramsite were used to partially replace aggregates in core concrete,the volume expansion performance of core concrete improved dramatically with the water storage and supply effects of water-saturated ceramsite.


Fusion power could be one of very few sustainable options to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary energy source. Fusion offers the potential of predictable, safe power with no carbon emissions and fuel sources lasting for millions of years. However, it is notoriously difficult to achieve in a controlled, steady-state fashion. The most promising path is via magnetic confinement in a device called a tokamak. A magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) power plant requires many different science, technology and engineering challenges to be met simultaneously. This requires an integrated approach from the outset; advances are needed in individual areas but these only bring fusion electricity closer if the other challenges are resolved in harmony. The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has developed a wide range of skills to address many of the challenges and hosts the JET device, presently the only MCF facility capable of operating with both the fusion fuels, deuterium and tritium. Recently, several major new UKAEA facilities have been funded and some have started operation, notably a new spherical tokamak (MAST Upgrade), a major robotics facility (RACE), and a materials research facility (MRF). Most recently, work has started on Hydrogen-3 Advanced Technology (H3AT) for tritium technology and a group of Fusion Technology Facilities. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Fusion energy using tokamaks: can development be accelerated?'


The authors conducted a study for the sample size of 75 HR managers from an Indian IT company through systematic sampling method. This study identifies that the female employees are facing lesser conflict than the male employees against their managers within the organization. There is a positive correlation between gender and conflict management with the superior towards the work. There is a significant variance between age and response towards appraisal system, succession planning and employee engagement. The education qualification plays a major role in determining the compensation factor for the employees working in the organization. The study determines the impact of demographic profile on strategic HRM practices and its challenges faced by HR managers in IT firm, India. Keywords—Strategic Human resource management, Change agent, Employee engagement, Performance management, Succession planning and Conflict management.


In the light of the current environmental crisis, different approaches to mitigating climate change have been put forward, some more plausible than others. However, despite problems with anthropocentric approaches to global warming (whether these be weak or strong versions of the approach), it seems that because of the largely anthropocentric outlook of the Western world, an internationally united approach to mitigating climate change will (perhaps inevitably) come from human-centred values. But what are the long-term implications of this? Such values need to be at the very least challenged if we are interested in providing justifiable and sustainable solutions to the current crisis. Indeed, this paper will analyse sentientism as an alternative environmental ethic stance and will discuss why it provides a more plausible approach than anthropocentric ones whilst recognising where it falls short.


Protein aggregation and formation of insoluble aggregates in central nervous system is the main cause of neurodegenerative disease. Parkinson's disease is associated with the appearance of spherical masses of aggregated proteins inside nerve cells called Lewy bodies. α-Synuclein is the main component of Lewy bodies. In addition to α-synuclein, there are more than a hundred of other proteins co-localized in Lewy bodies: 14-3-3η protein is one of them. In order to increase our understanding on the aggregation mechanism of α-synuclein and to study the effect of 14-3-3η on it, I addressed the following questions. (i) How α-synuclein monomers pack each other during aggregation? (ii) Which is the role of 14-3-3η on α-synuclein packing during its aggregation? (iii) Which is the role of 14-3-3η on an aggregation of α-synuclein "seeded" by fragments of its fibrils?
In order to answer these questions, I used different biophysical techniques (e.g., Atomic force microscope (AFM), Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and Fluorescence spectroscopy (FS)).


Purpose - Corporate responsibility reporting (CRR) deals with companies' ethical, economic, environmental, and social impacts. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on whether CRR is associated with the information set that shareholders use to value a company's equity and therefore, the value-relevance thereof for investment decision making. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses a modified Ohlson model developed by Hassel, Nilsson and Nyquist to examine the role of CRR in providing information to shareholders that may affect their valuation of a company. The paper uses two data sets, namely a KPMG dataset on the CRR of the top 100 South African companies and the McGregor BFA database for financial data. Findings - It was found that the share prices of companies with higher levels of CRR are likely to be higher. Originality/value - Prior research in which different valuation methods and different assessment periods were used was conducted in different developed countries. Some studies show value relevance, while others do not. South Africa is a developing country and by bringing a developing country to the literature the authors' aim is to contribute to the current debate on the value relevance of CRR.


A wide range of emissions were characterized from a heavy-duty diesel engine operated on conventional low sulfur (∼375 ppm) fuel, equipped with manually controlled EGR and a catalyzed particulate filter (CPF). The effectof the CPF and engine load was studied, along with a comparison of results between the gravimetric and thermal optical methods (TOM) for determining diesel particulate levels. Data were obtained from four of the EPA old 13 mode test cycle steady-state operating conditions, i.e., Modes 11, 10, 9, and 8 using a 1995 Cummins M11-330E engine with a Corning EX-80 cordierite particulate filter, coated with a platinum catalyst (5 g/ft 3 ). Emission characterization results presented in this paper include: total particulate matter (TPM), comprised of solids (SOL), soluble organic fraction (SOF), and sulfates (SO 4 ) that were determined gravimetrically; semi-volatile organic compounds (XOC), and total carbon (TC), comprised of elemental and organic carbon (EC and OC, respectively), that were obtained using the TOM. Raw and dilute exhaust measurements were performed to compare carbonaceous particulate matter (CPM) concentrations in the raw exhaust and SOL concentrations in the dilute exhaust. Significant reductions were typically observed across the CPF at all operating conditions for most emissions, including TPM, SOL, SOF, XOC, HC, CO, NO x , and particle volume distributions. Trace metal emissions also showed reductions across the CPF. The metals comprised less than 1% of the TPM. Relatively good agreement was observed between the gravimetric method and the TOM. Significant increases in sulfate emissions were observed at two of the operating conditions (Mode 11 and 8), which was in agreement with the particle number increases across the CPF. Carbonaceous particulate matter (CPM) collected in the raw exhaust tended to be higher for upstream experiments than the SOL in the dilute exhaust at the high load conditions and tended to be in better agreement at the low load conditions. TPM, SOL, TC, EC, OC, NO x , and CO 2 tended to increase with increasing load, while SOF, XOC, and gas phase HCs tended to decrease with increasing load.


