This paper concerns the design and analysis of a 6-DOF inverted Stewart platform of an amusement park. In consideration of both the thrill-seeking and the safety of tourists, the platform must have 3 proper translational axial accelerations and 3 proper rotary angular accelerations within one motion cycle, and the impact of seismic force shall be taken into account in order to retain the adaptability to change of the system in case of emergent situations. Besides, the safety factors of various parts and components of the system shall be higher than six. In this paper, a 3D model is developed for the platform by means of Solidwork, and kinematics simulation is carried out by means of Cosmos/Motion software to generate 3D geometrical diagrams which are to be transferred into ANSYS Workbench software, and at last, the optimized design of geometry of each part/component of the system and the evaluation of overall safety of the system are conducted in Workbench software based on foresaid 3D geometrical diagrams.


ABSTRACT The GeneXpert Dx system (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA) is a fully integrated and automated nucleic acid sample preparation, amplification, and real-time detection system. It consists of an instrument, a personal computer, and disposable fluidic cartridges. The analytical sensitivity and specificity of the GeneXpert enterovirus assay (GXEA) were determined with a panel of 63 different enterovirus serotypes and 24 other microorganisms, respectively. The potential for blood, hemoglobin, white blood cells, and excess protein to interfere with the assay was also assessed. The performance parameters of the GXEA were determined at three sites with 102 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples obtained from patients with suspected meningitis. All samples were tested for enterovirus RNA with locally developed reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assays at the trial sites and with a seminested RT-PCR and an analyte-specific reagent (Cepheid) at a reference laboratory. The 5′ nontranslated region was the target for all of the PCR assays except the seminested RT-PCR, which amplified a VP1 sequence. The VP1 amplicon was sequenced to identify the enterovirus types. Consensus reference laboratory RT-PCR results were used to classify cases of enteroviral meningitis. The GXEA detected all of the enterovirus serotypes and none of the other microorganisms tested except rhinovirus 16. The assay was unaffected by moderate amounts of blood or blood components. Thirty-six (35%) of the CSF samples tested had at least one positive PCR result. Eleven different enterovirus serotypes were identified in the positive samples. The GXEA had a sensitivity of 97.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 84.7 to 99.9%) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 94.6 to 100%) for the diagnosis of enteroviral meningitis.


In this paper, we present a novel approach to image-based rendering (IBR) for generating an arbitrary view image with arbitrary focus for a scene consisting two approximately constant depths. The presented method differs from the conventional IBRs using multiple view images in that we acquire two differently focused images from each camera position and render parallax and focus effects on objects at different depth simply by linear filtering of the acquired images without segmentation. Experimental results on the real images acquired with 4 cameras located in parallel are presented.


The Lung Cancer Study Group (LCSG) randomized 141 patients with resected stage II and III adenocarcinoma and large cell undifferentiated carcinoma to receive postoperative combined chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (CAP) chemotherapy or bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and levamisole immunotherapy. Careful intraoperative staging was performed on all patients. Before randomization, patients were stratified by stage, weight loss, cardiac arrhythmia, and institution. Prognostic variables such as stage, age, weight loss, and nodal involvement were equally distributed between the two groups. Disease-free survival was significantly prolonged in the group receiving chemotherapy. There was no evidence of a deleterious effect of the immunotherapy. This study indicates that postoperative CAP chemotherapy is effective in prolonging disease-free survival in these patients.


Demographic dividend has contributed a lot to Chinese economic growth during the past 30 years. However, in recent years, the increase of population dependency ratio, with the constant "shortage of labors", indicates that the traditional demographic begins to fade away. How to further search for the rest of the demographic dividend and defer the disappearance of the demographic dividend becomes a significant issue. It researches province regions on the degree of utilization of existing demographic dividend, which will be instructive for the relevant economic policies of making full use of the demographic dividend. In terms of contribution analysis, this present research is concerned with the postponement of demographic dividend and the influence on Chinese economic growth rate by human capital changes.


The research asks: what is the relationship of distinctive congregational founding values
with the reconfiguration values in the new Le Cheile Catholic Schools Trust? The twelve
religious congregations that collaborated in forming the Le Cheile Trust for their Catholic
secondary schools in Ireland, 2003-2010 are engaged in the research process. The
genesis of this new collaborative trust for Irish Catholic seccondary schools is in the
context of declining numbers of religious, and the immediate need to ensure the future of
their schools.
The research question is set in the context of an analysis of the genesis of the Irish
Catholic voluntary secondary school in view of the challenges facing these schools today.
This involves the inclusion of historical, ecclesial and documentary data. The research
data are based on analysis of historical documents supplemented by oral history. This is
constituted by formal conversations or semi-structured interviews with twelve
congregational leaders, twelve school principals and the two new executive lay leaders in
the Le Cheile Trust and also the responses of leaders in the other three new major trusts
formed before 2010. The living archives of the oral history provide a new interface
between the founding values and the current values motivating the decision to develop
the Le Cheile Trust.


