The SiN-project data corpus delivers an empirical foundation for the study of different dimensions in the perception of variation as "divergence from common usage" (H. Paul). In addition to the "objective" linguistic data (Produktionsdaten) obtained through biographical interviews, informal chats with relations and friends (Tischgesprache) as well as tasks to explore the variational repertoire of the informants, the corpus also displays results of the elicitation of linguistic knowledge and language attitudes obtained through specific testing methods, in which the purpose was to evaluate non-standard language features as to their salience, the situational dependence and norm adequacy and to trigger metalinguistic comments. In order to give plausible qualitative and quantitative evidence about the regional diversity of perception and linguistic variation in Northern Germany I will show the interdependence between the realization of phonological features divergent from spoken standard and perceptional dispositions of the informants which indicate the sociopragmatic function of phonological and morphosyntactic variation.


A novel and simple wideband dual-frequency design of a coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed monopole antenna is proposed. The antenna comprises a planar patch element with a sided L-shaped slit to become a double inverted-L monopole and is capable of generating two separate resonant modes with good impedance matching conditions. Prototypes of the proposed antenna have been constructed and studied experimentally. The measured results show good agreement with the numerical prediction, and good dual-frequency operations with -10 dB impedance bandwidths of 7.3% and 35.1% at the resonant frequencies of 2.48 and 5.22 GHz, respectively, which cover the 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN operating bands. Also, good monopole-like radiation patterns and antenna gains over the operating bands have been obtained.


Polyphenols are secondary plant compounds showing anticarcinogenic effects both in vitro and in animal experiments and may thus reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in man. The identification of polyphenol metabolites formed via their passage through the small intestine of healthy ileostomy subjects after apple juice consumption is presented. Identification and quantification of polyphenols and their metabolites were performed using HPLC-DAD as well as HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Total procyanidin content (TPA) was measured, and additionally the mean degree of polymerization (DPm) of the procyanidins was determined in the apple juice and ileostomy effluents. As products of polyphenol metabolism, D-(-)-quinic acid and methyl esters of caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid are liberated from the corresponding hydroxycinnamic acid esters. 1-Caffeoylquinic acid and 3-caffeoylquinic acid were determined as products of isomerization. Phloretin 2'-O-glucoside (phloridzin) and phloretin 2'-O-xyloglucoside were metabolized into the corresponding aglycons phloretin and phloretin 2'-O-glucuronide and all were found in the ileostomy effluent. Ninety percent of the consumed procyanidins were recovered in the ileostomy effluent and therefore would reach the colon under physiologic circumstances. The DP m was reduced (DP m of apple juice=5.7) and varied depending on the time point of excretion. The gastrointestinal passage seems to play an important role in the colonic availability of apple polyphenols.


BACKGROUND
Proteinuria, one of the main manifestations of nephrotic syndrome, is an important risk factor for the progression of renal diseases. Podocyte foot processes (FPs) injury induces proteinuria in most renal diseases. The podocyte cytoskeleton plays important roles in maintaining the normal morphology of FPs. However, the underlying cytoskeletal component that initiates and regulates the dynamic changes of FPs is still unclear. Here, the involved podocyte cytoskeletal molecules were explored on different days in puromycin aminonucleoside nephropathy rats.

METHODS
Microarray analysis of isolated glomeruli was performed at Day 2, Day 10 and Day 15 in puromycin aminonucleoside nephropathy rats. Cytoskeletal genebank was established by sorting with the keyword 'cytoskeleton' from PUBMED genebank to identify the differential cytoskeleton genes. Microarray results were further confirmed by real-time PCR, western blot and double immunolabelling to validate their localizations.

RESULTS
Nine different cytoskeletal genes were found to be involved in the dynamic changes of FPs in puromycin aminonucleoside nephropathy rats, including six up-regulated (Tagln, Actr2, Dnm3, Arc, Vcl and Birc5) and three down-regulated (Krt2-7, Nebl and Tnnc1). The differential expression of transgelin, survivin, arp2, cytokeratin7 and vinculin was verified by real-time PCR and western blot. Double immunolabelling revealed that five cytoskeletal proteins indeed colocalized with podocyte specific markers synaptopodin or alpha-actinin-4. In addition, similar expression and distribution changes were detected in patients with proteinuric renal diseases and puromycin aminonucleoside-treated podocytes.

CONCLUSIONS
We identified five novel podocyte cytoskeletal proteins and found that they were associated with the dynamic changes of FPs in podocyte injury.


Fire extinguishing technology has become an important component for addressing battery safety issues. To accelerate the research of fire extinguishing technology for typical power batteries used in electric vehicles and electric aircraft, in this paper, an aqueous vermiculite dispersion (AVD) fire extinguishing agent is used to suppress the thermal runaway (TR) of batteries in various material systems. Two characteristic physical parameters, namely, temperature and flue gas composition, are analyzed and compared in two scenarios (with and without the fire extinguishing agent). Two typical clean fire extinguishing agents (Novec 1230 and 2-BTP) are also applied in the fire extinguishing experiment. The cooling effect of these two extinguishing agents is compared, demonstrating the advantages of the AVD extinguishing agent in terms of extinguishing and cooling.


In this paper, soft-morphing, deformation control by fabric structures and soft-jumping mechanisms using magnetic yield points are studied. The durability and adaptability of existing rigid-base jumping mechanisms are improved by a soft-morphing process that employs the residual stress of a polymer. Although rigid body-based jumping mechanisms are used, they are driven by multiple components and complex structures. Therefore, they have drawbacks in terms of shock durability and fatigue accumulation. To improve these problems, soft-jumping mechanisms are designed using soft polymer materials and soft-morphing techniques with excellent shock resistance and environmental adaptability. To this end, a soft jumping mechanism is designed to store energy using the air pressure inside the structure, and the thickness of the polymer layer is adjusted based on the method applied for controlling the polymer freedom and residual stress deformation. The soft jumping mechanism can transfer energy more efficiently and stably using an energy storage and release mechanism and the rounded ankle structure designed using soft morphing. Therefore, the soft morphing and mechanisms of energy retention and release were applied to fabricate a soft robot prototype that can move in the desired direction and jump; the performance experiment was carried out.


The shift from mechanical to digital forces architects to reposition themselves: Architects generate digital information, which can be used not only in designing and fabricating building components but also in embedding behaviours into buildings. This implies that, similar to the way that industrial design and fabrication with its concepts of standardisation and serial production influenced modernist architecture, digital design and fabrication influences contemporary architecture. While standardisation focused on processes of rationalisation of form, mass-customisation as a new paradigm that replaces mass-production, addresses non-standard, complex, and flexible designs. Furthermore, knowledge about the designed object can be encoded in digital data pertaining not just to the geometry of a design but also to its physical or other behaviours within an environment. Digitally-driven architecture implies, therefore, not only digitally-designed and fabricated architecture, it also implies architecture – built form – that can be controlled, actuated, and animated by digital means.

In this context, this sixth Footprint issue examines the influence of digital means as pragmatic and conceptual instruments for actuating architecture. The focus is not so much on computer-based systems for the development of architectural designs, but on architecture incorporating digital control, sensing, actuating, or other mechanisms that enable buildings to interact with their users and surroundings in real time in the real world through physical or sensory change and variation.


This paper argues that Hungarian underwent a word order change from SOV to Top Foc V X* prior to its documented history beginning in 1192. Proto-Hungarian SOV is reconstructed primarily on the basis of shared constructions of archaic Old Hungarian, and Khanty and Mansi, the sister languages of Hungarian. The most likely scenario of the change from head-final to head-initial was the spreading of right dislocation, and the reanalysis of right dislocated elements by new generations of speakers as arguments in situ. In Hungarian — as opposed to Khanty and Mansi — right dislocation was facilitated by the extension of differential object marking to all direct objects. The change in basic word order initiated the restructuring of other parts of Hungarian grammar as well, which is a still ongoing process. [As of June 2015, this article is available as Open Access under a CC-BY-NC 4.0 license.]


Although for thirty years researchers involved in biomedical investigation have designed international strategies for the protection of the subject of investigation, the consideration of the patient as an active subject in the pharmaceutical business in practice is minimized. One of these compromises in the patient's protection is contained in the Helsinki VI Declaration, in which the laboratory accepts to continue the supply of the medicament and/or method studied post- protocol, when this has been proved to be a benefit to the participant in the research, in practice, this is not fulfilled. Bioethics, as a pro- dialog discipline, tries to approach the involved sectors looking for languages or common points of view in order to have agreements. That is why I, in the present work, used the pharmaceutical laboratory's own arguments, commercial laws and general ethics.


In this paper, a new miniaturized frequency agile filter-antenna with a wide reconfigurable frequency band is proposed for interweave cognitive radios (CRs). A tunable bandpass filter (BPF) composed of a symmetrical ring resonator is cascaded to the feed line of an ultra-wideband planar antenna. The structure of the proposed ring resonator BPF is simple and compact so that the total size of the proposed filter-antenna is smaller than that of a conventional system made of a separate antenna and BPF. The reconfigurability of the proposed filter-antenna is achieved by changing the operating frequency of the BPF by loading the ring resonator with a single varactor diode at its center. The fabricated prototype has successfully achieved a wide operational bandwidth of 1.43 GHz which covers continuous narrow bands from 4.65 to 6.08 GHz. Moreover, the operating tunable narrow bands have stable radiation characteristics. Good agreement between measurement and simulation results is demonstrated.


Purpose
The consequences of problematic alcohol consumption fall heavily on Australian adolescents, with this population at increased risk of death, serious injury and other harm. Research regarding whether gender, socioeconomic status (SES) or locality play a role in young people's alcohol consumption and related harm is limited in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether Victorian students' patterns of alcohol uptake, consumption and related harm differed between gender, SES and locality.