Objective The aim of this study was to report our institutional experience of a multimodal approach for treatment of locally advanced high-grade neuroendocrine cervical cancer. Methods and Materials Patients with primary locally advanced neuroendocrine cervical cancer diagnosed between 2001 and 2014 were included. The scheduled treatment sequence was as follows: pelvic +/− para-aortic radiotherapy (according to tumor stage), associated with chemotherapy based on platine-derivate and etoposide regimen, followed with a brachytherapy boost, then completion surgery if there was no progression +/− consolidation etoposide chemotherapy (for a total of 5–6 cycles). Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were reported and prognostic factors were searched. Results A total of 24 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. Median age was 48 (range 22–77 years). Fourteen patients (58%) had pelvic lymph node metastases. After chemoradiation/brachytherapy, a radical hysterectomy could be performed in 18 of 24 patients (75%). Histologically complete resection was achieved in 14 (78%) of 18 patients. Complete pathological response was reported in 7 (39%) of 18. With median follow-up of 29.7 months, 10 (42%) of 24 patients experienced tumor relapse, all associated with distant failure, including one local failure. The DFS and OS rates estimated at 3 years were 55% and 63%, respectively. Lymph node metastases and tumor stage were prognostic for DFS (P = 0.016 and P = 0.022, respectively). Complete resection was associated with a lower incidence of relapses, as compared with microscopically incomplete resection (P = 0.04). A total of 12 (86%) of 14 patients with histologically complete resection were in complete remission at last follow-up. Apart from manageable acute hematological toxicities, most treatment complications were mild to moderate. Conclusions This series based on a multimodal management compares favorably with previously published data. Most patients could be eligible to surgery, and complete remission was achieved in 85% of those amenable to complete resection.


Background: A systematic review characterised and synthesised applications of the Community Readiness Tool (CRT) and synthesised quantitative results for readiness applications at multiple time points. Methods: Eleven databases in OvidSP and EBSCHOhost were searched to retrieve CRT applications. Information from primary studies was extracted independently by two researchers. Results: Forty applications of the CRT met inclusion criteria focussing on 14 different health and social issues. The community of interest was most often defined solely on the basis of its geographical location (52.5%). Most studies used the CRT to plan (85%) and/or evaluate programs (40%). The CRT protocol was modified in 40% of studies. Six applications evaluated readiness at multiple time points, however limited reporting in primary studies precluded any synthesis of results. Applications identified methodological rigour, contextual information and community engagement as strengths, and time and resource costs as limitations. Conclusions: The CRT is well suited for planning and evaluating complex community health interventions given its flexibility to accommodate diverse definitions of community and issues. CRT applications would benefit from improved reporting; reporting recommendations for use of the CRT are outlined.


Cells require optimal substrate stiffness for normal function and differentiation. The mechanisms for sensing matrix rigidity and durotaxis, however, are not clear. Here we showed that control, Shp2-/-, integrin beta1-/-, and talin1-/- cell lines all spread to a threefold greater area on fibronectin (FN)-coated rigid polyacrylamide surfaces than soft. In contrast, RPTPalpha-/- cells spread to the same area irrespective of rigidity on FN surfaces but spread 3x greater on rigid collagen IV-coated surfaces than soft. RPTPalpha and alphavbeta3 integrins were shown previously to be colocalized at leading edges and antibodies to alphavbeta3 blocked FN rigidity sensing. When FN beads were held with a rigid laser trap at the leading edge, stronger bonds to the cytoskeleton formed than when held with a soft trap; whereas back from the leading edge and in RPTPalpha-/- cells, weaker bonds were formed with both rigid and soft laser traps. From the rigidity of the trap, we calculate that a force of 10 pN generated in 1 s is sufficient to activate the rigidity response. We suggest that RPTPalpha and alphavbeta3 at the leading edge are critical elements for sensing FN matrix rigidity possibly through SFK activation at the edge and downstream signaling.


The symmetric kernel-driven operator equations play an important role in mathematical physics, engineering, atmospheric image processing and remote sensing sciences. Such problems are usually ill-posed in the sense that even if a unique solution exists, the solution need not depend continuously on the input data. One common technique to overcome the difficulty is applying the Tikhonov regularization to the symmetric kernel operator equations, which is more generally called the Lavrentiev regularization. It has been shown that the iterative implementation of the Tikhonov regularization can improve the rate of convergence. Therefore in this paper, we study the iterative Lavrentiev regularization method in a similar way when applying it to symmetric kernel problems which appears frequently in applications, say digital image restoration problems. We first prove the convergence property, and then under the widely used Morozov discrepancy principle(MDP), we prove the regularity of the method. Numerical performance for digital image restoration is included to confirm the theory. It seems that the iterated Lavrentiev regularization with the MDP strategy is appropriate for solving symmetric kernel problems.


The regulation of cyclic adenosine 3:5-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) phosphodiesterase activity in homogenates of malignant and cyclic AMP-induced "differentiated" neuroblastoma cells was studied. Neuroblastoma cells of at least three mouse and one human clone had both the low (2 to 4 muM) and the high (66 to 106 muM) Km phosphodiesterase. In cyclic AMP-induced differentiated cells the values of Km were decreased, whereas the values of Vmax appeared to be slightly increased. Magnesium and manganese stimulated phosphodiesterase activity. Calcium, zinc, copper, mercury, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and imidazole completely inhibited phosphodiesterase activity in malignant cells, whereas the above agents, except ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, only partially inhibited enzyme activity in differentiated cells. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid completely reduced phosphodiesterase activity in differentiated cells. The pH optimum for phosphodiesterase activity was about 8 in both malignant and differentiated cells. The present studies show that the values of Km and Vmax and the sensitivity of phosphodiesterase activity to divalent ions change in cyclic AMP-induced differentiated neuroblastoma cells, and therefore we propose that the reverse may be true during malignant transformation of nerve cells.