In Indian culture children are supposed to take care of the elders at home. Violence in old age is not very common in India by the persons who take care of them. But we do have some cases of violence by the guardians of the old people. Mostly it is the neglect which the geriatric population faces in the hands of their children. In some cases the children do not take care up to the expectation of the parents. Violence, negligence and not coming up to the expectations of elder people lead to frustration in the old age. Many old people adjust to such problems but many cannot do this. This leads to disharmony in the families. To avoid these problems many people who can afford they prefer to go to old age centres. At such places they are taken care of by paying some money. In this study the relative analysis of effectiveness of such old age homes versus care at home in prevention of violence and negligence will be discussed. Findings of the research carried out in old people living at home and in old age centres will be presented which will help in reducing violence to old people.


"Confidence-building measures" (CBMs) are concrete, incremental steps, acceptable to all parties, that can be implemented relatively easily to reduce tensions and build trust in a time of conflict. The concept of CBMs arose in the sphere of international relations, and such measures are frequently used in international conflicts as the initial steps for reducing hostilities between enemies. In this international context, CBMs usually involve some mix of communication, constraint, transparency, or verification measures. CBMs are not intended to provide an ultimate solution to a conflict, but rather to reduce tensions and increase trust. This promotes a climate that is more conducive to negotiations and cooperation on a longer-term solution. CBMs are thus intended as pragmatic steps toward more substantial and enduring objectives. The concept of CBMs may be useful for conflicts over genetically modified (GM) foods and other biotechnology products. Biotechnology has the potential to provide many health, environmental, and economic benefits to society, but the realization of those benefits is called into question by public mistrust of this nascent technology. While the American public has not shown the widespread hostility to GM products that has been experienced in Europe, public opinion polls consistently show a strong undercurrent of concern and lack of confidence in the governmental and industry institutions controlling the development of biotechnology.


Setup planning for machining a part is to determine the number and sequence of setups (including machining features grouping in setups) and the part orientation of each setup. Tool accessibility plays a key role in this process. An adaptive setup planning approach for different types of multi-axis machine tools is proposed in this paper by investigating Tool Access Directions (TADs) of machining features, Tool Orientation Spaces (TOSs) of machine tools, and Primary Locating Directions (PLDs) of workpieces. In our approach, feasible TADs of a machining feature are predefined based on feature geometry and best practice knowledge, and denoted by unit vectors; The TOS of a machine tool is generated according to its configuration through kinematic analysis, and represented by a unit spherical surface patch; Primary locating directions and their priorities of a workpiece are determined based on the surface areas and the surface accuracy grades of non-machining surfaces. Starting from a 3-axis based machining feature grouping, setups for a 3-, 4- (or 3-axis with indexing table), or 5-axis machine can be achieved effectively by tool accessibility examination. A so-generated setup plan can provide not only the best coverage of machining features but the optimal orientation for each setup. Prismatic parts are considered in the proof-of-concept phase. Algorithms introduced here are implemented in MATLAB, and a case study is used to show the results.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


The development and success of many organizations to a large extent depend on how well and how timely they manage to gain insight into collected data. Business Intelligence (BI) provides methods for analyzing business-critical information and supports decision-making processes. But the ever growing amounts of data and information clearly overwhelm traditional manual methods of data analysis such as spreadsheets, standard reporting or simple diagrams. One possibility to face this problem is Information Visualization (InfoVis). By utilizing the powerful human perceptual system that is extremely efficient in processing visual input, visualization, for example, can help to make sense of data, explore complex information spaces or spot patterns and relationships within the data. Interactivity or the possibility to engage in an active discourse with the representation lies at the core of Information Visualization. However, empirical evidence and detailed approaches to model the concept of interactivity are largely missing in research today. This thesis is a first step towards bridging this gap and approaching the concept of interactivity more in depth. In order to do so, a twofold approach was chosen. First, the concept of interactivity was investigated from a theoretical point of view. In particular, cognitive theories and models were analyzed in order to determine their ability to explain and predict the value and role of interactivity in visual methods. Second, a qualitative empirical study was conducted among six IT-managers working in the field of Business Intelligence to assess the current practice at work concerning visual methods and interactivity. The main results are that cognitive theories and models do not explicitly account for the role of interactivity but rather concentrate on modeling the elements of a cognitive system and explaining how these entities interact with each other to achieve a certain goal. How different types of interactivity influence these processes is usually not part of the theories, and the effect of interactivity on cognitive processes was hardly ever mentioned. Apart from that, the empirical study showed that interactive visual methods in the area of Business Intelligence aren't used very often. One of the main reasons reported is the fact that visualization is still two steps ahead and at the moment mostly more basic problems concerning data gathering, data modeling and data quality prevail. Moreover, most users are used to work with numbers and tables and are not aware of the possibilities in terms of visualization. However, the interviewed IT-managers acknowledged that using more interactive visual methods in Business Intelligence would be beneficial for users.


