Thermal barrier coatings are used as thermal insulation and thermal protection for high-temperature components of aircraft engines. Service failure of the components is often caused by premature breaking of the coatings. The distributions of residual stress in a ZrO2/NiCoCrAlY thermal barrier coating during thermal cycling was here simulated using finite element method. Four kinds of models involving planar and curved interfaces between the bond and the ceramic top coat layers were established. The simulated results showed that the high residual stress which is about 100-300MPa is present at the interface between bond layer and ceramic layer. The residual stress in curved interface is larger than that in planar one, and concentrates mainly at the troughs. Structure for planar interface exhibits better than curved interface. The residual stress would increase obviously with the presence of thermally grown oxide layer.


In Finland, gradual state restructuring from a Nordic welfare state towards a more international competition state began in the mid-1980s. This transformation affected discourses and spatial ways of thinking about the primary scales of social action. As the strategies of the welfare-state regime emphasised major public investments for the development of infrastructure and equal opportunities across the country, the emerging competition state strategies put less stress on territorial and social equalisation processes and focused, instead, on economic growth through privatisation, specialisation and national and regional competitiveness. Universities took part in this process by instituting socio-political and political-economic practices that were differentially scaled. This article aims to investigate the evolution of two Finnish universities, the University of Joensuu and the Lappeenranta University of Technology, and the role of these institutions in the state's transformation and scale reconstruction in the 1970s and 1980s. The present analysis is based on the official statements and action plans of the examined universities, as well as individual interviews with their key administrators. The article concludes that the embedded scalar logics of both universities either fostered or hindered their respective abilities to adapt to the prevailing form of state space. It also suggests that the aforementioned universities were more than mere pawns in the transformation process. Indeed, these universities chose divergent symbolic and self-seeking strategies for promoting the scalar relations and state formation each preferred. In regards to these universities, then, the present article seeks to assess the tensions that arose between the processes connected to regional spaces and more deterritorialised practices.


Non-deterministic MAC (media access control) such as CSMA/CD (carrier sense multiple access/collision detection) is popular due to its simple mechanism in terms of maintenance and extensibility of the LAN. On the other hand, its performance is less predictable as its collision resolution period is not deterministic. Such non-deterministic nature makes it difficult to guarantee the QoS (quality of service) of real-time packets depending on collision resolution algorithms. This paper shows the performance improvement of a home LAN using CSMA/CD MAC through simulation and analytic estimation when multi-carrier modulation is applied to a collision resolution technique to utilise a redundancy in the frequency domain and compares it with the one of HomePNA 2.0 MAC in terms of throughput and delay.


Primary pulmonary myxoid sarcoma (PPMS) is a recently described, exceedingly rare low-grade lung sarcoma that tends to present in young females as an endobronchial mass and shows evidence of an EWSR1-CREB1 fusion. Herein, we present a case of PPMS with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis for EWSR1 and CREB1 rearrangements. An 80-year-old woman presented with an endobronchial, multinodular tumor exhibiting spindle, ovoid and epithelioid cells arranged in reticular/lattice-like and alveolar-like patterns in a myxoid background. The tumor showed focal epithelial membrane antigen immunoreactivity as well as an Alcian blue–positive stroma that was sensitive to digestion with hyaluronidase. EWSR1 and CREB1 rearrangements were detected by break-apart FISH probes. The patient showed persistence of disease 36 months after diagnosis and was discharged to hospice care. We contribute with a report of an additional case of this very unusual entity and perform a brief review of the literature published so far on the subject.


We describe a new species of Chiasmocleis (Anura: Microhylidae) from lowland rainforests in the western Amazon basin of Peru (near Iquitos, Departamento de Loreto). The species differs from congeners in the Amazon basin by its large size (it is the largest known Chiasmocleis species), bright yellow iris, a grey dorsum with reddish blotches posteriorly and on limbs, and a creamy white venter with bold dark mottling with pale centers. The new species also differs from two other sympatric Chiasmocleis species at 12S–16S mitochondrial DNA (6.1% and 11.9% sequence divergence between the new species and C. ventrimaculata and C. bassleri, respectively). A comparison of the new species with other microhylids found in the western Amazon basin is provided.


This study aimed to evaluate quality, acceptability and timeliness of the data in the tuberculosis surveillance system in Brazilian micro-regions. An ecological cross-sectional study was carried out, after a qualitative stage for selecting indicators. All 558 Brazilian micro-regions were used as units of analysis. Data available in the National Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), from 2012 to 2014, were used to calculate 14 indicators relating to four attributes: completeness, consistency, timeliness and acceptability. The study made use of cluster analysis to group micro-regions according to acceptability and timeliness. Three clusters were identified among the 473 micro-regions with optimal or regular completeness (70% to 100%) and with over five notifications. Cluster 1 (n = 109) presented mean timeliness of notification and treatment equal to 62.8% and 24.9%, respectively. Cluster 2 (n = 143) had a mean percentage of cases tested for HIV equal to 55.9%. Cluster 3 (n = 221) had the best performing tuberculosis indicators. Results suggest priority areas for improving surveillance of tuberculosis, predominantly in the central-north part of the country. They also point to the need to increase the timeliness of treatment and the percentage of cases tested for HIV.


Hyperbranched liquid crystalline polymer (HLCP) were prepared by pentaerythritol with 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic anhydride(BTCA) and p-hydroxy benzoic acid. The thermotropic properties, the melting point (Tm) and the isotropization temperature (Ti) of the synthesized HLCP were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM). It showed that the new reactive thermotropic liquid polymer containing polyester mesogenic units exhibited thermotropic liquid crystalline properties between 140°C and 230°C.


The principal mission of Group Testing (GT) is to identify a small subset of "defective" items from a large population, by grouping items into as little as possible test pools. The test outcome of a pool is positive if it contains at least one defective item, and is negative otherwise. GT algorithms are utilized in numerous applications, and in most of them the privacy of the tested subjects, namely, whether they are defective or not, is critical. In this paper, we consider a scenario where there is an eavesdropper (Eve) which is able to observe a subset of the GT outcomes (pools). We propose a new non-adaptive Secure Group Testing (SGT) algorithm based on information theoretic principles, which keeps the eavesdropper ignorant regarding the items' status. Specifically, when the fraction of tests observed by Eve is 0 ≤ δ <; 1, we prove that the number of tests required for both correct reconstruction at the legitimate user (with high probability) and negligible mutual information at Eve's side is 1/1-δ times the number of tests required with no secrecy constraint.


Research using change detection paradigms has demonstrated that only limited scene information remains available for conscious report following initial inspection of a scene. Previous researchers have found higher change identification rates for deletions of parts of objects in line drawings of scenes than additions. Other researchers, however, have found an asymmetry in the opposite direction for addition/deletion of whole objects in line drawings of scenes. Experiment 1 investigated subjects' accuracy in detecting and identifying changes made to successive views of high quality photographs of naturalistic scenes that involved the addition and deletion of objects, colour changes to objects, and changes to the spatial location of objects. Identification accuracy for deletions from scenes was highest, with lower identification rates for object additions and colour changes, and the lowest rates for identification of location changes. Data further suggested that change identification rates for the presence/absence of objects were a function of the number of identical items present in the scene. Experiment 2 examined this possibility further, and also investigated whether the higher identification rates for deletions found in Experiment 1 were found for changes involving whole objects or parts of objects. Results showed higher identification rates for deletions, but only where a unique object was deleted from a scene. The presence of an identical object in the scene abolished this deletion identification advantage. Results further showed that the deletion/addition asymmetry occurs both when the objects are parts of a larger object and when they are entire objects in the scene.


Distributed population models improve the performance of genetic algorithms by assisting the selection scheme in maintaining diversity. A significant concern with these systems is that they need to be carefully configured in order to operate at their optimum. Failure to do so can often result in performance that is significantly under that of an equivalent panmitic implementation. We introduce a new distributed GA that requires little additional configuration over a panmitic GA. Early experimentation with this paradigm indicates that it is able to improve the searching abilities of the genetic algorithm on some problem domains.


We consider the problem of uncertainty estimation in the context of (non-Bayesian) deep neural classification. In this context, all known methods are based on extracting uncertainty signals from a trained network optimized to solve the classification problem at hand. We demonstrate that such techniques tend to introduce biased estimates for instances whose predictions are supposed to be highly confident. We argue that this deficiency is an artifact of the dynamics of training with SGD-like optimizers, and it has some properties similar to overfitting. Based on this observation, we develop an uncertainty estimation algorithm that selectively estimates the uncertainty of highly confident points, using earlier snapshots of the trained model, before their estimates are jittered (and way before they are ready for actual classification). We present extensive experiments indicating that the proposed algorithm provides uncertainty estimates that are consistently better than all known methods.


Malted sorghum-soy composite flour was developed from sorghum grains and soy beans. The sorghum grains were subjected to different malting periods of 2, 3, 4, and 5 days respectively and then blended with soy in the ratio 2:1. The composite flour was analysed for proximate and specific mineral composition and sensory evaluation was carried out on the porridge made from the composite flour. The results of sensory evaluation showed general decrease in sensory attributes with increased malting period, but day 2 malted sorghum compared well (P≥0.05) with the non-malted period in all attributes. The proximate analysis showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in moisture content at day 2 malting but a significant (P<0.05) decrease in ash and crude fat content with increased malting compared to the non-malted (day 0). While the crude fibre was significantly (P<0.05) increased at day 3, 4 and 5 of malting, total carbohydrate was at day 2 only compared with day 0. The crude protein showed no significant (P≥0.05) difference at day 4 compared with day 0. The specific mineral analysis revealed a significant (P<0.05) increase in Zn, Fe, Mn and Mg but not Ca and Cu on day 3 malting compared with day 0. The study revealed improved mineral and fibre content of the composite with malting and a demonstration of the potential of the malting process in reducing anti-nutrients and increasing the presence of rich phytochemicals. Hence, malted sorghum with soy possibly complements the nutrient demand of the malnourished groups, especially of developing countries.