Design/methodology/approach
The study involved secondary analysis of student data from the Drug Education in Victorian Schools harm minimisation drug education programme, undertaken in 21 Victorian government schools over three years The initial cohort of 1,752 students was followed during Years 8, 9 and 10, when their average age would have, respectively, been 13, 14 and 15 years.

Findings
There were no gender differences in drinking uptake, consumption or harm. Students with low SES were more likely to have consumed a full drink of alcohol and also experienced more alcohol-related harm. Students living in a regional/rural area were more likely to have engaged in high alcohol consumption.

Originality/value
The findings of this study highlighted that different student demographics have an impact on patterns of alcohol consumption, vulnerability and harm. Students with low SES, living in a regional/rural area, are more at risk than students with higher SES living in a fringe metro/major regional or metro area. Future school harm minimisation drug education programmes should consider the needs of students with demographics that make them more susceptible to higher consumption and harm.


In this study, two efficient applications for a novel modified polymer (polyethylene terephthalate [PET] modified with AgCl nanoparticles) were proposed and experimentally evaluated. First, PET-AgCl NPs were applied as an adsorbent to remove methylene blue (MB) dye, and the effect of pH, incubation time, concentration of MB, and temperature on the dye removal were studied and optimized to improve dye removal efficiency. The optimum condition included pH 9, temperature 45 ⁰C, and incubation time 24 h. The adsorption fitted the Temkin isotherm model. In the other part of the study, a composite of PET-AgCl NPs with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was used to modify the gold electrode in order to detect MB dye.  The modified electrode exhibited a linear detection range, 5 μM to 10 nM, with a detection limit of 4.6 nM. DOR: https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.26457776.2021.5.2.2.8


In the literature on international monetary policy, the paradigm is that gains from coordination are fairly small. Monetary policy is conducted to stabilize macroeconomic fluctuations and gains from policy coordination arise from preventing national monetary authorities from strategically manipulating the terms of trade by means of these stabilization policy instruments. However, as it has been emphasized by Lucas (2003), welfare gains from stabilizing fluctuations are generically small since they are of second order. In this paper, I develop a dynamic stochastic two-country model with sticky wages and a cash-in-advance restriction which is in the spirit of the New Open Economy Macroeconomics framework. In this environment, monetary authorities can manipulate the terms of trade by conducting a general short-run monetary policy using both the nominal interest rate and the money supply. The money supply affects the terms of trade by altering the nominal exchange rate ex post and it is used in the traditional way so as to stabilize macroeconomic fluctuations. The nominal interest rate affects the terms of trade by changing expected inflation ex ante. Self-oriented national policymakers use the nominal interest rates to raise the terms of trade ex ante. This leads to an inefficient inflation tax whose welfare effects are of first order. Consequently, gains from monetary policy coordination are of first order.


BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of alveolar bone loss and ethnic origin among Israeli adults.

METHODS
The study population consisted of 815 male military personnel, aged 25 to 60 years (average 38.1 +/- 7.0 yr), who arrived at a military dental clinic for routine dental examination during 2004-5. The distance between CEJ and alveolar bone crest was measure on pair of standardized posterior bitewing radiographs. Associations between the periodontal score and place of birth, the father ethnic origin and the mother ethnic origin were evaluated using the chi2-test.

RESULTS
The individual's place of birth had no influence on the radiographic alveolar bone loss. Father of Yemenite-, North-African- or Mediterranean-origin, and mother of Yemenite-, North-African- or Asian-origin have associated to the occurrence and severity of alveolar bone loss, whereas sons to father or mother from Israeli or European descent were found to have less bone loss (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Ethnic origin has an influence on the alveolar bone loss in Israeli adults. However, more research is needed on the role of the potentially confounders in the association between origin and periodontal health.


Oct. 25, 2017 Based on the competitive advantage theory and resource-based theory of the firm, this paper examines the impact of innovation capacity on innovation performance of the tourism industry. Innovation capability is defined as the firm's ability to reconfigure and develop their resources and organizational capabilities to innovate. Innovation capability is measured by four components: sensing capability (SC), combination capability (CC), networking capability (NC), and learning capability (LC). Innovation performance is achievement or success of innovation made by a firm in accordance with the target, described by the three components: internal performance (IP), commercial performance (CP), and social performance (SP). The results of Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) applied to a sample of 242 directors and CEOs of travel agents in a list of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association (HTA) and Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism show that three (SC, CC, NC) among four components (SC, CC, NC, LC) of innovation capabilities have effects on innovation performance. However, the application of fuzzy set theory in the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis indicates that learning capability does not have any impact on firms' innovation performance. A combination of learning capability and networking capability, nevertheless, creates sufficient conditions for innovation performance.


We present a variational method for unfolding of the cortex based on a user-chosen point of view as an alternative to more traditional global flattening methods, which incur more distortion around the region of interest. Our approach involves three novel contributions. The first is an energy function and its corresponding gradient flow to measure the average visibility of a region of interest of a surface from a given viewpoint. The second is an additional energy function and flow designed to preserve the 3D topology of the evolving surface. This latter contribution receives significant focus in this thesis as it is crucial to obtain the desired unfolding effect derived from the first energy functional and flow. Without it, the resulting topology changes render the unconstrained evolution uninteresting for the purpose of cortical visualization, exploration, and inspection. The third is a method that dramatically improves the computational speed of the 3D topology-preservation approach by creating a tree structure of the triangulated surface and using a recursion technique.


Based on the analysis of stress distribution in the medium of semi-infinite anisotropic thin medium plates with centralized forces, in the method of protracting and adding additional stress, the relation of relative frequency variation and adding force azimuth and strength of the plates with the diameter centralized forces can be gained. And it is compared with relative frequency variation of resonation with central electrode. Meanwhile by using finite element method to analyze stress variation in different places when the quartz plate is with the diameter centralized forces, and the frequency variation characteristic of resonator in different places is also be measured in the actual evaporated electrode way.


It has been suggested that 5-hydroxytryptamine3 (5-HT3) receptors are involved in the control of phase III contractions in the stomach. We examined the effect of depletion of endogenous 5-HT by p-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA) on spontaneously and motilin-induced phase III contractions in conscious dogs, and the effect of 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine (5,6-DHT) in an isolated perfused dog stomach. Three-day treatment with pCPA significantly reduced plasma 5-HT concentration and 5-HT content in the stomach, and strongly suppressed the spontaneous and motilin-induced phase III contractions in the stomach. When spontaneous phase III contractions recovered in the stomach after a 3-day treatment, exogenous motilin induced typical phase III-like contractions, and the 5-HT content in the muscle layer was recovered to the normal pretreatment level. In the perfused stomach, 5,6-DHT decreased 5-HT content in the muscle layer alone and abolished motilin-induced contractions. In conclusion, endogenous 5-HT, probably in 5-HT neurons, plays an important role in the control of interdigestive phase III activity by motilin in the stomach.


The onset of globalization and increased regional economic integration has presented new challenges as well as opportunities for SMEs in South-east Asia. Despite the many barriers and capacity constraints they face arising from their relatively small size, they remain a vibrant and essential ingredient for the economic growth and employment generation of the region. To survive in an increasingly competitive environment requires a new growth paradigm and business strategy for SMEs that focuses upon knowledge and skill acquisition, technology upgrading, innovation and wealth creation. These are likely to be necessary attributes for SME participation in regional and global production networks, and in particular for the high value adding parts of such networks. The former have become very important in explaining the rapid growth of trade and investment flows in East and South-east Asia, where intra-regional and intra-industry trade now predominate. In this context this report: conducts an overview of the role and significance of the SME sector in the trade and economic development of South-east Asia; provides context for this and subsequent discussion relating to the development of production/distribution networks in East Asia; briefly discusses the potential opportunities and challenges facing SMEs from participation in production networks; and highlights key areas for capacity building of SMEs in South-east Asia if they are to achieve their full potential from this participation.


The aviation sector is one of the most important sectors for any country especially its ability to promote interconnectedness within countries as well as between countries. However, the sector faces many risks caused by various emergencies and accidents associated with the sector, and much so in the precincts of airports. The impact of these accidents causes monumental social, economic and environmental consequences to victims. The exponential growth of the sector in the country calls for special attention by relevant stakeholders to devise strategies to address disaster preparedness issues. This is especially due to the fact that the country has already experienced a number of aviation disasters and mishaps related to the industry. Consequently, this study sought to assess the appropriateness and adequacy of the existing physical infrastructure in mitigating aviation risks in the airport. This study was carried out at Wilson airport located in Nairobi West. The qualitative design was applied in this study to analyze and describe the effects of land use changes on airport and flight safety in a rapidly growing aviation sector. The target population for the study comprised of 50 aviation regulators, 50 air operators, 100 service providers and communities living around the Airport. Primary data was collected by use of questionnaires, interview guide and Focused Group Discussions while Secondary data were collected from written or published records and maps from the Kenya National Bureau of statistics. Quantitative data was analysed by use of descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages while qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. The study found that 62% of the respondents indicated that Wilson Airport does not have the capacity in terms of space and facilities and that 75% of the respondents indicated Air field capacity was inadequate. The study also found that 63.2% of the respondents indicated thatAirport Visual Aids (such as pavement markings) were inadequate, 57.9% of the respondents indicated Airport Lighting was inadequate, 40.4% of the respondents indicated that runway orientation, length, width, and pavement strength were inadequate and 30 (56%) indicated that taxi ways were inadequate. The results for correlation analysis showed that there is a positive correlation between the disaster preparedness and appropriateness and adequacy of the existing infrastructure with a Pearson"s Correlation Coefficient of r = 0.769 and a level of significance of 0.000 meaning that is it statistically significant.