Microstructure of Cr-rich phase in undercooled hypereutectic Cu95Cr5 alloys was studied by using arc melting, electromagntic levitation melting and splat quenching. The results showed that the alloys generally have a microstructure consisting of a fine Cr-rich dendrites in a Cu-rich matrix. Even there existed strong electromagnetic stirring during solidification process, the nonhomogeneous Cr-rich dendrites were observed in electromagnetic levitation melted alloys. However, fine homogenous primary Cr-rich particles or equiaxed Cr-rich grains distributed in the Cu-rich matrix in splat quenched alloys.


A 19-year old woman with acute pain in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen was seen in the emergency room. Because we suspected an anomaly of the appendix, we performed a laparoscopy. We unexpectedly found a torsion of a Hydatid of Morgagni, a stalked cyst of the fallopian tube.


The role of of fi cial statistics in the process of monitoring sustainable development of the country: Sustainable Development Indicators Application in the co ntext of life quality measurement The present paper is concerned with measuring public health on the national level both as a determinant of life quality and as an area of sustainable development in its social dimension. The Sustainable Development Indicators Application is a publicly available tool for monitoring the condition of society. It was developed in the Statistical Offi ce in Katowice in cooperation with the Statistical Offi ce in Wroclaw, and launched on the offi cial website of the Central Statistical Offi ce of Poland in February 2016. The SDI Application is a proposal of offi cial statistics for disseminating and presenting information on the sustainable development of the country. It includes a set of indicators grouped into areas within four domains: social, economic, environmental and institutional-political on the national, regional and local levels. SD indicators on the national list monitor goals referring to sustainable development, set out in national strategic documents, including quality of life, which underlies social, economic and institutional-political development of the country. Currently, the Polish SDI set is being further developed according to the guidelines outlined in the 2030 Agenda adopted at the UN Summit in 2015. Ekonomia.indd 27 2018-05-21 10:59:28 Ekonomia — Wroclaw Economic Review 23/4 (2017) © for this edition by CNS


RFID technology shall increase security, e.g. by helping to prevent counterfeiting. But the technology also causes privacy issues. In this paper, after highlighting goals and problems, an approach called "triggered hash chains" is proposed to address the problems. The approach combines concepts of two very different, widely known RFID protocols, i.e. the "hash-based ID variation" approach and the "Hash chain" approach. The resulting proposal joins the advantages of both protocols. The approach is evaluated using a variety of criteria that are relevant in practice.


Abstract Judicious management of energy can be invaluable for animal survival and reproductive success. Capital breeding mammals typically transfer energy to their young at extremely high rates while undergoing prolonged fasting, making lactation a tremendously energy demanding period. Effective management of the competing demands of the mother's energy needs and those of her offspring is presumably fundamental to maximizing lifetime reproductive success. How does the mother maximize her chances of successfully rearing her pup, by ensuring that both her pup and herself have sufficient energy during this 'energetic fast'? While energy management models were first discussed in the 1990s, application of this analytical technique is still very much in its infancy. Recent work suggests that a broad range of species exhibits 'energy compensation'; during periods when they expend more energy on activity, their bodies partially compensate by reducing background (basal) metabolic rate as an adaptation to limit overall energy expenditure. However, the value of energy management models in understanding animal ecology is presently unclear. We investigate whether energy management models provide insights into the breeding strategy of phocid seals. Not only do we expect lactating seals to display energy compensation because of their breeding strategy of high energy transfer while fasting, but we anticipate that mothers exhibiting a lack of energy compensation are less likely to rear offspring successfully. On the Isle of May in Scotland, we collected heart rate data as a proxy for energy expenditure in 52 known individual grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) mothers, repeatedly across 3 years of breeding. We provide evidence that grey seal mothers typically exhibit energy compensation during lactation by downregulating their background metabolic rate to limit daily energy expenditure during periods when other energy costs are relatively high. However, individuals that fail to energy compensate during the lactation period are more likely to end lactation earlier than expected. Our study is the first to demonstrate the importance of energy compensation to an animal's reproductive expenditure. Moreover, our multi‐seasonal data indicate that environmental stressors may reduce the capacity of some individuals to follow the energy compensation strategy.


The organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites were successfully obtained by the sol-gel process with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as an inorganic networking precursor and 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) as the nonsurfactant template in the presence of benzil initiator. The characteristics of the obtained hybrid were examined by means of TGA, FTIR, SEM, and TEM. The synthesized HEMA/SiO2 hybrid was nearly transparent, monolithic, and monodispersed with the average size of 25 nm. It was found that the hybrid structure could be defined by intertwining organic and inorganic polymeric networks.


Two directionally solidified (DS) Ni-based cast superalloys without and with 3wt. % Ru were prepared. The effects of Ru addition on the microstructures and stress rupture properties of the heat treated superalloys were investigated. It is shown that the amount of eutectic in 3wt. % Ru alloy was less than that in alloy without Ru. The incipient melting structure was found after quenching followed by 1295°C and 1300°C solid solution treatments in 3wt. % Ru alloy and in the alloy without Ru, respectively. The temperature at which the eutectic pools dissolved completely was higher than the temperature at which incipient melting appears. In order to obtain the better mechanical properties, double aging treatment was carried out for both alloys to optimize the sizes, morphologies and distribution of the γ′ phase. The stress rupture lives of the alloys were 55h and 108h under the condition of 1070°C and 137MPa the alloys without Ru and with 3wt. % Ru respectively. It is suggested that 3wt. % Ru addition can prolong the stress rupture life of the alloy.