A lightning arrester installed in an electrical power system is designed to protect some electrical equipment against damage due to lightning impulse strike. However, if  there is  a multiple impulse  current striking a lightning arrester, it may damage  the lightning arrester itself and then, as a result,  it cannot provide lightning protection to  the electrical equipment anymore. In this research, three peak values of lightning impulse current,which were  600, 1300, and 2500A, each of which had 5 repetitive impulse current, was  applied to a 5000A (1p.u.) ZnO block of a 24kV nominal voltage lightning arrester having seven ZnO block units. The results of research showed that by applying impulse current  of the order of 600(0.12), 1300(0.26), dan 2500(0.5) A(p.u.), making the ZnO block damage as much as 26.58, 50, and 100% concecutively. In addition, the damage of the ZnO block appeared as permanen low value of residual voltage as low as more than 5% of the new ZnO block residual voltage. If the ZnO block is still being used in a lightning arrester in electrical power system, it may result in the opening of a circuit breaker and possibly making electrical power outages from a number of electrical power customers.


We have evaluated the possible involvement of delta-opioid receptor (DOR) in the development and expression of neuropathic pain. For this purpose, partial ligation of the sciatic nerve was performed in DOR knockout mice and wild-type littermates. The development of mechanical and thermal allodynia, as well as thermal hyperalgesia was evaluated by using the von Frey filament model, the cold-plate test and the plantar test, respectively. In wild-type and DOR knockout mice, sciatic nerve injury led to a neuropathic pain syndrome revealed in these nociceptive behavioural tests. However, the development of mechanical and thermal allodynia, and thermal hyperalgesia was significantly enhanced in DOR knockout mice. These results reveal the involvement of DOR in the control of neuropathic pain and suggest a new potential therapeutic use of DOR agonists.


This research explored the effect of temperature on the perception of two chemical compounds (ethyl acetate, 4-ethyl phenol) in four base wines (Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, white blend, red blend). The perceived aroma intensity was evaluated at three serving temperatures (5°C, 10°C, 22°C) with wines which were spiked with 200 ppm ethyl acetate and 1000 ppm 4-ethyl phenol, using a panel of eight judges. Special attention was paid to the insulation of the wine glasses to maintain the temperature of the wine samples. The panel was required to wear wool scarves and gloves to eliminate cognitive and physical clues. The relationships between temperature and perceived intensity for fruit, ethyl acetate and 4-ethyl phenol were between 0.951 and 0.991, with all base wines. The perception of ethyl acetate was most noticeable in the neutral wines (white, red blends) and least noticeable in the highly aromatic Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay wines at 20°C. In contrast, 4-ethyl phenol was least noticeable at 20°C in the wines with greater phenolic constituents, Chardonnay and the red blend. The chemical 4-ethyl phenol appeared to suppress the perception of fruit in all base wines at all temperatures.


Abstract The treatment of pool water, whether for recreational or sporting purposes, by phytoremediation is widely applied. This work evaluates two artificial vertical flow wetlands, one on a real scale and the other on a laboratory scale, which have been planted with Typha domingensis, for the treatment of pool water in the climatic conditions of the city of Santiago de Cuba. When the hydraulic load applied to the real scale wetland was less than 0.25 m3∙m–2∙d–1, the levels of organic and microbiological contamination in the pool were below the maximum limits allowed by Cuban standards. At a laboratory scale, the presence of vegetation favoured the elimination of nitrogen compounds (nitrates and ammonium) and organic materials (BOD and COD). This behaviour is explained by the presence of processes of assimilation of organic compounds, or by the action of microorganisms associated with the rhizome of plants, which establish a symbiotic mechanism favourable to phytodepuration. The minimum concentration of ammonium obtained in outflow from the laboratory-scale reactor without vegetation reached a value of 2.15 mg∙m–3, which is within the limits allowed by the sanitary regulations.


Using three-dimensional diffusion-weighted MR microscopy and a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia, we evaluated the statistical characteristics of two parameters: absolute stroke volumes and change in stroke volumes over 6 h of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. In all rats, the absolute stroke volumes increased linearly over the 6-h MCA occlusion time period. On average, stroke volume growth rate was 2.1 +/- 0.5%/h. Sample size power analysis of our data demonstrated that to demonstrate a 10% reduction of the 6-h volumes, sample size per group would require 29 animals (these calculations are based on alpha = 0.05, beta = 0.20 using normal approximation). A similar 30% reduction of stroke volume at 6 h poststroke (from approximately equal to 200 to 140 mm3) would, in our "slope model," translate into a reduction of stroke growth rate from the normal + 11.25 mm3/h (150 to 200 mm3 over 4 h) to 7 mm3/h (150 to 178 mm3 over 4 h); power analysis in this case demonstrated that sample size is reduced to 15 animals per group (these calculations are based on alpha = 0.05, beta = 0.20 using normal approximation). We conclude that from a statistical standpoint our study demonstrates that stroke growth rate might be a more suitable parameter for evaluating the effect of treatment in both clinical and experimental stroke trials.


For corporations or individuals who wish to protect the confidentiality of their data across computer networks, network-layer encryption offers an efficient and proven method for preserving data privacy. Network layer encryption such as IPSec is more flexible than higher layer solutions since it is not application-dependent and can protect all end-to-end traffics that go between two hosts. Using IPSec, two hosts must first establish a session key through message exchanges before they can communicate. In this paper, we present an Identity Based Encryption (IBE) scheme that allows a host to calculate the per-packet encryption key based on the IP address of the destination host, without going through the expensive key exchange process as in IPSec. Our mechanism is compatible with the current IP protocol and we tested our scheme with live HTTP and ICMP traffic. Our results show that our protocol provides a zero-configuration network layer encryption solution for end-to-end secure communications that is ideal for consumer electronics applications.