Different forms of ring deuterated polyaniline with different conductivity have been characterized by solid state deuteron nuclear magnetic resonance. Quadrupole echo (QE) spectra of all forms of polyaniline consist of a superposition of lineshapes for nearly rigid aromatic rings and a small fraction of rings which undergo fast 180º flips. The intensity of the fast flipping component is temperature dependent and different for conductive emeraldine salt (ES) and non-conductive emeraldine base (EB). This is a manifestation of the different structure and morphology of these polymers. Simultaneous measurements of QE lineshapes and the relaxation time anisotropies allowed an accurate description of motion in polyanilines. Slow, small-angle libration in an asymmetric cone provided the best description for the " rigid " fractions of EB and ES. The broadening of deuteron QE lineshapes is consistent with the presence of a distribution of cone angles. Relaxation time measurements also reveal a relatively narrow distribution of librational rates for the EB sample. For ES, the magic angle spinning (MAS) spectra show the existence of two resolved signals with different relaxation rates, which are ascribed to microscopic domains with very different electrical properties. The unexpectedly short relaxation time found for nonconductive domains in ES can be explained by the presence of localized, unpaired electrons. Spin count experiments proved that in highly conductive ES samples, loss of NMR signal intensity occurs not only because of high RF reflectance but also because of irreversible dephasing before signal acquisition due to interactions of nuclear spins with localized unpaired electrons. Deuteron MAS spectra provided unique information about small frequency shifts. Compared to non-conductive EB, conductive emeraldine salts have an additional manifold of spinning sidebands, which is shifted ~5.8 ppm towards higher frequencies. These shifted sidebands arise from quasi-metallic regions of the sample, where deuteron spins interact with delocalized electrons (Knight shift). The experimental temperature dependence of the intensity of the shifted peak can be explained using models developed for amorphous semiconductors. The observation of a Knight shift has an important consequence for the theory of electrical conduction in polyaniline: it implies that polarons are the charge carriers.


The interest in the study of clusters and their role in the economic development of certain regions has constantly grown in the past years. This interest has also been emphasized by the emergence of successful clusters in many regions; these are clusters that have visibly and they have determined the increase in competitiveness of those particular regions. Clusters are geographic gatherings of firms and institutions, connected to each other and specialized in certain fields of activity. In Romania, due to the low cooperation level among enterprises we cannot say that proper clusters exists, but just some "spatial gatherings" of firms activating in certain domains, connected by the need of using certain natural resources and the existence of a specialized workforce in that particular domain. Natural "clusters" can be identified by means of quantitative analyses, these indicating the possibility to identify certain spatial assemblies of firms in a certain economic sector. Starting from these quantitative analyses, for Banat region have been identified some important spatial gatherings of firms activating in certain domains which could represent potential clusters in this area. As clusters function on the principle of cooperation among enterprises, a strong point of the region is the presence of foreign investors which promoted the model of enterprise cooperation through sub-contracting local enterprises. Among these, we mention the Italian investors which brought to Banat, especially to Timiş County the Italian cluster model. Are there in Banat premises for the emergence of clusters? Which are the fields of activity in which these clusters can emerge? What role will these clusters play in the economic development of the region? These are just some of the questions that we aim answering to through this study.


Although much has been published about curcumin, which is obtained from turmeric, comparatively little is known about turmeric itself. Turmeric, a golden spice obtained from the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa, has been used to give color and taste to food preparations since ancient times. Traditionally, this spice has been used in Ayurveda and folk medicine for the treatment of such ailments as gynecological problems, gastric problems, hepatic disorders, infectious diseases, and blood disorders. Modern science has provided the scientific basis for the use of turmeric against such disorders. Various chemical constituents have been isolated from this spice, including polyphenols, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenoids, sterols, and alkaloids. Curcumin, which constitutes 2-5% of turmeric, is perhaps the most-studied component. Although some of the activities of turmeric can be mimicked by curcumin, other activities are curcumin-independent. Cell-based studies have demonstrated the potential of turmeric as an antimicrobial, insecticidal, larvicidal, antimutagenic, radioprotector, and anticancer agent. Numerous animal studies have shown the potential of this spice against proinflammatory diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, depression, diabetes, obesity, and atherosclerosis. At the molecular level, this spice has been shown to modulate numerous cell-signaling pathways. In clinical trials, turmeric has shown efficacy against numerous human ailments including lupus nephritis, cancer, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, acne, and fibrosis. Thus, a spice originally common in the kitchen is now exhibiting activities in the clinic. In this review, we discuss the chemical constituents of turmeric, its biological activities, its molecular targets, and its potential in the clinic.


Deals with the influence of propeller cavitation on hydrodynamic hull excitation. Recent investigations have established that cavitation on the propeller considerably increases the pressure fluctuations on the afterbody of the hull. The significance of the findings on previous investigations is examined and an attempt is made to assess the dependence of propeller cavitation--induced fluctuating hull pressures on propeller geometry, propeller loading, and the type and extent of cavitation. To this end a number of Wageningen B-Series model propellers were tested in the large cavitation tunnel of the Netherlands Ship Model Basin, varying both the number of blades and the blade area ratio. The wake of a large and full single-screw tanker was simulated by building an appropriate ship model into the cavitation tunnel. At three positions on the afterbody of the model ship the propeller-induced pressure fluctuations were measured for various propeller loadings and values of the cavitation number. The observed cavitation phenomena were photographed and sketched.


In recent years increasing interest has focused on the use of photonic and metamaterial structures for microwave applications. Predominately this work has focused on the development of novel antenna based technologies. Recently interest has grown into the possible use of photonic and metamaterials for high-powered microwave applications. In this paper we consider the use of photonic and metamaterial structures for applications such as; travelling wave-structures, RF generation, standing wave resonators and applications diverse as inverse Cherenkov accelerators. We review the physical processes and length scales that define photonic crystals and metamaterials, and introduce a theoretical approach to describe the interaction between charged particles and these structures. We also discuss the advantages photonic and metamaterials offer such as; high mode selectivity, zero-reflection, selective phase shifting, novel dispersion relationships, and effective negative permittivity / permeability. Discussing the advantages photonic crystal and metamaterial based technologies offer compared to their conventional counterparts. (5 pages)


Abstract: Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) with transdifferentiation capacity may provide useful therapeutic modalities in the areas of cellular restoration and regenerative medicine. The utility of PSCs depends on their ability to respond to different stimuli and to adapt to tissue‐specific differentiation conditions. Given that a number of cells possessing characteristics of PSCs have been identified and isolated from several adult murine tissues, we hypothesized that a common PSC may exist in multiple murine tissues and that these cells may either reside permanently in specific sites or continue to circulate and colonize tissues as needed. Previous data from our laboratory suggest that PSCs exhibiting an immunophenotype of CD45−Sca‐1+c‐kit−Thy‐1+ can be isolated from multiple murine tissues and may represent putative common PSCs (CoPSCs). To investigate whether the multiple tissue differentiation potential observed with these cells resulted from the presence of different tissue‐restricted progenitors within CD45−Sca‐1+c‐kit−Thy‐1+ cells or was the product of clonal differentiation of CoPSCs, clonality studies were performed. Single skeletal muscle (SM)‐derived CoPSCs were expanded for 10 days, and progeny cells were split into three culture conditions designed to stimulate myogenic, adipogenic, and neurogenic differentiation. Analysis of 600 clones indicated that 2.16%, 0.83%, and 0.33% of the total number of plated single cells were capable of unipotent, bipotent, and tripotent differentiation, respectively, into combinations of myocytes, adipocytes, and neuronal cells. Given that SM‐derived CoPSCs represent 4.78% of the total cells analyzed, tripotent CoPSCs made up 0.016% of the total muscle cells. Similar results were obtained in clonal analyses using adipose stromal cell (ASC)‐derived CoPSCs, suggesting that both SM‐ and ASC‐derived CoPSCs may be phenotypically and functionally identical. Taken together, these data demonstrate that a common PSC can be identified in different murine tissues and suggest that a small fraction of these cells are capable of clonal differentiation into multiple cell types.


This thesis is devoted to studies of various electronic properties which can be extracted from photoemission spectroscopy. Both weakly and strongly correlated systems are discussed, ranging from free electron metal surfaces to strongly correlated copper oxide compounds. In order to study such a variety of systems, different calculational schemes have to be employed. This work is mainly based on band structure calculations using the local density approximation. However, for strongly correlated systems the need for model Hamiltonians is crucial. Subjects discussed are: * inverse photoemission spectra from the Cd(0001) surface obtained by a multiple scattering formalism. The results are in good agreement with recent experimental data. Especially, the one-step model is used to demonstrate image states excitations by secondary beams. * artificial structures, such as semiconductor heterojunctions and short-period superlattices, which are of vital importance for modern electronic devices. A method for tuning the band offset at semiconductor interfaces is proposed; by varying (n,m) for the GaAs/(AlAs)n(GaAs)m interface, the magnitude of the valence band offset can be designed. The metallic superlattice Mo/V was also studied, with emphasis on the application of hydrogen storage. * Schottky barrier heights. Final state screening effects can influence the Schottky barrier height, as deduced from measured core level shifts. According to our calculations, such effects may be of the order 0.1-0.2 eV. * chemical shifts in Cu2O, CuO and NaCuO2, where the Cu atom is formally mono-, di- and trivalent. We find similar chemical shifts between Cu atoms in YBa2Cu3O6.5 as between the Cu atoms in the model compounds. This suggests that different Cu atoms in YBa2Cu3O6.5 are formally mono-, di- and trivalent. The Cu 2p core level spectra were calculated using the Anderson impurity model, with parameters obtained from ab initio calculations. The results are related to the formal valence of Cu, and can be explained by a charge counting argument.