Virtual heritage architectural and cultural reconstructions may be enhanced by populating the environment with simulated people. There are a number of important human modeling issues to address, such as situationally appropriate clothing, occupations, and behaviors. Our interest here is focused on how people interact with portable items in their environment: namely, whether they are carrying items and what those items are. With an end goal of enabling lifelike, data-driven, agent-based populace simulations, we conducted an informal but systematic ethnographic observational study of the items carried by more than 3,000 people in two different urban community environments: an indoor market and an outdoor city plaza. We recorded the number and types of items carried by each person, along with their gender, estimated age category, and whether they were alone or in a group. We performed a basic statistical analysis of the results. There were two highly significant findings: (1) a strong and similar majority of all people carry at least one item (76.63% in the indoor setting and 79.79% in the outdoor setting); and (2) the types and amounts of items carried were highly consistent across the two different environments, implying that the data may be applicable in a wide range of scenarios.


This paper presents a Bayesian significance test for a change in mean when observations are not independent. Using a noninformative prior, a unconditional test based on the highest posterior density credible set is determined. From a Gibbs sampler simulation study the effect of correlation on the performance of the Bayesian significance test derived under the assumption of no correlation is examined. This paper is a generalization of earlier studies by KIM (1991) to not independent observations.


Aim: The aims of the study are to audit the default rate of the provisional date of elective surgery in pediatric urology private practice and to study the factors involved in the postponement of elective operation dates by patients. Patients and Methods: The audit involved analysis of reasons behind patients defaulting from elective pediatric urology procedures between January 2019 and December 2019 at a tertiary private teaching hospital in South India. The details were obtained from the outpatient register kept for elective booking. The details of actual procedures performed were obtained from OT records. From the defaulters, the reasons for postponement were obtained through personal/telephonic interview. Results: A total of 289 patients were given dates for elective procedures. Among this, 72 (24.9%) defaulted, leaving 217 patients who underwent elective surgery. Among those who underwent surgery, 90 (41%) were elective day case (DC) procedures, whereas 127 (59%) were inpatient (IP) procedures. The default rate was 26/116 (22.4%) for DC procedures, whereas 46/173 (26.6%) for IP procedures, with no significant difference between them (P = 0.64). Among the 72 defaulters, the reasons for cancellation were as follows: financial factors (FFs) 22 (30.6%), lack of family support 19 (26.4%), function/grievance in house 10 (13.9%), respiratory illness 14 (19.4%), and treatment at a different center 7 (9.7%). FF (insurance denial) was significantly higher (P = 0.001) in crucial IP procedures at 19/46 (41%) compared to DC procedures at 3/26 (12%). The various diagnoses denied insurance were UPJO (7), VUR (6), hypospadias (4), UDT (3), and PUV (2). Conclusions: FFs were mainly responsible for parents postponing their children's elective pediatric urology procedures in India. Universal insurance coverage for congenital anomalies might help overcome this most important cause of cancellations.


Purpose: To assess the clinical characteristics of patients presenting with headache at binocular vision clinic.Place and Duration of Study: Al-Neelain eye hospital, Sudan, from February to October 2018.Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Material and Methods: One hundred fifty patients with history of headache were included in study. Dissociated heterophoria was measured using Maddox Wing and Maddox Rod. Associated heterophoria was assessed by the Mallett unit fixation disparity and fusional vergence was measured using a prism bar. The relationship between measures was determined using the chi-squared analysis. For all statistical determinations, significance levels were set at p < 0.05.Results: Mean age was 25 ± 3.5 years. Femalesconstituted 78% and headache was significantly associated with females (P < 0.0001). Majority of patients (82%)presented with exophoria (mean = 4.74 ± 0.75 Δ Base-In) at near fixation, 10.7% were orthophoric and7.34percentage were esophoric (mean = 3.24 ± 0.5 Δ Base-Out). The association between near heterophoria andheadache was statically significant (χ2 = 7.426; p = 0.001). Association between distance heterophoria andheadache was not statistically significant (χ2 = 22.172; p = 0.265). The association between headache andpositive fusional vergence at near fixation was statically significant (p = 0.03). Leading cause of headache wasconvergence weakness exophoria (39.3%; p = 0.001), followed by convergence insufficiency (24%; p = 0.02).Conclusion: Headache was more common in females and was associated with exophoria, convergenceinsufficiency and inadequate positive fusional vergence at near fixation