Summary Macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF) released by stromal cells of the bone marrow microenvironment plays a crucial role in the growth and proliferation of mononuclear cells. Several peptide mitogens including interleukin‐1, tumour necrosis factor, platelet‐derived growth factor and fibroblast growth factor stimulate the release of M‐CSF and may be important in mediating the haematopoietic response to inflammation. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), released from platelets during aggregation, is mitogenic for a variety of cell types and may cause the release of certain cytokines. In this study we used the TC‐1 murine stromal cells which constitutively secrete M‐CSF as a model to study the regulation of M‐CSF in response to EGF. EGF markedly stimulated the steady state expression of M‐CSF mRNA with a peak effect observed at 3 h. This was associated with the release of M‐CSF protein as determined by radioimmunoassay. EGF also stimulated DNA synthesis in a concentration dependent manner. Although TC‐1 cells express GM‐CSF mRNA, this was not induced by EGF. These findings suggest that EGF is a key regulatory molecule for M‐CSF and may indirectly effect haematopoiesis via the release of M‐CSF from stromal cells.


The purpose of the researcher was to investigate the impact of a study skills class on student's achievement test scores. The independent variables were participation in the study skills class, gender and socioeconomic status. The dependent variables were California Test of Basic Skills scores (Reading, Language, Mathematics, Study Skills, Social Studies and Total Battery). The students in the present study were freshmen. The experimental group was made up of 17 students enrolled in the study skills class. The control group consisted of 19 freshmen who had not enrolled in the study skills class. Three composite null hypotheses were tested at the .05 level. A pretest/posttest single-factor analysis of covariance was employed. A total of 18 comparisons were made. Two of the 18 comparisons were statistically significant at the .05 level. The statistically significant comparisons were for the following: 1. the independent variable participation type and the dependent variable Reading, and 2. the independent variable participation type and the dependent variable composite score. The results of the present study indicated the following: 1. the control group had a statistically larger adjusted posttest mean Reading score that the participating group, and 2. the control group had a statistically larger adjusted posttest mean composite score than the participating group. The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations; 1. a study skills class of the type examined in this study is not effective in improving standardized achievement test results, 2. the gender of students participating in the Study Skills class is not associated with content achievement, and 3. the socioeconomic status of students participating in the Study Skills class is not associated with content achievement.


The paper deals with references to Sherlock Holmes in six sets of Australian reasons for judgment or decision. The references occur in the following three contexts: Holmes's occupational performance of or philosophising about the fact-finding function; tools used by Holmes while detecting; and whether it would be necessary for others in certain contexts to match Holmes's detective skills. In dealing with those references, almost all of the Holmes stories and all of the Holmes novels are mentioned. Images of illustrations from three of the stories and three of the novels are also included. One of those illustrations was the first ever to depict Holmes wearing a deerstalker cap and seems not to have reproduced before now since its publication in 1890. The paper contains a dozen appendices, whose topics are: the extent of awareness of Holmes in the non-English-speaking world; Holmes and headgear; words formed from the names, "Sherlock", "Holmes", "Sherlock Holmes" and "Watson"; Holmes's actual or intended writings; Holmes's views on circumstantial evidence; references in the Sherlock Holmes canon to motorised road transport and other technological innovations; Oscar Wilde's knowledge of Holmes; references in the Sherlock Holmes canon to train journeys involving Victoria, Paddington, Charing Cross and Euston stations; Holmes's foreign travels, with particular reference to Italy and an unusual Italian connection of Conan Doyle, and Holmes's attitude to domestic and foreign State honours and tangible gifts; Holmes's works of reference; and a discussion of certain aspects, particularly legal, of "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans".


The contribution of cinnamon extract on leaching of aluminum (Al) cook wares was investigated
using two aluminum alloys (Indian and Egyptian) and pure Al. The cinnamon (Cin) was extracted
by heating the Cin sticks at 90&degC in distilled water for an hour to make the 10% stock solution. This
study was done in aqueous solutions in presence and absence of 1% NaCl using weight loss at 90&degC.
Moreover surface study (SEM and EDX) and electrochemical methods (Open Circuit Potential and
Tafel plot) were applied. The addition of Cin solutions to 1% NaCl decreased the corrosion rates in
weight loss and electrochemical method compared to 1% NaCl solutions which showed an inhibitive
property of Cin solution. The inhibition was found to obey the modified Langmuir isotherm
with a negative Langmuir ΔGads indicating the spontaneous nature of adsorption even at 90&degC. The
EDX surface analysis of the Al surface immersed in Cin + NaCl revealed the composition of the pits
formed. From Tafel method, it was found that the corrosion current density of pure Al was more
than that of the Egyptian alloy. The apparent activation energy values for Cin, Cin + NaCl and NaCl
solution were evaluated and discussed.


When looking for information on Wikipedia, Internet users generally just read the latest version of an article. However, in its back-end there is much more: associated to each article are the edit history and talk pages, which together entail its full evolution. These spaces can typically reach thousands of contributions, and it is not trivial to make sense of them by manual inspection. This issue also affects Wikipedians, especially the less experienced ones, and constitutes a barrier for new editor engagement and retention. To address these limitations, Contropedia offers its users unprecedented access to the development of an article, using wiki links as focal points.


Abstract. In this work we focus on perhaps one of the worst journalist practice when dealing with severe weather, the Meteo-Show or the extended practice, especially in TV, for using weather and meteorology for spectacle. Journalism today has found weather information in a real goldmine in terms of audience due to the growing public interest in this matter. However, as it happens with other content, sensationalism and exaggeration have also reached weather information, primarily when episodes of adverse nature (snow, heavy rain, floods, etc.) are addressed. In this paper we look to identify the worst practices in weather communication through analysis of examples from real journalist work. We present some keys to understand this trend, highlighting the ingredients that are present in the worst Meteo-show.