This report covers case histories of failures in fixed-wing light airplane and helicopter components. In a 2025-T6 or 2219 aluminum alloy propeller blade that failed near the tip, cracks started on the leading edge at surface damage in the critical area-the zone between 4 and 10 in. from the tip of the blade. Incorrect dressing and inadequate pre-flight inspection were the two main causes. Two other types of propeller blade fatigue failures resulted mainly from propeller straightening operations, usually performed after previous blade bending damage. To eliminate blade tip failures, all surface-damaged material should be removed and polished smooth before further flight. The blade should be correctly dressed. Also, the tachometer should be calibrated to ensure the engine/propeller combination is not operated in the critical speed range at normal cruising speeds.


This paper provides an overview of major demographic and food trends in Poland and the rapid changes in Polish food retailing. The demographic changes include the size of the population; birth, death, marriage and divorce rates; the age distribution, education and household types. Two important demographic factors that will affect food consumption are the aging population and the major gap in education between urban and rural areas. In the next 20 years, the number of children will decrease radically, whereas the number of people over 64 years of age will rise significantly. Education levels are much lower in rural than in urban areas. The average household budget share for food was 44.6% in 1988. It reached 55.3% in 1990 at the beginning of the transition to a market economy and fell to 37.8% in 1996. Under central planning, consumers had to adjust to what was made available. There was a limited assortment of goods and many people relied on home-produced food. Since 1989 and the transition to a market economy, food consumption patterns have undergone some substantial changes. Butter consumption has fallen sharply, while plant fat consumption has increased with the introduction of high quality margarine. The change from central planning to a market economy has had a major impact on food retailing. U.S. fast food companies, such as McDonald's, have opened numerous outlets in Poland during the 1990s. Fast food is very popular, especially among young Poles. Under central planning, three government-owned chains dominated grocery retailing in Poland. The food marketing system was producer, not consumer driven. When the right to own private businesses was restored, many new food retailing stores were opened. In 1996, final sales by food retailing stores in Poland were about $100 billion. A large portion of the sales is by small shops. However, foreign-owned grocery retailers have been expanding in Poland and had sales of $5 billion in 1997. The foreign-owned chains open larger stores, supermarkets and even hypermarkets. Many of the major Western European food retailers are now operating in Poland, such as Ahold, a big Dutch company, and Tengelman, a large German company.


Recent decades have seen an expansion in the role and size of the UK social housing sector. This sector is challenged to use its new housing development, regeneration and improvement programmes to deliver social benefit within an environment affected by government policies on funding and in the organisational context of particular geographical and commercial pressures. Such challenges draw focus to the under- researched field of asset management. Traditionally, this field has been dominated by the: financial measures of success rather than the wider benefits to the community. However, this study proposes a new approach that is grounded in, the theory of sustainability, within which investments are appraised not only on their financial merits but also on their interplay with the human environment within which they are located through the assessment of social and local economic benefits. Initially implementing a qualitative methodology, the research explores the existing attempts to integrate the appraisal of sustainable benefits within the decision making process. The results suggest that, to date, no apparent tool exists to facilitate this process. A further quantitative survey of UK social housing professionals was undertaken to confirm the initial observations. The results show that, despite the fact that social housing practitioners understand the importance of considering sustainability, they are not yet in a position routinely to appraise the benefits associated with potential schemes, confirming the need for the development of a sustainable benefit evaluation framework. Adopting a case study approach, this study identifies the essential features of sustainability which will ensure that such undertakings generate community benefits. These features are subsequently used to develop and validate a framework for sustainable benefit evaluation within the social housing sector, linking financial appraisal with the evaluation of sustainability. This framework provides a decision aid or tool for practitioners to employ during the early stages of appraising potential social housing investment schemes.


Background The ability of pneumoperitoneum in laparoscopic surgery to promote proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer has become a focus of research in the field of minimally invasive surgery. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of CO2 pneumoperitoneum under different pressures and exposed times on the expression of chemokine receptors in colorectal carcinoma cells. Methods We constructed an in vitro pneumoperitoneum model. SW480 colon carcinoma cells were exposed to CO2 pneumoperitoneum under different pressures (6, 9, 12, and 15 mmHg) for 1, 2, and 4 hours. These cells were then cultivated under the same conditions as normal SW480 colon carcinoma cells without CO2 pneumoperitoneum (control group), treated at 37°C, and 5% CO2. The expression of the chemokine receptors CXC receptor 4 (CXCR4) and chemokine C receptor 7 (CCR7) was detected by immunocytochemistry and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction after being cultivated for 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours. Results Immunocytochemistry showed that CXCR4 expression in SW480 cells was significantly decreased in the 6, 9, 12, and 15 mmHg CO2 pneumoperitoneum‐treated groups for the same exposure times compared with controls (P <0.05). CCR7 expression in SW480 cells was significantly decreased in the 12 and 15 mmHg CO2 pneumoperitoneum‐treated groups compared with controls (P <0.05). CXCR4 and CCR7 expression increased up to the level of the control group after 24 and 48 hours (P >0.05). If the CO2 pneumoperitoneum pressure increased, CXCR4 and CCR7 expression decreased at all exposure times. If the CO2 pneumoperitoneum exposure time prolonged, there were no significant differences in CXCR4 and CCR7 expression under the same pressure. Under all exposure times, CXCR4 and CCR7 mRNA expression was significantly decreased in the 6, 9, 12, and 15 mmHg CO2 pneumoperitoneum‐treated groups (P <0.05) compared with controls, and it increased up to the level of controls after being cultivated for 48 hours (P >0.05). If the CO2 pneumoperitoneum pressure increased (with all exposure times) and exposure time prolonged (under the same pressure), there were no significant differences in CXCR4 and CCR7 expression. Conclusions CXCR4 and CCR7 expression is temporarily affected after continuous CO2 pneumoperitoneum treatment. The high pressure of CO2 pneumoperitoneum plays an important role in suppressing the expression of these chemokine receptors. Different lengths of time of exposure to a CO2 pneumoperitoneum‐like environment do not change CXCR4 and CCR7 expression.


Y(OH)3:Eu(3+) nanotubes were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method first, and then Au particles were grown on the surface of Y2O3:Eu(3+) nanotubes by combining the vacuum extraction method and the annealing process. The composite nanotubes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effects of the Au content on the photoluminescence properties of the Au/Y2O3:Eu(3+) composite nanotubes were investigated in detail. In the excitation spectra of Au/Y2O3:Eu(3+) monitored at 614 nm, the (7)F0→(5)H3 transition from Eu(3+) increased with increasing Au content, while the other sharp lines originating from Eu(3+) f-f electron transitions almost vanished. In the emission spectra, the spectral configurations of Eu(3+) in Au/Y2O3:Eu(3+) composite nanotubes varied with the excitation wavelengths. When the excitation wavelength was 256 nm, the (5)D4→(7)F0, (5)D7→(7)F0, (5)G2→(7)F0, (5)L6→(7)F0, (5)D0→(7)F0, (5)D0→(7)F1, (5)D0→(7)F2, (5)D0→(7)F3, and (5)D0→(7)F4 transitions from Eu(3+) ions in Au/Y2O3:Eu(3+) were observed. When the excitation wavelength was 378 nm, the plasmon resonance peak from Au nanoparticles was observed. In addition, 4-ATP was chosen as the model molecule to examine the performance of the Au/Y2O3:Eu(3+) composite nanotubes as SERS substrates. The relative intensities of the SERS spectra enhanced with the increase of Au(+) : Ln(3+) ratio.


Deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the deoxyribonucleoside salvage pathway and a critical determinant of therapeutic activity for several nucleoside analog prodrugs. We have previously reported the development of 1-(2′-deoxy-2′-18F-fluoro-β-d-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine (18F-FAC), a new probe for PET of dCK activity in immune disorders and certain cancers. The objective of the current study was to develop PET probes with improved metabolic stability and specificity for dCK. Toward this goal, several candidate PET probes were synthesized and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Methods: High-pressure liquid chromatography was used to analyze the metabolic stability of 18F-FAC and several newly synthesized analogs with the natural d-enantiomeric sugar configuration or the corresponding unnatural l-configuration. In vitro kinase and uptake assays were used to determine the affinity of the 18F-FAC l-nucleoside analogs for dCK. The biodistribution of selected l-analogs in mice was determined by small-animal PET/CT. Results: Candidate PET probes were selected using the following criteria: low susceptibility to deamination, high affinity for purified recombinant dCK, high uptake in dCK-expressing cell lines, and biodistribution in mice reflective of the tissue-expression pattern of dCK. Among the 10 newly developed candidate probes, 1-(2′-deoxy-2′-18F-fluoro-β-l-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine (l-18F-FAC) and 1-(2′-deoxy-2′-18F-fluoro-β-l-arabinofuranosyl)-5-methylcytosine (l-18F-FMAC) most closely matched the selection criteria. The selection of l-18F-FAC and l-18F-FMAC was validated by showing that these two PET probes could be used to image animal models of leukemia and autoimmunity. Conclusion: Promising in vitro and in vivo data warrant biodistribution and dosimetry studies of l-18F-FAC and l-18F-FMAC in humans.