One of the main R & D work in nuclear engineering is the development of computer programs related to nuclear power plant (NPP) safety analysis. The advanced thermal hydraulic code named TRACE for NPP safety analysis is developing by U.S. NRC now. Lungmen NPP is the first ABWR NPP in Taiwan and still under construction. The safety analysis of NPP is very important work. In general, the description and results of the safety analysis for the transients are in the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) of NPP. In this research, the development of the Lungmen NPP TRACE model for the safety analysis is performed. The transient analysis prediction of the TRACE model for Lungmen NPP is also performed. The loss of feedwater flow (LOFW) transient data and MSIV (Main Steamline Isolation Valve) closure direct scram transient data from FSAR are used to compare with the predicted results of the Lungmen NPP TRACE model. The compared results indicate that there are the similar trends of parameters between the TRACE model of Lungmen NPP and FSAR for the analysis of the LOFW transient and MSIV closure direct scram (MSIVCD) transient.


This paper examines the recent rise of institutional investment in the single-family home rental market and its implications for renters' welfare. Using institutional mergers to identify local exogenous variation in institutional landlords' scale and market share, we show that rent increased in neighborhoods where both merging firms owned properties (i.e., overlapped neighborhoods) relative to other non-overlapped neighborhoods. Meanwhile, crime rate also significantly decreased in overlapped neighborhoods after mergers. Our findings suggest that while institutional landlords leverage market power to extract greater surplus from renters, they also improve the quality of rental services by enhancing neighborhood safety.


Background: Many stroke patients have significant difficulties recognizing facial expressions. This kind of impairment can have profound effect on social functioning. Objectives: To assess the degree of difficulty of stroke patients in the recognition of facial emotional expressions and their possible relation with lesion laterality location, gender, injury severity, and functional capacity in activities of daily living. Methods: An observational study of 48 patients admitted to the Brain Injury Unit of Aita Menni Hospital (Guipúzcoa) with a diagnosis of stroke. Patients were evaluated using the Emotion Recognition Scale for Patients with Schizophrenia (PERE), National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Barthel Index, and FIM / FAM functional independence scale. Results: Patients recognized 65.73% of the photographs. There were no significant differences in the recognition of emotions in patients with stroke in the right or left hemisphere or between male and female patients. There is a direct relationship be-tween the degree of injury severity and the difficulty in the recognition of emotions. Conclusions: Stroke causes a severe difficulty in the ability to recognize emotions in faces. This difficulty seems to be positively related to stroke severity but not to lesion laterality or gender.


We present a novel method for on-chip competitive dispersion immunoassay (DISIA) which aims at measuring the specificity between fluorescently-labeled antibodies (Ab*) and label-free antigens (Ag). We have fabricated a nanofluidic device that allows fast detection of interaction of antibodies and antigens (< 30s) based on lateral dispersion of fluorescent species in a nanoslit, using small amounts of solution (< 1μl). We measured that doubling the weight of streptavidin protein results in an increase of 30% of the lateral dispersion of fluorescent coupled molecules in the nanoslit, which can be read easily.


The actual problem of simulating the operation of the "ManMachine-Environment" system, that is the process of the object recovery after the environmental disaster is considered, provided the recovery is made by one of its sub-systems, that include humans. The model differs significantly from the classical theory of reliability.The work is devoted to modeling of multi-step restoration process of an arbitrary nature object with non-stationary Poisson stream of events (accidents) and exponential intensity of recovery process. It passes a fixed finite sequence of phases the states and is described by the Kolmogorov probabilities for these states. The cases of ergodic and absorbing chains with continuous time are considered. Some of the states in the chain indicate the efficiency of the operator in elimination the accident. It is assumed that the efficiency of the operator can not recover during the process of eliminating accidents. According to the verbal descriptions of the object, graphs of states are drawn, and in accordance to them – the Kolmogorov equations and their stationary solutions. The resulting figures of numerical solutions allow us to determine the time of the process stabilization. For actual input data the following resulting probabilities are obtained: for trouble-free operation of the facility, for a fatal accident and for disaster recovery


This overview attempts to evaluate, in general, the results of nearly 2,000 years of writings on the history of leprosy. The ancients, although prone to confuse other skin diseases with leprosy, laid the emotional foundation for later work in superstitution and lore. Their efforts were faithfully copied for hundreds of years and provided at least an accumulation of facts and a documentation of the state of the art. The dawn of scientific medicine in the mid-nineteenth century and the following 125 years has brought an increasing specialization of research in the history of leprosy that might be usefully divided into medical, political, Biblical, instutional, and medieval aspects. Some of the most productive efforts within each of these areas are considered. The challenge of the future is to develop models of analysis and evaluation based on the findings of analysis and evaluation based on the findings of social scientific research rather than relying totally on pure narration. This is the way in which to free the history of leprosy from much of the myth and error that surrounds it.


State and local economic development is often conceptualized as a series of successive waves, with each wave representing distinct policy priorities. In this study, we rework the standard wave metaphor to recognize the gains for regional economies when practitioners reach across established boundaries to work together to create a strategy mix. We present a case from North Carolina biosciences to demonstrate the contribution to regional industrial specialization when specialists combine their respective knowledge of entrepreneurship and industrial recruitment and coordinate development practice. More than an adjustment to tightening budget constraints or intensifying political demand, strategy mixing allows practitioners to extend and capture greater gains from state support for innovation. This case study provides an illustrative example for how other regions can advance innovative industry by bringing seemingly distinct development tools and targets into closer alignment.


A total of 365 children aged 1 to 16 years were examined. The dimensions of the kidneys are given in health and in nephropathies associated with metabolic disorders. Echography made it possible to identify the presence of salt crystals in the pelves. The tension of osmoregulating renal function in response to water loading manifested by the reduction of the degree of osmotic dilution and the rise of ion excretion was established. One of the reasons for such alterations is plasma hyperosmia that is likely to be conditioned by the rise of salt concentrations in the blood. The functional changes seen in the kidneys were found to depend on the age.


Full preservation of ancient meandering channels is uncommon: most preserved architectural elements are fragmented due to later erosion and cutting of channels and bars. This makes it challenging to relate preserved architectural elements to the original dimensions at the time of sedimentation. Quantitative information on the three-dimensional geometry and composition of these basic building blocks of reservoirs and aquifers formed by meandering systems is essential for exploration and production purposes and potentially an invaluable source of information about ancient climate. In this thesis the relation between the morphodynamics of meandering rivers and the resulting stratigraphic architecture is explored and quantified in three dimensions. This led to a scale-independent inverse relation that uses stratigraphy to predict the original meandering river dimensions that is of considerable use in interpreting fluvial successions and in reservoir engineering studies. Channel dimensions need to be scaled correctly to produce meaningful experimental stratigraphy. In particular, any vertical distortion of the channels modifies the resultant stratigraphical and sedimentological architecture, as exemplified by the dependence of the transverse bed and stratigraphical architecture predictors on channel depth. The transverse bed slope of the experimental lateral accretion surfaces has similar values as the targeted natural prototype rivers and agrees well with theory. Also, the formation of experimental stratigraphy for meandering rivers depends on the deepest channel cuts and the order of occurrence of these channel cuts, which is consistent with the prediction from theory. Three key archimetric (i.e. quantitative, non-dimensional, architectural dimensions) parameters are identified to enhance the three-dimensional characterization of the external geometry and internal stratigraphy of meander belts. First, meander belt width-to-thickness ratios are generally between 100 and 200, which is consistent with reported values of natural meander belts. Second, the internal stratigraphical architecture of meander belts largely consists of fragmented deposits: 95% of the stratigraphic sets are thinner than the mean channel. Third, prediction of the slope of lateral accretion deposits is possible based on the mean channel depth, a typical grain size and channel curvature. This indicates that a few fairly basic morphological (i.e. channel) and sedimentary parameters provide insightful quantitative predictors for the three-dimensional sedimentary architecture of meander belts, which is complementary to well and seismic observations. Most fluvial systems are subject to changes in forcing. For example, aggradation rates and discharge are extremely variable. This thesis demonstrates that moderate floods (≈50 years recurrence time) and aggradation rates (


Cicero's philosophical works are a rich source for the understanding of Hellenistic philosophy, and his Academic Books are of critical importance for the study of ancient epistemology, especially the central debate between the Academic sceptics and the Stoics. This volume makes Cicero's challenging work accessible to philosophers and historians of philosophy and represents the best current work in both fields. The ten papers published here are the work of leading authorities from North America, England and Europe; they were presented and discussed at the seventh Symposium Hellenisticum at Utrecht, August 1995, and deal with every aspect of the Academic Books, historical, literary and philosophical. Several papers make major contributions to the understanding of ancient scepticism and sceptical arguments, to the role of Socrates in later Greek thought, to the history of the Academy as an institution, and to the philosophical stance of Cicero himself.