This study aims to determine the increasing of high school students' motivation in learning physics through the use of computer simulation media in terms of parents' employment background. The method used in this study is quasi-experimental method. This research was conducted in class X SMAN 1 Lhoknga Aceh Besar. The data collection was gathered by giving a pretest and posttest questionnaire of student motivation. Then, the administration of a questionnaire survey was conducted to find out the background of the parents' employment. The results of the study showed that the use of computer simulations media could increase student motivation. The survey results showed that in the experimental class the student whose father works as a vegetable seller and his mother as a housewife got the highest increase of motivation. Furthermore, students who experienced the lowest increase of motivation both parents were victims of tsunami disaster in 2004. In the control class, students who experienced the highest increase of motivation came from a family whose father works as a fisherman and his mother is a housewife. Whereas, Students who obtained the lowest increase of motivation, his father has temporary jobs and his mother is a housewife.


This study investigates the specificity of two antigenic proteins with molecular weights of 39,000 and 49,000, respectively (p39 and p49), present in Novikoff ascites hepatoma. Chromatins and cytosol fractions were assayed from a number of tumorigenic cell lines by identifying antigenic species immunologically on nitrocellulose transfers containing proteins separated electrophoretically. Immunoreactivity was confirmed with complement-fixation. Although the p49 antigen was present only in Novikoff ascites hepatoma and a tissue culture line derived from these ascites cells, the p39 antigen was found in every carcinoma cell line examined. In contrast, neither antigen was present in a representative sarcoma, fibrosarcoma, or Walker 256 carcinosarcoma. These results suggest that the p39 antigen is a protein specific for malignant cells derived from the epithelium. The overall expression of the p39 antigen by the various cell lines examined did not appear to be influenced by in vivo or in vitro growth of homologous cell lines. This latter feature suggests that the p39 antigen is a stable, possibly structural component of neoplastic cells.


Agricultural production in the High Plains region of Texas is a part of the foundation of the region's economy. Part of the reason for this is the availability of groundwater for irrigation. Currently, the region relies on the Ogallala Aquifer for irrigation water; however, the High Plains is also home to a second aquifer, the Dockum Aquifer, which could be a viable resource for agricultural use. While the Dockum could partially replace the Ogallala, but differences in depth and pumping cost mean that it is not a perfect subsitute. The purpose of this paper is to determine how the use of water resources and crop production in the area would change if a new water resource was introduced. For each of the forty-one counties in the study area, a representative farm was established that reflects the attributes of the county including land, hydrologic, and crop specific characteristics. To estimate the optimal use of groundwater in the region and identify how the inclusion of the Dockum Aquifer affects regional production and groundwater use, a non-linear programing model was created with the objective to maximize net revenues for each county. Using the model to establish a baseline in which only Ogallala water is used, the effect of the using the Dockum Aquifer was estimated by restricting the amount of water available in the Ogallala, while making the Dockum available for use.


Like many marine mammals, Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) consume prey that change seasonally in numbers, distribution, and energy density. However, it is not known whether these ecological factors are associated with underlying seasonal changes in energy requirements. We investigated these potential seasonal shifts in physiology by measuring resting metabolic rate (a conserved physiological trait) and recording associated daily food energy intake of three captive adult Pacific white-sided dolphins over 12 consecutive months. Two dolphins that met the criteria for measuring resting metabolism had a mean (± SE) massspecific rate of 0.31 ± 0.0047 MJ kg -1 day -1 (~34 MJ day -1 ), which was higher than that of other species of small cetaceans. Resting metabolic rates of Pacific white-sided dolphins did not vary seasonally and, hence, were not related to observed seasonal changes in water or air temperature, total energy intake, or body mass. Overall, resting metabolism accounted for ~70% of total energy intake. However, total food energy intake changed seasonally and was highest during the fall (October to December). While levels of food intake were not predicted by resting metabolic rate, body mass, or water and air temperatures, the increased intake in the fall resulted in the seasonal increase in body mass exhibited by all three dolphins. Our estimates of resting metabolic rates and relative changes in total energy intake can be used to parameterize bioenergetic models needed to estimate the ecological impacts and energetic requirements of Pacific white-sided dolphins in the wild, which will have conservation implications.


This program, addresses the need for thermal management of increasingly powerful and densely packaged electronic devices. Open-celled foams and lattice structures offer the promise of much improved heat transfer between the coolant and the solid structure of the lattice compared to traditional finned heat exchangers. The focus of this program is to evaluate integration of foam and lattice materials as heat exchanger cores and as electronic racks. The potential benefits of this approach include reduction in the volume and weight of the heat exchanger core and/or device junction temperature as well as direct attach cooling of high power electronics. To begin we have selected two major applications, a liquid cooling system heat exchanger, and avionics rack cooling. There is little data on foam metal heat transfer in the regime we anticipate for aircraft applications. Our approach begins with the measurement of heat transfer characteristics of compressed foam metals under conditions suitable for aircraft applications. Basic heat transfer data is being obtained for heat removal from a heated surface by "foam metal fins" with air flowing through the foam. Effective heat transfer coefficient and airflow resistance have been measured. The test method and apparatus are briefly described. Results of heat transfer measurements to date are presented. A theoretical model of "foam metal fins" has been developed and is applied for scaling foam metal fins within our test matrix. Using the model we determine the heat transfer coefficient between the air and foam ligaments. These heat transfer coefficients are compared with cylinders in cross flow. We applied our measured heat transfer characteristics to the design, fabrication and verification test of a highly efficient heat exchanger core. A laboratory scale thermal performance demonstration core was sized based on our test results. Initial tests of a single air / liquid heat exchanger core leg validates our core sizing. Our results can also be applied to cooling of individual electronic components as well as cold plates for electronics.Copyright © 2003 by ASME


This Article has two primary goals. The first is descriptive and seeks to respond to what appears to be an increasing degree of confusion over the word "pragmatism," especially as it is used in a good deal of legal literature. This descriptive aim begins by separating out three general categories of pragmatism: (1) the so-called "everyday" pragmatism familiar to the American vernacular, (2) the classical philosophy of the early pragmatist authors like William James and John Dewey, and (3) pragmatism as understood in the context of law. The majority of the Article is subsequently concerned with exploring this last category, and in so doing, identifies three major camps of legal pragmatists: (1) eclectics, as represented by Thomas Grey and Daniel Farber, (2) economists, as represented by Richard Posner, and (3) experimentalists, as represented by William Simon, Charles Sabel, and Michael Dorf. With map in hand, it is hoped that instead of clamoring to the call of legal pragmatism, legal academics and practitioners will take greater caution in their embrace of the pragmatist method. This hope grounds the second and more normative goal of the Article, and that is to make some trouble for legal pragmatism by not only pointing to its sectarianism, but also by querying its usefulness. Two of the lesser critiques initially target the wholesale lack of predictive power latent in the eclectic approach, and the counter-intuitive relationship between eclecticism and neo-formalism. The thrust of the primary criticism is that legal pragmatism, in each of its manifestations, tends to either mask or simply murder the promise of an enriched and empowered philosophical pragmatism. As a consequence, the philosophical muscle latent in the pragmatist method is lost on the law, barring access to a truly "pragmatist" moment of legal decision.