Turbulent Jet Ignition is an advanced spark initiated pre‐chamber combustion system for otherwise standard spark ignition engines. Combustion in the main chamber is initiated by jets of partially combusted (reacting) pre‐chamber products which provide a high energy ignition source. The resultant widely distributed ignition sites allow relatively small flame travel distances enabling short combustion durations and high burn rates. Demonstrated benefits include ultra lean operation (λ>2) at part load and high load knock improvement. This study compared the knock limit of conventional spark ignition and pre‐chamber jet ignition combustion with reducing fuel quality in a modern PFI engine platform. Seven PRF blends ranging from 93‐60 octane were experimentally tested in a stoichiometric normally aspirated single cylinder research engine at 1500 rev/min and ~WOT (98 kPa MAP). The majority of jet ignition experiments utilized an unfueled pre‐chamber (no pre‐chamber auxiliary fuel addition), with results highlighting significant knock limit extension with this combustion system. At MBT combustion phasing, a 10 octane number improvement was recorded with the unfueled pre‐chamber over conventional spark ignition combustion due to the burn rate enhancement. At the combustion stability limit (3% CoV IMEPg) with spark retard, the unfueled pre‐chamber jet igniter was capable of operating on 65 octane fuel, corresponding to a >15 octane number benefit due to the increased ignition delay and the ability to burn the main charge very late and very quickly. This is estimated to correspond to a base compression ratio increase of ~3 points over conventional spark ignition combustion at the 1500 rev/min test condition, in the same test engine. Additional experiments were also completed using an auxiliary fuelled pre‐chamber, with the PRF fuel fed into the pre‐chamber cavity as well as the PFI main chamber. Results highlight further burn rate enhancement when fueling the pre‐ chamber independently of the main chamber, with successful WOT engine operation utilizing 60 octane fuel. Further experiments using standard US 87 (R+M)/2 pump fuel were completed up to 5500 rev/min and 13 bar IMEPn, with similar knock limit extensions observed with the pre‐chamber jet igniter when compared to the baseline spark ignition combustion system.


This book is a brave attempt at the difficult task of covering the whole range of tropical fruits for a wide readership at diverse levels of horticultural education. As a consequence of the inherent problems of this approach, the book is a compromise between a planter's handbook and a college student's text-book. The unevenness of treatment is especially evident in the chapters on environmental influences, including soils and fertilizers, on the botany of crops in general, explaining morphology, physiology, breeding, selection and propagation, and on crop husbandry with crop protection. The greater part of the book is devoted to the more important fruits from the commercial standpoint, which is perhaps unfortunate because citrus, bananas and pineapples have each been the subject of separate books in recent years. Most of the minor fruit crops have been neglected in cultivation and experimentation and hence also in the literature. As many of them rate only a short paragraph each in a list of 36 'miscellaneous fruits', this book does little to correct the deficiency, although crops of intermediate status (e.g. mango, avocado and papaya) are adequately covered. The book gives practical advice for anyone about to embark on fruit tree planting, and it is well documented with references to relevant literature for readers requiring further information. Attention is drawn to the uncertainties of profitability in crops that, except for the three major ones cited above, are fraught with storage and marketing problems when produced in greater quantity than the local market can consume. For horticultural/agricultural advisory or training staff in tropical countries where library facilities are meagre or distant this would be a useful compendium of information and reference book.


Teachers bring a complex array of beliefs and attitudes to the teaching of literacy. The purpose of the study reported in this article was to investigate the nature of teacher attitudes towards the learning and teaching of writing in the first year of school and to identify any broad underlying attitudinal dimensions. The secondary aim was to examine the influence of experience on these attitudinal dimensions. Government school teachers (n=228), from two Australian states, were surveyed using an instrument consisting of attitude statements which related to the learning and teaching of early literacy and more specifically early writing. An exploratory factor analysis was undertaken which indicated that, although most items appeared to be unrelated, a set of eight items coalesced to form a scale referred to as Teacher Attitudes towards Language, Thinking and Scaffolding. Analyses of variance were conducted to examine the relationship between teaching experience in general as well as specific early years teaching experience with the teacher attitude measure as the dependent variable. General teaching experience was not found to be significantly related to teacher attitude but increased amounts of early years teaching experience were found to significantly relate to support for a Vygotskian approach to the learning and teaching of writing in the first year of school. The outcomes identify the potential impact of accrued early years experience on teacher attitudes towards the learning and teaching of literacy to young children. While many of the teacher attitudes appeared to be disparate, the identified dimension indicates that there may be a consistent pattern of attitudes related to a Vygotskian approach to learning and teaching early writing. A second implication may be that longer periods of early years teaching experience may foster positive attitudes towards a Vygotskian teaching approach more quickly than general teaching experience in other settings.