the investigation of the genre of the Gospels in particular. Much of this is sound, and shows the author widely read in the study of literature, especially ancient literature. The second chapter discusses 'The Life of Aesop and the Hero Cult Paradigm in the Gospel Tradition'. The choices of both the Life of Aesop and the Hero Cult Paradigm are seriously arbitrary, and buttressed with quite unconvincing judgments about similarity. The main substance of this book is chapter 3, which mostly compares parts of Mark and John, and seeks to establish that they used a common tradition. This chapter is pervaded by arbitrariness of judgment. For example, Mark 13:3-13 is discussed as a parallel to John 15:18-16:4a, though even Wills knows the parallels are 'vague' (p. 114), and his conjecture that eschatological sayings of Jesus may lie behind both passages is surely untenable for the Johannine passage. It follows that 'The conclusions of this study cannot be proven ...'(p. 156). Politically correct mistakes include


Indonesia, known as an agricultural country, is marked by the majority of people living in village/ rural whose daily working is as farmer. To the year of 2005, there has been about 17,9 million agricultural workfield within the broad area of 15,4 million land where the usage of the land employed was about 0,7 hectare. This phenomenon shows such a decrease in the land ownership. This changing phenomenon of land ownership, creates a problem on working opportunity, since it has been any limitation on the widespread of workforce.This condition impacts on the changes within Java's rurals which leads to the unsufficiency of employment in the agricultural sectore. Such alternative should be considered, by promoting city mobility program, by taking the other industrial activities which stands to be their major expectation. On the other sides, the home industries are commonly recognized by the rurals. The rurals then start to be introduced about the small scale market economy. This strategy benefits the rurals in terms of providing a chance for their products (rural product) to be sold.Compared with the other countries in ASEAN Community position Indonesia were complexity problem. Exspeciale population growth ± 1,9 percent. Until 2015, Indonesia population about 250 milion, mayority (± 68percent) living in village as a farmer. Their income percapita under us$ 1000.Key Words : Rural, Liberalism Household Industries


Rapid development of technology and unique characteristics of the creative society require a shift from traditional teaching concepts to student centered learning in education. One of the methods to provide this change is creating teaching environments enriched by Internet. Blog (weblog) service offered to learners and teachers through Internet is an important instrument to provide learners with effective activities and social interaction. Blog technology provides the users with opportunities to create web pages without any design knowledge, write their ideas on these pages, and add comments on the pages. The current study presents the views of pre-service teachers regarding "Information Technology in Education-I" course blog along with the facilities that trigger learning and social interaction.


Gene expression can be controlled by RNA structure, which can affect RNA translation or transcription. In bacteria, direct binding of cellular factors to the nascent RNA, which alters secondary structure, can regulate transcription termination. McDaniel et al. showed that transcripts from the S box genes, which are induced by methionine deprivation, bind S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) in vitro and that SAM, but not methionine or related compounds, represses in vitro transcription. Using an RNA-DNA hybrid cleavage assay with DNA oligonucleotides directed against different regions of one S box gene transcript, the authors showed that cleavage patterns were different in the presence and absence of SAM, consistent with SAM inducing a conformational change in the RNA structure. Under methionine replete conditions, the RNA assumes a terminator conformation. When methionine is depleted, an antiterminator structure is formed that permits readthrough of the terminator. The cleavage assays suggest that SAM promotes the formation of a third structure, the anti-antiterminator, which is necessary for the formation of the terminator structure. In Bacillus subtilis, overexpression of SAM synthetase delayed the stimulation of S box gene expression in response to methionine depletion. Regulation of RNA structure and control of RNA transcription termination are emerging as important regulatory mechanisms in prokaryotes. B. A. M. McDaniel, F. J. Grundy, I. Artsimovitch, T. M. Henkin, Transcription termination control of the S box system: Direct measurement of S-adenosylmethioinine by the leader RNA. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 100, 3083-3088 (2003). [Abstract] [Full Text]


With Electric Vehicles (EVs) becoming more prevalent, their battery recharge creates significant loads on power grids. Especially in local grids with a high share of households that own an EV, this additional energy demand can stress existing power distribution systems that were not designed for this kind of loads. The unexpected peak consumption may reduce service quality, damage sensitive equipment, cause power failures and even local blackouts. To mitigate this risk, grid components must be either significantly upgraded to match the increased demand, or the demand must be managed to avoid critical situations. Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology is a major emerging trend for enabling load management in connection with EV charging. A key component of V2G is the ISO 15118 protocol allowing to set grid-friendly charging schedules for EVs. This standard is further supported by backend protocols like OCPP to permit corrective actions by a network operator. In this paper, we analyze conditions under which V2G insecurity can lead to grid collapse. We use quantitative analysis and dynamic simulations of a typical European suburban grid to determine the scope and impact of EV charging manipulation. We then review shortcomings of existing V2G protocols, analyze attack strategies able to cause overloads and validate known attacks based on experiments with off-the-shelf products. While load management is vital to future cost-effective grid operation, we show that it is also critical to consider the impact of known and unknown attacks, and consider possible mitigations and fallback positions.


During leaf abscission in oilseed rape (Brassica napus), cell wall degradation is brought about by the action of several hydrolytic enzymes. One of these is thought to be polygalacturonase (PG). Degenerate primers were used to isolate a PG cDNA fragment by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction from RNA extracted from ethylene-promoted leaf abscission zones (AZs), and in turn a full-length clone (CAW471) from an oilseed rape AZ cDNA library. The highest homology of this cDNA (82%) was to an Arabidopsis sequence that was predicted to encode a PG protein. Analysis of expression revealed that CAW471 mRNA accumulated in the AZ of leaves and reached a peak 24 h after ethylene treatment. Ethylene-promoted leaf abscission in oilseed rape was not apparent until 42 h after exposure to the gas, reaching 50% at 48 h and 100% by 56 h. In floral organ abscission, expression of CAW471 correlated with cell separation. Genomic libraries from oilseed rape and Arabidopsis were screened with CAW471 and the respective genomic clones PGAZBRAN and PGAZATisolated. Characterization of these PG genes revealed that they had substantial homology within both the coding regions and in the 5′-upstream sequences. Fusion of a 1,476-bp 5′-upstream sequence ofPGAZAT to β-glucuronidase or green fluorescent protein and transformation of Arabidopsis revealed that this fragment was sufficient to drive expression of these reporter genes in the AZs at the base of the anther filaments, petals, and sepals.


The knowledge that the surface (Schaefer) antigens of certain smooth-colony atypical mycobacteria are multiglycosylated C-mycosidic peptidoglycolipids was used to devise a sensitive thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) procedure for the identification of Mycobacterium avium/M. intracellulare/M. scrofulaceum serotypes. TLC maps of the type-specific peptidoglycolipids from 17 of the 31 serotypes are presented. The primary use of the technique is to corroborate results obtained by seroagglutination. Without the aid of seroagglutination, the TLC procedure almost invariably requires the availability of reference strains or the specific peptidoglycolipids derived therefrom.


High performance commercial micro alloyed steels contain elements such as vanadium, which leads to a fine dispersion of vanadium carbide precipitates. The precipitation state, in terms of volume fraction and size distribution, plays a significant role in final mechanical properties of the material. Different austenitisation heat treatments were performed on a model ternary alloy FeCV. Precipitation states were characterised combining different experimental techniques. TEM was used to identify the chemical composition of observed precipitates. ICP mass spectroscopy was performed to measure the volume fraction of precipitates. The size distribution was studied by SEM. Results are characteristic of a coarsening regime.


Studies were designed to investigate whether the suppressor cell systems that regulate the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses belong to the same subsets of T cells or different subsets. Mitogen-activated suppressor cells were simultaneously assayed for their ability to inhibit (a) pokeweed mitogen-induced generation of plasma cells, (b) blastogenic response of lymphocytes to allogeneic cells, and (c) generation of killer cells in the cell-mediated lymphocytotoxicity assay. We found that suppressor cells that inhibited the generation of plasma cells were activated by concanavalin A (Con A) and were both radiation and prednisone sensitive. Suppressors that inhibited the blastogenic response in lymphocytes to allogenic cells were also activated by Con A but differed in that they were both radiation and prednisone resistant. In contrast, suppressors that inhibited the generation of the killer cells were activated with phytohemagglutinin and not Con A. These suppressors were prednisone and radiation resistant. These observations cannot be explained by differences at the pro-suppressor or suppressor activator levels as both T cell subsets are radiosensitive. Alternatively, heterogeneity of suppressor cell systems may explain these differences.


Determining how multiple predators provide better prey suppression is a key step towards developing conservation biological control strategies. While numerous previous studies have demonstrated that diverse predator assemblages can be more effective in controlling pest populations, others have shown that it is the presence or absence of competitively superior species that is critical to pest biological control (i.e. selection effect). The present study investigated how increasing ground beetle body size diversity increases prey suppression. A mesocosm experiment was conducted to compare invertebrate prey suppression between nine created ground beetle assemblages. Size diversity of these assemblages was manipulated according to three diversity levels: low, medium, and high diversity. Partitioning of the diversity effects revealed that increasing the ground beetle size diversity had no effect on the strength of prey suppression. The absence of an effect of ground beetle size diversity may be because of the absence of resource partitioning among different‐sized ground beetles. The amount and range of prey consumed increased with increasing ground beetle body size. Thus, prey suppression was strongly strengthened by the presence of large ground beetles in the assemblages. The present results suggest that for biological pest control, Agri‐managers should emphasise practices that promote the presence of large carabids. This is not only because promoting the presence of large carabids could be at least as effective as conserving a diverse ground beetle community, but also because large ground beetles are more vulnerable to environmental disturbances and to predation than ground beetles of the other size classes.