Unsupervised Domain Adaptation (UDA) of semantic segmentation transfers labeled source knowledge to an un-labeled target domain by relying on accessing both the source and target data. However, the access to source data is often restricted or infeasible in real-world scenar-ios. Under the source data restrictive circumstances, UDA is less practical. To address this, recent works have ex-plored solutions under the Source-Free Domain Adaptation (SFDA) setup, which aims to adapt a source-trained model to the target domain without accessing source data. Still, existing SFDA approaches use only image-level information for adaptation, making them sub-optimal in video applications. This paper studies SFDA for Video Semantic Segmentation (VSS), where temporal information is lever-aged to address video adaptation. Specifically, we propose Spatio-Temporal Pixel-Level (STPL) contrastive learning, a novel method that takes full advantage of spatio-temporal information to tackle the absence of source data better. STPL explicitly learns semantic correlations among pixels in the spatio-temporal space, providing strong self-supervision for adaptation to the unlabeled target domain. Extensive experiments show that STPL achieves state-of-the-art performance on VSS benchmarks compared to current UDA and SFDA approaches. Code is available at: https://github.com/shaoyuanlo/STPL


Ecosystem responses to key climate drivers are reflected in phenological dynamics such as the timing and degree of "green-up" that integrate responses over spatial scales from individual plants to ecosystems. This integration is clearest in ecosystems dominated by a single species or life form, such as seasonally dynamic grasslands or more temporally constant evergreen forests. Yet many ecosystems have substantial contribution of cover from both herbaceous and woody evergreen plants. Responses of mixed woody-herbaceous ecosystems to climate are of increasing concern due to their extensive nature, the potential for such systems to yield more complex responses than those dominated by a single life form, and projections that extreme climate and weather events will increase in frequency and intensity with global warming. We present responses of a mixed woody-herbaceous ecosystem type to an extreme event: regional-scale piñon pine mortality following an extended drought and the subsequent herbaceous green-up following the first wet period after the drought. This example highlights how reductions in greenness of the slower, more stable evergreen woody component can rapidly be offset by increases associated with resources made available to the relatively more responsive herbaceous component. We hypothesize that such two-phase phenological responses to extreme events are characteristic of many mixed woody-herbaceous ecosystems.


Background & Objective: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a condition that is associated with an increase in inflammatory markers and studies show that resistance exercise with appropriate intensity can reduce inflammation generally. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of serum glucose with Interlekin18 (IL-18) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) in Diabetic rats with progressive resistance exercise.
Materials & Methods: In this experimental study, 32 Wistar male rats were distributed to sedentary control, trained control, sedentary diabetic, and trained diabetic groups of 8. Diabetes was induced by Streptozotocin (55 mcg/bw-i.v.). The resistance training protocol consisted of elevating upward from a ladder with weight, supporting an overload equivalent to 5% of body weight, during 6 weeks. The data obtained were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's posthoc multiple comparison tests, and a significance level of 5% was considered.
Results: According to results, serum concentrations of TNF-α and IL-18 decreased significantly in trained diabetic group compared to sedentary diabetic group after resistance training. While in the amount of TNF-α in the trained control group compared to the sedentary control group, a significant increase was observed, and in the amount of IL-18 in trained control group compared to the sedentary control group, a significant decrease was observed. But regarding the correlation between serum IL-18 concentration and glucose, only in sedentary control group, a significant correlation was observed.
Conclusions: Resistance training was able to reduce TNF-α and IL-18 inflammatory markers in trained diabetic rats and improve metabolic and immune aspects in diabetes mellitus.


Magnesium ions play important roles in the structure and function of nucleic acids. Whereas the tertiary folding of RNA often requires magnesium ions binding to tight places where phosphates are clustered, the molecular basis of the interactions of magnesium ions with RNA helical regions is less well understood. We have refined the crystal structures of four decamer oligonucleotides, d(ACCGGCCGGT), r(GCG)d(TATACGC), r(GC)d(GTATACGC) and r(G)d(GCGTATACGC) with bound hexahydrated magnesium ions at high resolution. The structures reveal that A-form nucleic acid has characteristic [Mg(H(2)O)(6)](2+)binding modes. One mode has the ion binding in the deep major groove of a GpN step at the O6/N7 sites of guanine bases via hydrogen bonds. Our crystallographic observations are consistent with the recent NMR observations that in solution [Co(NH(3))(6)](3+), a model ion of [Mg(H(2)O)(6)](2+), binds in an identical manner. The other mode involves the binding of the ion to phosphates, bridging across the outer mouth of the narrow major groove. These [Mg(H(2)O)(6)](2+)ions are found at the most negative electrostatic potential regions of A-form duplexes. We propose that these two binding modes are important in the global charge neutralization, and therefore stability, of A-form duplexes.


This report describes a helicity-selective photoreaction of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with disulfide in the presence of oxygen. The SWNTs were characterized using absorption, photoluminescence (PL), Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and current-voltage (I-V) measurements. Results showed remarkable helicity-selective (metallic SWNTs/semiconducting SWNTs and diameter) functionalization of SWNTs. The reaction rate decreases in the order of metallic SWNTs > semiconducting SWNTs and small-diameter SWNTs > large-diameter SWNTs. Control experiments conducted under various experimental conditions and ESR and femtosecond laser flash photolysis measurements revealed that the helicity-selective reaction proceeds via a photoinduced electron transfer reaction. The PL and I-V measurements showed that the photoreaction is effective not only to control SWNT conductivity but also for the band gap modulation of semiconducting SWNTs.


A previously fit and well 43-year-old male triathlete presented with severe central abdominal pain persisting for several hours. Three similar episodes in the past 18 months had spontaneously resolved. Prior investigations with abdominal ultrasound, upper and lower GI endoscopies had been unremarkable. On this presentation, the patient also had worsening malaise and fever at 40°C. He was fluid resuscitated and commenced on broad-spectrum antibiotics (intravenous piperacillin–tazobactam 4.5 g and 350 mg gentamicin).

Initial biochemistry revealed absolute eosinophil count 0.56×109/L, asparate aminotransferase serum 72 IU/L and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 78 IU/L. The alkaline phosphatase 65 IU/L, bilirubin 10 μmol/L, white cell count 7.93×109/L and C-reactive protein 5 mg/L were all normal. CT abdomen (figure 1A) did not reveal gallstones nor any small bowel pathology. As the …


Abstract Human beings tend to forget, especially when they suffer; they hope to overcome the pain of trauma to live a peaceful and happy life. The futurist attitude that can be articulated as 'Move towards the future and let bygones be bygones' may be related to injustice and social crisis. The aim of this paper is to explore the ethics of memory and forgetting regarding the place. This paper addresses three observations about memory and forgetting in current Taiwan and unearths the hidden connection with an 'unsolved' traumatic event in history. As the author examines, the unsolvedness is profoundly impacting people's liability to forget and thereby causes the societal crisis, and the 'Ghost Island' is tabbed. Based on the above, the author claims the significance of the education of just memory and the implying ethics of memory – which is the very key to bring the wounded to peace, restoration, and forgiveness and to expel and pacify the spectre of the island.


The shift to alternative delivery modalities due to the challenging time in education is sought as the primary solution to continue learning beyond the walls of the classrooms, with the teachers not physically seeing their students. This served as the purpose of the study, which was to determine the emerging educational professionalism and teachers' competence in times of pandemic. The respondents were 357 secondary school teachers from Tiaong Districts, Division of Quezon. Employing the descriptive correlation type of research, online and offline survey questionnaires served as the primary data sources. The results were analyzed using ANOVA, Pearson Product Moment of Correlation and Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression. The salient findings of the study revealed that when grouped according to schools, emerging educational professionalism as to teachers' commitment to students' learning and teachers' competence as to interpersonal, subject matter, and didactic and reflection and development showed significant differences. Each emerging educational professionalism predicts teachers' competence in the management of distance learning in terms of professional development and staffing and teachers' commitment to teaching, school, community, and profession


ABSTRACT This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effects of leaf-plant extracts typically used for tea beverages on the level of exercise-induced muscle damage. The meta-analysis was conducted by comparing measures between the leaf-extract supplements (SUPP) and placebo (PLA) conditions at 24 h and 48 h following the muscle-damaging protocols from 19 studies with 416 participants. The results showed that the SUPP condition exhibited significantly lower indirect muscle damage markers than the PLA condition at 24- and 48-h post-exercise (p < 0.05). Furthermore, oxidative stress markers were significantly lower for the SUPP condition than the PLA condition at 24-h post-exercise (p < 0.05), although not at 48-h post-exercise (p > 0.05). In addition, no differences were found for anti-oxidant status at 24- and 48-h post-exercise (p > 0.05) between conditions. Muscle performance measures significantly increased for the SUPP condition than the PLA condition at 24-h post-exercise (p < 0.05), but not at 48-h post-exercise (p > 0.05). These results demonstrate that leaf plant extracts reduces the level of various biomarkers indicative of exercise-induced stress, although its effect on anti-oxidant status remains equivocal. Nonetheless, leaf-plant extracts typically ingested as a tea beverage may be an effective recovery strategy following strenuous exercises.


We formulate a theory of skyrmion and antiskyrmion generation using magnetic field and charge current pulses. We show that the topological defect can be created at an edge of a system with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) as well as at a boundary between regions with different DMI. We consider both perpendicular and in-plane (also known as magnetic bimerons) versions of skyrmions and antiskyrmions. We show that the magnetization twist in the vicinity of an edge or a boundary is described by a kink solution, the presence of which can instigate the generation of topological defects. We study the collective excitations of magnetization analytically and numerically, and demonstrate that under application of magnetic field and charge current pulses the magnon modes localised near boundaries can develop instabilities leading to the formation of skyrmions or antiskyrmions. Due to the skyrmion and antiskyrmion Hall effects, a properly chosen current direction can push the topological defects away from the boundary, thus facilitating their generation.


Foreign investment is typically considered an important source of growth for developing countries. This article describes the legal protection granted to foreign investors and its enforcement mechanisms. Governments have signed international investment agreements intended to protect foreign investors from the risk of expropriation and have increasingly chosen to issue sovereign debt in international financial centers, which expose defaulting governments to litigations in foreign national courts. In most cases, governments have complied with unfavorable rulings of international arbitration courts, and many recent sovereign default episodes were followed by relatively friendly debt restructuring agreements. But there have been cases in which expropriated investors or holders of sovereign debt in default have not been compensated, which suggests that the actual legal protection granted to foreign investors is limited.