Plant shoot organs arise from initial cells that are recruited from meristematic tissues. Previous studies have shown that members of the WUSCHEL-related HOMEOBOX (WOX) gene family function to organize various initial cell populations during plant development. The function of the WOX4 gene is previously undescribed in any plant species. Comparative analyses of WOX4 transcription and function are presented in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), a simple-leafed plant with collateral vasculature, and in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a dissected-leafed species with bicollateral venation. WOX4 is transcribed in the developing vascular bundles of root and shoot lateral organs in both Arabidopsis and tomato. RNA interference-induced down-regulation of WOX4 in Arabidopsis generated small plants whose vascular bundles accumulated undifferentiated ground tissue and exhibited severe reductions in differentiated xylem and phloem. In situ hybridization analyses of Atwox4-RNA interference plants revealed delayed and reduced expression of both the phloem developmental marker ALTERED PHLOEM1 and HOMEOBOX GENE8, a marker of the vascular procambium. Overexpression of SlWOX4 correlated with overproliferation of xylem and phloem in transgenic tomato seedlings. The cumulative data suggest that the conserved WOX4 function is to promote differentiation and/or maintenance of the vascular procambium, the initial cells of the developing vasculature.


COVID-19 pandemic is mainly related with the pulmonary problems initially but now as the pandemic is growing it is observed that almost all organ systems of the body are affected. Up to 20-30% patients who are admitted in Covid hospitals are showing cardiovascular involvement. Severity of cardiovascular disease in a COVID-19 patient depends whether a patient is having pre-existing cardiac disease or not. Patients with pre-existing cardiac disease have more severe infection and associated mortality. Severe COVID-19 infection shows close association with myocardial damage and various arrythmias. The cardiovascular involvement occurs by either engagement directly with the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 or indirectly by the effect of inflammatory mediators which are generated as a result of viral-host response to infection. The COVID-19 disease is said to produce a wide spectrum of affliction ranging between even asymptomatic patient to Cardiovascular syndrome. Even after recovering from COVID-19 patients can reappear in the hospital with cardiomyopathies and arrythmias.


An approach to evaluating the cost-effectiveness of high-technology diagnostic equipment has been devised, using the introduction of computerised axial tomography (CAT) as a model. With the advent of CAT scanning, angiography and air encephalography have a reduced, though important, role in investigating intracranial disease, and the efficient use of conventional equipment requires the centralisation of neuroradiological services, which would result in major cash savings. In contrast, the pattern of demand for CAT scanning, in addition to the acknowledged clinical efficiency of the scanner and its unique role in the head-injured patient, ephasies the need for improved access to scanners. In the interest of the patients the pattern of service must change.


Video streaming is digital data that is shared over the internet network. Streaming video through security protection techniques creates a security that is expected to protect intellectual property rights because there is data transfer through the internet. The use of password-based and token-based authentication is a security technology widely used in exchanging data and information between the client and server. However, this method is currently not sufficient to represent a security system using a Geographic Information System. Geolocation is a system or designation of geographic location in a world on an object that is connected via the internet network. IP geolocation can be used to define a particular IP address based on the geographic location from which the device is connected to the internet. The benefit of applying this technology is that each individual or organization can identify the location of a device connected to the internet. The study will use applied research and quantitative data with the implementation of a Geographic Information System that includes the creation of a security architecture on video streaming using Geolocation and test variables that can be used as a basis for analysis to describe the results of the testers. The test results with a random access server system from 50 countries with a blacklist and whitelist grouping mapping system show a success rate of 80%. Based on the results obtained from the use of live streaming security with Geolocation, it can be implemented to improve the security system.


We report a simple and fast colorimetric method using gold nanorods (Au NRs) as sensing probes to detect Pb2+ ions in complex real samples. The method is based on Pb2+ ions increasing the leaching rate of Au NRs induced by thiosulfate (S2O32−). A positively charged bilayer of the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide on the Au NR surfaces facilitates the electrostatic adsorption of S2O32−, and the longitudinal surface plasmon resonance absorption of S2O32−/Au NRs that are produced is slightly decreased. The formation of Pb–Au alloys on the surfaces of Au NRs leads to a significant decrease in the electrode potential of gold; thus, increasing the dissolution rate of the gold, which is dependent on the Pb2+ ion concentration. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we proved that Pb–Au alloys were formed on the Au NR surfaces in the presence of Pb2+ ions and S2O32−. The reaction temperature and time, the buffer pH, and the S2O32− concentration are important parameters in determining the sensitivity and selectivity of the method for sensing Pb2+ ions. Under the optimum conditions (3.0 mM S2O32−, 51 pM Au NRs, 10 mM Tris–HCl buffer, and pH 8.0), the limit of detection for Pb2+ ions, giving a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, was 4.3 nM. We used this nanosensor system to determine Pb2+ ions in complex real samples (lake, pond, seawater, urine, and soil samples), and found that this approach offers advantages in terms of its simplicity, accuracy, and precision (the relative standard deviations of triplicate analyses of each sample were below 3%).


In the last decade, there has been great progress in the field of machine learning and deep learning. These models have been instrumental in addressing a great number of problems. However, they have struggled when it comes to dealing with high dimensional data. In recent years, representation learning models have proven to be quite efficient in addressing this problem as they are capable of capturing effective lower-dimensional representations of the data. However, most of the existing models are quite ineffective when it comes to dealing with high dimensional spatiotemporal data as they encapsulate complex spatial and temporal relationships that exist among real-world objects. High-dimensional spatiotemporal data of cities represent urban communities. By learning their social structure we can better quantitatively depict them and understand factors influencing rapid growth, expansion, and changes. In this paper, we propose a collective embedding framework that leverages the use of auto-encoders and Laplacian score to learn effective embeddings of spatiotemporal networks of urban communities. In addition, we also develop a weighted degree centrality measure for constructing spatiotemporal heterogeneous networks. To evaluate the performance of our proposed model, we implement it on real-world urban community data. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our model over state-of-the-art alternatives.