ABSTRACT We PCR amplified the exogenous feline leukemia virus (FeLV)-relatedenv gene species from lymphosarcomas induced by intradermally administered plasmid DNA of either the prototype FeLV, subgroup A molecular clone, F6A, or a new molecular clone, FeLV-A, Rickard strain (FRA). Of the nine tumors examined, six showed the presence of deleted env species of variable sizes in the tumor DNA. One env mutant, which was detected in a FRA-induced thymic lymphosarcoma, had a large internal deletion beginning from almost the N-terminal surface glycoprotein (SU) up to the middle region of the transmembrane (TM) protein of theenv gene. The deduced polypeptide of this truncatedenv (tenv) retained the complete signal peptide and seven amino acids of the N-terminal mature SU of FRAenv gene, followed by eight amino acids from the frameshift in the TM region. To study the biological function of tenv, we used a murine retrovirus vector to produce amphotropic virions. Infection of feline fibroblasts (H927), human fibrosarcoma cells (HT1080), or human B-lymphoma cells (Raji) led to pronounced cytotoxicity, while the tenv virus did not induce significant cytotoxicity to feline T-lymphoma cells (3201B) or human T-lymphoma cells (CEM). Together, these results convincingly demonstrated that the genetic events that led to truncation in theenv gene occurred de novo in FeLV lymphomagenesis and that such a product, tenv could induce cytotoxicity to fibroblastic and B-lymphoid cells but not to T-lymphoid tumor cells. This type of selective toxicity might be potentially important in the development of the neoplastic disease.


We consider transmission over a discrete-time Rayleigh fading channel, in which successive symbols face independent fading, and where neither the transmitter nor the receiver has channel state information. Subject to an average power constraint, we study the capacity-achieving distribution of this channel and prove it to be discrete with a finite number of mass points, one of them located at the origin. We numerically compute the capacity and the corresponding optimal distribution as a function of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The behavior of the channel at low SNR is studied and finally a comparison is drawn with the ideal additive white Gaussian noise channel.


Reducing fuel consumption by transportation fleet in a supply chain, reduces transportation costs and consequently, the product final cost. Moreover, it reduces environmental pollution, and in some cases, it helps governments constitute less subsidies for fuels. In this paper, a supply chain scheduling is studied, with the two objective functions of minimizing the total fuel consumption, and the total order delivery time. After presenting the mathematical model of the problem, a genetic algorithm, named Social Genetic Algorithm (SGA) is proposed to solve it. The proposed algorithm helps decision makers determine the allocation of orders to the suppliers and vehicles and production and transportation scheduling to minimize total order delivery time and fuel consumption. In order for SGA performance evaluation, its results are compared with another genetic algorithm in the literature and optimal solution. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed on SGA. The results of comparisons also show the high performance of SGA. Moreover, by increasing the number of suppliers and vehicles and decreasing the number of orders, the value of the objective function is reduced.


Urban settlements account for only two percent of the Earth's land surface, however, over half of the world's population resides in cities (United Nations, 2001). High population density in urban areas has resulted in a large-scale modification of the environment in urban fringe. Urbanization is a complex process of converting urban fringe and rural land to urban land uses and has caused various impacts on ecosystem structure, function and dynamics (Luck and Wu, 2002). On one hand, the high rate of urbanization causes high density in settlement limited areas of cities, on the other hand, it costs increases to society due to the resulting unplanned and uncontrolled urbanization and land use with the skirts, especially in urban fringe of natural habitat/ landscape pieces and the corrupted use of urban areas without taking into account natural law or the ecological balance (Aydemir et al., 1993). Suburban, urban fringe and rural development are a leading cause of biodiversity loss and natural resource degradation in Trabzon province. The detection and analysis of land use changes in the urban environment is an important issue in planning. Remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are considered as appropriate and efficient techniques for this type of studies. These techniques were used to investigate the effects of urbanization on ecosystem structure (landscape) and to quantify urban growth of Trabzon urban area. Changes of landscape pattern from 1987 to 2008 were analyzed by FRAGSTATS with four metrics, indicating that the diversity and landscape fragmentation are positively related to the degree of urbanization. The study showed that the percentage of urbanization in Trabzon Centrum increased from 4.72 in 1987 to 6.27 in 2008 based on supervised classification of images. Cumulative urbanization accounted for 1.55% of the whole area of Trabzon (254 ha) and 32.8% of the settlement area of the Trabzon from 1987 to 2008. This translates to an annual rate of urbanization of 1.35% between 1987 and 2008.This study demonstrated additional insights into landscape change by integrating the spatial and the temporal perspectives and targeting the forms of residential developments towards urban fringe.


Urbanization is causing increasing amounts of contaminated stormwater runoff to enter streams, rivers, and other aquatic ecosystems. In particular, nitrogen concentrations in stormwater can damage ecosystems by causing eutrophication and lowering available oxygen levels in water. Rain gardens are an efficient method of filtering stormwater before it enters ecosystems. In this study, we examined three types of soil to determine which would be the most viable for use in a rain garden in terms of nitrogen filtration efficiency, water volume output, and cost. By pouring "contaminated" water through columns of soil, we measured the flow rate and nitrogen concentrations of discharged water. Although there was no significant difference in the filtration capacity of the three soils, compost was determined to be a poor choice due to extremely low discharge flow rates. Both the sandy loam and the sand/peat mixture had comparable flow rates and filtration capacity, filtering nitrate at 65% and 79% average efficiency respectively. The sandy loam is significantly cheaper than the sand/peat mixture and is most likely the best option for use in rain gardens.


This thesis is an analysis of contemporary American political history, examining conservative Republican rhetoric as it relates to polarisation, four-party politics and a governing philosophy. In particular, it analyses conservative Republican rhetoric and the strong emphasis associated with the socialist label, especially how the socialist label is employed as a critique against the New Deal and its ongoing political legacy – the modern American welfare state. I compare the difference in how conservative Republicans employ the socialist label in the context of being the majority party, as well as of being the minority party. I utilise James MacGregor Burns' original four-party politics argument and reorganise it in order to best explain American domestic politics in the post-Cold War era – separating the Republican presidential party from its congressional party. The thesis examines how conservative Republican rhetoric is strategic. It is effective at casting a negative light on the opposition, but creates a false impression of a conservative Republican governing philosophy. Conservative Republican rhetoric is strongest when it opposes something, usually big government in some way, such as opposing national health care reform. On the other hand, once conservative Republicans are in a position of power, they have to scale back their anti-statist rhetoric so that it leads to lasting accomplishments, instead of railing against government and shirking the responsibilities of governing. This involves a combination of pragmatism and ideology – which becomes harder to achieve as the GOP moves further rightward. Conservative Republican rhetoric has evolved over time from its original libertarian economic-centred argument against the New Deal. In the post-Cold War era, this rhetoric still draws on the "less government" economic argument, whilst also calling for more government intervention on socio-moral issues.


In this paper, we describe a weather service dedicated to farming called CAP2020. The service involves interpolation operations accessing massive data. We explain the centralized implementation of this application and show the limits of this architecture. Then we present a Cloud-enabled distributed solution ensuring load balancing and data replication to take advantage of the elastic capabilities of Cloud solutions. Distributed implementation provides better quality of service and scalability for CAP2020 application in anticipation of increasing use and/or application data, but also to adapt to punctual and seasonal farming needs.


Conventions are crucial for strong performance in cooperative multi-agent games, because they allow players to coordinate on a shared strategy without explicit communication. Unfortunately, standard multi-agent reinforcement learning techniques, such as self-play, converge to conventions that are arbitrary and non-diverse, leading to poor generalization when interacting with new partners. In this work, we present a technique for generating diverse conventions by (1) maximizing their rewards during self-play, while (2) minimizing their rewards when playing with previously discovered conventions (cross-play), stimulating conventions to be semantically different. To ensure that learned policies act in good faith despite the adversarial optimization of cross-play, we introduce \emph{mixed-play}, where an initial state is randomly generated by sampling self-play and cross-play transitions and the player learns to maximize the self-play reward from this initial state. We analyze the benefits of our technique on various multi-agent collaborative games, including Overcooked, and find that our technique can adapt to the conventions of humans, surpassing human-level performance when paired with real users.


seen. . The blood calcium before treatment varied in different cases, but in the majority it was within normal litnits. The administration of vitamin D usually caused a marked increase in the blood calcium. The adtninistration of vitamin D influenced in a marked degree the clinical cottrse of the eezetna, causing a rapid resolution of the lesions. It is a question whether this result is due to the calciumfixing effect of the vitatnin producing a condition of the tissues favourable to the healing of the eczema. On the other hand, the frequency of anomalies in the calcium metabolism in eczema suggests sotue imbalance (hormone-vitauiin) as the cause, and the therapeutic action of the vitatnin might be due to its " regulating " action on the tnetabolism. From his investigations the author concludes that in eezema there arc indications for the administration of sufficient quantities of calcium together with vitatnin D. " • C. L.


Low birth weight is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, therefore the impact of nutritionally-mediated prenatal growth restriction on growth, body composition and metabolism was investigated in young lambs. Adolescent dams were given control or high intakes during pregnancy to induce normal or compromised placental size, respectively. The resulting normal (N, n=24) or placentally growth-restricted (PGR, n=25) lambs suckled their mothers until weaning at 77 days. Lamb growth rates were measured and a glucose tolerance test (GTT) performed at 49 days. PGR males and females were 49 and 35% lighter than N lambs at birth (p<0.001). Fractional growth rate was elevated in PGR versus N groups (p<0.001) and was highest in PGR males. DEXA body composition assessment at weaning revealed reduced bone mineral density (p<0.02) and increased fat % (p<0.001) in PGR lambs (both genders). Prior to GTT, fasting insulin, glucose, NEFA and glycerol were higher and urea lower in PGR versus N lambs (p=0.023 or less). After GTT, insulin secretion (area under the curve (AUC)) was elevated in PGR versus N groups (p<0.02). Similarly, NEFA and glycerol were increased and urea AUC decreased (p<0.02) in PGR lambs, with the most pronounced effects in males. Thus PGR led to low birth weight, rapid catch-up growth and increased adiposity at weaning. This was associated with increased neonatal insulin secretion and altered indices of fat and protein metabolism after fasting and GTT. These early postnatal changes in body composition and metabolism predict adverse health outcomes in adulthood.