As coastal plants that can survive in salt water, mangroves play an essential role in large marine ecosystems (LMEs). The Red Sea, where the growth of mangroves is stunted, is one of the least studied LMEs in the world. Mangroves along the Central Red Sea have characteristic heights of ~2 m, suggesting nutrient limitation. We assessed the nutrient status of mangrove stands in the Central Red Sea and conducted a fertilization experiment (N, P and Fe and various combinations thereof) on four-week-old seedlings of Avicennia marina to identify limiting nutrients and stoichiometric effects. We measured height, number of leaves, number of nodes and root development at different time periods as well as the leaf content of C, N, P, Fe and Chl a in the experimental seedlings. Height, number of nodes and number of leaves differed significantly among treatments. Iron treatment resulted in significantly taller plants compared with other nutrients, demonstrating that iron is the primary limiting nutrient in the tested mangrove population and confirming Liebig's law of the minimum: iron addition alone yielded results comparable to those using complete fertilizer. This result is consistent with the biogenic nature of the sediments in the Red Sea, which are dominated by carbonates, and the lack of riverine sources of iron.


New information on palaeoenvironmental conditions over the past ~2700 years in the Central Mediterranean Sea have been acquired through the high-resolution study of calcareous nannofossils preserved in the sediment core SW104-ND14Q recovered in the Southern Adriatic Sea (SAS) at 1013-m water depth. The surface water properties at this open SAS site are sensitive to atmospheric forcing (acting both at local and regional scale) and the North Ionian Sea driven inflowing waters. Our data show a relationship between reworked coccolith abundances, flood frequency across the Southern Alps and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) confirming their value as indicator of runoff/precipitation. Changes in the abundance of the opportunistic (r-strategist) species Emiliania huxleyi and deep dweller taxa Florisphaera profunda were used to reconstruct the upper water column stratification and associated changes in coccolithophorid productivity. The negative correlation between reworked coccoliths and the N-Ratio (r = −0.44; p = 6−7) suggest that fresh water induced stratification is a controlling factor of the SAS coccolithophorid production. High coccolithophorid productivity levels occurred during dry periods and/or time intervals of inflowing salty and nutrient-rich Levantine Intermediate Waters favouring convection while lower levels took place during high freshwater discharge, mainly during the 'Little Ice Age' and two centennial scale intervals of weakest NAO around 200 BCE and 500 CE.


This investigation was undertaken to study the distribution of loading over thick wings of various types. The unloading on the wing was determined by taking the pressure at a number of holes on both the upper and lower surfaces of a model wing in the wind tunnel. The results from these tests show, first, that the distribution of pressure over a thick wing of uniform section is very little different from that over a thin wing; second, that wings tapering either in chord or thickness have the lateral center of pressure, as would be expected, slightly nearer the center of the wings; and, third, that wings tapering in plan form and with a section everywhere proportional to the center section may be considered to have a loading at any point which is proportional to the chord when compared to a wing with a similar constant section. These tests confirm the belief that wings tapering both in thickness and plan form are of considerable structural value because the lateral center of pressure is thereby moved toward the center of the span.


Since the 1970s, Italians have experienced considerable demographic changes: a sharp fall in the birth rate with a contemporaneous ageing of the population, and more residents aged 65 years and over than under the age of 20. These changes are due not only to a change in cultural attitude: they depend also on the economic difficulties Italian families face when increasing their family size. At the same time, we have to observe that in Italy, the personal tax system does not recognise, as it should, the social and economic efforts families undertake in their role of bringing up children and increasing human capital. This is verified by looking at both the implicit costs recognised by the personal tax system, and the violations of three axioms, which according to Kakwani and Lambert [1998], a fair tax system should respect. The Italian tax system recognises rather low implicit costs to income earners when they have to take care of children: moreover these implicit costs are an inverse function of taxable income and become irrelevant for middle level incomes. With reference to Kakwani and Lambert's axioms, the overwhelming majority of violations are made against families with children.


A preference reversal (PR) refers to behavior that violates revealed preference or is simply incoherent – i.e., not explainable by a rational ordering. In a classical PR experiment, for instance, participants often exhibit greater risk aversion in a Choice-based revelation procedure than in an Evaluation-based one, i.e., choose the safer of two gambles but express a higher monetary valuation for the riskier. We conjecture that PRs are partly due to the interaction between attention and task mode, and explore three compatible explanations using eye-tracking techniques. Explanation 1 says that difficult tasks require more time to be performed without 'mistakes'. Those who pay scarcely more attention to Evaluation than Choice, therefore, are more likely to act incoherently. Our data corroborate such a prediction. Explanation 2 assumes that the subjective value of (i) a bet or (ii) any of its attributes (prize and winning probability) depends on the attention paid to it. PRs occur when people allocate attention to different elements across tasks. In line with recent models of drift-diffusion, we find evidence consistent with point (i): a higher focus on the safer bet during Choice predicts PRs. In contrast, little evidence supports the idea (ii) that the share of fixations on probabilities versus prizes influences behavior or PRs. Explanation 3, finally, states that the nature of the tasks may affect the comparisons people make between the options, which are relevant for behavior. For instance, the cognitive difficulty of pricing a bet in Evaluation could distract attention from the relative risk across bets, thus reducing risk aversion. In our design, both bets are visible on the computer screen in both tasks, and subjects make substantially more transitions between bets in Choice. Yet this is observed among all participants, not only the reversers.