Environmental concerns and the instability associated with the use of fossils as sources of fuel and platform chemicals have prompted interest in the use of biomass as alternatives. Lignocellulosic biomass is cheap and abundant but its use is yet to be adopted widely because of the expensive processing requirements. Cellulases, enzymes required for the conversion of lignocellulosics into useful products, are very expensive because they are produced from purified commercial substrates. Researchers have thus explored the use of lignocellulosic substrates as cheaper alternatives. Efforts have so far focused mainly on the production of fungal cellulases from single feedstocks while the use of mixed feedstocks have been poorly explored, especially for bacterial cellulases. This project sought to investigate the feasibility of mixed lignocellulosic feedstocks application as a strategy for improving the production of bacterial endoglucanase, a cellulase type with wide industrial applications.
A sequential screening approach was used in selecting a bacterial strain that could efficiently utilize a mixture of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB), oil palm frond (OPF) and rice husk (RH) for endoglucanase production. Endoglucanase production ability of this strain on the single- (SS) and mixed substrates (MS), as well as on synthetic cellulosic substrates, was investigated. The possibility of reducing media supplementation cost by evaluating some agro-industrial wastes as supplements or substitutes to selected media components was explored. The effects of substrate pretreatment were also studied in order to identify an ideal pretreatment method conducive for enzyme production. The efficiency of joint/separate pretreatments and combination of the single substrates against their separate use for endoglucanase production was investigated. Response surface method (RSM) was applied in the optimization of selected fermentation process variables and substrate component proportions for maximum endoglucanase yield.
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The first documentation of cellulolytic ability in a Bacillus aerius strain was presented in this study. This strain produced significantly higher yields of the enzyme on sequentially-pretreated MS than on the SS and synthetic substrates. Leucaena leucocephala (Petai belalang) as a medium supplement, increased endoglucanase production significantly compared to the control. Pretreatment studies showed that there was no significant difference in enzyme production between the pretreated and untreated MS. Higher pretreatment severity was detrimental to endoglucanase production. Pretreating the SS jointly favoured enzyme production than separate pretreatment approach. Combination of the SS had no negative effects on endoglucanase production. EFB showed a stronger effect towards enzyme production than the other mixture components. RSM optimization revealed that medium pH of 7.45, 184.8 rpm agitation speed, and 37 °C temperature were the most suitable conditions for endoglucanase production. Mixture designs showed that MS with higher amounts of EFB favoured enzyme production.
The study demonstrated that mixed feedstock strategy could help to realize enhanced and cost-effective production of B. aerius endoglucanase, provided that carefully selected, mildly pretreated mixture components, at appropriate ratios, and at optimal fermentation conditions are used. The study also provided insights into some aspects of B. aerius cellulolytic system that were previously unreported.


This thesis is concerned with the consequences for international fiscal law, and the development of international fiscal law, of unilateral anti-tax haven legislation. For the purposes of the discussion, anti-tax haven legislation of the U.S. and the U.K. has been taken as examples of unilateral legislation directed against the use of tax havens. There are a number of differences between the statutory form of the U.S. and the U.K. legislation and these are reflected in the analysis of the two sets of measures. The thesis is divided into four parts, A-D. Chapter one of Part A commences with a discussion of the nature of international fiscal law and of the policies, principles and objectives underlying international fiscal law. It is noted that a primary objective underlying international fiscal law, determined by reference to economic criteria, can be identified. This objective, the removal of fiscal distortions to the free movement of capital and persons and goods and services, in turn dictates policies and principles underlying international fiscal law which seek to implement or deliver this primary objective. These policies and principles represent the prescriptive tools which are used in the analysis of unilateral anti-tax haven legislation throughout this thesis. After this first chapter on international fiscal law, the following two chapters deal with the concepts of international tax avoidance and tax havens respectively. Both concepts are of considerable relevance to international fiscal law, and, more importantly here, to the assumptions on which unilateral anti-tax haven (CFC) legislation is based. Parts B and C are each divided into two chapters which consider the official attitudes to international tax avoidance and tax havens and the background to, and development of, the CFC legislation of the U.S. (in Part B) and the U.K. (in Part C). Part D represents the conclusion of this thesis and contains two chapters. The first is concerned with an evaluation of unilateral anti-tax haven legislation, according to the criteria of international fiscal law. The final chapter of Part D offers conclusions on the consequences for international fiscal law of the unilateral anti-tax haven legislation discussed in the main body of this thesis. The law is stated as at 30 November 1988.