The intramolecular Rauhut-Currier reaction creates a carbon-carbon bond between two tethered Michael acceptors. Previous asymmetric versions have relied on 1,4-additions of chiral nucleophilic catalysts. Herein, we investigate a novel strategy that involves the formation of electron rich dienamines as key intermediates. Our methodology provides an efficient entry to the iridoid framework.


Vegetation phenology derived from satellite data has increasingly received attention for applications in environmental monitoring and modelling. The accuracy of phenological estimates, however, is unknown at the regional and global level because field validation data are insufficient. To assess the accuracy of satellite‐derived phenology, this study investigates the sensitivity of phenology detection to both the temporal resolution of sampling and the number of consecutive missing values (usually representing cloud cover) in the time series of satellite data. To do this, time series of daily vegetation index data for various ecosystems are modelled and simulated using data from Moderate‐Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. The annual temporal data are then fitted using piecewise logistic functions, which are employed to calculate curvature change rate for detecting phenological transition dates. The results show that vegetation phenology can be estimated with a high precision from time series with temporal resolutions of 6–16 days even if daily data contains some uncertainties. If the temporal resolution is no coarser than 16 days for time series sampled using an average composite, the absolute errors are less than 3 days. On the other hand, the phase shift of temporal sampling is shown to have limited impacts on phenology detection. However, the accuracy of phenology detection may be reduced greatly if missing values in the time series of 16‐day MODIS data occur around the onsets of phenological transition dates. Even so, the probability that the absolute error in phenological estimates is greater than 5 days is less than 4% when only one period is missing in the time series of 16‐day data during vegetation growing seasons; this probability increases to 20% if there are two consecutive missing values.


The prevalence of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) was studied using both classic cytogenetic and FISH techniques in referred cases of microdeletion 15q11-13 to our laboratory from Western India. A total of 53 cases were registered, of which 08(15%) were found positive for Prader-Willi Syndrome i.e. 15q11-13 microdeletion syndrome. FISH technique found to be suitable and sensitive to confirm clinically diagnosed PWS.


Denoising is a crucial step for hyperspectral image (HSI) applications. Though witnessing the great power of deep learning, existing HSI denoising methods suffer from limitations in capturing the nonlocal self-similarity. Trans-formers have shown potential in capturing longrange de-pendencies, but few attempts have been made with specifically designed Transformer to model the spatial and spec-tral correlation in HSIs. In this paper, we address these issues by proposing a spectral enhanced rectangle Trans-former, driving it to explore the nonlocal spatial similarity and global spectral low-rank property of HSIs. For the former, we exploit the rectangle self-attention horizontally and vertically to capture the nonlocal similarity in the spatial domain. For the latter, we design a spectral enhancement module that is capable of extracting global underlying low-rank property of spatial-spectral cubes to suppress noise, while enabling the interactions among non-overlapping spatial rectangles. Extensive experiments have been conducted on both synthetic noisy HSIs and real noisy HSIs, showing the effectiveness of our proposed method in terms of both objective metric and subjective visual quality. The code is available at https://github.com/MyuLi/SERT.


Background: Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair of the shoulder is associated with a significant amount of pain, especially the first 36-48 postoperative hours [1]. Previous studies have demonstrated that an interscalene block is an effective analgesic technique for shoulder surgery [2-5]. However, even with the use of a long-acting local anesthetic, the analgesic effect of a single injection is limited to the first 6 to 12 hours [6]. Our objective was to determine the value of pregabalin as an opioid-sparing adjunct when used in combination with regional anesthesia techniques. Methods: We prospectively studied 50 patients undergoing primary arthroscopic rotator cuff repair under general anesthesia. Patients received a singleinjection interscalene brachial plexus block with 30 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine, and oral celecoxib 200 mg and acetaminophen 500 mg. The patients were provided with a prescription for oral oxycodone 5 mg and acetaminophen 325 mg, 1-2 tablets every 4-6 hours as needed for postoperative supplemental analgesia. Patients were randomized to receive pregabalin (150 mg, twice daily, administered orally) or a placebo. The primary end point of the study was total opioid (oxycodone) consumption in the first 48 postoperative hours. Secondary end points included pain (evaluated with a 0-10 numeric rating scale anchored with 0 as ino paini and 10 as iworst pain imaginablei), opioid- and pregabalin-related adverse effects, and duration of hospitalization. Results: Median opioid consumption during the first 48 postoperative hours was 51 mg (standard deviation [SD]: 40, interquartile range [IQR], 23-80 mg) in the pregabalin group and 64 mg (SD: 41, IQR: 35-90) in the placebo group (p = 0.26). Pain scores, adverse effects, and other secondary end points were similar between the groups. Conclusions: Pregabalin, at the dosage used in this study, resulted in a minimal or negligible decrease in opioid consumption when used as an adjunct to a multimodal, regional, analgesic regimen. The apparently lack of additive analgesia effect of pregabalin in this setting may be explained by the analgesic effects of the oral analgesics that were administered postoperatively. These nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics may have masked the pregabalin-induced analgesia by preventing postoperative central sensitization.


Killer toxins are antifungal proteins produced by many species of "killer" yeasts, including the brewer's and baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Screening 1 270 strains of S. cerevisiae for killer toxin production found that 50% are killer yeasts, with a higher prevalence of yeasts isolated from human clinical samples and winemaking processes. Since many killer toxins are encoded by satellite dsRNAs associated with mycoviruses, S. cerevisiae strains were also assayed for the presence of dsRNAs. This screen identified that 51% of strains contained dsRNAs from the mycovirus families Totiviridae and Partitiviridae, as well as satellite dsRNAs. Killer toxin production was correlated with the presence of satellite dsRNAs but not mycoviruses. However, in most killer yeasts, whole genome analysis identified the killer toxin gene KHS1 as significantly associated with killer toxin production. Most killer yeasts had unique spectrums of antifungal activities compared to canonical killer toxins, and sequence analysis identified mutations that altered the antifungal activities of killer toxins. The prevalence of mycoviruses and killer toxins in S. cerevisiae is important because of their known impact on yeast fitness, with implications for academic research and industrial application of this yeast species.


Retrosynthesis is the task of predicting reactant molecules from a given product molecule and is, important in organic chemistry because the identification of a synthetic path is as demanding as the discovery of new chemical compounds. Recently, the retrosynthesis task has been solved automatically without human expertise using powerful deep learning models. Recent deep models are primarily based on seq2seq or graph neural networks depending on the function of molecular representation, sequence, or graph. Current state-of-the-art models represent a molecule as a graph, but they require joint training with auxiliary prediction tasks, such as the most probable reaction template or reaction center prediction. Furthermore, they require additional labels by experienced chemists, thereby incurring additional cost. Herein, we propose a novel template-free model, i.e., Graph Truncated Attention (GTA), which leverages both sequence and graph representations by inserting graphical information into a seq2seq model. The proposed GTA model masks the self-attention layer using the adjacency matrix of product molecule in the encoder and applies a new loss using atom mapping acquired from an automated algorithm to the cross-attention layer in the decoder. Our model achieves new state-of-the-art records, i.e., exact match top-1 and top-10 accuracies of 51.1% and 81.6% on the USPTO-50k benchmark dataset, respectively, and 46.0% and 70.0% on the USPTO-full dataset, respectively, both without any reaction class information. The GTA model surpasses prior graph-based template-free models by 2% and 7% in terms of the top-1 and top-10 accuracies on the USPTO-50k dataset, respectively, and by over 6% for both the top-1 and top-10 accuracies on the USPTO-full dataset.


Varieties and organic materials have a very important role to the flux of methane (CH4) on paddy cultivation, especially on wetlands. Purpose of this research to determine the amount of methane emissions that released from paddy cultivation in acid sulphate soils with the use of different varieties and paddy straw composting. Acid sulfate soil samples taken Experimental Farm Swampland Agricultural Research Center (BALITTRA), Tanjung Harapan, District Alalak, Barito Kuala, South Kalimantan. This research uses Randomized Complete Design of two factors. The first factor is the use of paddy varieties and the second factor is the use of paddy straw compost. Research shows that there is a very real interaction between the two factors. Treatment varieties Inpara 3 + without paddy straw compost releases CH4 flux most low at 0,030 mg.m-2.day-1, while treatment Inpari 30 + paddy straw compost 5 Mg. ha-1 release most CH4 flux is 0.571 mg. m-2.day-1.