BACKGROUND
Harmonic power Doppler imaging (HPDI) is a novel technique for assessing myocardial perfusion by contrast echocardiography in humans. The purpose of this study was to compare myocardial perfusion by HPDI with that obtained by (99m)Tc-sestamibi single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) during rest and pharmacological stress.

METHODS AND RESULTS
HPDI was performed on 123 patients who were referred for SPECT imaging for known or suspected coronary artery disease. Images were obtained at baseline and during adenosine infusion (0.14 mg. kg(-)(1). min(-)(1)x6 minutes) in 3 apical views. Myocardial perfusion by HPDI was graded for each coronary territory as absent, patchy, or full. The persistence of absent or patchy myocardial perfusion by HPDI between rest and adenosine was interpreted as a fixed defect, whereas any decrease in perfusion grade was interpreted as a reversible defect. Overall concordance between HPDI and SPECT was 83 (81%) of 103 for normal versus abnormal perfusion. Agreement between the 2 methods for each of the 3 coronary territories was 81% (kappa=0.57) for the left anterior descending artery, 76% (kappa=0.52) for the right coronary artery, and 72% (kappa=0.40) for the left circumflex artery. Discrepancies between the 2 techniques were most notable in the circumflex territory, where fixed defects were observed in 33% by HPDI but in only 14% by SPECT (chi(2)=15.8, P=0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that HPDI can reliably detect myocardial perfusion during pharmacological stress, although there was a significantly higher number of falsely abnormal results in the circumflex territory.


The new developments in mobile edge computing (MEC) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications has positioned 5G and beyond in a strong position to answer the market need towards future emerging intelligent transportation systems and smart city applications. The major attractive features of V2X communication is the inherent ability to adapt to any type of network, device, or data, and to ensure robustness, resilience and reliability of the network, which is challenging to realize. In this work, we propose to drive further these features by proposing a novel robust, resilient and reliable architecture for V2X communication based on harnessing MEC and blockchain technology. A three stage computing service is proposed. Firstly, a hierarchcial computing architecture is deployed spanning over the vehicular network that constitutes cloud computing (CC), edge computing (EC), fog computing (FC) nodes. The resources and data bases can migrate from the high capacity cloud services (furthest away from the individual node of the network) to the edge (medium) and low level fog node, according to computing service requirements. Secondly, the resource allocation filters the data according to its significance, and rank the nodes according to their usability, and selects the network technology according to their physical channel characteristics. Thirdly, we propose a blockchain-based transaction service that ensures reliability. We discussed two use cases for experimental analysis, plug-in electric vehicles in smart grid scenarios, and massive IoT data services for autonomous cars. The results show that car connectivity prediction is accurate 98% of the times, where 92% more data blocks are added using micro-blockchain solution compared to the public blockchain, where it is able to reduce the time to sign and compute the proof-of-work (PoW), and deliver a low-overhead Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. This approach can be considered a strong candidate architecture for future V2X, and with more general application for everything-to-everything (X2X) communications.


WLR1, a biotype of Lolium rigidum Gaud. that had been treated with the sulfonylurea herbicide chlorsulfuron in 7 consecutive years, was found to be resistant to both the wheat-selective and the nonselective sulfonylurea and imidazolinone herbicides. Biotype SLR31, which became cross-resistant to chlorsulfuron following treatment with the aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicide diclofop-methyl, was resistant to the wheat-selective, but not the nonselective, sulfonylurea and imidazolinone herbicides. The concentrations of herbicide required to reduce in vitro acetolactate synthase (ALs) activity 50% with respect to control assays minus herbicide for biotype WLR1 was greater than those for susceptible biotype VLR1 by a factor of >30, >30, 7,4, and 2 for the herbicides chlorsulfuron, sulfometuron-methyl, imazapyr, imazathapyr, and imazamethabenz, respectively. ALS activity from biotype SLR31 responded in a similar manner to that of the susceptible biotype VLR1. The resistant biotypes metabolized chlorsulfuron more rapidly than the susceptible biotype. Metabolism of 50% of [phenyl-U-(14)C]chlorsulfuron in the culms of two-leaf seedlings required 3.7 h in biotype SLR31, 5.1 h in biotype WLR1, and 7.1 h in biotype VLR1. In all biotypes the metabolism of chlorsulfuron in the culms was more rapid than that in the leaf lamina. Resistance to ALS inhibitors in L. rigidum may involve at least two mechanisms, increased metabolism of the herbicide and/or a herbicide-insensitive ALS.


In order to ensure the safety of shore-based hydrogen bunkering operations, this paper takes a 2000-ton bulk hydrogen powered ship as an example. Firstly, the HAZID method is used to identify the hazards of hydrogen bunkering, then the probability of each scenario is analyzed, and then the consequences of scenarios with high risk based on FLACS software is simulated. Finally, the personal risk of bunkering operation is evaluated and the bunkering restriction area is defined. The results show that the personal risk of shore-based bunkering operation of hydrogen powered ship is acceptable, but the following risk control measures should be taken: (1) The bunkering restriction area shall be delineated, and only the necessary operators are allowed to enter the area and control the any form of potential ignition source; (2) The hose is the high risk hazards during bunkering. The design form of bunkering arm and bunkering hose is considered to shorten the length of the hose as far as possible; (3) A safe distance between shore-based hydrogenation station and the building outside the station should be guaranteed. The results have a guiding role in effectively reducing the risk of hydrogen bunkering operation.


In this study, some mechanical properties of borided and unborided four steels were investigated. Boronizing of steels was performed by powder pack method at 1210 K for 4 h. The hardness of borides, boride layer thickness and room temperature tensile properties were measured and it was observed that hardness and tensile properties strongly depend on chemical composition of steels. In addition, the effect of a notch on impact behavior was examined by conducting the Charpy tests on borided and unborided steels. The greatest notch toughness was found for a steel AISI 316 with a microstructure consisting of different C, Ni and Cr chemical composition compared to AISI 1040, 1045 and 4140 steels.


In this paper, I attempt to assess the viability of a third‐party presidential candidate in the current American two‐party system. I first discuss the challenges facing third parties in the United States and the reasons for the American two‐party system. I then investigate successful third party campaigns in order to determine how these challenges can be overcome. I then use these examples to generate solutions to third‐party obstacles, and incorporate those solutions into hypothetical campaign materials for a fictional third party candidate. I then collect and analyze the results of a survey of American voters in order to assess whether and how a third‐ party campaign might succeed in the current American political environment. Finally, I present a series of actionable suggestions for overcoming obstacles to third party success.


It has been shown that for the case of Gaussian reverberation, the likelihood ratio detector can be made robust with respect to inexact knowledge of the acoustic scattering medium by incorporating a probabilistic description of environmental uncertainty and a model for the wave‐number spectrum of the bottom‐interacting acoustic field [Premus et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (submitted)]. In this work a generalized form of the optimum detector is presented which requires full‐field (amplitude and phase) modeling capability for the scattered field and relies on Monte Carlo integration to treat environmental uncertainty. The performance of the generalized detector formulation is compared to that of the original detector formulation, which is a special case based on explicit modeling of the reverberation second‐order statistics that is exact for the case of Gaussian reverberation. Tradeoffs involving the prior knowledge, modeling assumptions and computational requirements are discussed. [Work supported by ONR, Oce...


4H-SiC Junction Barrier Diodes (JBS) diodes were designed, fabricated and tested. The JBS diodes based on a 45μm thick, 1.4×1015cm-3 doped drift layer with multiple non-uniform spacing guard ring edge termination showed a blocking voltage of over 5kV. The 5kV JBS diode has a forward current density of 108A/cm2 at 3.5V and a specific on resistance (RSP_ON) of 25.2mW·cm2, which is very close to the theoretical RSP_ON of 23.3mΩ·cm2. DC I-V measurement of packaged JBS diodes showed a forward current of 100A at a voltage drop of 4.3V. A half-bridge inverter with a bus voltage up to 2.5kV was used to characterize the high power switching performance of SiC JBS diodes. A large inductance load of 1mH was used to simulate the load of a high power AC induction motor. Compared to a Si PIN diode module, the SiC JBS package reduces diode turn-off energy loss by 30% and Si IGBT turn-on energy loss by 21% at room temperature.


This article presents the results of new field and aerial photo surveys of the Atalanti fault and of the mesoseismal area of the 20 and 27 April 1894 earth- quakes. Coupled with a reanalysis of contemporary reports and previous investiga- tions, these are used to gain a better understanding of the faults responsible for these events and their seismic behavior. The first shock was smaller and probably located inshore or offshore the Malessina peninsula. No resolving field evidence has been found to locate the seismogenic structure responsible for this shock. On the basis of the limited information available, we suggest the Malessina escarpment, a 12-km- long, ENE-trending, NW-dipping fault as a possible structure responsible for this event. On the other hand, the second and largest shock is definitely related to the Atalanti fault sensu stricto, a main WNW-trending, N-dipping active fault extending between the Platirema valley (a few km NW of the town of Atalanti) and Larymna. The total length of the rupture recognized in the field is about 32 km, but it can be extended further SE up to 40 km. No evidence for a longer rupture extending some other 20 km to the NW, between the Karagiozis river and Ag. Kostantinos, is found. The complex geometry of the fault with bends and step overs appears to be controlled by preexisting transverse structures. Minimum coseismic vertical throws, measured in the field after more than a century elapsed from the earthquake, are 30-80 cm, thus consistent with contemporary reports indicating 1-m average. Slip rates are not well constrained. The available estimates fall in the range 0.1-0.5 mm/yr confirming the smaller amount of crustal extension taking place in this area with respect to other nearby regions such as the Corinth gulf. No new data are available to define the average recurrence interval typical of the Atalanti fault. However, a reconsideration of the existing information induced us to rule out the possibility that the famous 426 B.C. earthquake occurred on the Atalanti fault. On the basis of the extent and size of the rupture recognized in the field, a M 6.8 is estimated for the second and largest shock.