Background Speeding is a key issue for all drivers as it influences both crash risk and crash severity. Young drivers, particularly males, are more likely to engage in speeding behaviour and speeding is a common contributing factor in young driver crashes. Greater understanding of the impact of speed and speeding on young driver crash risk and crash outcomes is required to inform the development, prioritisation and implementation of evidence-based safety interventions. Methods In Victoria, Australia, the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) operates as the sole, statutory compensation (3rd party insurance) scheme. The TAC has legislated responsibility for road safety and the care of persons injured in road crashes, irrespective of fault. TAC claims data for the period 2005–2013 was used to analyse the differences in crash types and injury outcomes, including cost, by posted speed limit (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 90, 100 and 110 km/h). The mean and overall lifetime care costs were analysed by speed limit. Speed limit was also analysed by age, gender, location, time of day and crash type. Young drivers were split into two groups for comparison 18–21 and 22–25. Results Over the 9-year period, 16,794 claims were lodged to the TAC for killed or injured drivers 18–25 years of age (young drivers). The total lifetime care cost for all young drivers killed or injured in a crash was estimated to be $AUD634 million. The total lifetime care cost for young male drivers was estimated to be $AUD470 million compared to $AUD163 million for young female drivers. 18 to 21 year old drivers accounted for $AUD356 million compared to $AUD279 million for 22 to 25 year old drivers. When the posted speed limit is considered, the total cost of killed or injured young drivers who crashed in 60 km/h zones (N = 3914) was estimated to be $AUD70 million (M = $AUD 17,807), compared to $AUD208 million (M = $AUD 65,580) in 100 km/h zones (N = 3173). Conclusions Road trauma not only has an enormous impact on the lives of those involved, their families and friends, it also has a significant economic burden on our communities. This research demonstrates that speed and male gender play key roles in crash outcomes, particularly lifetime care costs, and should be essential considerations for safety interventions.


In this study cauda epididymal spermatozoa of rats maintained on a selenium-deficient diet for 5 and 7 months exhibited an array of flagellar defects. Spermatids and spermatozoa were analyzed by light and electron microscopy to define the appearance of flagellar abnormalities during spermiogenesis and post-testicular sperm development. Late spermatids of selenium-deficient rats displayed normal structural organization of the flagellar plasma membrane, axoneme, outer dense fibers, fibrous sheath and annulus, but they exhibited a premature termination of the mitochondrial sheath. A comparison of late spermatids and caput epididymal spermatozoa revealed that a late step in flagellar differentiation was the structural remodeling of the annulus and its accompanying fusion with both the fibrous sheath and the mitochondrial sheath. In selenium-deficient animals, however, the annulus failed to fuse with the mitochondrial sheath, generating an apparent weak point in the flagellum. After epididymal passage, cauda epididymal spermatozoa of selenium-deficient animals also exhibited extensive flagellar disorganization resulting from the apparent sliding and extrusion of specific outer dense fiber-doublet microtubule complexes from the proximal and the distal ends of the mitochondrial sheath and the accompanying loss of the midpiece plasma membrane. Only fiber complex number 4 was extruded proximally, whereas fibers 4, 5, 6 and 7 were extruded from the mitochondrial sheath-deficient posterior midpiece. Axonemal fibers 8, 9, 1, 2 and 3 retained their normal geometric relationships. These data suggest that the known loss of male fertility in selenium deficiency results from the sequential development of sperm defects expressed during both spermiogenesis and maturation in the epididymis.


The artificial turf industry is a producer of waste in terms of plastic, microplastic and sand. It is the second largest source of microplastic lost to the environment in Norway, after wear of car tires, according to the Norwegian Environment Agency [1]. A new full-size synthetic football field contains about 100 tons of rubber granules as intentionally added microplastics. Maintaining these fields means refilling the turf with 3.5-6.5 tons granules each year due to a loss caused by the user, removal of snow, surface water runoff and degradation of the rubber granules. The turf also includes 4.8-12.8 tons of synthetic grass fiber, an underlying shock pad (PAD) and about 120-176 tons of sand. The total number of artificial turfs in Norway is approaching 2000, a number that has rapidly increased the last 20 years. Since the expected lifetime of a turf is around 10-12 years, it is soon due for a huge renovation process of existing turfs. The value chain of this complex product stock is not fully developed. This study analyses the material flow (MFA) of artificial turfs in Norway with a focus on the production of new turfs, refilling of granules in existing turfs, renovation of turfs and loss of grass fiber and granules. The results show that there is a significant amount of rubber granules and grass fibers unaccounted for, possibly lost to the environment. This is due to the current design, operation and maintenance of the artificial turfs. Therefore, there is a need for new design of turfs, new operations, maintenance equipment and procedures.


Synopsis There have been many battles in the last 100 years between those who consider hysteria to be a 'morbid entity' or 'disease' and those who would like to drop it once and for all. The controversy still goes on. It has not been settled by follow-up studies or by applying genetic considerations. Hysteria is a tough subject, unlikely to be killed so long as clinicians find it useful, if not indispensable.