We review the current status of the exotic pentaquark baryons. After a brief look at experiments of both positive and negative results, we discuss theoretical methods to study the structure and reactions for the pentaquarks. First we introduce the quark model and the chiral soliton model, where we discuss the relation of mass spectrum and parity with some emphasis on the role of chiral symmetry. It is always useful to picture the structure of the pentaquarks in terms of quarks. As for other methods, we discuss a model independent method, and briefly mention the results from the lattice and QCD sum rule. Decay properties are then studied in some detail, which is one of the important properties of Θ+. We investigate the relation between the decay width and the quark structure having certain spin-parity quantum numbers. Through these analyses, we consider as plausible quantum numbers of Θ+, JP = 3/2. In the last part of this note, we discuss production reactions of Θ+ which provide links between the theoretical models and experimental information. We discuss photoproductions and hadron-induced reactions which are useful to explore the nature of Θ+.


The role of neighborhood influence and context is largely absent from the literature on risk and prediction. In this paper, we argue that the differential treatment of black and white suspects, defendants, and offenders may result from the social and spatial mismatch, or separation, between both groups. This mismatch, in turn, has implications for attitudes towards members of both racial groups in the criminal justice system. Black neighborhoods are locked in a cycle of disadvantage in which certain structural characteristics – concentrated disadvantage, residential instability, high crime rates, racial/ethnic heterogeneity, and implicit racial biases – reciprocally influence each other. We propose a sociocognitive model that combines cognitive mechanisms of implicit racial bias (e.g. attitudes) and structural level (e.g. concentrated disadvantage) factors. The sociocognitive approach to risk prediction stresses the impact that personal beliefs and attitudes have on criminal justice actors' decisions about whom to arrest, prosecute, and imprison and thereby provides a framework for explaining why racial discrimination persists within an atmosphere that prides itself on being neutral and yet is often anything but. Finally, we offer recommendations for reducing racial prejudice and stereotypes, and minimizing their effects on judgments involving risk.


Cellular networks in biological systems are complex and as such, identifying the molecular interactions that give rise to the complex behavior observed can require an immense amount of data. Often, statistical and machine learning techniques are used to analyze this data and extract a global picture of network dynamics. One of the challenges of network analysis in systems biology is finding the connections between genes, proteins, or both, and predicting additional ones that have not yet been detected experimentally. This problem is easily mappable to the inverse problem of statistical physics: inferring the microscopic particle-particle interactions given macroscopic observations of a system. In particular, the focus of this work is to investigate whether perturbations can be introduced into the system so as to improve the output data quality. Specifically, we explore how perturbations in the form of magnetic field can be used to improve the inference of interactions for a three-spin Ising system. Utilizing a maximum likelihood approach, we empirically show that there exists an optimal field where learning is most e cient. Such a field seems to counteract the individual interactions between spins, allowing for optimal inference.


: This article examines the current state of soil and water resources, farmland t.ch.i Azerbaijan Republic , the problem of progressive water and wind soil degradation , the need for the organization of agriculture , taking into account the introduction of automated control systems for irrigation using water saving technology and hardware equipment in it, the study of the characteristics and analysis of experience implementing measures to stabilize ecological and drainage system of agriculture in conditions of insufficient moisture areas in the country , as well as basic aspects of development of environmental reclamation approach balanced, rational use of a particular system of crop rotation and crop . taking into account the requirements of economic development and environmental management.


Mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene have been implicated in the onset of cystic fibrosis and other clinical respiratory disorders. In the present study, we investigated the role of CFTR variations, poly-T, TG-repeats, and M470V in susceptibility to bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis in a Chinese population in Jiangsu province, China. A total of 72 bronchial asthma patients, 68 chronic bronchitis patients, and 117 healthy subjects were included in this study. The Tn-TGm haplotype was sequenced and the CFTR variant M470V was detected using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). We found that the frequency of T5-TG12-V470 in chronic bronchitis patients was 0.07%, which was notably higher than that in healthy subjects (0.01%) and bronchial asthma patients (0.04%). Thus, the presence of the T5-TG12 haplotype of the CFTR gene is likely to play a role in the development and progression of respiratory conditions, such as chronic bronchitis.


For the Helmholtz equation posed in the exterior of a Dirichlet obstacle, we prove that if there exists a family of quasimodes (as is the case when the exterior of the obstacle has stable trapped rays), then there exist near-zero eigenvalues of the standard variational formulation of the exterior Dirichlet problem (recall that this formulation involves truncating the exterior domain and applying the exterior Dirichlet-to-Neumann map on the truncation boundary). Our motivation for proving this result is that a) the finite-element method for computing approximations to solutions of the Helmholtz equation is based on the standard variational formulation, and b) the location of eigenvalues, and especially near-zero ones, plays a key role in understanding how iterative solvers such as the generalised minimum residual method (GMRES) behave when used to solve linear systems, in particular those arising from the finite-element method. The result proved in this paper is thus the first step towards rigorously understanding how GMRES behaves when applied to discretisations of high-frequency Helmholtz problems under strong trapping (the subject of the companion paper [Marchand, Galkowski, Spence, Spence, 2021]).