The new elitist multi-objective genetic algorithm PPNRGA have been used for solving engineering design problems with multiple objectives. Although there exists a number of classical techniques, evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have an edge over the classical methods where they can find multiple Pareto optimal solutions in one single simulation run. The new proposed algorithm is a parameterless penalty non-dominated ranking GA (PP-NRGA), uses a fast non-dominated sorting procedure, an elitist-preserving approach, a two tier ranked based roulette wheel selection operator, and it does not require fixing any niching parameter. PP-NRGA tested on two engineering design problems borrowed from the literature, where the PP-NRGA can find a much wider spread of solutions than NSGA-II other evolutionary algorithm. The results are encouraging and suggests immediate application of the proposed method to other more complex engineering design problems.


and H 2 O do not occur. The BPTI radical anion on a fluorine-doped tin oxide j TiO 2 electrode is persistent up to tens of seconds ( t 1/2 = 39 s) in air-saturated buffer solution. As a result of favorable packing, theoretical electron mobilities (10 ¢ 2 ~ 10 ¢ 1 cm 2 V ¢ 1 s ¢ 1 ) are high and similar to the experimental values observed for perylene diimide and C 60 derivatives. Our studies show the potential of the cyanophenyl-modified BPTI compounds as electron acceptors in devices for artificial photosynthesis in water splitting that are also very promising nonfullerene electron-transport materials for organic solar cells. BPTICNP-2 aqueous FTO j TiO BPTICNP-2 KPi reaction radical washed with methanol, acetone and chloroform. BPTICNP-3 was isolated as a yellow powder (460 mg, 55% yield calculated from initial material PDI-4). 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR could not be recorded because of its extremely poor solubility. FD-MS (10 kV): m / z : calcd for 696.2009: C 43 H 28 N 4 O 6 ; found 696.2046.


We describe a scheme of quantum computation with magic states on qubits for which contextuality is a necessary resource possessed by the magic states. More generally, we establish contextuality as a necessary resource for all schemes of quantum computation with magic states on qubits that satisfy three simple postulates. Furthermore, we identify stringent consistency conditions on such computational schemes, revealing the general structure by which negativity of Wigner functions, hardness of classical simulation of the computation, and contextuality are connected.


With Facebook being the largest social network site (SNS), can government use Facebook (FB) to increase citizen participation in delivering and promoting their services? This paper presents the case of government use of social media for tourism to provide a general understanding online government and user participation in the Tourism government FB page. This is a case study research into the government FB page of Tourism Australia. FB page wall posts and comments are analysed quantitatively using content analysis to determine what type of online participation is visible in these sites and what the agencies are trying to achieve. Further, the paper employed a spectrum of online engagement matrix to identify the type of engagement being attained by the page. Findings show that the page has successfully served as a platform for its audience to share their Australian experience and it is being used for the purpose of announcing, informing and involving type of online engagement. This is an example of a crowdsourcing endeavour where tourism experiences and stories and pictures are being sourced from public. The research contributes to gaining a better understanding of government FB phenomenon, in particular for Australian context.


Signing avatars have the potential to become a useful and even cost-effective method to make written content more accessible for Deaf people. However, avatar research is characterized by the fact that most researchers are not members of the Deaf community, and that Deaf people as potential users have little or no knowledge about avatars. Therefore, we suggest two well-known methods, focus groups and online studies, as a two-way information exchange between research and the Deaf community. Our aim was to assess signing avatar acceptability, shortcomings of current avatars and potential use cases. We conducted two focus group interviews (N=8) and, to quantify important issues, created an accessible online user study(N=317). This paper deals with both the methodology used and the elicited opinions and criticism. While we found a positive baseline response to the idea of signing avatars, we also show that there is a statistically significant increase in positive opinion caused by participating in the studies. We argue that inclusion of Deaf people on many levels will foster acceptance as well as provide important feedback regarding key aspects of avatar technology that need to be improved.


We report an experimental and theoretical investigation of conjugation of 1,6-Hexaneditihiol (HDT) on MoS2 which is prepared by mixing MoS2 structure and HDT molecules in proper solvent. Raman spectra and the calculated phonon bands reveal that the HDT molecules bind covalently to MoS2. Surface morphology of MoS2/HDT structure is changed upon conjugation of HDT on MoS2 and characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Density Functional Theory (DFT) based calculations show that HOMO-LUMO band gap of HDT is altered after the conjugation and two-S binding (handle-like) configuration is energetically most favorable among three different structures. This study displays that the facile thiol functionalization process of MoS2 is promising strategy for obtaining solution processable MoS2.


The Standard Model is extended minimally with a new flavor-violating family symmetry ${\rm U(1)}_\lambda$, which acts only on leptons including the right-handed neutrinos. The model is anomaly free with family-dependent ${\rm U(1)}_\lambda$ charges, and consistent with the observed neutrino mixing angles. It predicts charged lepton flavor-violating processes mediated by a new gauge boson. Under certain conditions, the smallness of $\theta_{13}$ of neutrino mixing can be justified in terms of the muon-to-tau mass ratio, at the same time explaining the electron-to-tau large mass hierarchy.


A paper by Breen and Goldthorpe recently claimed to have exposed 'fatal flaws' in my work on meritocracy in Britain. This paper responds to their criticisms. The results of their re-analysis of the NCDS data set are shown to be consistent with my earlier findings and arguments. Furthermore, re-running some of my earlier models using measures that they favour and a method designed to privilege their position, the results once again demonstrate that, while class origins have some effect on class destinations (in particular, for those born into the middle class), ability and effort exert a much greater effect. Based on these results, the paper identifies three core propositions about meritocracy in Britain on which all parties to this debate should now be able to agree.


Background. Low soil nutrient limit maize production in Nigeria, and inorganic fertilizer used in augmenting yield are expensive and hazardous. Objective. In search for a sustainable alternative, the effect of methods of application (foliar and incorporated) of different levels of moringa-banana peel-maize stalk fertilizer (MBPF) on the growth and yield of different maize varieties was investigated. Methodology. Pot and field experiments were conducted. Each experiment consisted of 2 x 4 x 6 factorial combinations. In the pot experiment, the treatments were laid out in CRD while RCBD was used in the field experiment. All treatments were replicated three times. Data collected on agronomic, aesthetic and yield traits were subjected to ANOVA using SAS 9.4 version. PCA was done, thereafter, structural equation model (SEM) was constructed, and GGE biplot used to cluster treatment interaction using GEAR 4.1 version. Result. The results of both pot and field experiments had similar trend except that pot experiment had reduced height, poor phenotypic appeal and reduced grain yield. The result showed that mode of application, fertilizer treatments and maize varieties had significant (p<0.05) mean square for grain yield. 120N+50P+40K and 100N+40P+30K rate of MBPF applied to single cross hybrids (SCH) with grain yield of 1.85 t/ha clustered with standard national recommended rate of NPK fertilizer. Grain yield was in the order of SCH LY1312-11 > SCH check > Double-cross hybrid > Three-way hybrid > Top-cross hybrid > OPV-STR. Implication. MBPF was most effective when incorporated into the soil a week before planting. Conclusion. Therefore, MBPF at 120N+50P+40K and 100N+40P+30K are sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to inorganic fertilizer. keywords: Fertilizer; grain-yield; hybrids; maize; moringa-banana peel-maize stalk; sustainable alternative.


This project addresses the dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) content in the effluents of different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In this report, information is presented on the occurrence and levels of DON in WWTP effluents and its bioavailability. The information presented was generated by a survey of existing data from full scale plants achieving TN removal, direct sampling and monitoring of effluents from selected plants, and laboratory investigations on DON production in biological processes of WWTPs and its bioavailability to algae and bacteria. The results showed that there is a wide variation in effluent DON at different plants, ranging from non-detectable levels to as high as 2.5 mg N/L. The DON fraction of the effluent TN increases with decrease in effluent TN values, and could be as high as 85% of effluent TN. Size fractionation of effluent organic nitrogen (ON) fraction passing through a 1.2 μm filter showed that a significant colloidal fraction of ON exists between 0.1 and 1.2 μm particle size range in some plants. A fraction of the effluent DON is readily bioavailable to algae and bacteria in laboratory bioassays, and the presence of both algae and bacteria species in the bioassay increases the bioavailable DON fraction.

This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series .

ISBN: 9781843393542 (eBook)


Flexible substrate are gaining more and more in importance in different electronics area. One of the methods to achieve vertical integration within system-in-package (SiP) approach is folding of substrates. The behavior of the folded segments, which are acting as vertical interconnects will be discussed in this paper from geometrical and electrical point of view.


Congenital amusia is a lifelong musical disorder. It has been found that tonal-language speakers with amusia are impaired in lexical tone perception. But it has also been found that tonal-language experience compensates the deficit in certain scenario, reducing prevalence rate of amusia in speakers of a highly complex tonal-language – Cantonese. Thus it remains unclear whether lexical tone perception, especially its phonological processing, is impaired in Cantonese-speaking amusics. This study investigated the categorical perception of a continuum of lexical tone stimuli and pure tone analogues in Cantonesespeaking amusics and controls. The amusics showed reduced discrimination peak across the categorical boundary compared to controls in lexical tone condition, suggesting impaired categorical perception; in pure tone condition, the amusics showed inferior performance on both betweenand within-category discriminations, suggesting a deficit in auditory pitch processing. These findings indicate that phonological processing of tone is impaired in Cantonese-speaking amusics, despite possible compensation effect.