The author has determined the antitoxin-titer of 425 patients with clinical manifest diphtheria faucium. Of these, 287 were unvaccinated, 32 vaccinated once and 106 vaccinated with more than one injection.
 In the case of the vaccinated the course of the disease was distinctly milder than that of the unvaccinated, while at the same time the antitoxin titre was much higher for the former than for the latter.
 When the unvaccinated are divided into groups according to the severity of the disease, there is only a slight difference in the antitoxin-titers of the groups.
 When all the cases are grouped according to the antitoxin-titer there is a scarcely demonstrable difference in the course of the disease for groups with a high titer and those with a low titer, provided that the course is indicated by means of the relative occurrence of complications and deaths in the groups.
 When a comparison is made between the distribution of antitoxin-titer among diphtherics and distributions among the rest of the population, there are found to be fewer cases of a titer higher than 0.1 A.U. among the diphtherics.
 The material is further treated statistically, the author having found a single quantity as an indicator for the course of the disease for each patient. The average course of each group can then be computed as the mean of the course of the individual cases. This provides greater statistical certainty than an analysis of the percentage of complications.
 It was then possible to show a significant dependence between antitoxin-titer and course of disease, although the slope of the regression found was rather flat.
 The vaccinated patients had a better course of illness than the unvaccinated who presented the same clinical picture on hospitalization and had the same initial antitoxin-titer.


The food processing industry of India is significantly affected by the substandard quality issues. Insufficient focus on safety and quality standards has affected export of processed food products and also resulted in low competitive advantage in the global market. Even in the domestic market due to increased awareness, people demand secure, non-toxic and pesticide-free products. The paper reviews literature related to food standards and aims to comprehend food safety regulations existing in India along with the present state of preparedness of the food industry to comply with the international standards. The policy measures to be undertaken to this effect are also examined. Promotional activities like credible labelling and certifications are essential to popularize the safety attribute of processed food products and up-gradation of Agmark standards to Codex Alimentarius requirements by the Indian government are necessary to ensure high quality of food products. One of the main precautionary methods for food safety concern is effective implantation of traceability. In order to improve food traceability system and increase the business performance of food industry, management should focus on regulatory framework, food safety, food quality, and certification. The suggestions presented if implemented efficiently would assist in growth of the Indian agro industry, both at the domestic and global level.


A total of 1080 pigs (PIC), initially 89.0 ± 5.1 lb were used to determine the effects of increasing pantothenic acid on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growfinish pigs. Pigs were blocked by weight and gender, and were randomly allotted to treatment. Pigs were fed, in meal form, the experimental corn-soybean meal, added-fat diets in four phases. Dietary treatments consisted of a control diet (no added pantothenic acid), or the control diet with 22.5, 45.0, or 90.0 ppm added pantothenic acid from d-calcium pantothenate. Dietary treatments were fed from d 0 to 98 (89.0 to 272.5 lb). The first three dietary phases contained 5% choice white grease, and all diets contained 0.15% L-lysine HCl, trace mineral premix, and a standard vitamin premix manufactured with no pantothenic acid. Vitamins in the vitamin premix were supplemented at 300% of NRC guidelines. Added pantothenic acid had no effect on ADG, ADFI, or F/G, regardless of rate, and no significant differences were observed in carcass traits, including hot-carcass weight, dressing percentage, fat-free-lean index (FFLI), average backfat, and loin depth. In our experiment, added pantothenic acid did not influence growth performance or carcass composition of pigs reared in a commercial environment. (


High resolution rain rate time series derived from disdrometer measurements are analyzed on an event-by-event basis. The rain rate process is found to be an integrated non-stationary cascade (H=0.53 in the framework of Universal Multifractals). This result is in contradiction with the usual modeling of rain rate time series as pure stationary multiplicative cascades (H=0) based on daily or hourly measurements. In order to resolve this apparent difficulty, we show that, at these low resolutions, multifractal analysis techniques are profoundly biased by rain on-off intermittency. Therefore a new model for rain rate time series is proposed. The latter is based on an integrated multiplicative cascade thresholded in order to reproduce rain on-off intermittency. These synthetic time series are able to reproduce correctly the fractal dimension of rain periods, the non-stationarity of rain rate at high resolution and the artificial stationary multiplicative cascade when only low resolutions are considered. Finally, the analysis of non-intermittent radar rain maps leads to the same conclusion in space, although the value H is lower, which could be explain by the uncertainty of the relation between rain rates and radar reflectivities.


Wireless communication will integrate seamlessly into our lives during the next decade. Device manufacturers will offer powerful portable multimedia communication devices with versatile features to single purpose sensors that have short-range communication capabilities. These very different devices will have the ability to form communication connections with each other either at the end user's request or in an ad-hoc manner. This will enable a nomadic end user to modify his/her personal service environment based on content he/she requests and on logical adaptation. The objective of this dissertation is to analyze the dynamic adaptability of a nomadic end user's Personal Service Environment by focusing on the adaptability requirements imposed by ubiquitous financial services and ubiquitous production administration service. This dissertation utilizes a constructive research method, in which results are validated by technical experimentation. The main results of this dissertation are prototype implementations of the Active Service Environment Management (ASEMA) platform, which acts as an enabler for a dynamically adaptive personal service environment, and two use cases, one involving ubiquitous financial services and other involving ubiquitous production administration services, both of which utilize the platform. The Personal Service Environment (PSE) that is enabled by the ASEMA platform has the ability to adapt itself based on hardware and software capabilities available for a nomadic end user. The PSE is sensitive to the changes in quality of service it receives from the wireless network it is roaming to. The Personal Service Environment can combine two or more services together in order to offer a tailored service experience for a nomadic end user. Finally, the ASEMA platform enables an end user service to adjust its service offering to the existing capabilities of the Personal Service Environment at any particular moment.


The National Military Strategy (2004), the Capstone Concept for Joint Operations (2005), and the Quadrennial Defense Review (2006) specifically highlight a new focus by the Department of Defense (DoD) on knowledge in operations as opposed to traditional weapons platforms. As such, each of the military services have put into place KM programs to varying degrees. According to Stankosky's (2005) four pillars of KM framework, managing an organization's knowledge assets can be most effectively accomplished by addressing four key elements--leadership, organization, technology, and learning—the "learning" pillar including KM education. Given that research on KM education is sparse (Ruth et al, 2000) and that organizations that do not address KM education are more likely to fail with KM efforts (Koenig, 2004), this multiple-case study provides a first look at KM education across the DoD. The preliminary results indicate that nature and importance of programs vary across the services, and, despite some leadership support, the resources needed to execute them are not always available.


Type IV pili (T4aP) are ubiquitous microbial appendages used for adherence, twitching motility, DNA uptake, and electron transfer. Many of these functions depend on dynamic assembly and disassembly of the pilus by a megadalton-sized, cell envelope-spanning protein complex located at the poles of rod-shaped bacteria. How the T4aP assembly complex becomes integrated into the cell envelope in the absence of dedicated peptidoglycan (PG) hydrolases is unknown. After ruling out potential involvement of housekeeping PG hydrolases in installation of the T4aP machinery in P. aeruginosa, we discovered that key components of inner (PilMNOP) and outer (PilQ) membrane subcomplexes are recruited to future sites of cell division. Mid-cell recruitment of a fluorescently tagged alignment subcomplex component, mCherry-PilO, depended on PilQ secretin monomers – specifically, their N-terminal PG-binding AMIN domains. PilP, which connects PilO to PilQ, was required for recruitment, while PilM, which is structurally similar to divisome component FtsA, was not. Recruitment preceded secretin oligomerization in the outer membrane, as loss of the PilQ pilotin, PilF, had no effect on localization. These results were confirmed in cells chemically blocked for cell division prior to outer membrane invagination. The hub protein FimV and a component of the Polar Organelle Coordinator complex – PocA – were independently required for mid-cell recruitment of PilO and PilQ. Together, these data reveal an integrated, energy-efficient strategy for the targeting and pre-installation – rather than retrofit – of the T4aP system into nascent poles, without the need for dedicated PG-remodelling enzymes.


Africa's formal economies responded poorly to economic reform measures in the 1980s and 1990s while informal markets and institutions responded dynamically and proved to be more resilient. Using comparative analysis of African informal economies, this study explains why this was the case. It outlines the economic rationales that drive these informal economies to show how their logic often derives from social considerations that may be at odds with the goals of profit maximization. It then maps out some of the institutional terrain within which the informal sector operates. The study also analyzes the extent to which government policies in Africa have facilitated and constrained the informal sector; it describes continuing impediments to the growth of local and informal markets; and explores incentives that would enhance informal institutions.


A framework is presented that allows a number of known results relating feedback equalization, linear prediction, and mutual information to be easily understood. A lossless, additive decomposition of mutual information in a general class of Gaussian channels is introduced and shown to produce an information-preserving canonical decision-feedback receiver. The approach is applied to intersymbol interference (ISI) channels to derive the well-known minimum mean-square error (MMSE) decision-feedback equalizer (DFE). When applied to the synchronous code-division multiple-access (CDMA) channel, the result is the MMSE (or signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) maximizing) decision-feedback detector, which is shown to achieve the channel sum-capacity at the vertices of the capacity region. Finally, in the case of the asynchronous CDMA channel we are able to give new connections between information theory, decision-feedback receivers, and structured factorizations of multivariate spectra.


This article explains a case study undertaken for the purposes of answering the research questions: What does STEM education look like in a Year 7/8 New Zealand classroom? How do Year 7/8 students engage in the interdisciplinary approach of STEM education? Do/how do students value STEM learning in contrast to individual subject learning? This case study focused on a STEM unit of work with data collected through pre- and post-unit surveys, observations and student journals. Findings illustrate that students find STEM learning an engaging and interesting avenue for developing a deeper understanding when their learning is situated within a context they can connect with. The case study discussed in this article provides a rich example of STEM teaching and learning that will, hopefully, be informative for other teachers and researchers interested in exploring the integration of STEM education in the New Zealand setting.