The detrimental effects of cigarette use during pregnancy are well documented. Studies have shown that cigarette smoking while pregnant is associated with multiple adverse outcomes including pre-term birth, placental abruption, placenta previa, fetal growth restriction, stillbirth, increased rate of birth defects, and increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Cotinine is the primary metabolite of nicotine and allows for measurement of active as well as passive exposure. Cotinine freely crosses the placental barrier and maternal concentrations are closely correlated with newborn plasma levels. The aim of this study was to compare maternally reported rates of tobacco use to fetal umbilical cord blood cotinine levels at the time of delivery. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 172 patients. Patients were asked a single yes or no question in regards to their cigarette use during pregnancy. Cord blood was collected at the time of delivery and analyzed for serum concentrations of cotinine. Cotinine levels greater than 3.0 ng/mL were considered consistent with the use of tobacco or tobacco cessation products. Maternal self-reporting of tobacco use indicates a reported tobacco use rate of 27.3% and an actual use rate of 30.2%. The reported tobacco non-use rate was 72.7% and the actual non-use rate was 66.3%. The prevalence of tobacco use during pregnancy in our study was 30.2%, while the overall rate in the United States is reported to be 12.3%. Our findings indicate that selfreported smoking prevalence and verified umbilical cord blood cotinine levels at the time of delivery have excellent correlation (kappa=0.76). Compared to the national average our study group also had nearly double the rate of tobacco use. Due to the deleterious effects of cigarette use during pregnancy continued efforts to educate patients regarding cigarette cessation is of utmost importance as cessation of tobacco products will improve and promote maternal and fetal well-being.


The winds of cool luminous AGB stars are commonly assumed to be driven by radiative acceleration of dust grains which form in the extended atmospheres produced by pulsation-induced shock waves. The dust particles gain momentum by absorption or scattering of stellar photons, and they drag along the surrounding gas particles through collisions, triggering an outflow. This scenario, here referred to as Pulsation-Enhanced Dust-DRiven Outflow (PEDDRO), has passed a range of critical observational tests as models have developed from empirical and qualitative to increasingly self-consistent and quantitative. A reliable theory of mass loss is an essential piece in the bigger picture of stellar and galactic chemical evolution, and central for determining the contribution of AGB stars to the dust budget of galaxies. In this review, I discuss the current understanding of wind acceleration and indicate areas where further efforts by theorists and observers are needed.


Seismic images of Upper Jurassic organic-rich siliciclastic rocks are studied along the 2000-km (1243-mi) Norwegian margin. These rocks are considered the main source rock for most of the large oil and gas fields in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea. We report characteristic seismic expressions of thin-skinned gravitational gliding structures that are strata bound to the organic-rich formations. The most characteristic structures are listric faults that offset and rotate the upper part and sole out near the base of the organic-rich zone. These may be present in large areas (10,000 km2 [3861 mi2]), but are usually restricted to tilted areas. The strike of the faults was perpendicular to the downdip direction of the movement of mass, and fault directions can therefore be used as paleodip indicators. Several types of contraction structures are observed, and all are formed at a maximum of a few hundred meters of burial. Although they are not limited to organic-rich shales, such strata-bound structures may help identify organic-rich intervals in basins where their presence is unknown. We suggest that adding organic material to clay leads to reduced permeability. Compaction-related vertical fluid flow may cause fluid overpressure to build up at the base of a less permeable organic-rich layer during early burial. This high fluid pressure zone becomes a low-friction decollement surface on which overlying sediments slide to form characteristic thin-skinned deformation structures.


The aim of this thesis has been to try to improve vibration testing of electrical and electromechanical components that are used within Scania's segment of the vehicle industry. To do this, guidelines regarding the design of vibration test fixtures has been developed. Since every fixture is mounted on a bottom plate during vibration testing these bottom plates have also been under study and a proposal for a standardized bottom plate is presented. In order to be able to easily test components with basic designs a modular fixture has also been designed, manufactured and evaluated within the scope of this thesis.Implementation of the proposed guidelines for fixture design is most importantly argued to enable power transfer between the component and fixture during testing that as far as possible resembles the power transfer that takes place when the component is mounted on/in an actual vehicle. Using the standardized bottom plate and producing new fixtures to fit the same hole pattern is argued to decrease the work load for each vibration test considerably. Finally good results are shown regarding the performance of the modular fixture.


Science and technology for the Community Activities Program (IBM) granting wake leaf meal in urea red sugar  block has been implemented in a herd prosperous green valley village Kampung Manggis, Western District of Padang Panjang, Municipality of Leopold. This activity aims to increase the milk production of dairy cows through the application of technology utilization wake leaf meal in urea  red sugar block. The benefits of this activity is to assist farmers in improving milk production per day, so that milk production can increase the impact on increasing revenue. To achieve the goal of service to the community mentioned above, it has been conducted lectures, live demonstrations on the making lick candy made from leaf shapes. Six cows used as a demonstration, two dairy cows with urea red sugar block containing 2.5% leaf shapes, two dairy cows with urea red sugar block containing leaf shapes 5% and two cows with urea red sugar block containing leaves wake up 7.5%. Wake up dried leaves with the help of sunlight and then made ready for use in the flour mixture forming urea red sugar block which serves as a feed supplement in dairy cattle. Evaluation activities indicate that the application of urea  red sugar block starchy wake leaves 5% can increase the production of milk 2 liters / day / head (average increase 10%).Of this service activities can be concluded that the use of leaf meal wake up in 5% urea red sugar  block can increase milk production of dairy cows 2 liters / day / head compared with 2.5%, 7.5%.


This paper proposes a concrete theoretical foundation and a new modelling framework that attempts to tackle the issue of market/liquidity risk and economic-capital estimation at a portfolio level by combining two mutual asset market/liquidity risk models. In essence, this study extends research literature related to the assessment of the asset market/liquidity risk by providing a generalized theoretical modelling underpinning that handle, from the same perspective, market and liquidity risks jointly and integrate both risks into a portfolio setting without a commensurate increase of statistical postulations. As such, we argue that market and liquidity risk components are correlated in most cases and can be integrated into one single market/liquidity framework that consists of two interrelated sub-components. The first component is attributed to the impact of adverse price movements and is modelled based on the concept of liquidity-adjusted value-at-risk framework, while the second component focuses on the risk of variation in transactions costs due to the bid-ask spreads and it attempts to measure the likelihood that it will cost more than expected to liquidate the asset position. As such, the model comprises a new approach to contemplating the impact of time-varying volatility of the bid-ask spread and its upshot on the overall asset market/liquidity risk. The modelling framework can be constructive for financial service industries in emerging-economies and particularly in reinforcing rational economic-capital allocation in light of the aftermaths of the sub-prime financial crisis.