Most policy and research interest regarding rural credit markets revolves around the perception that poor households in developing countries lack access to credit, which is believed to have negative consequences for household welfare. An important feature of the rural credit market is that access to credit is easier for some groups than for others. The Vietnamese government supplied credit on preferential terms, particularly to rural households, through state-owned financial intermediaries. The share of the informal sector was thus considerably reduced from 78% (1992/93) of all outstanding loans to 54% (1997/98) in favor of the formal sector. However, there is evidence from other developing countries that credit constraints persist despite the expansion of rural finance. Hulme and Mosley (1996) state that there is increasing evidence that the poorest 20% of the population are excluded from rural credit programs. Thus, even in Vietnam the question remains: did the Vietnamese government succeed in reaching the poor, or do groups of people exist who are still access-constrained? Quantitative (N=260) and qualitative data collection took place between March 2000 and 2001. The quantitative data comprise cross-sectional household-level data from two different districts in Northern Vietnam. The poverty outreach of formal rural lenders was analyzed using Principal Component Analysis, while access to formal credit was investigated using a binary logit analysis. The poverty outreach of the formal lenders is quite satisfactory since about 50% of all predominantly poor rural households have access to formal credit. However, the poorest households are seldom clients of formal lenders. Yet, it is not their extreme general poverty that determines their access to formal credit. The results indicate that only certain aspects of poverty, e.g. low quality of housing, have an important influence on access to formal credit in Vietnam. The poorest households simply have much less demand for formal credit. Offering new credit products would only slightly improve the credit coverage of poorer households. More promising would be a specialized pro-poor extension service to widen the scope of their investment ideas and possibilities, combined with general improvement of the infrastructure. All in all, the most appropriate tool to incorporate poorer households into the formal financial system would be mobilization of savings. Nevertheless, the number of access-constrained households is surprisingly low. One reason for the low number is the weakening or eradication of former access constraints. Some access barriers do still exist, e.g. towards ethnic minorities or female-led households. To reduce these access barriers, the actions to be taken should be catering to the specific needs and the circumstances of those households that lack access.


Knowledge on the growth and early development patterns of endangered species can become a useful conservation tool because it may allow detecting anomalous growth in newborns, both in captivity breeding and in the wild. We studied the growth and early development of 40 Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) cubs belonging to 21 litters born in captivity between 2005 and 2012 at "El Acebuche" Iberian Lynx Breeding Centre. This is the first study on growth in this critically endangered species. The Iberian lynx cubs were not fully developed at birth. During the first 3 weeks of life, cubs underwent many of the physical changes that allowed them to improve their interaction with the environment, such as the opening of eye and auditory channels, teeth eruptions, and the ability to walk. When the cubs were 1 month old, they were ready to leave the den and develop new behaviors such as the exploration of their environment, play, or hunt. Three different models had been fitted to the body mass growth of the Iberian lynx. The von Bertalanffy curve provided the best fit. The asymptotic adult mass was the only parameter that differed between males and females (males being 8% larger), due to the higher growth rate of males. The adult weight of hand-reared cubs (i.e., those abandoned at born) did not differ from that of cubs reared by their mothers. Both growth and development showed differences from other lynx species.


: Effect of various substrates on the oxygen uptake of some digenetic trematodes -- Srivastavaia indica, Gastrothylax crumenifer, Gigantocotyle explanatum from the buffalo, Bubalus bubalis and Isoparorchis hypselobagri from the fish Wallago attu was studied. In all the four species, the effect of various substrates except maltose was found to be stimulatory. The inhibitory or stimulatory effect of these substrates on oxygen uptake reflects the importance of these compounds in the energy metabolism. In spite of the fact that these trematodes were subjected to similar concentration of substrates, the percentage change in oxygen uptake is different in each of the trematodes, the differential utilization is probably related to the different ecophysiological conditions of the habitat of these trematodes. Such studies can be useful in devising better in vitro culture media for these trematodes.


From Olympic training pools to relaxing spas, child-friendly swimming complexes to private bathing facilities, this area offers a diversity of function matched only by the architectural diversity showcased in this volume. The demand in each case is met by contemporary and innovative designs that explore the medium of water as both a powerfully creative and a calming force. "Swim! Best of Pool Design" introduces a global array of private and public pools, many representing daring experimentation with location, form and material, pushing the boundaries of creativity and functionality in the design of distinctive and sophisticated facilities. The following are from the contents: Les Bains des Docks in Le Havre, France (Jean Nouvel); The Tank at the Golden Nugget Hote in Las Vegas, USA (Kirksey Architecture); San Alfonso del Mar in Algarrobo, Chile (Fernando Fischmann); Rooftop pool at the Joule Hotel in Dallas, USA (Adam Tihany); and, Beijing National Aquatics Centre, China (PTW Architects, Arup, CSCEC, CCDI).


Shock in childhood is most commonly related to injury and blood loss, but hemodynamic compromise is occasionally caused by severe head or spinal injury, tension pneumothorax, myocardial injury, arrhythmias, and sepsis. Regardless of the cause, the initial management of the hypertensive child is establishment of a secure airway, maintenance of ventilation, and initiation of volume replacement via an adequate intravenous catheter. At the present time, crystalloid resuscitation with lactated Ringer's solution and buffering of acidosis with sodium bicarbonate is the standard approach, although in the future hypertonic saline solution may play a role. Hemorrhage may be classified according to the percentage of blood volume lost; losses in excess of 30% of blood volume (class III and IV hemorrhage) usually require administration of packed red blood cells and/or albumin as well. With appropriate management, the typical clinical signs of shock will be reversed and the child will demonstrate improved vital signs, peripheral circulation and sensorium, normalization of body temperature, reversal of metabolic acidosis, and resumption of normal urine output. The more aggressive the approach to resuscitation, the more prompt the patient's response and the more likely morbidity and mortality will be minimized.


The separated shell plates with the rearranged musculature (adductor muscle) is a novelty for bivalves. Despite its importance in the bivalve bodyplan, the development of the anterior adductor muscle remains unresolved. In this study, we investigate the myogenesis of the bivalve species Septifer virgatus to reveal the developmental origin of the larval muscles in bivalves, focusing on the anterior adductor muscle. We observed that larval retractor muscles are differentiated from the ectomesoderm in bivalves, and that the anterior adductor muscles are derived from primordial larval retractor muscles via segregation of the myoblast during the veliger larval stage. Through the comparative study of myogenesis in bivalves and its related taxa, gastropods, we found that both species possess myoblasts that emerge bilaterally and later meet dorsally. We hypothesize that these myoblasts, which are a major component of the main larval retractor in limpets, are homologous to the anterior adductor muscle in bivalves. These observations imply that the anterior adductor muscle of bivalves evolved as a novel muscle by modifying the attachment sites of an existing muscle.


For Hawking radiation, treated as a tunneling process, the no-hair theorem of black hole together with the law of energy conservation is utilized to postulate that the tunneling rate only depends on the external qualities (e.g., the mass for the Schwarzschild black hole) and the energy of the radiated particle. This postulate is justified by the WKB approximation for calculating the tunneling probability. Based on this postulate, a general formula for the tunneling probability is derived without referring to the concrete form of black hole metric. This formula implies an intrinsic correlation between the successive processes of the black hole radiation of two or more particles. It also suggests a kind of entropy conservation and thus resolves the puzzle of black hole information loss in some sense.


The Cape fur seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus colony at Robberg Peninsula, Plettenberg Bay, on the south-east coast of South Africa, was driven to extinction by indiscriminate harvesting by the late 1800s. Seals only began to recolonise this site in the 1990s. This study describes the recolonisation process from 2000 to 2009, exploring both within- and between-year count data of seals using the site. Counts increased over the study period from <300 animals to >3 100. Generalised linear models indicated the importance of year and month in explaining variability in the counts. Withinyear variability in the counts decreased over the study period, which may be related to an increasing proportion of resident (as opposed to transient) seals in the colony. However, the colony is currently still in a transition phase with a low ratio of breeding to non-breeding animals, based on the low numbers of pups born in the colony (currently still <100 per year). The influx of seals to the Robberg area may be associated with shifts in prey availability at the ecosystem level. The colony benefits from the protection afforded by the reserve status of the Robberg Peninsula and the existence of a marine protected area adjacent to it. However, human interference associated with fishing and/or ecotourism on the peninsula may inhibit development into a substantial breeding colony. Potential interventions for the conservation and management of this colony are discussed.


Effect of rotation in a axis symmetric vibration of a finite, homogeneous transversely isotropic solid bar immersed in a fluid is studied using the linearized, threedimensional theory of elasticity. The equations of motion of solid and fluid are respectively formulated using the constitutive equations of a transversely isotropic solid bar and the constitutive equations of an inviscid fluid. Two displacement potentional functions are introduced to uncouple the equations of motion. The computed non-dimensional frequency, phase velocity and attenuation are presented in the form of dispersion curves for the material Zinc.


We compute the primordial scalar, vector and tensor metric perturbations arising from quantum field inflation. Quantum field inflation takes into account the nonperturbative quantum dynamics of the inflaton consistently coupled to the dynamics of the (classical) cosmological metric. For chaotic inflation, the quantum treatment avoids the unnatural requirements of an initial state with all the energy in the zero mode. For new inflation it allows a consistent treatment of the explosive particle production due to spinodal instabilities. Quantum field inflation (under conditions that are the quantum analog of slow roll) leads, upon evolution, to the formation of a condensate starting a regime of effective classical inflation. We compute the primordial perturbations taking the dominant quantum effects into account. The results for the scalar, vector and tensor primordial perturbations are expressed in terms of the classical inflation results. For a N-component field in a O(N) symmetric model, adiabatic fluctuations dominate while isocurvature or entropy fluctuations are negligible. The results agree with the current WMAP observations and predict corrections to the power spectrum in classical inflation. Such corrections are estimated to be of the order of m2/[NH2] where m is the inflaton mass and H the Hubble constant at horizon crossing. This turns to be about 4% for the cosmologically relevant scales. This quantum field treatment of inflation provides the foundations to the classical inflation and permits to compute quantum corrections to it.