Glycinium Phosphite (GlP) has been synthesized and characterized successfully. The fluorescence spectrum of the compound showed one broad peak at 282 nm. Linear absorption value was calculated by Optical Limiting method. Birefringence study was carried out and the birefringence of the crystal is found to be depending on the wavelength in the entire visible region. Third order nonlinear optical property of the crystal was carried out by Z-Scan technique and non linear refractive index and third order susceptibility was calculated. Thermal stability of the crystal was found using TG and DTA thermal analyzer and the results shows that the crystals have good thermal stability. The crystal was also analyzed by photo conductivity analyzer to determine the optical conductivity of the crystal.


Abstract Most carbonate fractured reservoirs display complex behaviour in the simulation and production stages of their development, and this complexity is thought to be the result of the different fracture distributions and intensities within the reservoir. Accurate fracture characterization is therefore essential and the two techniques most commonly used for fracture prediction are 'strain analysis' and 'curvature analysis'. In this paper these two methods of fracture analysis are compared by applying them to the Gachsaran oil field in the Zagros folded belt and comparing the predictions of the two with the performance history of the reservoir. This reservoir is well suited for such a study as there is a large quantity of seismic data and over 350 wells have been drilled. Fracture intensity indicator maps have been produced using both methods and the results compared with production index data from the wells. The indicator map produced using the 3D strain analysis method in which special attention was given to the structural setting, structural evolution and the position of the fractures with respect to the local stress orientation, was found to be more compatible with the production index data than the map produced using the method of curvature analysis. In addition, the study also demonstrates that one of the great advantages of strain analysis compared to the curvature method is its ability to predict variations in the vertical direction and thus provide data related to a reservoir volume rather than simply to a surface.


Large collections of documents are commonly created around a database, where a typical database schema may contain hundreds of tables and thousands of columns. We developed a system based on SQL code generation and User-Defined Functions that analyzes document-to-metadata links by extracting a basic set of relationships at different levels of granularities: coarse, medium and fine. Such relationships are then stored and queried in the DBMS, allowing the user to explore, query, and rank how columns and tables are related to users and applications. At the same time, our system provides typical information retrieval capabilities for querying medium-sized document collections of interrelated documents in the DBMS, with an acceptable performance.


Abstract C. (Morphocarabus) rothi comptus Dejean 1831, is a endemic species of the Romania, appearing localized to some mountainous massifs of Romanian Banat and their piedmont areas (Poiana Rusca Mountains, Țarcu Mountains). Its presence in the Apuseni Mountains is doubtful, due to the lack of recent captures and to the confusion with C. (Morphocarabus) hampei diffinis Csiki 1905, morphologically like. In Banat the species occurs in two forms: szorenyensis Csiki 1908 at higher altitude (1300-2000 m) and ulrichhoffmanni Lie 1982 in hilly areas, which is distinguished by a larger size. Whatever the altitude and the ecological conditions, the period of activity is brief, spread over a month with a maximum of over two weeks. Molecular biology studies: confirm the belonging of comptus to rothi as a subspecies of her (28SRNA5 marker); suggest (concatenation COI I / cyt b) a low infra-specific variability between provenances of the szorenyensis (Rusca, Muntele Mic) and between the origins of the ulrichhoffmanni.


This review is concerned with a detailed examination of the neurophysiological mechanisms that allow fast interactions between two key components of the 'visuomotor grasping network' in the primate brain: ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and primary motor cortex (M1). It first reviews the anatomical linkages between them and then surveys a number of studies which have together shown that PMv can modulate activity of grasp-related activity in M1 in a grasp-specific fashion, and in particular can either facilitate or suppress M1 outputs controlling intrinsic hand muscles. The mechanisms subserving the interactions between PMv and M1, which are reciprocal, could allow for fast selection of M1 outputs that would be appropriate for the grasp of visible objects.


Clinical trials using monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against cell-surface markers have yielded encouraging therapeutic results in several cancer types. Generally, however, anticancer antibodies are only efficient against a subpopulation of cancers, and there is a strong need for identification of novel targets and human antibodies against them. We have isolated single-chain human mAbs from a large naı̈ve antibody phage display library by panning on a single-cell suspension of freshly isolated live cancer cells from a human breast cancer specimen, and these antibodies were shown to specifically recognize cancer-associated cell-surface proteins. One of the isolated human antibody fragments, Ab39, recognizes a cellsurface antigen expressed on a subpopulation of cancer cell lines of different origins. Immunohistochemical analysis of a large panel of cancerous and normal tissues showed that Ab39 bound strongly to several cancers, including 45% breast carcinomas, 35% lung cancers, and 86% melanomas, but showed no or weak binding to normal tissues. A yeast twohybrid screen of a large human testis cDNA library identified the glucose-regulated protein of 78 kDa (GRP78) as the antigen recognized by Ab39. The interaction was confirmed by colocalization studies and antibody competition experiments that also mapped the epitope recognized by Ab39 to the COOH terminus of GRP78. The expression of GRP78 on the surface of cancer cells, but not normal cells, makes it an attractive target for cancer therapies including mAb-based immunotherapy. Our results suggest that the human antibody Ab39 may be a useful starting point for further genetic optimization that could render it a useful diagnostic and therapeutic reagent for a variety of cancers. [Cancer Res 2007;67(19):9507–17]


This study was designed to determine the effect of backpack loading on the gait pattern and corresponding compensatory strategy, which is important to the balance control of biped robot and military training. Five healthy subjects were instructed to walk at their preferred speed on level pathway taking three different loads i.e. 6 kg, 12 kg and 25 kg, on their backs. The results showed that the gait pattern was apparently influenced, and the dominant effects were found to be the flexion of hip, knee joints and pitch angle of torso. The stride speed decreased apparently with loading on their backs, but the stride length showed less changes. Besides, the responses to taking loads might be influenced by the strength of body. An apparent multi-joints coordination motor mode was employed to compensate the influences of loading, however, their contributions are different; hip, knee joints and torso pitch made dominant contributions to the compensation while ankle joints made minor. The anterior pitch of upper torso could be employed to adjust the overall center of mass while loading on their backs, the larger the magnitude of loading on their backs, the larger the anterior pitch angle of torso. After the heel touched the ground, the flexion of hip and knee joints were effective for the shock absorption, which means that the stiffness of hip and knee joints can be used to absorb the shock and avoid the trauma of each joints.


Purpose: To compare the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and high volume endurance training (HVET) on indices of endurance, speed and power in male Gaelic football players.
Methods: Club level Gaelic football players (n=25) ranging from 18 to 35 years of age were randomly assigned to a HIIT (mean ± SD; 27.2 ± 3.6 yr) or a HVET ( mean ± SD 24.7 ± 4.0 yr) group. Participants trained 3 d.wk-1 for 6 weeks. Maximal aerobic capacity, vertical jump (VJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and 5 m and 20 m sprint times were measured at baseline and after 6 weeks. Participants also performed 6 x 10 sec bouts of cycling against a resistance equal to 7.5% body weight interspersed with a 50 sec recovery period before and after the 6 weeks of training.
Results: Maximal aerobic capacity increased significantly in both the HIIT and HVET group in response to the 6 week training program, and the percentage improvement was similar (7%) in both groups. There was no change in CMJ, CMJ flight time or 5 m speed in either group in response to training. Compared to baseline, performance in the VJ and 20 m sprint decreased significantly in the HVET group following the 6 week training program, and did not change in the HIIT group. Average power and peak power during the fifth and sixth cycling test increased and the rate of fatigue decreased in the HIIT group only.
Conclusion: In contrast to HVET, HIIT is a time efficient training method for improving aerobic capacity and maintaining indices of speed and power in club level Gaelic football players.


Japan is in the midst of a demographic transition that is both rapid and large by international standards. As recently as 1990, Japan had the youngest population among the Group of 6 large, developed countries. However, the combined effects of aging of the baby boomer generation and low fertility rates have produced very rapid aging. Japan now finds itself with the oldest population among the Group of 6, and its population will continue to age at a rapid pace in future years. Aging is already placing a burden on government finances, and Japan's ability to confront the negative fiscal implications of future aging is constrained by its very high debt-to-GDP ratio. We find that Japan faces a severe fiscal crisis if remedial action is not undertaken soon, and we analyze alternative strategies for correcting Japan's fiscal imbalances.


Polygeline (haemaccel 35 Behringwerke) was tested in 1147 patients in a prospective and multicentre study facing systemic anaphylactoid or cutaneous anaphylactoid side effects. 8 patients showed mainly cutaneous reactions (redness and itchy swelling) and only one an increase of ventilating pressure during anaesthesia (0.78%). Polygeline showed according to an improved preparation unexpected reactions only of the cutaneous anaphylactoid type (no severe systemic life threatening reaction, histamine liberation 1 ng/ml or less according to Lorenz).


Inverse optimization perturbs objective function to make an initial feasible solution optimal with respect to perturbed objective function while minimizing cost of perturbation. We extend inverse optimization to two-stage stochastic linear programs. Since the resulting model grows with number of scenarios, we present two decomposition approaches for solving these problems.


A frequency-domain lumped-nonlinear-source behavioral model is presented. This generalized two-port nonlinear model is used to characterize the linearity of either RF devices or circuits. Similar to two-port ac behavioral models (i.e., using S-, Y-, Z-, or H-parameters), this nonlinear model supports combinations such as shunt, series, and cascade, and thus is suitable for systematic analysis. This model is then applied to analyze the impact of harmonic impedance on the second-order intermodulation and third-order intermodulation of a state-of-the-art SiGe HBTs and circuits. Simple and general linearity expressions are then derived. Harmonic load-pull simulations and measurements are used to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed analysis technique.