The focus of this paper is on multi-loop social learning processes required to move towards more sustainable water governance. Multi-loop social learning is recognized as a crucial element to decision-making involving a process of managing change where the central methodological concern is with effectively engaging the necessary participation of system members in contributing to the collective knowledge for more sustainable policy outcomes. A research framework that provides a deeper understanding of the conditions required for the facilitation of multi-loop social learning is developed to assess the capacity for multi-loop social learning of the Québec water governance system. This research focuses in particular on six watershed management organizations and their watershed territories. In total, 41 semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff of the watershed management organizations as well as with actors and stakeholders associated with three of the six studied watershed territories. This study shows that although the watershed management organizations have the potential to fulfill a key role in facilitating multi-loop social learning, there are still a number of challenges that will need to be addressed to achieve this potential. Limited capacity and perceived credibility of the watershed management organizations and a mismatch between provincial- and local-level discourses, as well as a limited participation of a wide diversity of actors and stakeholders across different levels and scales, are examples of conditions that hinder the facilitation of multi-loop social learning in Québec. Opportunities to overcome some of these key challenges include renewing partnerships with stakeholders that have so far not been involved by exploring innovative tools for knowledge co-production, and accelerating the transition towards a more collaborative water governance system through the development of required traits and skills of current and future change makers and leaders.


A SVDD (Support Vector Data Description) based MCUSUM (Multivariate Cumulative Sum) chart is proposed and referred as S-MCUSUM chart, which has an advantage of distribution free. Numerical experiments on the performance of the S-MCUSUM chart is compared to the COT (Cumulative of T) chart. The results show that the COT chart is somewhat better than the S-MCUSUM chart for multivariate normally distributed data. However, the S-MCUSUM chart is much better than the COT chart for banana-shaped distributed data which is a typical non-normal distribution.


Background: Guillain Barre syndrome is an acute inflammatory demyelinating disease of the peripheral nerves. Its synonyms are: acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, idiopathic polyneuritis, acute infective polyneuropathy and post infections polyneuritis. Objectives: We attempt to study the clinical presentations and complications in patients with GBS who were admitted to children welfare Teaching Hospital and to compare the results with the other studies.Type of the study: A retrospective study.Methods: A study done on seventy patients with GBS who were admitted to children Welfare Teaching Hospital in Medical City-Baghdad from different parts of Iraq between January 2002-December 2006.Results: Forty (57.14%) of them were males and 30(42.86%) were females, a male to female ratio 1.33:1. There were more cases during winter months. Antecedent events were found in 44 patients (62.86%),26 patients (37.14%) had no history of antecedent events. It was found that 24 patients (34.3%) had only bilateral lower limbs weakness and 46 patients (65.7%) had both bilateral lower and upper limbs weakness. Sensory manifestations occurred in 35 patients (50%). Cranial nerves involvement was observed in 25 patients (35.7%). Autonomic nerves involvement was observed in 9 patients (12.9%). Respiratory muscles were involved in 20 patients (28.6%), 11 patients (15.7%) were admitted to the RCU and needed ventilator setting, 3 patients (4.28%) died in RCU. The results were compared with similar studies from other parts of the world.Conclusions: This study showed that there is no specific pattern of motor weakness involvement and all cases show symmetrical muscle weakness.Bulbar nerves (glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves) involvement is the commonest cranial nerve involvements.Autonomic nerves involvement and respiratory muscles involvement are the main cause of death in GBS. GBS patients should be admitted to the hospital and RCU with ventilator setting should be available along with well trained medical staff. Because the disease may run a prolonged course, we recommend close follow up of the patient to see the end result at that time.


Wastewater reuse provides a substantial non-conventional water resource, mainly for agriculture. However, it requires appropriate treatment technologies and previous evaluation so as to meet quality requirements imposed by government regulations and crop needs. Among all the technologies applied to wastewater treatment, membrane-based systems have gained increasing importance, although their main drawback is progressive membrane fouling, which affects process efficiency enormously. The present study analyses the filterability of some biological suspensions as well as the influence of several variables in membrane fouling. Classic dead-end filtration models are used in an attempt to better understand fouling mechanisms and develop methods to prevent or retard it.


Introduction : Understanding the factors that lead to the adoption of a technology and creating conditions under which information technologies are accepted are of the research studies. This means that the question of why people accept information technology and use it or, on the contrary, do not accept it and do not use it is of the most important issues. The aim of this study was to investigate factors affecting the willingness to use e-banking: the integration of TAM and TPB models with electronic service quality. Model of the study : In this study, the combination of technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior is used. Research also shows that technology has reaching impacts on quality of service, which means when customers are in direct interaction with technology; they have more control over their work and do their jobs more efficiently, and this is because they perceive services with more quality. If the quality of perception of e-services is not good, e-banking functions are not effectively exercised by the user or they do not have control over technology. Conclusion : The results showed that the quality of banking services and perceived behavioral control have significant impact on the willingness of customers to use e-banking services. Electronic banking service quality has had significant effect on perceived behavioral control in the use of electronic banking services. Perceived behavior control in the use of electronic banking services has had a significant effect on subjective norms and attitudes of customers. Customers' understanding of the ease of use of e-banking systems has a significant impact on perceived usefulness and their attitude had


This letter proposes an inverse source coding scheme to mitigate the severe performance degradation caused by light dimming in visible light communications using on-off keying on reliable links. The proposed scheme meets the ratio of 0's to 1's for the dimming target, and transmission efficiency approaches the theoretical maximum, entropy. It outperforms the existing time-multiplexing scheme, and the difference in performance becomes larger the more the dimming target deviates from 50%. There might be several ways to implement inverse source coding and this letter presents an example utilizing Huffman coding.


To test whether SKF 38393 could ontogenetically sensitize dopamine (DA) D$\sb1$ receptors and whether this sensitization would be associated with biochemical changes, intact and neonatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats (200 $\mu$g i.c.v.) were treated daily from birth with SKF 38393 (3.0 mg/kg i.p. x 28 days) or its vehicle. In DA D$\sb1$ neonatally sensitized 6-OHDA rats, enhanced locomotor responses were observed with the first SKF 38393 challenge dose (3.0 mg/kg i.p.) at 6 weeks. This response increased further with weekly SKF 38393 treatments. Enhanced stereotyped behaviors were seen in both lesioned and sensitized rats at 8 weeks. There was no change in the percentage of high affinity D$\sb1$ sites in these groups of rats. Striatal mRNA levels for D$\sb1$ receptors were reduced in the lesioned rats, but restored to control level after treatments with SKF 38393 in adulthood. Basal, DA-, NaF- and forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activities were similar among treatment groups. Striatal DA content was reduced ($>$99%), whereas serotonin (5-HT) content was elevated ($>$50%) in the 6-OHDA groups. To study possible interaction between DA and 5-HT systems, the effects of a series of 5-HT agents on the induction of oral activity were determined. The 5-HT$\sb{\rm 1C}$ receptor agonist, m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP), produced a marked increase in oral activity in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. The respective 5-HT$\sb{\rm 1A}$ and 5-HT$\sb{\rm 1B}$ agonists, 8-OH-DPAT and CGS-12066B did not increase oral activity. The m-CPP-induced oral response in the lesioned rats was attenuated by mianserin, a 5-HT$\sb{\rm 1C}$ antagonist, but not by ketanserin or MDL-72222, 5-HT$\sb2$ and 5-HT$\sb3$ antagonists, respectively. Although the supersensitized oral response of lesioned rats to m-CPP was not attenuated by SCH 23390, the enhanced response of SKF 38393 was attenuated by mianserin. Additionally, mRNA levels for 5-HT$\sb{\rm 1C}$ receptor were not altered in both intact and lesioned rats. These findings demonstrate that ontogenetic treatments of neonatal 6-OHDA-lesioned rats with a D$\sb1$ agonist produce partial sensitization of DA D$\sb1$ receptors in adulthood without altered biochemical markers, and that this neonatal lesion is associated with both supersensitized DA D$\sb1$ and 5-HT$\sb{\rm 1C}$ receptors. Moreover, induction of oral activity by DA agonists is mediated via a serotonergic system.


As the key regulatory body of the international trading system, it is important to analyze Sri Lanka's position and its role in the WTO system with regard to two aspects. First, to get an understanding about the country's whole trade regime, its development and its direction. Second aspect is, as a founding member of the GATT and later the WTO, it is important to study about its evolution, achievements and its current position. Further, there are trading partners at bilateral, regional and global levels and scholars who are interested in this field who wish to know Sri Lanka's current trading position or its role in the WTO. According to Sri Lanka's trade and economic interests, NAMA, Agriculture, Trade Facilitation, Services, TRIPS, Rules and Aid for Trade are the most important areas as per priority in descending order. Within these areas Sri Lanka's role in the WTO negotiations has been active.


Raman spectroscopy has been used as a sensitive tool for studying biological tissue and evaluating disease. In many applications, microscopic level resolution spectral analysis is desirable. And this has been performed mostly by expensive commercial confocal micro-Raman systems. In this research, we present a simple method for building an economical and modular Raman microspectroscopy system that combines a microscope with a Raman spectrometer using an optical fiber bundle. The bundle with a circular collection end is positioned at an image plane of the microscope to collect Raman signals from the interested micro-location on the sample. The light delivery end is specially configured so that its 37 fibers are arranged along a straight line to fit into the spectrometer entrance slit. This configuration improves light collection efficiency and maintains high spectral resolution. To battle the great background autofluorescence and Raman signals that could originate from the microscope slides and optics due to the non-confocal set-up of our simplified system, conventional normal-incident illumination is replaced by oblique illumination at 45° degrees and the microscope slides are coated with gold. We demonstrated the usefulness of the system by measuring micro-Raman spectra from different skin layers on vertical sections of normal skin tissue samples.